Applesauce Muffins

Made with applesauce and cinnamon, these applesauce muffins are moist, fluffy, and filled with warming flavors. Use them as a healthy snack or a light breakfast, or add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on top for an extra sweet treat.

What You’ll Need

Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these healthy applesauce muffins:

• Applesauce: You can’t make applesauce muffins without applesauce! I suggest using unsweetened applesauce, as the sugar in the recipe will help to sweeten the muffins. If you only have sweetened applesauce simply reduce the amount of sugar slightly.
• Flour: The recipe calls for all-purpose flour, as I think it provides the best texture, however, you could use whole-wheat flour if you prefer, or use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour if you want to make the muffins gluten-free.
• Sugar: I used a combination of white sugar and brown sugar in these applesauce muffins. The white sugar provides sweetness, but the limited amount ensures they are not too sweet, while the brown sugar provides moisture and a caramel-like flavor at the same time.
• Butter: To provide some moisture and healthy fats.
• Egg: To help bind the muffins and make them fluffy.
• Vanilla Extract: To enhance the sweetness and flavor of the muffins.
• Cinnamon: To add some warmth and sweetness and create a light cinnamon sugar topping.
• Add-Ins: While I did not add any to my recipe, this applesauce muffin batter welcomes a variety of add-ins, such as walnuts, raisins, or chopped apples, for a little extra flavor and texture.

In addition to the above, you’ll also need some baking essentials in the form of baking soda, baking powder, and salt to ensure your batter rises into light and fluffy muffins.

Dietary Adaptations

To Make them Gluten-Free: Swap the all-purpose flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.

To Make them Dairy-Free: Swap the melted butter for olive oil or melted coconut oil.

To Make them Vegan: Swap the melted butter for olive oil or melted coconut oil and use a flax egg instead of an egg. To make a flax egg, mix one tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with three tablespoons of water, stir to combine, then allow it to sit in your fridge for 15 minutes to set up and thicken before adding it to your recipe.

To Increase the Fiber Content: Swap all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour, use half of each, or reduce the flour by 1/2 a cup and add a 1/2 cup of rolled oats.

To Decrease the Sugar Content: Reduce the white sugar and brown sugar to 1/4 cup each and omit the cinnamon sugar topping completely.

How to Make Healthy Applesauce Muffins

Honestly, these applesauce muffins are so easy to make, here’s what you’ll do:

1. Mix the dry ingredients,
2. Mix the wet ingredients,
3. Mix the muffin batter,
4. Transfer the mixture to a muffin tin,
5. Bake the muffins until golden brown,
6. Allow the muffins to cool,
7. Top with cinnamon sugar,
8. And enjoy!

Not only are these muffins super easy to make but they are kid-friendly and store really well in the freezer, so they are great for batch cooking and meal prep.

The Best Applesauce to Use for Muffins

It’s best to use unsweetened applesauce when baking as you can better control the sweetness and sugar content by adding your own sugar. While homemade applesauce would arguably provide the best flavor, store-bought applesauce is easy to find and just as good for you.

Storage + Reheating

To Store: Allow the muffins to cool completely and then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To Freeze: Once cooled, place the muffins in an airtight container and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw muffins

To Reheat: You can warm muffins in the microwave for 30 seconds.

More Healthy Apple Muffins Recipes:

• Apple Cinnamon Muffins
• Apple Carrot Muffins

Applesauce Muffins

Author: Stephanie Kay

These moist, fluffy, and healthy applesauce muffins are perfect for breakfast, snacks, or dessert. Plus, they keep well in the freezer so you can make a double batch for the weeks ahead.

• Author: Stephanie Kay
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x
• Category: Muffins
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 1/4 cups applesauce
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

cinnamon sugar topping (optional):

• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with muffin liners or lightly grease it with butter.
2. In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon to combine.
3. In a large bowl, add the melted butter, white sugar, and brown sugar and beat or whisk until smooth and well incorporated. Add the applesauce, egg, and vanilla extract, and whisk again to combine.
4. Transfer the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently mix to combine using a spatula or wooden spoon, being careful not to overmix the batter.
5. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, dividing it evenly to make 12 muffins.
6. Transfer the muffin tin to the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
7. Once baked, allow the muffins to cool slightly in the muffin tin, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
8. For the cinnamon sugar topping, add the sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl and stir to combine. Using a pastry brush, brush the top of a muffin with melted butter (or dip the top of the muffin into melted butter), then dip the muffin (upside down) into the bowl of cinnamon sugar, move it around a little until the top is well coated with cinnamon sugar, then return to the cooling rack. Continue these steps until all of the muffins are coated with cinnamon sugar.
9. The muffins can be served immediately, stored at room temperature for 5 days, in the fridge for up to 7 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 muffin
• Calories: 183 calories
• Sugar: 8 grams
• Fat: 8 grams
• Carbohydrates: 25 grams
• Fiber: 1 gram
• Protein: 3 grams