Gluten Free Apple Muffins

Gluten-Free Apple Muffins are made with wholesome ingredients like almond butter, apples, applesauce, pecans, and oats. These muffins are flourless and low in added sugars. They’re also moist, flavorful, and loaded with texture.

Nutritious Gluten-Free Apple Muffins

These muffins couldn’t be easier to make. Everything gets mixed together in one bowl. Boom!

It’s also made with better-for-you ingredients. How is it healthier than most muffins?

• No white flour– We use ground oats instead.
• No butter– Instead, we use applesauce.
• Almond butter– It’s packed with good-for-you fats and protein. If you aren’t familiar with almond butter, it’s like peanut butter but made with ground almonds instead of peanuts. Almond butter can usually be found near other nut butters and jams in the grocery store.
• Less sugar– Most muffin recipes can have a cup or more of sugar added!
• Chopped pecans–They’re loaded with good-for-you fats and nutrients.
• Apples– They wouldn’t be apple muffins without apples!

I mentioned that Gluten-Free Apple Muffins are flourless; instead of using white flour, or even whole wheat flour, we use oats instead. Some of the oats are left in their whole form and mixed into the muffins and the rest of the oats are blended into an oat powder or oat flour. No need to buy this from the store since it literally takes seconds to make at home.

How to make oat flour

If you have quick oats or old-fashioned oats, you can have oat flour in mere minutes!

1. Place the  old-fashioned or quick oats in a food processor or small blender jar.
2. Pulse the oats until they are ground into a powder-like consistency that resembles flour (see photo above on the right).
3. Stir the oats around to be sure that all the oats have been finely ground and there aren’t any whole oats left. 
4. Make sure to measure your oat flour measurement for these apple muffins after it’s been turned to flour and not in the original whole oat form.

How to make Gluten-Free Apple Muffins

1. Combine wet ingredients: applesauce, honey, almond butter, vanilla extract, and brown sugar
2. Mix in the egg.
3. Add dry ingredients right on top of wet: baking soda, baking powder, salt, and oat flour (blended up oats). Stir.
4. Add in the oats and mix to combine.
5. Dice an apple and toss it with lemon juice. Add that diced apple, chopped pecans, and cinnamon into the mix.
6. Mix until combined and then fill eight muffin cavities 3/4 full.
7. Bake the muffins until lightly browned at the edges.

Let’s Talk Almond Butter

Make sure to use high-quality, flavorful almond butter. The almond butter can make or break these muffins, so use the kind you enjoy plain from the jar. If you don’t love it plain, you likely won’t love these muffins, either. I recommend using almond butter that is slow–roasted and lightly salted. The recipe assumes this type of almond butter is being used, so if it isn’t, you’ll likely want to add a bit more sugar and salt to the recipe.

If the almond butter has separated, make sure to stir it well before adding to these muffins.

Quick tips

• Ensure all ingredients are in fact gluten-free: While the ingredients called for in these Gluten-Free Apple Muffins are naturally gluten free, make sure to check all your ingredient labels to verify they weren’t processed in a facility with gluten.
• Right out of the oven, these muffins have a tendency to crumble. Allow them to thoroughly cool before eating, to avoid the muffin falling apart.
• Generously grease the muffin tin. I don’t recommend muffin liners for this recipe; the batter sticks to the liners. Make sure to really grease the cavities well. Of course, a good muffin tin also makes a world of difference. These tins are my absolute favorite, and I’ve never had a problem with the muffins not releasing nicely!

More nutritious recipes

• No-Bake Energy Bites sweetened with honey
• Applesauce Cake with a cream cheese frosting
• Healthy Applesauce Muffins with Greek yogurt
• Simple homemade Peanut Butter Granola
• Strawberry Scones made healthier with Greek yogurt

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4.72 from 7 votes

Gluten-Free Apple Muffins

By Chelsea Lords

Gluten-Free Apple Muffins are made with wholesome  ingredients like almond butter, apples, applesauce, pecans, and oats. These muffins are flourless and low in added sugars. They're also moist, flavorful, and loaded with texture.

Make sure to check all ingredient labels to verify all the products were prepared in a gluten-free facility, if gluten intolerance is a concern.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 16 minutes minutes

Total Time: 31 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 muffins

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1/2 cup (115g) unsweetened applesauce
• ▢ 1/2 cup (120g) roasted and salted almond butter (See Note 1)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons honey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 tablespoons brown sugar, lightly packed (See Note 2)
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon (41g) oat flour (old-fashioned oats that have been blended -- See Note 3)
• ▢ 1/3 cup (34g) old-fashioned oats
• ▢ 1/2 cup (61g) chopped tart apple (I use Granny Smith)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ 4 tablespoons finely chopped pecans, divided

Instructions 

• PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray eight cavities of a light-colored muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray and fill the other empty cavities halfway with water (ensures even baking). Do not use muffin liners -- these muffins stick to the paper.
• MUFFIN BATTER: In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the applesauce, almond butter (See Note 1), honey, vanilla extract, and brown sugar (See Note 2) in a large bowl. Beat in the egg until mixed in. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and oat flour (See Note 3). Mix. Stir in the old-fashioned oats and mix to combine.
• APPLE: Peel the apple and chop into small pieces. In another small bowl, toss the chopped apple with the lemon juice. Add the apple pieces (and any accumulated liquid) to the muffin batter along with 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans and the ground cinnamon. Gently stir to combine.
• BAKE: Fill the eight muffin cavities 3/4 full. All of the batter should be used among the eight cavities. Evenly sprinkle the last two tablespoons of pecans on the tops of the muffins. Bake at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Watch carefully; overbaking will make these muffins dry and less flavorful.
• ENJOY: Let the muffins stand in the muffin tin for 5-10 minutes before gently coaxing them out, with a spoon, onto a cooling rack (while hot, these muffins have a tendency to crumble). Allow muffins to finish cooling on the cooling rack. Muffins are best enjoyed within 2-3 days. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months, individually and tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Thaw at room temperature.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Almond butter: Make sure to use high-quality, flavorful almond butter. I recommend using almond butter that is slow roasted and salted with sea salt. The recipe assumes this type of almond butter is being used, so if it isn't, you'll likely want to add a bit more sugar and salt to the recipe. If the almond butter has separated in the jar, make sure to stir well before adding it to these muffins.

Note 2: Sweetness: If you want your muffins sweeter, increase brown sugar by 1-2 tablespoons. If you prefer sweeter treats, you'll likely want to increase it by 2 tablespoons. 

Note 3: Oat flour: Make sure to measure the oat flour for these muffins after it’s been turned to flour and not in the original whole oat form.

 To make oat flour:

1. Place the oats (old-fashioned or quick oats) in a food processor or small blender jar.
2. Pulse the oats until they are ground into a powder-like consistency that resembles flour.

Nutrition

Serving: 9servings | Calories: 158kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1.8g | Fat: 11.1g | Cholesterol: 47.8mg | Sodium: 11.1mg | Fiber: 0.9g | Sugar: 7.9g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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