Vegan apple cinnamon muffins loaded with shredded apple, maple syrup, and cozy cinnamon flavor baked into soft, fluffy muffins that make the kitchen smell incredible.

When I first started experimenting with vegan muffins, I thought baking them without eggs would be tricky, but these turned out so soft and fluffy that I never looked back.

During apple season, I love baking them into these vegan apple cinnamon muffins. They actually came from a little muffin obsession phase where I challenged myself to create different flavors, including my banana coconut muffins and vegan chocolate muffins.

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

Ingredients

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

The complete list of ingredients with measurements, can be found in the full recipe card below.

These muffins use simple ingredients, but each one plays an important role in creating that soft texture, rise and warm flavor.

Fresh apples

I prefer Granny Smith apples as they bring a slight tartness that balances beautifully with the maple syrup. I grate them with the skin on using a coarse grater and add all the juices straight into the batter. Nothing gets wasted and the muffins stay beautifully moist.

Maple syrup

Maple syrup gives these muffins a gentler sweetness compared to regular sugar and pairs perfectly with the apple and cinnamon.

Ground cinnamon

Apple and cinnamon belong together. The cinnamon adds warmth and gives these muffins that classic cozy aroma while baking.

Apple cider vinegar, baking powder, and baking soda

The apple cider vinegar mixed with dairy free milk creates a quick vegan buttermilk that helps keep these muffins soft and fluffy. Combined with the baking powder and baking soda, it gives them a beautiful rise without needing eggs.

Neutral oil

Use a neutral tasting oil like sunflower or vegetable oil. Strong flavored oils can overpower the apple cinnamon flavor.

a muffin torn in half with the insides showing

Grate, Mix, and Bake

Here's a quick pictorial of the main steps for how to make these muffins, the full set of instructions can be found in the below recipe card.

a hand mixing brownish wet ingredients in a glass bowl

Add the grated apple, maple syrup, oil, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda to the buttermilk mixture. Stir everything together, then let the batter rest for 5 minutes. This little pause helps create fluffier muffins.

a hand mixing cream colored batter in a glass bowl

Sift in the flour and gently fold until just combined. Don't overmix.

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

Divide the batter evenly into a greased muffin tray. I like to lightly smoothing the tops with the back of a wet spoon so the topping sits nicely and for better baked dome tops.

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

If adding the topping, strain the topping mixture (see recipe card below) slightly to remove excess liquid, then spoon a little over each muffin.

Janelle Tips

I recommend measuring your ingredients when baking using a kitchen scale.
Grated apple works better than diced apple here as it blends into the batter and keeps the muffins extra soft.
Don't skip resting the batter for a few minutes before adding the flour. It helps create a lighter texture/crumb.
Overmixing is the quickest way to end up with dense muffins.
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.
Looking for another delicious muffin recipe to try, give these strawberry cream cheese muffins a try.

a grey plate with 5 muffins and one torn in half

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

Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Vegan apple cinnamon muffins naturally sweetened with maple syrup and packed with shredded apple and cinnamon flavor. These soft, fluffy muffins are easy to make, freezer friendly, and perfect for breakfast, snacking, or cozy baking days

Prep: 19

Cook: 21

Total: 40

Servings: muffins

Author: Janelle Hama

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: Any

Diet: Vegan

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Ingredients

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

Optional Topping

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

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Preheat a fan forced oven to 185°C / 365°F and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
In a large bowl, whisk together the dairy free milk and apple cider vinegar. Let it sit for 10 minutes to create a quick vegan buttermilk.
Meanwhile, grate the apples with the skin on and do not drain the juice.
Add the grated apple, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon to the milk mixture. Stir well and let it sit for 5 minutes. The mixture will become slightly aerated.
If using the topping, combine the maple syrup, shredded apple, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
Sift the flour into the wet ingredients and gently fold until just combined. Do not overmix.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Use the back of a wet spoon to gently smooth the tops if needed (see note 1).
Strain the topping mixture and spoon it evenly over each muffin (see note 2). Let the muffin tray rest for 5 minutes before baking.
Bake for 21-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with a few crumbs attached.
Allow the muffins to cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.

Video

Notes

Note 1
I've found that if the batter looks a little lumpy once it's in the muffin cups, gently smoothing it with the back of a wet spoon helps create a nicer, rounder dome as they bake.

Note 2
If the topping is too runny, it tends to spill over the sides as the muffins rise, which can cause them to stick to the tray. I like to strain off just enough liquid so the topping clings to the muffins without being wet or runny.