If you like muffins then you are going to love these easy vegan apple muffins. They are a delicious and moist treat, made from all natural ingredients. Ideal for any time of day. Each bite is filled with a delicate sweetness from maple syrup, cinnamon and shredded apples.

a grey plate with five golden muffins — These apple muffins make an easy on-the-go brekky

Why You'll Love This Recipe

These vegan muffins are tasty, nutritious and filling.
Very easy to make, and store well in the fridge
Moist texture that is great for any time of day.
Dietary friendly - vegan, corn free, soy free and sweetened with maple syrup rather than refined sugar

Ingredients You'll Need

maple syrup, flours, green apple, spice, milk and oil laid out in white bowls

Here are notes on some of the ingredients, the complete list with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.

All purpose flour, just a straightforward flour in this recipe.

Unsweetened dairy free milk, I have used almond milk, you can use any type you like.

Apple cider vinegar will be added to the dairy free milk to help it separate into a vegan buttermilk. The vinegar also reacts with the baking soda creating a fluffier muffin.

Baking soda and baking powder are the leavening agents to help the muffins rise. I like to use the aluminum free baking powder.

Ground cinnamon is a popular flavor to pair with apple. It makes sense to add this in and tastes amazing.

Pure maple syrup is my choice of sweetener, I try to avoid refined sugar as much as possible.

Neutral oil, choose your preferred type e.g., vegetable, sunflower etcetera. Avoid heavy oils such as olive oil, which will change the texture of this vegan apple muffin.

Vanilla extract to boost all the flavorings.

Fresh apples, I like using Granny Smith apples as they are sweet but tart. I also like to (large-size) grate my apple with the skin on, feel free to chop your apples into small pieces if you prefer. The apples do not need to be strained in this recipe. Another way to use apples is to make fried apples, yum! You can easily make it dairy-free.

a muffin torn in half with the insides showing

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Vegan Muffins

Preheat fan forced oven to 365F (185C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

Create vegan buttermilk. In a large bowl, mix together the dairy free milk and apple cider vinegar, allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

Combine the wet ingredients. Grate the apples with the skin on using a large size grater, do not drain any of the juice as this is needed in the batter.

Place the grated apple into the milk, along with the oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.

Give it a thorough mix and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. You will notice the consistency has changed due to the vinegar and baking soda reacting. It will look aerated.

Make the quick topping. Whilst the milk is sitting, prepare a quick topping. In a small bowl, combine one tablespoon of maple syrup, one tablespoon of grated apple, and a pinch of cinnamon. Mix them together, and set them aside for the flavors to meld.

Fold the batter. Sift the flour onto the vegan buttermilk mixture and fold all the ingredients together, taking care not to over-mix. Stop folding as soon as the batter has formed and there is no more flour.

Add the batter to the muffin tin. Fill the prepared muffin tin evenly, then with the back of a wet spoon, lightly flatten the batter. Strain the topping to take out the liquid and evenly distribute it on top of each muffin. Allow the filled muffin tin to sit for 5 minutes.

Baking instructions. Bake for 21-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. A few crumbs on the toothpick are fine. Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

a hand mixing brownish wet ingredients in a glass bowl

a hand mixing cream colored batter in a glass bowl

a hand with a spoon flatten out muffin batter in a tray

a hand with a spoon adding a brownish topping to muffin batter in a tray

Pro Tips

I recommend measuring your ingredients when baking using a kitchen scale.

Sifting the flour creates a fluffier muffin texture.

Flattening the muffin batter in the muffin tray for this recipe helps to create a rounder and even muffin top.

If the topping is not strained, the maple syrup will run off the muffin tops as they rise in the oven and stick to the tray, making it difficult to separate the muffins from the tray.

a grey plate with 5 muffins and one torn in half

Related Recipes

Other apple recipes to check out is this baked apple crisp by Stress Less Be Healthy or this apple cider cake by Well Vegan which contains applesauce.

No egg chocolate chip muffins, very straight forward, and so are these blackberry jam breakfast muffins.

These vegan coconut banana muffins are also sweetened with maple.

Ultra moist vegan chocolate muffins.

Have you tried a savory muffin yet? Try these vegan zucchini muffins with olives, they are so much yum and gf!

Or try these delicious gluten free and vegan banana pumpkin muffins or these moist GF vegan carrot muffins.

Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ star rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.

Recipe

Easy Apple Cinnamon Vegan Muffins with Maple Syrup

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Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Any

Diet: Vegan

Prep Time: 19

Cook Time: 21

Total Time: 40

Servings:

Author: Janelle Hama

Ingredients

300 g All purpose flour fluffy, scoop, measure and tap
160 ml Dairy free milk
160 ml Maple Syrup
210 g Shredded apple
50 ml Neutral oil e.g., vegetable, sunflower, canola. You will need more for greasing the muffin tin.
2 teaspoon Baking powder
2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla
½ teaspoon Baking soda
2 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar

Optional Topping

1 tablespoon Maple Syrup
1 tablespoon Shredded apple
⅛ teaspoon Ground cinnamon

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat fan forced oven to 365F (185C). Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large bowl, mix together the dairy free milk and apple cider vinegar, allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
160 ml Dairy free milk, 2 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
Grate the apples with the skin on, do not drain any apple juice. Place the grated apple into the dairy free milk mixture, along with the oil, maple syrup, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Give it a thorough mix and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. The consistency would've changed due to the vinegar and baking soda reacting. It will look aerated.
210 g Shredded apple, 50 ml Neutral oil, 2 teaspoon Baking powder, 2 teaspoon Ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Vanilla, ½ teaspoon Baking soda, 160 ml Maple Syrup
Whilst the milk is sitting, prepare a quick topping. In a small bowl, combine one tablespoon of maple syrup, one tablespoon of grated apple and an ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon. Mix them together, and set them aside for the flavors to meld.
1 tablespoon Maple Syrup, 1 tablespoon Shredded apple, ⅛ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
Sift the flour onto the wet ingredients and fold all together, taking care not to over mix. Stop folding as soon as the batter has formed and there is no more flour.
300 g All purpose flour
Evenly distribute the batter to fill the greased muffin tin tray, then with the back of a wet spoon, lightly flatten the batter (See note 1). Strain the topping and evenly distribute it on top of each muffin (see note 2). Allow the filled muffin tin to sit for 5 minutes, this will help the batter even out a little more.
Bake for 21-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. A few crumbs on the toothpick are fine. Let the muffins cool in the muffin tin for at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Note 1 - I have found that if the batter is lumpy, gently flattening it with the back of a wet spoon helps to create a rounder dome when the muffins are baking.

Note 2 - A runny topping results in the liquid running off to the sides of the muffins as they rise whilst baking. This will result in them sticking to the tray. Strain enough of the liquid so the topping sticks to the muffins and is not runny.