Description

These Mini Gluten Free Vegan Apple Muffins are a delightful, allergy-friendly treat perfect for breakfast or a snack. Made with a wholesome gluten-free flour blend, warming spices, and fresh diced apples, they offer a moist and tender crumb without any dairy or eggs. Finished with a cinnamon sugar coating, they provide a lovely balance of sweet and spice in every bite.

Ingredients

Scale

Wet Ingredients

¼ cup (60ml) melted coconut oil
½ cup (120ml) unsweetened dairy-free milk
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (78g) unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients

1 ½ cups (210g) gluten free flour blend (ensure it includes xanthan gum or a similar binder)
2 teaspoons baking powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon (63g) organic cane sugar or granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

Other Ingredients

¾ cup (85g) diced apples (approximately 1 small apple, peeled and diced)
2 ½ tablespoons melted coconut oil (for topping)
¼ cup (50g) organic cane sugar or fine granulated sugar (for topping)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for topping)

Instructions

Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350° F (177° C) to ensure it’s at the right temperature when your batter is ready.
Prepare Muffin Pan: Grease a mini muffin pan with 24 cups if needed to prevent sticking.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a small bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, unsweetened dairy-free milk, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Stir until well blended and set aside.
Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, salt, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cardamom to evenly distribute the spices and leavening.
Combine Wet and Dry: Pour the wet ingredient mixture into the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly until a smooth batter forms.
Fold in Apples: Gently fold the diced apples into the batter, ensuring they are evenly dispersed without over-mixing.
Fill Muffin Cups: Evenly divide the batter into the 24 muffin cups, filling each almost to the top.
Bake Muffins: Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes. Use a toothpick or tester inserted into the largest muffin to confirm doneness; it should come out clean.
Prepare Topping Mixtures: While the muffins bake, place the 2 ½ tablespoons melted coconut oil in a small bowl. In another bowl, combine the ¼ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Cool Muffins in Pan: Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes to firm up a bit.
Transfer to Cooling Rack: Carefully remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Coat with Cinnamon Sugar: Once cooled, dip each muffin top-first into the melted coconut oil, ensuring full coverage. Shake off excess oil, then immediately dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating the top entirely.
Repeat and Serve: Repeat the oil and cinnamon sugar coating process for all muffins. Allow the coating to set briefly before serving or storing.

Notes

Use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum or another binder for best texture and rise.
Choose firm, crisp apples like Granny Smith or Fuji for the best flavor and texture in muffins.
If you don’t have a mini muffin pan, this recipe can be baked in standard muffin pans; baking time may increase slightly (about 15-18 minutes).
Muffins are best enjoyed the same day but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Category: Baking
Method: Baking
Cuisine: American

Keywords: gluten free muffins, vegan apple muffins, mini muffins, dairy free muffins, healthy muffins, cinnamon sugar muffins