Apple Cinnamon Muffins

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Soft apple muffins loaded with cinnamon flavor and a buttery streusel baked on top. These are delicious warm or served the next day since they are so tender.

When you’re looking for a quick breakfast or after school snack during the fall season, easy Apple Cinnamon Muffins are the way to go. I took the apple bread that you know and love and turned it into a muffin complete with a sugar streusel baked on top.

These cinnamon apple muffins can be ready in about 30 minutes. They are delicious fresh from the oven, but are also super soft and moist the next day. Perfect to share with a teacher or friend during apple season.

apple muffins in a baking pan with streusel

Why you’ll love this apple cinnamon muffin recipe:

  • 100% homemade
  • Extra moist and tender with warm cinnamon flavor
  • Loaded with fresh apples inside
  • Cinnamon sugar crumb topping

You may also love our brown sugar blueberry muffins and pumpkin muffins.

What readers are saying:

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Noreen says, “Easy to make and delicious! Love the cinnamon flavor. Will make again.”

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Jenni says, “Oh my goodness! I used some golden delicious we got from family. I couldn’t wait until breakfast. These are amazing. And so easy to make.”

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Jenna says, “Made these yesterday in smaller size, ended up with 24 moist muffins. They were a HUGE hit and a definite repeat.”

What types of apples are best for muffins?

Normally I like to use Granny Smith apples in apple pie because they are tart and don’t get mushy while baking. However, these muffins are in the oven for less than 20 minutes so if you use Granny Smith, the chunks of apples may still be a little firm.

The best apples to use in muffins are Pink Lady or Gala apples. They bake up nice and soft in the muffins so the texture of the apple matched better with the soft muffins.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Muffins

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
muffin batter in a mixing bowl
  • Fold the apples gently into the muffin batter.
chopped apples over muffin batter in a bowl
  • Line 14 muffin cups with paper liners. Spoon batter between the 14 muffin cups.
  • Make the crumble by mixing together the flour, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Don’t overmix this. It’s ok if it is a little floury. This mixture will be crumbly.
  • Divide the streusel topping between the 14 muffins, sprinkling the crumbs on tops of the muffins.
brown sugar cinnamon and butter in a bowl
  • Bake at 425ºF for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temperature (without opening the oven) to 350º and bake for an additional 14 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack.

Why start the oven high and then lower it? It helps get a nice quick rise on the muffins. Then they continue to cook at a lower temperature.

streusel muffins in a baking pan

How to Store Muffins

Store the leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. If you’d like to freeze them, wrap the muffins individually, then place in a freezer bag. It’s a great recipe to make a double batch and store in the freezer.

an apple muffin cut in half on a baking sheet
an apple muffin cut in half on a baking sheet

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

4.66 from 60 votes
Soft apple muffins loaded with cinnamon flavor and a buttery streusel baked on top. These are delicious warm or served the next day since they are so tender.
Servings 14
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 19 minutes
Total Time 29 minutes

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Ingredients
 

For the muffins:

For the Crumble:

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
  • In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, milk, oil, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
  • Fold the apples gently into the batter.
  • Line 14 muffin cups with paper liners. Divide the batter between the 14 muffin cups.
  • Make the crumble by mixing together the flour, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Don’t overmix this. It’s ok if it is a little floury. This mixture will be crumbly.
  • Divide the crumbs between the 14 muffins, sprinkling the crumbs on top of the batter.
  • Bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temperature (without opening the oven) to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 14 minutes. A toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin should come out clean. Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack.
  • Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Notes

*I prefer Pink Lady or Gala apples for this recipe so that they soften during baking.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 14 muffins, with 1 serving being 1 muffin. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 62mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 1mg
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Calories 242
Keyword apple dessert, easy muffins

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use butter instead of oil?

Other people have done this with success, but I have not tried it myself. I believe it works though.

Do I have to peel the apples?

You don’t have to, but the peel may separate during baking and give a strange texture.

Can I make a cake or a loaf instead?

Yes! You can bake in a cake pan or a loaf pan. If you make a loaf, it may take up to an hour to bake through.

Can you make these dairy free?

Yes. Use almond milk and plant butter.

What is the key to moist, tender muffins?

The key to tender muffins is this: Don’t overmix the batter. Overmixing batter for muffins and quick breads can cause them to be tough and more “chewy”. This is because you ruin any air bubbles and those air bubbles are what give you fluffy muffins.
Over mixing also develops gluten strands which can make for a chewier muffin. Chewy can be good in certain yeast breads or cookies, but no one wants a chewy muffin.

About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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Noreen
6 months ago

5 stars
Easy to make and delicious! Love the cinnamon flavor. Will make again.

Leticia L
2 years ago

I have made these wonderful muffins 4 times and my family are just crazy over them. There delicious. I actually made them in jumbo muffin tin just doubled recipe to fill cups double the normal size, and they came out awesome. Thanks for great recipe. Also added more cinnamon

Jennie
2 years ago

5 stars
Oh my goodness! I used some golden delicious we got from family. I couldn’t wait until breakfast. These are amazing. And so easy to make.

Madison
2 years ago

5 stars
Hi! Made these muffins this morning and they were soooo good. Is it normal for the batter to be really thick? I wasn’t able to mix in all the apples / felt apprehensive about it.

Crystal Chien
2 years ago

5 stars
Just made a batch of these and they smell delicious! They are a bit paler than the picture, any reasons as to why this might be?

Jenna
2 years ago

5 stars
Made these yesterday in smaller size, ended up with 24 muffins. They were a HUGE hit and a definite repeat.

Rosemary
2 years ago

5 stars
If I don’t have salted butter can I use unsalted butter and if I can how mush salt would I need? Also everyone of your recipes look delicious and can’t wait to make them Thank You