These vegan apple muffins come together in a matter of minutes! Loaded with chunks of apples and topped with a cinnamon streusel, these muffins are moist and fluffy, and are a great plant-based option for breakfast or satisfying afternoon snack. This recipe is free of refined sugars, dairy, eggs and gluten. Yields 12 muffins.

Vegan apple cinnamon muffins with a vegan frosting drizzle on a cooling rack in front of red and green apples in the background.

Is there anything better than having a fresh batch of apple muffins on the counter? They're so good for breakfast or as a snack on the go. These muffins are incredibly fluffy with bright apple flavor and warm, delicious spices. They're also a favorite with kids since they taste like such a treat! Really, there are no bad days when these gluten-free vegan apple muffins are involved.

When I think about plant-based ideas for breakfast, the first thing that comes to mind are blender apple muffins. They are easy to prepare, healthy, nutritious and taste like dessert, similar to my vegan gluten free blueberry muffins and my vegan blender sweet potato muffins. Who can say no to that?

Vegan apple cinnamon muffins with a vegan frosting drizzle stacked on a cooling rack in front of red and green apples in the background.

Ingredients

There are two components to this recipe: the muffins and the cinnamon streusel topping.

Muffin Ingredients

Red or green apple - I prefer Honeycrisp, Gala and Fuji apples because those are the sweetest. Any apples will do though!
Oat flour
Arrowroot powder
Ground flaxseed
Ground cinnamon
Maple syrup
Plant-based milk: Use plain, unsweetened vegan milk.
Melted coconut oil
Vanilla extract
White distilled vinegar
Salt
Baking soda

Cinnamon Streusel Ingredients

Cinnamon streusel topping ingredients in separate bowls.

Super-fine blanched almond flour
Maple sugar - you could also use coconut sugar and still keep it refined sugar-free.
Ground cinnamon
Melted coconut oil -

How to make vegan apple-cinnamon muffins

Vegan apple cinnamon muffin batter in a glass bowl without the apples added in yet.

Chopped apples on top of vegan muffin batter in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line a muffin tin with silicone baking cups or grease.
Whisk the oat flour, arrowroot powder, ground flaxseed, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl until well incorporated.
Add the non-dairy milk, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, vanilla and vinegar to the mixing bowl and whisk.
Gently fold in the chopped apples.
Transfer the muffin batter to the muffin tins. Use a small ice cream scoop until each baking cup is full. Set aside.
Prepare the streusel topping. Whisk together the almond flour, maple sugar and cinnamon. Add the coconut oil and use a fork to mash it throughout until evenly distributed. It should be crumbly and easy to sprinkle with your fingers. Use your fingers to sprinkle the streusel topping overtop each muffin.
Bake for 20 minutes. Place the muffin tin on the middle rack of the oven.
Let the muffins cool. Allow them to cool while still in the muffin tin. After 10 minutes, remove the muffins from the muffin tin/silicone cups and place on a cooling rack for another 10 minutes.
Drizzle vegan cream cheese frosting (optional).

These muffins have plenty of flavor by themselves, but feel free to make them your own with more delicious toppings. I love drizzling melted coconut butter, vegan vanilla cashew icing, cinnamon vanilla fruit dip or vegan caramel sauce overtop as well.

How to store

Once fully cooled to room temperature, store leftover muffins in an airtight container in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.

These muffins may also be frozen for up to 2 months. Allow them to return to room temperature or warm them slightly before enjoying.

Baking with apples

I love baking with apples! They're naturally sweet and add so much amazing flavor to some of my favorite dishes. Apples are full of powerful disease-fighting nutrients and health benefits. They’re low in calories, fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free, and full of fiber and vitamin C.

Three apple cinnamon muffins stacked on top of each other with a white background.

Benefits of using oats

I use oats as a base for these muffins. This keeps them gluten-free and brings really great nutritional benefits into the recipe! Oats are full of soluble fiber, and they’re lower in carbohydrates than most other grains while also being higher in protein and healthful fats!

Refined sugar-free streusel topping

I feel like the streusel topping on these muffins really adds something special! It makes them feel like they were store-bought from a bakery, all while being free of refined sugar. I use almond flour, cinnamon, pure maple sugar and melted coconut oil to create a simple and absolutely delicious streusel.

You could substitute coconut sugar for maple sugar to still keep it refined sugar-free. Granulated sugar would also work if you don't care about the refined sugars.

Two apple cinnamon muffins stacked on top of each other with a white background.

These muffins are vegan, gluten-free, and free of refined sugar. They're healthy enough to enjoy as a breakfast or snack and will keep you full longer thanks to the oats!

Overhead angle of vegan apple cinnamon muffins topped with cream cheese frosting on a cooling rack next to a red apple and green apple.

More vegan and gluten-free apple recipes

All of the recipes below are free of dairy, eggs, gluten and refined sugars:

You can find ALL my apple recipes here.

Fluffy Vegan Apple-Cinnamon Muffins (Gluten-Free)