Amazing, healthy apple muffins made with maple syrup and whole wheat flour! No one will guess that this simple cinnamon apple muffin recipe is good for you, too. Recipe yields 12 muffins.
Recipe by Cookie and Kate on January 27, 2016
Prep time: PT15M
Cook time: PT13M
Total time: PT28M
Rating
4.8 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
apple muffins, naturally sweetened, whole grains, fall
Ingredients
1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup grated apple
1 cup apple diced into ¼” cubes
⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup maple syrup or honey*
2 eggs, preferably at room temperature
½ cup plain Greek yogurt (I used full-fat but any variety should do)
½ cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar (also called raw sugar), for sprinkling on top
Categories
Muffins
Cuisine
American
Steps
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and doesn’t require any grease).
In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Blend well with a whisk. Add the grated apple (if it is dripping wet, gently squeeze it over the sink to release some extra moisture) and chopped apple. Stir to combine.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the oil and maple syrup and beat together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then add the yogurt, applesauce and vanilla and mix well. (If the coconut oil solidifies in contact with cold ingredients, gently warm the mixture in the microwave in 30 second bursts.)
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). The batter will be thick, but don’t worry! Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with turbinado sugar. Bake muffins for 13 to 16 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. If you have leftover muffins, store them, covered, at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze leftover muffins for up to 3 months.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1 muffin
Calories: 192 calories
Carbohydrates: 27.7 g
Protein: 4.5 g
Fat: 7.8 g
Saturated Fat: 5.6 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 32.5 mg
Sodium: 168.9 mg
Sugar: 12.7 g
Reviews
Annette Greek on 2025-12-01 (5 stars): I have made these muffins multiple times. Each time they came out awesome. I only substituted oil for apple sauce in its place plus all the other applesauce. Added more Greek yogurt. But by all means a great recipe. Thank you for sharing with us.
Dani on 2025-11-09 (5 stars): These are easily the best apple muffins I’ve ever had. My family blew through these in three days and I’m currently making another batch. Trying out mini muffins for my toddler too!
TheDavesHotChickenMenu on 2025-11-29 (5 stars): I love this healthy apple muffins recipe — the muffins look moist, fluffy, and perfectly spiced . Great mix of wholesome ingredients and comfort baking.
— this one’s definitely going on my “to‑try” list!
Karen on 2025-12-06 (5 stars): This is even better than the pumpkin muffin recipe. I use mostly whole wheat pastry flour and a little whole wheat flour, and I find it makes a lighter crumb. They are a perfect mid-morning snack.
Ann on 2025-12-09 (5 stars): I made these today. They are excellent. Moist and dense but cakey too. I used honey as the sweetener and avocado oil for the oil. I used two medium sized apples which was probably slightly over what the recipe calls for but it worked. I omitted the salt for a family member on a low sodium diet. We did not miss the salt and for 12 muffins I calculated under 100 mg of sodium per muffin. These will become a staple.
Cynthia Pearson on 2026-01-25 (5 stars): These are amazing! Very forgiving too- I can’t get Greek yogurt or applesauce readily in Nepal so I used extra apples and regular yogurt and they turned out delicious. My new all time favorite muffins!
Kelly on 2026-01-31 (5 stars): Oh...my...goodness!!! These are incredibly moist and delicious!! The best muffins of any kind I have ever had. My husband agrees!!
Mallory on 2026-02-01 (5 stars): I made these to have on hand as snacks for my toddlers and they are perfect for that! I did mini muffins and baked for 9 minutes. I also added 2 Tbsp of milled flaxseed, chia seed, hemp hearts and vegan DHA. They are not too sweet, a nice, fluffy texture, and taste great with peanut butter.
Elizabeth on 2026-02-01 (5 stars): Can this recipe be baked as an apple bread instead of muffins?
Cats4all on 2026-02-16 (5 stars): I made this recipe, but subbed the flour for Measure for Measure GF flour. I also used half olive oil and half butter, and it came out GREAT! You can use slightly less maple syrup and it’s still super delicious.
Samantha on 2026-02-16 (5 stars): These muffins are great!!Taste like apple pie. My kids love them and me too.Totally recomended!!!
Zoe Joy on 2026-02-19 (5 stars): I didn’t have any applesauce, so did a double down on Greek yogurt.
Holy mackerel! These are bloody delicious, big hit in our house. Thanks C&K
Colleen Long on 2026-03-07 (5 stars): These muffins are excellent! I love all the different forms of apple used in them. Super healthy and delicious.
Jill on 2026-03-22 (5 stars): I used this recipe to make a moring glory muffin. Turned out very tasty!! Here's what I did. 1/2 cup shredded apples, 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 1 cup chopped apple, added a bit more cinnamon and some nutmeg and raisins. Omitted the applesauce and they came out nice a fluffy!
Jake Leigh on 2026-05-04 (5 stars): I make muffins to send for school snacks each week and I LOVE this recipe. These muffins are super tasty and almost melt in your mouth. The two types of apple is perfect for a mixture of fruity bites. I would make these every single week if I didn’t feel we needed a bit of variety :). Thank you for the options to turn them vegan as well!!
Amanda on 2026-05-19 (5 stars): Could I make these into jumbo muffins? If so, would I need to change anything other than the bake time?
Jean Hay on 2026-06-04 (5 stars): These really are outstanding; definitely five star. The challenge is to not eat the entire batch in just a few days. Easy to make too.
Jean on 2026-06-04 (5 stars): These really are outstanding; definitely five star. The challenge is to not eat the entire batch in just a few days. Easy to make too.
Karen on 2026-07-18 (5 stars): One of the best textured muffins I have eaten. Will definitely print off and make again.
