These cinnamon apple muffins are full of fall flavor! Loaded with diced apples and rolled in cinnamon sugar these moist muffins are easy to make for breakfast or snack.
I love baking with apples during the fall! Favorites include apple crepes or apple desserts like apple cobbler or apple dump cake.
Table of Contents
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
These cinnamon apple muffins have a moist and tender crumb with chunks of freshly chopped apples mixed throughout. They’re finished with a buttery cinnamon sugar topping that adds a rich sweet flavor plus can be prepped in just 15 minutes!
I love to make a big batch of these and my applesauce muffins then freeze half for an easy breakfast option. They are one of my favorite fall snacks, along with easy pumpkin muffins with a cake mix and pumpkin banana bread. Add a cup of hot chocolate and this treat just became dessert!
Why I Love This Recipe
- Fall flavor and texture. These apple muffins are soft and moist from the oil and buttermilk with chunks of fresh apples and a topping of sweet cinnamon sugar.
- Freezer friendly. Double the batch and freeze half of these cinnamon apple muffins for a quick grab-and-go breakfast with a smear of apple butter.
Recipe Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Apples: I love to use peeled and diced Granny Smith apples when making these muffins. They’re sweet, and crisp and will hold their shape when baking.
- Baking staples: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.
- Spices: Add warm fall flavor by using a combination of apple pie spice and ground cinnamon.
- Oil: This makes the muffins super moist and tender. Vegetable oil is my preference, but canola oil or coconut oil would also work.
- Apple sauce: For even more apple flavor and a moist texture.
- Buttermilk: Made with a simple mixture of milk and vinegar, buttermilk helps to make these muffins super light and soft.
- Topping: Similar to my favorite Snickerdoodle muffins, melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar are added on top to give these apple muffins the ultimate finishing touch!
How to Make Cinnamon Apple Muffins
Whisk together the vegetable oil, apple sauce, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix until well combined. Whisk together the dry ingredients with spices then pour combine flour mixture with wet ingredients.
Add the diced apples into a separate bowl and toss with a little bit of flour and cinnamon. This gives them more flavor, as well as prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin pan.
Gently fold the diced apples into the batter until combined. Divide batter between the paper liners and 12-cup muffin tin and bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes. Remove from pan and place on wire cooling rack.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the muffins with melted butter, then roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture until well coated.
Tips and Variations
- Grated apples. During testing, I grated the apples. While I prefer the diced apples for flavor and texture, you can use grated apples for a more dense muffin.
- Add-ins. These apple muffins would taste delicious with chopped pecans or walnuts added in. You can also add more fall spices for a bolder flavor, such as nutmeg, all-spice, or cardamom.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Rolling them in a buttery cinnamon sugar mixture after baking makes these scrumptious but you can sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar.
- Other toppings: Feel free to use a streusel topping or make an easy crumb topping. You could also leave off the topping and drizzle with a sweet maple glaze instead.
Want more muffin recipes? Snack on these delicious pumpkin crumb muffins, banana bread muffins, or morning glory muffins.
More Apple Recipes
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Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Video
Ingredients
Muffins
- 2 Granny Smith apples , peeled and finely diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups + 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour , divided
- 2 teaspoons apple pie spice , see notes
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , divided
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup apple sauce
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
Topping
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2-3 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Instructions
Muffins
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Generously grease or line with muffin cups a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Toss apples with flour and spices. In a medium bowl, toss 2 cups diced apples, 2 teaspoons flour, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- Wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 applesauce, and 1 cup sugar until combined. Beat in 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1/2 cup buttermilk until well combined.
- Dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons apple pie spice and 1/2 teaspoon remaining cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients. Fold in the apples.
- Bake. Divide batter evenly between the tin cups. Bake 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges are golden. Remove pan from oven and place on a cooling rack.
Topping
- In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tablespoons sugar and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon. Brush the tops of the muffins with 2-3 Tablespoons melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
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Recipe FAQs
In this case, there are a few key ingredients included in this recipe that make these easy apple muffins so moist and delicious. The apple sauce, vegetable oil, and buttermilk all contribute to the perfectly moist texture, so I wouldn’t recommend making substitutions that could alter the consistency.
The best apples to bake with are varieties that are crisp with a sweet flavor. You want them to be able to hold their shape when baking. No one likes mushy apples!
I prefer to use Granny Smith apples in this apple muffin recipe, although Honeycrisp is another great option.
You can also make these into mini apple muffins for a smaller bite. Simply bake in a mini muffin pan at 375°F for about 16 to 18 minutes. This recipe will make about 48 mini muffins.
These muffins do taste best served the first day (especially warm!) but will stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour prior to enjoying, or thaw in the microwave until warm.
Categorized as: American, Bread, Breakfast, Freezer-Friendly, Muffins, Muffins, Nut-Free, Snacks, Vegetarian
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
The smell of these baking was divine. They were so good warm right out of the oven. We decided to drizzle a bit of caramel sauce over some of them. Oh my goodness, so good!
I can smell them now! Yum!
These are so easy and make the most perfect treat! We made two batches and it didn’t last long at all!
Thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoyed them Mindy :)
Apples and cinnamon just go together and these muffins are the perfect example. Deliciously moist and wonderfully appley, they’re perfect for a quick breakfast in the morning or a tasty snack in the afternoon.
I love this time of the year! We have been baking new recipes. This was so good and so yummy.
So glad you enjoyed the apple muffins :)
The little pieces of apple are the best part of this recipe – so good! Can’t wait to make these again.
That’s my favorite part too! So glad you enjoyed them :)
So moist and flavorful! My kids loved them. Thank you!
Loved these muffins, anything with apple and cinnamon in and I can’t resist!
I feel the same way! So glad you loved them, Mandy :)
My kids are constantly searching the pantry for an after school snack. These turned out perfect. Next time I will have to double the batch.
So happy to hear your little ones loved them, MacKenzie! :)
Are these regular size muffins or minis….if regular, anybody know how much to reduce the baking time to? Does the temp stay the same? Thanks
These are regular sized muffins. For mini muffins, bake about 16 to 18 minutes at 375°F. This recipe will make about 48 mini muffins.
These are fantastic as a quick breakfast-on-the-go! Love keeping them on hand in the freezer!
So convenient! Glad you enjoyed them, Glenda :)
This were a big hit!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookies so naturally I was thrilled to try these. SO delish. A new favorite in our house!
I had some apples leftovers that I needed to use and these muffins were just perfect. Will definitely make them again!
Yum! Absolutely love the cinnamon sugar coating!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed them! :)
I haven’ t made yet, but hopping to make as a gift for librarian. So glad to have found this recipe! 😀
Hope you enjoy! :)
Look good. Would help to have metric measurements alongside American BTW
These look delicious. Do you think they could be made as regular-sized muffins? What’s your guess at a cook time?
I would guess 30 minutes, but want to check at 20 and 25 the first time to make sure they don’t cook faster. :)
Wow! The muffins looks so chewy and yummy. Can’t wait to have it. I’m gonna try this soon Kara :) Thanks for the share.