These Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins are moist and fluffy, subtly spiced, and packed full of juicy apples! They're relatively healthy too, as they're refined sugar free and are a good source of protein and fibre. The recipe is versatile and easily customisable and comes together in one bowl. They're great for breakfast, brunch, dessert or a snack and are perfect for meal prep!
How to prepare the apples
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.
How to make this recipe
Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe.
- Mix together all the ingredients in a glass mixing bowl.
Tip: Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure out the exact amount of plant-based milk!
- Divide the batter between muffin cases in a muffin/cupcake tin.
- Bake for 20 minutes.
Substitutions you can make
- 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 replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground walnuts.
- For a nut-free version: replace the ground almonds (almond meal/almond flour) with ground sunflower seeds or use 30g (¼ cup) coconut flour instead of 150g (1 ¼ 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.
Ingredients you can add to the batter
- Desiccated coconut.
- Chopped walnuts or pecan nuts.
- Raisins.
- Dried cranberries.
- Chopped dates.
How long do these keep for?
Although 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
- Orange Poppy Seed Muffins
- Lemon Muffins
- Raspberry Muffins
- Strawberry 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.
Watch how to make it
Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
- 200 ml (⅘ cup) unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- 8 tablespoons maple syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch salt
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) ground almonds (almond meal) *
- 150 g (1 ¼ cup) gluten-free flour blend (or sub plain flour if not gluten-free)
- 2 heaped teaspoons baking powder (ensure gluten-free if necessary)
- ¼ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
- 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.
Video
Notes
Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you purchase any of these products, a small percentage will come to me with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.
Virgilia
Hi! Would it work to bake this recipe in a 9x13 pan instead of in muffin form? Thanks!
Rhian Williams
Yes that would work - just adjust the cooking time accordingly, and bake until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Thank you!
Vanessa Kohlhaas
What do you think about substituting apple sauce for maple syrup?
Rhian Williams
Yes that should work good idea!
Vanessa Kohlhaas
Just finished making it in two 8 x 8 pans with apple sauce instead of maple syrup. Increased baking time to about 40 minutes and nice golden brown on top. One pan is already devoured by the kids. Thank you so much for this recipe. I am going to use it in my preschool class this fall.
Rhian Williams
Aw thank you so much for making it and sharing how you got on! So happy to hear it went down well!
Vanessa Kohlhaas
Just made these again substituting blueberries for the apples and it worked beautifully. I baked it in a 9 x 13 pan. So yummy. Thanks again for the delicious recipe.
Rhian Williams
Aw that's amazing, thank you so much for making them. So glad you liked the recipe. And thank you for sharing your substitutions!
Jessica
Made these for a big staff meeting and they were placed next to some chain bakery scones. Guess which plate was empty first? YEP! These muffins were scoffed. Those scones didn’t stand a chance. I used one less apple (2 in total) and added chopped dates. Holy moly. Amazing. Thank you so much for making me the most loved employee today! Haha
Rhian Williams
Aw amazing! So happy to hear that. Thank you so much for making and sharing!
Leanne
If I want to make it nut-free, what can I replace the almond meal with? Thanks! My child’s school is but free.
Rhian Williams
You can use ground sunflower seeds, or use a fifth of the amount coconut flour (as coconut flour soaks up a lot of moisture and expands). Hope that helps!