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Home » Recipes » Baking & Desserts

Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins

Last updated - July 10, 2021; Published - May 28, 2021 By Rhian Williams 88 Comments

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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!

A gluten-free vegan apple muffin in a brown muffin case

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.
Raw gluten-free vegan muffin batter with pieces of chopped apple in a bowl with a wooden spoon

Tip: Make sure to use a measuring jug to measure out the exact amount of plant-based milk!

Raw gluten-free vegan apple muffins batter in a bowl with a wooden spoon
  • Divide the batter between muffin cases in a muffin/cupcake tin.
Raw gluten-free vegan apple muffins batter in two brown muffin cases
  • 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.

A halved gluten-free vegan apple muffin with a whole muffin in the background

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.

Watch how to make it

A halved gluten-free vegan apple muffin with another muffin in the background

Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins

These Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Muffins are subtly spiced, surprisingly healthy and packed full of juicy apples!
4.42 from 95 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 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
Calories: 214kcal
Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

  • 60 g (¼ cup) coconut oil (or sub olive or vegetable oil)
  • 200 ml (â…˜ 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

*You can alternatively use almond flour.
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.
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.
Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

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.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. kelly

    October 14, 2020 at 12:57 am

    5 stars
    I made these tonight and they were a yummy way to utilize apples from the orchard!
    I added a crumble to the top (oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, coconut oil, chopped pecans) to sweeten them a little more and give them some crunch, which was needed because mine turned out a little doughy and strange... perhaps I went overboard with the apple chunks 🙂

    Overall these were a nice warm treat for a fall day! With just a touch of sweetness, the recipe lets the apple shine and the muffin holds together nicely- I would make these again!

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      October 14, 2020 at 3:56 pm

      Thank you so much for the feedback!

  2. Tanya

    January 24, 2021 at 4:53 pm

    5 stars
    Made these and they were a huge hit! I chopped my apples up smaller than suggested and they were perfect. The whole family loved them.

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      January 24, 2021 at 5:09 pm

      Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

  3. Ginger

    January 26, 2021 at 10:53 pm

    5 stars
    I halved the maple syrup to reduce sugar and they are very tasty! I like the texture with the apple bits! Great recipe!

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      January 27, 2021 at 12:29 am

      Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

  4. Sandra

    May 29, 2021 at 9:16 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent muffins. Moist and fluffy! I also tried the recipe by adding 2 tablespoons of cacao and the result was wonderful. Thank you, Rhian!

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      May 30, 2021 at 1:09 pm

      Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

  5. Lisa

    June 17, 2021 at 4:08 am

    5 stars
    These are the new favorite in our house. I use 2 Honeycrisp apples since they are pretty large, and white flour instead of gluten free. My son eats these and the blueberry muffin recipe every day.

    Reply
    • Rhian Williams

      June 17, 2021 at 1:17 pm

      Thank you so much, so happy to hear that!

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Hi, I’m Rhian! I make easy, undetectably vegan + gluten-free recipes, including healthy comfort food and naturally sweetened desserts using plant-based ingredients.

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