Apple Oat Flour Muffins (One-Bowl!)
Tender, moist and packed with tons of apple flavor from both fresh apples and apple sauce, these easy oat flour muffins are made without refined sugar and come together simply in just one bowl, no mixer required!
I don’t know about you, but cooking with apples is one of my favorite things about fall. We live in the Pacific Northwest, and there are just so many fresh, juicy varieties to choose from. Some years we make our way out to the orchards for a day of apple picking, but even when we miss peak season, I’m always sure to grab a bag from the market every single time I go.
Combine this apple love with our family’s obsession with muffins, and you have yourself the perfect combo. These apple oat flour muffins truly taste like fall all wrapped up in a tiny little bundle, and are absolutely bursting with apple. I love that they are made wholesome with oat flour (one of my favorite baking ingredients, which I use all the time for muffins like my oat flour pumpkin bread.
First, these guys are naturally sweetened with applesauce, and then get an extra hit of sweetness from pure apple cider and maple syrup. Then little apple pieces are folded throughout, making for the ultimate triple apple experience. I made a batch for our annual pumpkin carving party in October, and have made several batches since. We just can’t get enough!
Tips for Moist & Tender Flourless Apple Muffins
- For gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oat flour.
- Make your own oat flour for this recipe by placing 2 ⅓ cups whole rolled oats in a blender and blending until a coarse flour forms. You can purchase pre-made oat flour at many grocery stores and natural food markets or online. If you are gluten-free be sure to buy oats that are specifically labeled gluten-free.
- These muffins are super tender, so be sure to grease or line the muffin tin, and allow to cool completely for easy removal.
- Not a fan of chunks? Try grating the apple for a smoother consistency.
- These muffins freeze well, so make a double batch and freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Apple Oat Flour Muffins (One-Bowl!)
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup melted refined coconut oil, or other neutral flavored oil such as avocado or canola
- 2 large eggs
- ⅔ cup unsweetened applesauce
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup apple cider
- 2 ⅓ cups oat flour
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup finely chopped apple
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 350F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs, applesauce, maple syrup, and cider.
- Add the oat flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir until well incorporated.
- Add the chopped apple, stirring until just combined.
- Fill each section of a 12-section greased or lined muffin tin with roughly ¼ cup batter.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, if using, then bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges begin to pull away from the sides and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool completely in the pan, then serve or store for later.
Notes
- For gluten-free, be sure to use gluten-free oat flour.
- Make your own oat flour for this recipe by placing 2 ⅓ cups whole rolled oats in a blender and blending until a coarse flour forms. You can purchase pre-made oat flour at many grocery stores and natural food markets or online. If you are gluten-free be sure to buy oats that are specifically labeled gluten-free.
- These muffins are super tender, so be sure to grease or line the muffin tin, and allow to cool completely for easy removal.
- Not a fan of chunks? Try grating the apple for a smoother consistency.
- These muffins freeze well, so make a double batch and freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
I just finished making these on a rainy afternoon in November and they are delish! A perfect balance of sweetness and apple – I followed the recipe exactly and used oat flour that I blended up myself. Great texture, I must say. I’ve been using a lot of almond flour lately, and find it expensive and oh so dense in when used in muffin recipes. I will definitely be making these again! Thanks so much! 🙂
Mary, yay, so glad you enjoyed this one! And I agree, oat flour is such a nice alternative to almond!
Can you make a suggestions for substituting the oil. It has been recommended to me that I do not add oil to may food at this time.
Thank you,
Janet
Hi Janet, I don’t have much experience with oil-free baking so I can’t offer substitutions on this one. You could certainly try this recipe without the oil–I imagine it will be drier and more crumbly, but the almond flour might help keep it moist…
I was tired when I made these and read the recipe wrong, I used apple apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider. Oops! Guess what, they still turned out great! This recipe is really nostalgic for me as my mum & I used to make apple spice muffing together from a mix when I was a child. Thanks Robyn!
Freya, thanks for the report back! So happy to hear you enjoyed these and that they brought back happy memories. Cheers!
Just made these and they’re delicious! I only had 1/3c of applesauce so subbed avocado oil for the rest. Also realized I didn’t have any apples when I got to the apple step (doh!) so subbed a pear. Definitely super delicate when warm (who can wait for the muffins to cool all the way before trying one?!) but they came out fine once cooled. The taste is amazing!
Stephanie, yay, glad these came out with the substitutions. Pear sounds like a lovely option. Yum!
Made these with local apple cider and apples and homemade applesauce. So good! I think my kids would prefer I skip the chopped apples next time, but my husband and I loved them with. I warmed one up with a little butter one morning and it was yummy.
Robyn, ohhhhhhh, local apple cider and apples is the absolute best. YUM! Elle’s the same way about the chopped apple. 🙂 Sometimes I do them in just half. I’ve also thought about grating them instead of chopping to avoid the chunks. Might be worth a try? Thanks so much for leaving a review!
This is a TOTAL winner! I added chopped walnuts. Love the chunky bits of apple.
Lorrie, ohhhh, I love the idea of adding chopped walnuts. I’ll definitely be doing that next time! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!
These are delicious!!! Made two weeks in a row, and devoured them FAST! I didn’t have apple cider so I swapped for oat milk. The muffins were a little crumbly but could be because of the difference in liquid. Still, recommend making!
Glad you were able to make these with what you had on hand, Teresa. So glad you enjoyed. Thanks so much for leaving a review!
Hello, thank you for this great recipe.
Q. : if I wanted to bake these in a mini-muffin tray mold, what would you recommend decreasing the time to? Assuming it would be the same heat(?)
You’re so welcome, Jacinta! For mini-muffins I’d shoot for 12-15 minutes. I hope you enjoy!