Let's make some quick and easy vegan apple muffins! With a moist texture and wonderful flavor, these vegan apple cinnamon muffins are a fabulous bake for fall that the whole family will love!
Jump to:
These vegan apple and cinnamon muffins are so yummy. You can have a fresh batch ready in just over 30 minutes!
The muffin batter is full of cinnamony goodness and apple pieces. They're baked until golden and fluffy and are perfect for a quick snack or dessert.
This cinnamon apple muffin recipe is:
- Vegan and dairy-free
- Moist
- Full of cinnamony deliciousness
- And simple to make with everyday ingredients!
Ingredient tips
There's only 9 simple ingredients in this recipe:
Apples - For best results choose a crisp, firm variety of apples that holds their shape when baking. Honeycrisp, Jonagold, or Braeburn are great choices. Granny Smith apples are also good if you like a more tart taste.
The combination of baking powder and baking soda helps make the muffins light and fluffy.
Brown sugar brings extra moisture and caramel flavor to the muffins. We've used dark brown sugar here, a light brown sugar will also work well.
Vegetable oil - A light and neutral flavored oil, such as canola or sunflower oil, is best.
We recommend almond milk or soy milk for the plant milk. Their high protein content produces a better binding effect in vegan bakes.
Apple cider vinegar is added to the almond or soya milk to make it thicken and curdle to create a vegan buttermilk.
Step by step pictures
Here's how to make these easy vegan apple muffins! The full detailed recipe and quantities are in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Step 1 - Dice the apples. If you prefer, peel them first.
Step 2 - Combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder and soda, and salt.
Step 3 - Mix the plant milk and vinegar, and set aside for a few minutes to thicken and curdle.
Step 4 - Combine brown sugar and oil in a mixing bowl.
Step 5 - Add the vegan buttermilk to the sugar and oil and stir to combine.
Step 6 - Now add the flour mixture and stir to make the batter. Don't overmix!
Step 7 - Stir in the apple pieces.
Step 8 - Divide up the batter into a lined muffin pan and bake at 375℉ / 190℃ for 20 - 25 minutes.
Top tips!
Measure flour correctly
You will get the best results with vegan baking when you weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale. If you only have measuring cups, use the spoon and level method to measure the flour. Scooping flour directly into a cup packs it in and results in using too much flour.
Mix briefly
Why? Because overmixing vegan cake batter activates the gluten and can result in more chewy and dense muffins.
Act quickly
As soon as you mix the wet ingredients with the dried ingredients the baking powder will start to work. Don't leave the batter to rest, fill the liners and get the tray into the oven as soon as possible for the best rise.
Substitutions and variations
We haven't tested this recipe with other types of flour. Using whole wheat flour will give a more dense texture to the muffins, and a more wholesome taste.
For gluten-free vegan apple muffins, you can try to substitute the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend containing xanthan gum. Check your other ingredients to make sure they don't contain any hidden gluten.
No apple cider vinegar? You can also use an equal amount of lemon juice.
For a crunchy top, add 2 tablespoons of demerara or coarse sugar on top of the muffins before baking.
For a vegan streusel topping, you can combine:
- ¼ cup (30 g) flour
- ¼ cup (40 g) demerara sugar
- ½ cup (50 g) finely chopped nuts
- 2 tbsp (25 g) vegan butter
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
And sprinkle the mixture over the top before baking.
Adjust the spices to suit you! Use apple pie spice in place of cinnamon for extra variety. For cozy vegan apple spice muffins, you can add ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom or ginger.
Add-ins. You can reduce the amount of apple and add chopped nuts, such as walnuts or pecans, raisins, or dried cranberries to the batter for extra variety.
Serving
These vegan muffins are best enjoyed on the day they are baked.
When cool, they will peel more easily from the paper liners.
Storage
Store leftover muffins at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Freeze in a freezer bag or wrapped and in a freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, and then bring to room temperature on the counter, or warm for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
FAQs
It's up to you! Apple peel is perfectly edible after a quick wash, so feel free to leave them unpeeled for convenience. If you prefer the texture without bits of skin, then go ahead and peel them.
More ideas
This recipe is featured in 31 Easy & Amazing Vegan Apple Desserts. Browse the list now for more apple inspo or go straight to these yummy recipes...
Vegan Puff Pastry Apple Tart - (flaky, simple, and rustic)
Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Crisp - (a crowd-pleasing fall dessert)
Recipe
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 g) apple approximately 2 medium, diced
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 cup (240 ml) almond milk or soy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ⅔ cup (140 g) dark brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (90 ml) vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375℉ / 190℃. Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper liners.
- Prepare the apples. Peel if desired, and dice them finely.2 cups (200 g) apple
- Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Mix almond or soy milk and vinegar in a jug to make the vegan buttermilk. Set aside to curdle and thicken slightly.2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, 1 cup (240 ml) almond milk or soy milk
- Stir together the brown sugar and vegetable oil in a large mixing bowl.⅔ cup (140 g) dark brown sugar, ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons (90 ml) vegetable oil
- Add the vegan buttermilk and stir until well combined.
- Gently mix in the flour mixture using a silicone spatula, until the batter is barely combined (don't overwork it).
- Add the diced apple and fold it into the batter. If desired, reserve some pieces of apple to sprinkle on top of the muffins before baking.
- Scoop the batter into the muffin liners. Take care not to overfill and leave at least ½ inch or 1cm space beneath the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes and test that a skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean without any uncooked batter.
- Cool the muffins on a wire rack for 30 minutes and then enjoy!
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Leave a commentI hope you loved this recipe! Leave a ★★★★★ rating and share your ideas in the comments! Vicky x 
Leave a Reply