Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Woohoo muffins!! I love muffins. Which reminds me…

Remember that line in the movie Anchorman where Brick says, “I love lamp”? Yeah. I can never say “I love __insert-anything-here__” because AJ gets this stupid little smirk on his face and makes me feel I’m not allowed to love anything.

But I’ve decided I don’t care. From this day forth I shall wake in the morning, go into the kitchen, and proclaim, “I LOVE MUFFIN!!!!”

Because that’s how I roll.

So, will you muffin with me? (Does that sound dirty?)

Along with vegan pumpkin pie, this is one of my absolutely favorite recipes to make to celebrate fall. With just a touch of cinnamon, they’re such a delicious way to start your morning off right.

I’m also making these muffins to celebrate the newest addition to our family!

Nope, still not pregnant 😉

The newest addition, which is possibly more exciting than getting pregnant would potentially be, is an apple tree!

Trees are great. You only have to feed them like once a week (if watering counts), they don’t cry, and they give you delicious gifts! I don’t know of any kids that great…

I bought the tree for AJ for Christmas from a local nursery. It was finally available and ready for pickup this past weekend, so we drove up to Templeton to grab it. We took our little car because, come on, how big can a 1-year-old tree be?

Turns out they can be 8 feet long, actually. So I cuddled with the tip of tree while we made the trek home. Then AJ dug a large hole and plopped it down, and voila! Apple tree! I can’t wait until it leafs out in the spring. It’s going to be so much fun to watch it grow!

(Speaking of which, if you want to grow your own, there are some excellent tips over on our sister site, Gardener’s Path.)

So, these vegan apple muffins are celebration muffins. And let’s be real, you can probably find a decent apple in the store at any time of year. They don’t even come close to the ones you get fresh in the fall, but for muffins, any decent apple will do.

These are spiced with a bit of cinnamon and are actually decently healthy, what with their whole grain content from the whole wheat flour and all. Oh and they’re vegan! Vegan = healthy, right? Right. At least healthier overall.

I’ve been in the habit of eating these as my mid-morning snack, and I’m pretty sad now that they’re all gone. Fortunately they’re pretty easy to whip up, so I guess I’ll just have to make them again!

Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins

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★★★★★

5 from 1 review

• Author: Raquel Smith
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 12 muffins 1x

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Description

These vegan apple muffins are easy, delicious, and filling. Half whole wheat to amp up the nutrition, while maintaining a good crumb. They’re my new favorite!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 Tbsp ground flax seed
• 8 Tbsp water
• 1/2 cup vegan margarine (I used Earth Balance)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 cup applesauce
• 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 small apple, chopped into 1-cm chunks
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour*
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Coarse sugar, for sprinkling on top

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Instructions

1. Heat your oven to 425ºF and generously grease a 12-cup muffin pan.
2. Combine the flax seed and water in a small bowl to make a flax egg, and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the margarine, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Use the paddle attachment to beat until homogeneous and a bit fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides as needed.
3. Add the flax egg and the applesauce and beat until combined, another minute or so. Add the vanilla and beat, then mix in the chopped apples.
4. Combine the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together, then add to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined – do not overmix.
5. Divide evenly between the muffin cups; they should be about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Generously sprinkle the top of each with coarse sugar.
6. Bake for 5 minutes, then lower the oven temperature to 350ºF and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the tops are just barely starting to turn a bit golden and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Remove using a fork and quick fingers and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool for about 30 minutes before eating, and cool completely before storing.

Notes

If you can’t find whole wheat pastry flour, sub with 1/2 cup all-purpose and 1/2 cup whole wheat.

• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Category: Muffins
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: Breakfast

Keywords: fall, apple, muffin, vegan, autumn

Ready to get cooking? Go ahead, make yourself a batch of these delicious treats and enjoy a leisurely morning, bring them to a friend, or pack them in your bag for an afternoon pick-me-up. You’ll be so glad that you did!

What’s your favorite way to use autumn apples in your cooking? Share your ideas with us in the comments below, and don’t forget to give this recipe a five-star rating if you loved it!

And if you’re looking for more tasty vegan muffin ideas, then take a look at some of our favorite recipes now:

• 100% Whole Wheat Blueberry Banana
• Whole Grain Maple Pumpkin
• Whole Grain Pear Hazelnut

Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published January 20, 2016. Last updated: October 19, 2020 at 19:33 pm. With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

About Raquel Smith

Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).

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