Vegan Gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Vegan Gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Muffins- made with whole grain flour and naturally sweetened, these moist and nutritious muffins are the perfect treat to bake on a chilly fall weekend!

This post was created in partnership with Bob’s Red Mill
Who needs potpourri when you can whip up a delicious batch of apple cinnamon muffins? The intoxicating scent lingers for what seems like days in your kitchen.
Plus, with the current shortage of pumpkin puree, I figured it was a good time to highlight the beauty of apples. Specifically in muffins topped with Bob’s Red Mill Maple Sea Salt Granola. Insert heart eyes here.
Ingredients + Possible Substitutions
When I reached out to those of you that follow me on Instagram, I asked if you would prefer a vegan and gluten-free muffin or just gluten-free and the majority voted for both so that’s the version you’ll see here. Here’s what you need to make them!
- Ground Flax Seed- To keep these muffins vegan, we’re using ground flax seed combined with water to create a “flax egg”. This will add moisture and help bind the muffins. If you’re not vegan and want to use a real egg I would recommend replacing the flax egg with one egg. I haven’t tested them that way but my suspicion is that it would work well.
- Oat Flour- Using oat flour gives these muffins a boost of fiber, protein and heart healthy antioxidants. Possible substitutions would be brown rice or white rice flour, or wheat flour if you’re not gluten-free.
- Almond Flour- This is one I know I will get a lot of questions on how to substitute but unfortunately I don’t recommend it. Almond flour is unique in its ability to add moisture and fat while offsetting the dense texture of the whole grain oat flour. In order to leave it out you would have to adjust the fat and liquid in the recipe while also incorporating some kind of starch to lighten up the texture. That would make it a completely different recipe that would require several trials to get just right!
- Ground Cinnamon and Salt- Two teaspoons cinnamon is just the right amount for my personal preference but feel free to add more or less if you prefer. The recipe also includes 1/4 teaspoon of salt to offset the sweetness from the sugar.
- Baking Powder and Soda- These are our leavening agents which help the muffins rise and brown properly. Yes you need both for maximum lift since flax eggs don’t do that as well as real eggs.
- Apple Cider Vinegar- Another key ingredient for lift and a lighter texture, lactic acid reacts with the leavening agents to incorporate air into the batter. If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you could also use lemon juice or white vinegar.
- Dairy-free Milk- While you could technically use any kind of non-dairy milk you like, I recommend one with a sufficient amount of protein for best results, such as soy, pea or oat milk. The protein in the milk reacts with the vinegar to create lactic acid which is what activates the leavening agents to produce air.
- Vanilla Extract- Everything is better with vanilla. I use two teaspoons for maximum flavor enhancement.
- Pure Maple Syrup- Maple syrup adds a natural sweetness that pairs perfectly with the apples and cinnamon. While you could technically use honey or agave nectar in its place, I recommend sticking with maple syrup for the most consistent results.
- Applesauce- I’ve only tested these with unsweetened applesauce so keep in mind that sweetened applesauce might makes these overly sweet. If your applesauce has cinnamon added you will also want to adjust for that in the recipe.
- Granny Smith Apple- Green apples are my favorite for baking because of the tartness they add. However, you are welcome to use any kind of apple you like!
- Bob’s Red Mill Maple Sea Salt Granola- Topping your muffins with granola might seem a little extra but you guys, it is SO WORTH IT. The maple flavor and crunchy texture of this granola on top of a moist muffin with fresh apples baked in is like heaven on earth. Plus you can feel good knowing that it’s certified gluten-free and made with wholesome ingredients!
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Although the ingredient list might seem lengthy, these muffins are easy to whip up!
- Create your “flax egg” by combining ground flax with water. Set aside to thicken.
- Whisk together dry ingredients: oat flour, almond flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and soda.
- Combine wet ingredients: non-dairy milk, apple cider vinegar, applesauce, vanilla, and maple syrup.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet. Stir in diced apple, flax egg, and melted oil.
- Scoop batter into greased muffin pan. Top with maple granola, bake for about 25 minutes, allow to cool, then serve!
Want More Vegan and Gluten-free Muffins?
- Vegan Pumpkin Blender Muffins
- Vegan Double Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins
- Vegan Spinach Blender Muffins
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal Blender Muffins
- Vegan Lemon Zucchini Muffins
- Vegan Gluten-free Lemon Blueberry Muffins
- Healthy Vegan and Gluten-free Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
Vegan Gluten-free Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk, see notes
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/3 cup unsweetend applesauce
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons drippy almond butter, or melted coconut oil
- 1½ cups oat flour
- 1 cup almond flour
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 granny smith apple, diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cup Bob's Red Mill Maple Sea Salt Granola, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F then lightly grease a muffin tin for 10 muffins.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon ground flax with 3 tablespoons water. Set aside to thicken.
- In a large bowl, combine the milk, apple cider vinegar, applesauce, maple syrup, vanilla, and almond butter (if using coconut oil, add to bowl when you add dry ingredients). Whisk until smooth.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together oat flour, almond flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the diced apple and stir to coat.
- Next add the dry ingredients and the flax egg to the bowl with the wet, folding together as you combine. If you're using coconut oil instead of almond butter, add it now. You want to make sure there isn't any flour left that needs to be incorporated but also fold just until everything is combined, being careful not to overstir.
- Scoop the batter into the greased muffin so that each is about 3/4 of the way full. Arrange extra diced apple on top of each one then sprinkle with granola. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden on the edges and firm on top. Allow to cool completely before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refridgerator for up to 1 week.
Nutrition
This post was created in partnership with a brand that I have used and loved for years, Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all opinions and text are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help make it possible for me to bring you quality content. For more delicious recipes and a coupon for $1.00 off any product, please visit Bob’sRedMill.com.
Oh yes, I’m all about healthy vegan muffins! These muffins look delish. I usually make a batch of healthy muffins or cookies every week as a go-to snack to have on hand throughout the week. I don’t know about baby G, but my little one is so impatient and demanding, as soon as I put her in her high chair she’s like GIVE ME FOOD!! So giving her a piece of muffin gives me a few minutes to get food together.
Made these a couple of weeks ago and I am back here to make a double-batch! My husband is not GF, but is vegan and he absolutely loved these. My toddler also gobbled them up. They are our new favourite muffins. Used refined coconut oil in place of the almond butter and they turned out super moist. Thank you!
I forgot to mention that we froze them as well. Took them out the morning we wanted to eat them and they defrosted beautifully!
I’m confused. Are you sure these measurements are written write? I followed this recipe and I know I got the dry and wet ingredient measurements correct. I double and triple checked, but when I combined the ingredients, there wasn’t enough wet to even make all the flour moist. Even when I added an entire extra cup of milk, I ended up with a thick sticky dough and not a batter. I was so excited about this recipe and I wanna make it right.
Hey Lacy! I’m so sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe. The measurements are correct, however the timing in which you add the ingredients and allow everything to sit matters. You’ll want to have your ingredients ready to go when you start because the batter will thicken as it sits. So if you perhaps prepared the batter first then took the time to cut your apple and stir it in, it may have caused the batter to appear too thick. Then you add more liquid which throws everything off. That is the only thing that I can think of that might have gone wrong if you followed the recipe exactly. Wish I could be there with you to help figure out the issue!
Can’t wait to try this! Love your recipes. Do you think I could grate the apple instead of dice it?? And if so do you think put in the grated apple with the juice that comes out during grating?
Yes you can grate it! I would recommend discarding the juice, however. It’s not necessary and depending on how much there is it could add too much liquid to the recipe.