These healthy applesauce muffins are quick and easy to make in one bowl! This whole wheat muffins recipe is made with applesauce, fresh apples and cinnamon. Make a batch of these healthy breakfast muffins for your freezer.

These healthy apple muffins are quick and easy to make in one bowl! This whole wheat muffins recipe is made with applesauce, fresh apples and cinnamon. Make a batch of these best apple muffins for your freezer this fall!

Muffins are a busy mom’s best friend. They’re freezer-friendly, portable, and perfect for make ahead breakfasts.

You can make healthier, more wholesome muffins without sacrificing flavor or texture. Take my one bowl healthy banana muffins and chocolate black bean blender muffins, for example. So many of you have made these healthy muffin recipes and loved them!

These cinnamon apple muffins are the perfect thing to satisfy your cozy fall baking cravings. We love this muffins recipe so much that I’ve made four batches in the past two weeks!

Why you’ll love these healthy apple muffins

  • The batter for these easy apple muffins is made in just one bowl. Less dishes is always a good thing.
  • These healthy muffins turn out soft,  and they’re filled with sweet bites of fresh apple.
  • This is a great make ahead breakfast recipe. You can also put a frozen muffin in your kids’ lunch boxes and it will defrost by snack or lunch time.

Healthy apple muffins in a muffin pan.

I plan to keep a stash of these apple muffins in my freezer all autumn long. I usually grab one for a morning snack, along with a piece of fruit. 

How do you make healthy muffins?

When I’m creating a healthy muffin recipe, there are three ingredients that I replace with more nutritious options: the white flour, the fat/oil, and the sugar. For healthy muffins:

  • Use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour. I like to use white whole wheat flour because we prefer its milder flavor. You can find white whole wheat flour in many grocery stores.
  • Replace some of the butter with unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana or Greek yogurt. You can also use other fruit or vegetable purees, such as pumpkin puree. I like to keep a small amount of butter in my muffin recipes for flavor. I’ve tried to replace it completely and the flavor is always lacking. These ingredients also add moisture so that your muffins will be soft and moist, not dry.
  • Use unrefined sugars instead of white granulated sugar or brown sugar. I always use either honey, pure maple syrup or unsweetened applesauce in my muffins, and you can use them interchangeably. I find 1/3-1/2 cup to be the perfect amount. You can add less sweetener if you are making muffins with ripe banana, since the banana adds a lot of sweetness.

These healthy apples muffins are quick and easy to make in one bowl! This whole wheat muffins recipe is made with applesauce, fresh apples and cinnamon. Make a batch of these best apple muffins for your freezer this fall!

Making this applesauce muffin recipe is so simple. Let me walk you through the steps.

How do you make homemade applesauce muffins?

  1. Melt the butter in a large bowl in the microwave. If you do not have a microwave, melt it on the stove.
  2. Add the remaining wet ingredients to the bowl and whisk to combine.
  3. Add the dry ingredients, except for the whole wheat flour, to the bowl. Whisk to combine well.
  4. Mix in the flour using a rubber spatula. Stop mixing when the flour is not quite mixed in.
  5. Mix in the apples, being careful not to over-mix the batter. When making muffins you want to mix until just combined for the best texture.
  6. Scoop the batter into greased muffin pans and bake.

You can serve these muffins warm from the oven or at room temperature. If you freeze them, let them defrost at room temperature for about an hour. You can also defrost them in your microwave using low power or the defrost setting.

Serve these healthy apple muffins plain or spread with almond butter or peanut butter. For breakfast, add a piece of fruit and yogurt or a Instant Pot hard boiled egg to round out the meal.

Tips for baking healthy apple muffins

  • You can use any type of baking apple that you like in this recipe. Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady or Braeburn would all work well. You do not need to peel the apple.
  • Try using chopped pear in place of the apple for a different flavor.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon maple extract for maple flavor. I tried this with one batch and loved the sweet maple and apple together!
  • Be careful to not over-mix your muffin batter for the best texture.
  • Make homemade applesauce with my Instant Pot Applesauce recipe.

These healthy apple muffins are quick and easy to make in one bowl! This whole wheat muffins recipe is made with applesauce, fresh apples and cinnamon. Make a batch of these best apple muffins for your freezer this fall!

More healthy breakfast muffins

For more delicious fall baking, try my Healthy Apple Bread and favorite Apple Pie Recipe next!

These healthy apple muffins are quick and easy to make in one bowl! This whole wheat muffins recipe is made with applesauce, fresh apples and cinnamon. Make a batch of these best apple muffins for your freezer this fall!
4.80 from 10 ratings

Healthy Apple Muffins (One Bowl Recipe)

Servings: 15 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 31 minutes
These healthy apple muffins are quick and easy to make in one bowl! This whole wheat muffins recipe is made with applesauce, fresh apples and cinnamon. Make a batch of these healthy breakfast muffins for your freezer.

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/4 cup
  • 1/2 cup honey or pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup milk, dairy, almond, etc.
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
  • 1 large baking apple, chopped (1 1/2 cups, no need to peel)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray muffin pans (regular size or mini) with cooking spray. I like to use coconut oil spray.
  • Place the butter in a large bowl and melt it in the microwave. You could also melt the butter in a pot on the stove.
  • Add the honey or pure maple syrup, applesauce, plain Greek yogurt, milk, eggs and vanilla to the bowl with the butter. Whisk until well combined.
  • Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to the bowl with the wet ingredients. Whisk until well combined.
  • Add the white whole wheat flour. Use a rubber spatula to mix it in until almost combined.
  • Add the chopped apple, reserving a few apple pieces for the tops of the muffins, if desired. Use the rubber spatula to mix in the apple until just combined.
  • Scoop the batter into the greased muffin pans, filling each well about 2/3 full. If you reserved some of the apple pieces, press them into the tops of the muffins.
  • Bake regular size muffins for 16-18 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Bake mini muffins for about 12 minutes.
  • Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • Store muffins in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 134kcal, Carbohydrates: 22g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 34mg, Sodium: 194mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 12g
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

These healthy apple muffins are quick and easy to make in one bowl! This whole wheat muffins recipe is made with applesauce, fresh apples and cinnamon. Make a batch of these best apple muffins for your freezer this fall!

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