Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins

With their cinnamon sugar topping & delicious chunks of apples these easy to make & really moist vegan apple cinnamon muffins make for truly autumnal treat!

This vegan apple muffins recipe is a perfect one to add to your muffin repertoire and I can confidently say you will love it!

These muffins are beautifully moist, soft and light, with lots of mini apple bites throughout and subtle flavour of cinnamon.

And then there is the topping...

Perhaps not what you would expect on apple muffins but I can assure you, it really makes them special.

Cinnamon sugar topping adds yet another layer of sweetness flavoured with cinnamon, so so good!

These delicious vegan apple muffins make great breakfast treat on a chilly autumn morning accompanied by tea, coffee or hot cocoa. They will also make perfect contribution to any coffee morning or school bake sale.

If you like the sound of my Vegan Apple and Cinnamon Muffins, you might want to check out my Dorset Apple Cake (Traybake) too! It's good to have options!

I first published this recipe back in 2019 and have since adapted it to be vegan. However, if you loved the original recipe and are not vegan yourself you will find the original recipe at the bottom of the post.

Jump to:

• ✔️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 📝 Ingredients and substitutes
• 🔪 Instructions
• Making cinnamon sugar
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🥡 Storing
• 💭 Pro Tips
• ❓ FAQs
• 😋 More delicious autumnal recipes you might enjoy
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

✔️ Why you'll love this recipe

• Quick and easy recipe using staple pantry ingredients.
• They're moist, keep well & are freezer friendly.
• Perfect snack, lunchbox treat, dessert or even breakfast.
• You'll love delicious cinnamon sugar topping!
• Perfect recipe for using up any type of apples with cooking (Bramley) apples being particularly great here.
• Autumnal bake you'll make again and again.
• Vegan, dairy, egg and nut-free.

📝 Ingredients and substitutes

Here's what you'll need to make my Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins:

Flour - Although you could use just plain/all-purpose flour here, swapping some of it for healthier choice of wholemeal variety would be better. 

I like to use mixture of plain/all-purpose flour and wholemeal spelt flour. I find that this combination gives nice and light crumb to the muffins. You could also use regular wholemeal flour instead of spelt. 

I would be inclined to always use half and half white with wholemeal as using wholemeal flour alone will result in yummy but denser muffins. 

Alternatively, you could use white spelt flour instead of plain, which is a lighter version of wholemeal spelt.

For gluten-free version try your favourite gluten-free flour.

Apples - I like to use Bramley apples in my muffins but you could use other cooking apple variety e.g. Granny Smith etc.

Eating apples can be used as well but remember that depending on the type of apples you use you might want to adjust the amount of sugar. The sweeter the apples the less sugar you will need (see: Pro Tips).

Sugar - I like to use light brown sugar in these muffins but dark brown sugar or coconut sugar will work as well.

Oil - I like using light olive oil or cold-pressed rapeseed oil but any neutral tasting oil will be fine.

Vegan Yogurt - Use your favourite, plain vegan yogurt here.

Soya Milk - My go to when it comes to vegan baking but you could use other neutral(ish) tasting plant milks like oat or even almond.

Raising Agents - Baking soda and baking powder. Make sure to use gluten-free versions if needed.

Cinnamon - My favourite spice used in baking ever and of course it goes so well with apples.

Feel free to adjust quantity to your liking or even leave it out (I can't believe I'm writing this!) if not a fan.

🔪 Instructions

Ingredient quantities & detailed instructions to be found in recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas Mark 4.

Put all your dry ingredients (flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon) into a large bowl and give them a whisk. Alternatively, sieve all the ingredients into the bowl. Set it aside.

In a large jug (or another bowl) combine together all your wet ingredients (soya milk, oil and yogurt) and then mix them together until incorporated. Set aside.

Peel, core and cut your apples into small chunks.

Add the chopped apples into the bowl with your dry ingredients and mix until they are well covered in flour mixture.

Make a small well in the centre and pour in your wet ingredients.

Mix everything in with a spoon or spatula only until incorporated. Try not to overmix the batter.

Divide the batter between 12 muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until skewer inserted into cetre of the muffin comes out clean.

Take muffins out of the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before taking them out onto the cooling rack.

Prepare cinnamon sugar topping.

In a small bowl mix caster sugar with cinnamon and melt some unsalted vegan butter.

When muffins are still warm, brush little melted butter on top of each muffin and dip your muffin top into the cinnamon sugar.

Pop onto cooling rack to cool completely and repeat with all the muffins!

Note: If you are using homemade tulip shape cases, dipping muffins in the cinnamon sugar might be tricky. Instead, I would recommend sprinkling or spooning some cinnamon sugar over the muffins shaking off the excess.

Now it's time to enjoy your muffins! Responsibly of course!

Making cinnamon sugar

Cinnamon sugar is super easy to make and it requires 2 simple ingredients - caster (fine) sugar and ground cinnamon.

There are so many different ratios of sugar to cinnamon suggested on the web and you can adjust it according to your preference and how much you like cinnamon!

I went for 90g (6.5tbsp) of sugar to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon. I found that it gave me a nice balance of flavour, not too overpowering with cinnamon (considering the spice is also in the muffin itself). Simply pop both in a bowl or a jar and give it a mix or a shake until well combined, that's it!

The amount of cinnamon sugar in this recipe will give you more than you need for the muffins but you can store leftovers in a small glass jar and use on other things.

You can add it to crumbles, sprinkle on pancakes or French toast or once you fall in love with these Apple and Cinnamon Muffins, simply make more of them!

🍽 Equipment

Nothing much is required to bake these vegan apple cinnamon muffins but a bowl, large jug, a whisk and wooden or silicone spoon.

I have recently started using this ice cream scoop to help me fill muffin cases. It works a treat, highly recommend.

One thing that is a must if you are a regular baker is electronic scale as accuracy is everything when it comes to successful baking. 

I use silicone muffin tins and these large paper cases sometimes too.

🥡 Storing

Vegan apple muffins can be kept in the airtight container on the kitchen counter for 2-3 days.

Anything longer than that and I would suggest popping them in the fridge to prevent them from going mouldy (all that apple).

They freeze really well too and will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To defrost, simply take them out of the freezer and onto the kitchen counter. They won't take long to thaw at all.

💭 Pro Tips

Use kitchen scales and oven thermometer for best results. Both will ensure the accuracy, you would be surprised how inaccurate built in oven thermostats are.

Don't overmix your batter! Mix only to incorporate and some lumps are fine! Less mixing equals lighter muffins!

Make sure your oven is preheated and ready to go so that you can pop your muffins in as soon as they're ready and take full advantage of chemical process that has already started happening.

Adjust the amount of sugar depending on the type of apples you're using. I have used Bramley apples in my muffins and went for 150g (¾cup) of brown sugar considering their tartness. I must say muffins were not overly sweet despite cinnamon sugar topping. If I was using sweeter, eating apples I would reduce the sugar down to 120g (½cup). Feel free to play around with the amount of sugar though and what suits your tastebuds.

Don't get hang up on the exact amount of apple used. Any amount will do with 250-300g of apple chunks in the recipe provided as a rough guide.

❓ FAQs

Have you tried my Vegan Apple Cinnamon Muffins?
Please consider giving it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in recipe card below and share your views or tips in the comments.

😋 More delicious autumnal recipes you might enjoy

📋 Recipe

Old (Non-Vegan) Recipe:

I originally published this recipe in 2019 and have since updated and veganised it. For all of you who loved the original recipe I have included it below.

INGREDIENTS:

Muffins

• 250 g plain (all-purpose) flour (or mixture of plain and wholegrain flour)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon (feel free to adjust quantity to your liking)
• 120-150 g light brown sugar (use more sugar if using cooking apples)
• 2 large eggs (lightly beaten)
• 150 ml milk
• 60 ml rapeseed or olive oil
• 60 ml natural yogurt
• 250-300 g apple chunks (cooking or eating apples) peeled and cored apples cut into small chunks

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 50 g unsalted butter melted
• 90 g caster sugar
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/ Gas Mark 4.

2. Put all your dry ingredients (flour(s), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon) into a large bowl and give them a whisk. Alternatively, sieve all the ingredients into the bowl. Set it aside.

3. In a large jug (or another bowl) combine together all your wet ingredients (milk, oil, yogurt and eggs) and mix them together until incorporated. Set aside. 

4. Peel, core and cut your apples into small chunks. 

5. Add the chopped apples into the bowl with your dry ingredients and mix until they are well covered in flour mixture. 

6. Make a small well in the centre and pour in your wet ingredients. Mix everything in with a spoon or spatula only until incorporated, some lumps are fine. Try not to overmix the batter as it will result in heavy and dense muffin. 

7. Divide the batter between 12 muffin cases and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until skewer inserted into cetre of the muffin comes out clean.

8. Take the muffins out of the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before you take them out onto the cooling rack. Prepare cinnamon sugar topping.

9. In a small bowl mix caster sugar with cinnamon and melt some unsalted butter. 

10. When muffins are still warm brush little butter on top of each muffin and sprinkle or spoon over some cinnamon sugar, shaking off the excess. Pop onto cooling rack to cool completely and repeat with all the muffins!