Flourless Gluten Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Easy 8-ingredient Gluten Free Apple Muffins made with no oil or refined sugar. Moist, fluffy and flourless with 6g of protein per muffin.

How tall and gorg and fluffy are theeeeese!!

And easy. Have I mentioned that yet? Stupid easy.

Once we hopped aboard the Flourless Pumpkin Muffins train, I knew I had to post an apple cinnamon version. How could I not? Then fall came and went and here we are in February still talking about apples. Oof!

Now I'm already onto lemon blueberry and banana chocolate chip and beyond. So many muff flavors to master, so little time.

I hope this baby likes muffins. I hope baby loves muffins. He must if he's my child!

Recipe tips and substitutions

The fun thing about these muffins is that you can totally make them your own. Let's talk deets!

• Nut butter: Any nut butter should work, as long as you enjoy the flavor since that will be what's dominant. You can use almond butter or cashew butter for a more mild flavor. I don't know if tahini would work the same because it's thinner and tends to have a bitter flavor. Sunflower butter is great for a nut-free version. Whatever you use, it should be able to pour out of the container.
• Eggs: Eggs are essential in this recipe for binding and rising. Unfortunately I don't think flax eggs will work here!
• Maple syrup: I’ve only tested this recipe with a liquid sweetener. Honey or agave work well. You can also omit the sweetener if you're cool with less sweet muffins!
• Cinnamon: A full tablespoon for warm spice goodness. You could add ground ginger, nutmeg, and vanilla extract for a flavor boost but my goal here was to keep the ingredient list simple.
• Apple: For juicy, crisp apple flavor. I like honeycrisp, fuji, or gala here.
• Fine sea salt: Salt is so key for rounding out flavor in baked goods. Double it if your nut butter is unsalted.
• Baking soda: Rise baby, rise.

What's the texture of gluten free muffinis like?

These muffins are shockingly fluffy given they don't have any flour. Although they have a unique airiness about them, they are not like traditional muffins. They definitely have a more eggy, spongey texture. I love it!

So while these are delish in their own right, don't go into it thinking they'll taste like regular bakery muffins. They also have a quarter of the sugar of typical muffins. For more "normal" tasting muffins, this Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread recipe is great!

Can they be made in the blender?

Blender muffins, get at me! Yes, indeed. You can totally whiz all the ingredients in a blender versus a mixing bowl if that's your jam.

Can these be made vegan?

Unfortunately this isn’t a recipe that can easily be made vegan because the eggs are so important for structure. Flourless muffins made with nut butter are funky like that.

Which nut butter is best?

Use room temperature, natural salted peanut butter with just peanuts and salt as the ingredients. I get Kirkland organic brand at Costco). I would not use peanut butter spread like Jif or Skippy. Cashew or almond butter will also work.

For a nut free version, you can use sunflower seed butter, but they will have a stronger flavor. A natural reaction occurs with sunflower seed butter and baking soda that makes muffins turn an odd shade of green. It’s harmless, but beware!

Storage tips

The best place to store these pumpkin muffins is on the countertop in an air-tight container for up to three days. They will stay moist for a surprisingly long time! If you still have some left, you can store them in the fridge for up to a week or more and it will stay moist.

To freeze muffins, place in a freezer bag in an even layer. They will stay fresh for up to three months. You can thaw them on the counter when you’re ready to eat or microwave them individually.

More baked good favorites:

• Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread
• Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
• Apple Oatmeal Bars
• Flourless Pumpkin Muffins
• Cherry Orange Pistachio Bread

I hope you’re as in love with these delish Flourless Apple Muffins as I am! If you make these, please leave a comment and star rating letting me know how it turned out. I’m so grateful for your feedback!

Gluten Free Apple Muffins Recipe

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

• Author: Alexis Joseph | Hummusapien
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 24 minutes
• Total Time: 29 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x
• Category: Snacks
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Easy 8-ingredient Gluten Free Apple Muffins made with no oil or refined sugar. Moist, fluffy and flourless with 6g of protein per muffin.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cup creamy natural salted peanut butter*
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup or honey*
• 1 medium apple, diced small (1 ½ cups, I like Honeycrisp)
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt (½ tsp if peanut butter is unsalted)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a muffin tin liberally with cooking spray or line with paper liners/silicone baking cups.
2. Whisk together all ingredients except chopped apple in a large mixing bowl. You can also blend all ingredients in a food processor or high-speed blender. Fold in apple.
3. Divide batter evenly into muffin tin, filling each to the the top. Bake for 22-25 minutes (mine took 24 minutes), or until a knife comes out clean. Allow muffins cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling on a wire rack.

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Notes

*You can omit the sweetener if you want a less sweet muffin with no added sugar. You can also sub overripe mashed banana for the applesauce!

STORAGE: Store muffins on the counter in an air-tight container for up to 3 days and then store in the refrigerator or freezer.

NUT BUTTER: Your peanut butter should be the drippy kind that easily pours into the measuring cup, and not refrigerated. Almond butter or cashew butter will also work. Use sunflower seed butter for nut free. If your peanut butter is not salted, use ½ tsp fine sea salt.

VEGAN: I have not tried these with egg replacer. I'd guess they'd taste great but will not rise the same.

For more classic apple muffins made with flour, try the muffin version of my Apple Cinnamon Swirl Bread!