Paleo Apple Muffins (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
These paleo apple muffins are fuss-free and completely maple-sweetened. They get extra apple flavor from grated and diced apples.
I’ve been wanting to post a paleo apple muffin recipe for a long time. At first, I tried adapting the paleo blueberry muffins I posted recently. They’re my favorite muffin recipe, by far, but that didn’t work out. The cinnamon and spices just made them weird.
So then I tried adapting my paleo apple butter cake, but I wasn’t in love with those muffins, either. I tried some other apple muffins with almond flour and then figured that it’d be easy enough to adapt my grain-free carrot cake cupcakes, which is one of my most popular recipes. People seem to love them, and I hope you all will enjoy these just as much. :)
The carrot cake recipe uses 1/2 cup of grated carrots, and I subbed that with 1/2 cup of coarsely grated apples. I’ve only made these muffins using this extra coarse grater to grate the apples, so if you want to use a fine grater, I have no idea how that’d work out.
I’d be afraid that the muffins would come out too wet. These muffins are already super moist, so I don’t know if they could handle even more moisture!
Another change was the sweetener. I use a lot of lighter colored maple syrup throughout the year as a sweetener in all kinds of different flavored goodies, like these paleo key lime pies or these paleo lemon cookies.
And now that I’m baking with cinnamon, apples, and in a few weeks, pumpkin – I go through about 1 1/2 liters a month! I’m in the mood for maple everything. :)
The carrot cake recipe uses honey, but maple syrup seemed like a much better choice for these autumnal muffins. I used the exact same amount! It’s an easy sub, and I think it blends better with the apple + cinnamon + nutmeg combination than honey does.
You can use any grade of all-natural maple syrup in these. You can’t really taste it through all the cinnamon flavor, so I went with the standard Grade A Medium Amber kind, which is usually sold in grocery stores around here. I save the darker, stronger-tasting, and slightly more expensive Grade A Dark Amber kind for dishes where I want the maple taste to shine.
One tablespoon of cinnamon may seem like a lot for 8 muffins (it’s 3/8 teaspoon per muffin), but I’ve tried these with less cinnamon and they just weren’t very exciting. You need the cinnamon!
I’ve also tried these with a bunch of different apple types, and we could hardly detect there were apples in the muffins – until I made them with Granny Smith. Their tartness helps them stand out more, and together with the cinnamon and maple syrup, creates a truly awesome apple muffin.
Paleo Apple Muffins (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups (125 grams) finely ground blanched almond flour
- 2 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs 50 grams each, out of shell, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons (70 grams) refined coconut oil melted
- 1/3 cup (106 grams) maple syrup
- 2-3 tablespoons coconut sugar see notes
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (90 grams) coarsely grated Granny Smith apples
- 1 1/4 cups (155 grams) Granny Smith chunks about 1/4" in size
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin pan with 8 muffin liners.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the dry ingredients (almond flour through nutmeg). Set this aside.1 1/4 cups (125 grams) finely ground blanched almond flour, 2 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) coconut flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, oil, pure Canadian maple syrup, and vanilla.2 large eggs, 5 tablespoons (70 grams) refined coconut oil, 1/3 cup (106 grams) maple syrup, 2-3 tablespoons coconut sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the dry mix to the wet and mix just until combined.
- Gently fold in the grated apples and then the chopped apples.1/2 cup (90 grams) coarsely grated Granny Smith apples, 1 1/4 cups (155 grams) Granny Smith chunks
- Divide the batter evenly among the liners, filling them almost full, and bake for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for 1 day or refrigerate for up to 4.
Notes
- I added the coconut sugar to the recipe in October 2018. Before that, no coconut sugar was listed and the reviewers loved them that way! Only add the coconut sugar if you like things to be on the sweeter side.
- The video shows 3 eggs because the beginning part of the video that shows mixing together the ingredients is taken from the video I did for my paleo apple cake (which uses this same apple muffin recipe, but 1.5x all the ingredients – which is why it shows 3 eggs instead of 2). Sorry for the confusion! I didn’t realize it until it was too late.
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator.
How many calories per muffin?
Just made these yesterday and my family and I were very pleased with the results! I only used maple syrup but I think I’ll add the coconut sugar next time! I think granulated sugar adds a little more texture in baking. Very good!
I’m sorry for just now seeing your comment! It was in spam for some reason and with my son home the last few months, I haven’t been diligent in checking it. :( I’m so glad that you enjoyed the muffins! I prefer them with coconut sugar, too, and am surprised that you and I seem to be the only ones. ;) Thanks a bunch for your comment and sorry for my slow reply!
This is my absolutely favourite muffin recipe. So deliciously tasty, light and fluffy, and the perfect texture and moisture. Made it today, exactly to the gram, except the coconut sugar. Making double the recipe tomorrow. Seriously good … first time ever to post to say so. Delicious. Thank you for sharing, you are awesome
I’m glad that you liked the muffins so much! Thanks for taking the time to comment. :) You’re welcome for the recipe and thank you for the nice words. :D (and sorry for my slow reply – things have been slow around here the last few months).
I used flax egg to make them vegan then sprinkled pure granulated maple sugar over them before baking. Besides tasting great, my kitchen smells amazing!
Yum! I’m so glad you liked them. How was the texture? I’ve made these with chia eggs and the results were not good. Thanks for your feedback!
Your video you did 3 eggs but only said 2 in recipe.
Thanks for pointing this out! The recipe is correct and I just made a note to say so. I explain why the video shows 3 eggs at the bottom of the recipe. :)
I added baking powder then realized it called for baking soda. What is the difference and which is it suppose to be. Ty these muffins were so so good I double batched them and will have them on a weekly cycle until apples are out of season! Ty ????
Baking soda is correct. What makes you think it may be incorrect? Just wondering. :) I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! Here’s an article about the differences between baking powder and baking soda. I hope that helps!
Here is what I got for nutrition facts
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 297
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19.9g 25%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 29mg 1%
Total Carbohydrate 25.2g 9%
Dietary Fiber 4.8g 17%
Total Sugars 17.6g
Protein 2.4g
Thanks for sharing!