Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins

These Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins are subtly spiced, surprisingly healthy and packed full of juicy apples! They’re great for breakfast, brunch, dessert or a snack and are perfect for meal prep!

Why you’ll love these Apple Muffins:

• they’re undetectably vegan and gluten-free
• they’re refined sugar free and relatively healthy
• they’re packed with sweet apples 
• they’re moist and fluffy
• they filling and satisfying
• they’re a good source of protein and fibre
• they require just one bowl to make
• the recipe is versatile and easily customisable.

Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

• you can use any type of oil: coconut oil, olive oil or vegetable oil
• you can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, rice milk, soy milk, cashew milk, oat milk etc
• you can use any type of liquid sweetener: maple syrup, agave syrup, brown rice syrup etc
• you can substitute the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts
• for a nut-free version: substitute the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (1/4 cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds
• you can use plain flour, wholemeal (whole wheat) flour or spelt flour instead of the gluten-free flour if you’re not gluten-free
• you can omit the cinnamon or replace with another similar spice such as cardamom or ground ginger
• you can cut down on the amount of maple syrup or omit it entirely if you want to make them no added sugar.

I prefer the apple chunks in these muffins to be tender but still have a little bite, so I decided not to cook them first before adding to the mixture. And I didn’t peel them because I love how the skins add little pops of colour, and this also makes them healthier and easier!

However, if you have any problems with any of the above and prefer your apples to be super soft and silky, you can always peel the apples and cook them in a pan beforehand.

I kept these muffins pretty simple by just using apples, but other delicious add-ins include:

• desiccated coconut
• chopped walnuts or pecan nuts
• raisins
• dried cranberries
• chopped dates.

Equipment you’ll need to make these Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins:

• glass mixing bowl – for mixing the muffin batter
• measuring jug – for measuring out the plant-based milk
• muffin/cupcake tin – for baking the muffins

How long do these Apple Muffins keep for?

Though these muffins do taste best when fresh, they keep well covered in the fridge for up to a few days, and freeze well too, which makes them great for a quick breakfast. If you have just taken them out of the fridge of freezer, I’d recommend warming them up in an oven toaster if you have one.

More vegan muffin recipes:

• Carrot Muffins
• Blueberry Banana Bread Muffins
• Chocolate Muffins
• Blueberry Muffins
• Muffin Tin Sushi Cups
• Chocolate Banana Muffins
• Lemon Muffins

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins

These Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins are subtly spiced, surprisingly healthy and packed full of juicy apples!

4.56 from 38 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten-free apple muffins, gluten-free vegan muffins, vegan apple muffins

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 12 muffins

Calories: 214kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

• 60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)60 g (1/4 cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
• 200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)200 ml (4/5 cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch saltPinch salt
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *150 g (1 1/4 cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
• 150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)150 g (1 1/4 cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
• 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
• 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
• 3 apples , cored and diced (around 700 g/24 oz in total)3 apples , cored and diced (around 700 g/24 oz in total)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Place the coconut oil in a large bowl and melt over a saucepan of boiling water or in the microwave (skip this step if using any other oil)
• Once melted, add the milk to the same bowl along with the vinegar, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, salt and ground almonds
• Sift in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda
• Mix well, adding a tiny splash more milk if it’s looking too dry
• Add the apples and carefully stir in 
• Transfer the mixture between muffin cases in a muffin tin
• Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean
• Tastes best when fresh, but keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour

I kept these muffins pretty simple by just using apples, but other delicious add-ins include:

• desiccated coconut
• chopped walnuts or pecan nuts
• raisins
• dried cranberries
• chopped dates

Nutrition Facts

Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins

Amount Per Serving

Calories 214 Calories from Fat 108

% Daily Value*

Fat 12g18%

Saturated Fat 5g25%

Sodium 46mg2%

Potassium 96mg3%

Carbohydrates 26g9%

Fiber 4g16%

Sugar 14g16%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 25IU1%

Vitamin C 2mg2%

Calcium 80mg8%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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