Tender, full of apple flavor, and topped with a yummy streusel, these Apple Cinnamon Muffins are a forever favorite muffin. They store well for days and are an easy make-ahead breakfast or snack to share with the kids.
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
We love baking with apples, and while I’ve had Applesauce Muffins, ABC Muffins, and Apple Bread, on this site for years, it was past time to add a straight-up apple muffin recipe. This version, which has a pile of shredded apple and cinnamon in the batter for maximum flavor, is our new favorite.
The batter is made mainly with pantry staples. Then we add in yogurt for fluffiness and fresh apple for flavor. The result is a perfect Apple Cinnamon Muffin that’s just as good at room temperature as it is warm. We love these plain, topped with butter and honey, or with a little cream cheese.
So darn good.
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Ingredients You Need
Here’s a look at the ingredients you need to make this muffin recipe.
- Whole wheat flour: I make these with a base of whole wheat flour. See the Notes at the end of the recipe for tips on using all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder and baking soda
- Whole-milk plain yogurt: This helps the muffins turn out super moist and fluffy. You can use regular-style yogurt or Greek.
- Honey: Or you can use maple syrup.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter in my baking. You’ll want to melt it and let it cool slightly.
- Eggs: I use large eggs in baking. You can use an egg replacer as needed. Check the Notes at the end of the recipe for the specifics.
- Vanilla extract
- Apple: I like to make this recipe with shredded apple so it blends in nicely. You could do finely diced apple, though, if you prefer larger pieces.
- Cinnamon: This adds lots of flavor to the muffin recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Below is a look at how to make this recipe so you know what to expect from the process. Scroll down to the end of the post for the full information.
- Stir together the dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Grate the apple.
- Add it to the bowl with the remaining ingredients.
- Stir gently to combine. Portion into the prepared muffin pan. Top with an optional streusel topping and bake. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
We prefer to bake with Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples since both are widely available and have a bright and sweet apple flavor.
You can store these muffins at room temperature for a few days in an airtight container, or in the fridge or freezer. You may wan to warm slightly to serve.
In this recipe, the combination of shredded apple, yogurt, and eggs makes the muffin very moist. In addition, you’ll always want to avoid over-baking—and transferring baked muffins to a wire rack to cool, as opposed to letting them cool in the pan itself—as that can lead to dry muffins.
How to Store
Once cooled, store muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm slightly to serve from the fridge (they firm up a bit when they’re cold so warming slightly returns them to their softer texture).
You can also freeze the muffins in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in 15-second increments in the microwave.
Best Tips for Success
- To make with all purpose flour, bake as directed but lengthen the baking time by about 2 minutes.
- Dairy-free: Use a nondairy Greek-style yogurt like the plant-based options from Siggis and a neutral oil like canola in place of the butter.
- Gluten-free: Substitute cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the wheat flours.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Reduce the yogurt to ¾ cup. Add ¼ cup milk. Proceed with the recipe.
- To make with diced apples for larger pieces in the muffins, finely dice an apple or two and measure out 1 ½ cups. Stir into the recipe and proceed.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe, so please comment and rate it below!
Favorite Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
- ¼ cup honey (or maple sryup)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted and slightly cooled)
- 2 eggs (lightly beaten)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup shredded apple (from about 1 medium apple)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Streusel Topping (optional)
- ⅓ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons rolled oats
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 12-cup standard muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, honey, butter, eggs, and vanilla.
- Gently stir the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture.
- Add the apples, stirring gently to combine.
- Divide batter among the prepared muffin tin cups, using about ¼ cup batter in each cup.
- If using the Streusel Topping, mix the ingredients together in a medium bowl and sprinkle some on top of each muffin. Press down slightly to help it adhere.
- Bake for 16-18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Remove from oven, then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool fully.
Equipment
Notes
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm slightly to serve from the fridge (they firm up a bit when they’re cold so warming slightly returns them to their softer texture).
- You can also freeze the muffins in a freezer bag with as much air removed as possible for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in 15-second increments in the microwave.
- To make with all-purpose flour, prepare as directed but lengthen the baking time by about 2 minutes.
- Dairy-free: Use a nondairy Greek-style yogurt like the plant-based options from Siggis and a neutral oil like canola in place of the butter.
- Gluten-free: Substitute cup-for-cup gluten-free flour in place of the wheat flour.
- Egg-free: Omit the eggs. Reduce the yogurt to ¾ cup. Add ¼ cup milk. Proceed with the recipe.
- To make with diced apples for larger pieces in the muffins, finely dice an apple or two and measure out 1 ½ cups. Stir into the recipe and proceed.
Nutrition
This recipe was first published September 2022.
Hi Amy! I would like to make these for my 9 month old baby but also make them tasty for my 5 year old. If I omit the honey/maple syrup, could I add unsweetened apple sauce instead? Would that help with the moisture content and give hint of sweet? Thanks so much!
Hi- I haven’t tried that but I bet it would work!
I will never be the same after these. My favorite muffins I have made from your site, quite possibly that I have ever made! They are so light and fluffy and taste like they came straight from a bakery. Don’t skip the streusel!! I will admit I added extra cinnamon to the batter and the topping and I highly recommend it. 10/10!
I didn’t read the instructions and missed soaking the carrots. I made the batter an hour before cooking and cooked on low in a frying pan with a lid to steam the carrots while cooking. It still worked great and my 19 month old who has never not refused carrots ate 4 pancakes! Just in case anyone else isn’t great at instructions, it can still work!
Made these today & they came out great! Added more cinnamon because we love it. Also used a mini muffin tin so I adjusted baking time to 10 minutes. We had left over batter so I made a small cake & made a cream cheese frosting, which was sooo good with these! We did not do the recipe called for topping because I was out of brown sugar, but that would have made these really great too!
I’m slowly working through all of the muffin recipes, and these are my new fave! I left off the topping and added some sultanas to the mix instead. The kids will be lucky if there’s any left when they get home from kindy!
When do you add the streusel topping?
Ah, sorry, right before popping into the oven to bake.
Can I make without honey or syrup or any sweetener?
You can, but they may not have as much flavor. Be sure that your apples are flavorful to start.
These are absolutely scrumptious, but the instructions threw me off since they didn’t mention the cinnamon or the streusel topping. I remembered just before they went in the oven so I mixed the cinnamon in the topping and it was delicious! Thank you for another wonderful recipe that the whole family can enjoy!! Xx
We too forgot the strudel on top as it wasn’t included in the instructions. However, the base was delicious and moist. We will definitely be making these again and adding the topping.
Hi! My son is allergic to dairy so what would you suggest as a sub for the yogurt? Thanks!!
You could use a dairy free yogurt to replace it.
These are very easy to make. My toddler loves them. They are delicious and healthy.
Delicious recipe! I made with the maple syrup alternative. The only thing I did different is add a little more oats to the streusel.
Could I use oat flour instead of the flour suggested ? How much longer will it need to be baked ?
I haven’t tried them that way so I can’t say for sure, but it may take 4 or so more minutes. Check with a cake tester.