Fluffy Vegan Apple Muffins
on Aug 27, 2022
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These Fluffy Vegan Apple Muffins are about as cozy as it gets! The muffin batter is made with a mix of applesauce, apple butter and warming spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves and lemme tell ya, it smells incredible when these muffins are baking in the oven!
Cuddle up with a warm drink and a couple of these cinnamony apple muffins, and enjoy the sweet taste of Fall 🍂
You all seemed to like my pumpkin muffins last year so today we’re making another vegan Fall recipe: perfectly moist apple muffins with streusel crumb topping.
In the autumn months, I love baking cozy treats and these muffins are great because they’re quick, easy and versatile. Serve them at breakfast time with some almond butter or as an afternoon pick me up with a warm cup of coffee.
The dairy-free batter gets a sprinkle of spices like cinnamon, ginger and cloves to bring out the natural sweetness of the apples and the buttery streusel topping takes them over the top!
Add this recipe to your weekly meal prep – and maybe make an extra batch for the freezer! They’re a great treat to have on hand during back to school season.
Ingredients to Make Vegan Apple Streusel Muffins
You’ll only need a few pantry staples and some plant-based milk to make this tasty apple muffins recipe!
- Applesauce – I opt for unsweetened and unflavored. Applesauce not only makes these muffins taste appley and delicious, but it also replaces the eggs that would commonly be used to bind in a non-vegan muffin recipe.
- Apple Butter – adds tons of apple flavor and gives this muffins a bit of depth. I used this one from Eden’s.
- Warming Spices – these muffins are super cozy and autumnal thanks to a sprinkle of cinnamon, ginger, allspice and cloves.
- All Purpose Flour – regular all purpose flour works best for this recipe.
- Baking Powder + Baking Soda – the combo creates light and fluffy muffins!
- Refined Coconut Oil – Make sure it’s refined and not virgin. Refined coconut oil adds moisture and richness without imparting any coconut flavor. This one is great.
- Light Brown Sugar + Cane Sugar – this duo brings out the sweetness of the apples and adds some extra moisture.
- Plant- Based Milk – You’ll want to make sure it’s unsweetened and not cold from the fridge. I like to set it out on the counter to come to room temperature or warm it gently in the microwave.
- Apple Cider Vinegar -might seem strange but you can’t taste it! ACV helps to activate the baking soda for the perfect texture!
- Kosher Salt – a pinch of salt helps to balance out the sweetness and makes these muffins tastes rich and buttery. This is the kosher salt I use for my recipes.
- Vegan Butter – for the streusel topping (optional)
How to Make Vegan Apple Streusel Muffins
Making vegan apple muffins is pretty easy and it doesn’t take long at all!!
Start by preheating the oven to 425 degrees.
Then line a 12 muffin tin with liners and set aside.
Make the streusel topping by combining flour, brown sugar, cane sugar and softened vegan butter in a bowl. Use clean hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients until a rough, shaggy dough is formed. Cover and set in the fridge until ready to use.
Next mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a large mixing bowl.. Whisk to combine and then set aside.
In another large mixing bowl, combine the cane sugar, brown sugar, applesauce, apple butter, coconut oil and vinegar. Mix very well for one full minute.
Then add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until no more flour is visible.
Spray the muffin liners with cooking spray if desired and then evenly distribute the muffin batter between each cup.
Top with the streusel topping and bake at 425 for 5 minutes. Then, leaving the muffins in the oven, reduce the heat to 375 and bake for 15 more minutes.
For Jumbo Sized Muffins: spoon the batter into just 6 of the muffin cups, alternating between each one so there’s good air circulation around the muffins. Bake at 425 for 5 minutes then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 18-20 minutes.
Tips for Baking Perfect Muffins
- Fluff up the flour and then spoon it into the measuring cup. Pile it in until a large dome is created on top, then level off the flour with the back of a butter knife. This will lead to an accurate measurement aka perfectly fluffy muffins!
- Make sure the milk is at room temperature. If it’s too cold, the coconut oil with harden and clump up in the batter, leaving you with greasy pockets in the final product.
- Mix the wet ingredients really well but don’t over mix the dry ingredients or they muffins will be tough.
RECIPE FAQs
How to Store Vegan Muffins
Allow any leftover muffins to cool completely and then transfer to an airtight container or bag. Store at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to five days. To reheat the muffins, gently warm in the microwave in 10 second intervals.
How to Freeze Muffins
Allow any leftover muffins to cool completely and then wrap tightly in parchment paper and cover with foil. Place the wrapped muffins in an airtight bag and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. To reheat the muffins, gently warm in the microwave in 10 second intervals.
More Vegan Muffin and Quick Bread Recipes You Might Like
- The BEST Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Earl Grey Yogurt Cake
- Epic Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Easy Vegan Zucchini Bread
- Banana Berry Baked Oatmeal Muffins
Fluffy Vegan Apple Muffins
Equipment
- 1 muffin tin
- 2 large mixing bowls
- 1 whisk
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground allspice
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- ½ tsp kosher salt, I use Morton's
Wet Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce,
- ¼ cup apple butter
- ¼ cup plant based milk , room temp
- ½ cup melted refined coconut oil
- 2 tsp white rice vinegar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
Streusel Topping (optional)
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp cane sugar
- 2 tsp light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tbsp softened vegan butter, I used Earth Balance sticks
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Prep
- Measure out the plant milk and let it sit out on the counter to come to room temperature.
- Next, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and lightly grease a non stick muffin tin and set aside.
Make the Streusel Topping (optional)
- Combine the streusel toping ingredients in a bowl. Use clean hands to work the butter into the dry ingredients until a rough, shaggy rough appears. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Mix the Dry Ingredients
- Combine all of the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk until evenly distributed.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
- Make sure the milk is room temperature or slightly warmer before mixing. If it's too cold, pop it the microwave for a few seconds to warm up.
- Next, melt the coconut oil and measure out 1/2 cup. Measuring the oil when it's melted instead of solid is important for an accurate measurement.
- Then combine all of the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Using a whisk, mix vigorously until very light and fluffy, about 1 full minute.
Combine
- Add half of the dry mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Add the remaining half and mix again. Be careful not to beat or over mix the batter at this point.
Bake
- Now's the time to decide if you'd like 12 regular sized muffins or 6 jumbo sized muffins 🙂
- For 12 regular sized muffins: place 12 muffin liners in the muffin tin and then evenly distribute the batter into each one. Top with crumb topping and bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, leave the muffins in the oven but reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 15 minutes.
- For 6 large muffins: place 6 muffin liners in muffin tin (alternating holes if you're using a standard 12 muffin tin. This increased air circulation and makes for fluffier muffins) Then evenly distribute the batter into each one. Top with crumb topping and bake at 425 degrees for 5 minutes. When the timer goes off, leave the muffins in the oven but reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 18-20 minutes.
- When the timer goes off, remove the muffins from the oven and cool slightly before serving.
Notes
Tips for Baking Perfect Muffins
- Fluff up the flour and then spoon it into the measuring cup. Spoon it in until large dome is created on top and then level if off with the back of a butter knife. This will lead to an accurate measure and perfectly fluffy muffins!
- Measure the coconut oil when it’s melted instead when it’s solid or soft at room temperature and then melting it.
- Make sure the milk is at room temperature. If it’s too cold, the coconut oil with harden and clump up, leaving you with greasy pockets in the final product.
- Mix the wet ingredients really well but don’t over mix the dry ingredients when you combine them in with the wet or they muffins will be tough.
Made this recipe yesterday and loved the muffins! I know we are not supposed to change ingredients then write a review, but I didn’t have refined coconut oil, so I used Country Crock plant butter sticks instead. They were light and fluffy and still delicious! The streusel topping was perfect for these muffins. I added just a touch of cinnamon to the topping as well. Nikki’s recipes are always a big hit with my non-vegan family members! Thank you, Nikki!!! <3
Omg you’re so nice and you can always leave a review! I appreciate you taking the time to not only make my recipe but write back and let me know what you think 😊 I’m so glad you enjoyed it! This comment made my day ❤️❤️
these were the perfect fall muffin! they taste decadent but not too heavy. i made them without the crumble topping and my toddler still loved them. it is a great way to use up applesauce and apple butter. nikki actually suggested these to me in an instagram comment because i had applesauce and apple butter to use up from her apple baked oatmeal and i’m so grateful that she did because this recipe is a keeper!
Hey Riley! I’m so glad that you and your toddler loved this recipe! That makes me so happy 🙂 Thank you for trying my recipe my recipe and taking the time to comment. It really means a lot! Hope you have a great day!