Grain-free apple muffins with a crunchy Maple Cinnamon Walnut Streusel topping! Made with a winning combination of almond flour and tapioca flour with lots of apple chunks in every bite, these healthy gluten-free apple muffins can also be made sugar-free.
These Grain-Free Apple Muffins with Maple Cinnamon Streusel could be ready for your morning coffee or afternoon snack today! I know you'll love these muffins. I've made four batches in the last week or two, testing to get the recipe just right, and we're not tired of them at all!
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❤️Why you'll love these apple streusel muffins
These soft and tender grain-free muffins are made with almond flour and a little tapioca flour for texture. They're sweetened with your choice of granulated sweetener: coconut sugar, brown sugar, or Golden Monkfruit sweetener (I've tried them all.)
Best of all, they're filled with apple chunks in every moist little bite!
Just like these gluten-free Rhubarb Streusel Muffins and Banana Coffee Cake, you'll top these apple muffins with an amazing cinnamon walnut streusel for extra sweetness and crunch.
And to make them even more special, add a drizzle of vanilla glaze to that crumb topping once they've cooled--if you can wait that long!
Ready to make your kitchen smell amazing? Here's what you'll need to make these grain-free apple muffins.
🛒 Ingredients
You'll find a complete list of ingredients in the recipe card below. Here are a few special notes about some of them.
flour: this gluten-free apple muffin recipe uses a combination of almond flour and tapioca flour. This combo makes a good structure for muffins and results in a muffin with a tender crumb and a slight chew. Tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch) helps to make your gluten-free baked goods stretchy and bendable, similar to how gluten from wheat flour acts.
melted butter or coconut oil: either one will work fine in this recipe. Use coconut oil to keep this recipe dairy-free.
sweetener: your choice of granulated sweetener: coconut sugar, brown sugar, or Golden Monkfruit sweetener. The muffins in the photo were made with Monkfruit sweetener.
lemon zest: use a microplane for easy zesting. Don't leave out this ingredient! Hints of lemon add a bright flavour to these muffins.
🔪 Instructions
Here's an overview of how to make these grain-free apple muffins with maple cinnamon streusel. Complete instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Start by combining all streusel topping ingredients and set this mixture aside.
- Combine the wet ingredients in a medium bowl and the dry ingredients in a large bowl
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then gently stir in the diced apples.
- The batter will be very thick. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. A large cookie scoop works well for this job. Top each with 2- 3 teaspoons of streusel mixture.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely before glazing with optional Vanilla Glaze.
👍🏼 Helpful Tips
Make sure the eggs are at room temperature before you start, otherwise the melted butter or coconut oil will harden it's combined with the eggs. If you've forgotten to take them out of the fridge, let them sit in a bowl of warm water for about ten minutes.
🔁 Possible Variations
- Substitute your favourite nuts for the walnuts in the streusel topping. Pecans are also delicious.
- The glaze is optional (but good!) The muffins are absolutely delicious and moist without it if you want to leave it off.
- I tried these apple muffins with a lemon glaze, but I found it overpowered the apple cinnamon flavour.
Why do muffins sink in the middle?
There's nothing more disappointing than a tray of muffins that look puffed and rounded when the oven timer rings but sink in the middle a few minutes later. Here are a few reasons why that might be happening.
You haven't cooked them long enough. Oven temperatures vary considerably. One way to check the actual temperature of your oven is to have a stand-alone oven thermometer in your oven.
Use a digital thermometer inserted in the center of a muffin. Put it right to the bottom of the pan, then slowly pull it back toward the center. It should read 200 to 205°F. (93–96°C) If the temperature is under 200°F. they won't be fully cooked.
Your leavening agents (baking powder and baking soda) are past their prime. If they've been in your cupboard for a long time, they may have expired. They usually last about six months, so if you're having trouble with muffins and quick bread sinking, they may be the culprit.
You measured incorrectly. Use dry measuring cups for dry ingredients and liquid measuring cups for liquid ingredients. Use the "scoop and level" method for measuring flour.
You substituted ingredients or added extra ingredients. It's tempting to add a little more of this or a little less of that, but gluten-free baking can be unforgiving if you don't follow the recipe.
🥶 Storage and freezing instructions
These apple streusel muffins will stay fresh in a container at room temperature for 2 - 3 days. For longer storage, you may want to refrigerate or freeze them. Freeze completely cool muffins in a covered container, lined with a sheet of paper towel both underneath and on top of the muffins for up to three months.
For more information about the best way to store muffins, see this article from the Kitchn, The Best Way to Store Muffins and Quick Breads.
Make a batch for someone you love today!
When you make these apple streusel muffins, please leave a comment and a star rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes. Subscribe to my newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Apple Muffins with Maple Cinnamon Streusel
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour, finely ground
- ½ cup tapioca starch, (tapioca flour)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, finely grated
- ¼ cup coconut oil or butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sweetener, Golden Monkfruit, coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups apples, peeled, cored and finely diced
Maple Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 2 tablespoon granulated sweetener, Golden Monkfruit, coconut sugar, or brown sugar
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp maple syrup
Optional Vanilla Glaze
- ½ cup confectioner's sugar or powdered Monkfruit or Swerve
- 1 ½ tablespoon heavy cream, milk or plant-based milk
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Streusel Topping
- In a small bowl, combine all streusel topping ingredients. Set aside.
Apple Muffins
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Line muffin tins with paper or silicone liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine melted and cooled butter (or coconut oil), sweetener, room temperature eggs and vanilla.
- In a large bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and lemon zest.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, then gently stir in the diced apples.
- The batter will be thick. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Top each with 2- 3 teaspoons of streusel mixture, pressing it gently into the batter.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely before glazing with optional Vanilla Glaze.
Vanilla Glaze
- Combine powdered sweetener with vanilla and cream, one teaspoon at a time until you've achieved desired consistency. The glaze should be just runny enough to spread.
Jackie
I come from the school of "If I don't have it, what else can I use!"
So, I subbed a teaspoon of lemon juice for the zest, 4T of flax meal plus 10 T water for the eggs, cut down the brown sugar, and added 1/2 t baking soda and 1 t vinegar. I chopped the apples in the food processor. For the oil/butter, I used margarine. I didn't have maple syrup so used some margarine in the topping. I let them cool in the muffin pan since they were a bit delicate when warm.This turned out terrific, and I would recommend this recipe highly. ( Kids game me a case of apples for a holiday gift, so I was trying new recipes)
Elaine
Wow, Jackie, I'm impressed with your ingenuity! Thanks for sharing your substitutions with the rest of us, and thanks for the 5 stars!
Sharon
You aren't lying about the house smelling amazing!! I loved these with the monkfruit sweetener for a low sugar treat.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Sharon! I love Monkfruit as a sugar substitute, and I use it in all my baking now!
Kristen
I love apple season and these muffins are why. So incredibly delicious, can’t wait to make them again.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks so much, Kristen! So glad they're a favourite with you, too!
Lisa
These muffins look so delicious and perfect to nibble on with a hot cuppa tea on a fall day...perfect scene, right? Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Wanda
These muffins look delicious! Love a good streusel topping on muffins and I can't wait to try them!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks so much, Wanda! I know you'll love them!
Vanessa
The perfect muffin for Fall. Looks delicious but also healthy enough to have for breakfast!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Vanessa!
Colleen
Delicious looking, seasonal muffins, Elaine! I have yet to try monkfruit sweetener, but now I plan to look into it. Thanks for the info!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Colleen, I've used it almost exclusively for over a year now. It's pricey, but it's much more affordable at Costco.
dishnthekitchen
These are such great looking muffins...so light and fluffy. I've never cooked with tapioca flour before. but I think it's a great idea to pair it with another flour such as almond.
Flavour & Savour
Thanks Bernice, you're right--they're very light. I'm loving this combination of almond flour with a little tapioca in my baking lately!
JustineCelina
Yum! Elaine, these muffins look absolutely delicious and perfectly autumnal. I love the warm, cozy feeling of these images as well. Beautiful work!
Flavour & Savour
Thanks so much, Justine!