Healthy Apple Muffins

Name: Healthy Apple Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 large apple (peeled, cored and grated); ¾ tsp cinnamon (ground); 1 tbsp honey; 1 tsp lemon juice; ¾ cup whole wheat flour; ¾ cup wheat bran flour (coarse); ¼ cup almond meal; 1 tsp baking soda; ½ tsp ground nutmeg; ⅛ tsp salt; 1 1½ cups applesauce; 1 tbsp canola oil; 2 egg whites; ¼ cup brown sugar (packed); 2 tsp vanilla extract; ½ cup chopped walnuts; ¼ cup granola

These Healthy Apple Muffins are packed with delicious and healthy ingredients! Weighing in at only 151 calories per muffin, they’re perfect for a wholesome grab-n-go snack or holiday breakfast.

I love this time of year! It’s the holiday season. I love holidays most of all because of the mulled wine. My favorite part? The delicious breakfasts!

These whole grain apple muffin recipe is one of my go-to’s and they’re so healthy, you won’t believe it. They taste absolutely delicious, but without any of the guilt! Made with a simple ingredient list chock full of health benefits, these muffins are the ideal baked good for the holidays.

Why Make These Apple Muffins

Healthy Alternative
Low Carb, Low Cal, Low Sugar!
Easy To Make
Perfect For The Holidays
Ideal Grab-n-Go Breakfast or Snack

At 151 calories a muffin, you can afford to eat a couple of them. These amazing muffins are low in carbohydrates, and also sugar. If you look at the recipe, you’ll see a plethora of wonderful and healthy ingredients like wheat bran flour, whole wheat flour, egg whites, applesauce, etc. It’s a wonderful, perfectly spiced muffin.

Ingredient Notes

overhead shot of all the ingredients needed for healthy apple muffins.

Apple – You can use any apple, depending on your preference! Just make sure it’s peeled, cored and grated.
Spices – We are going to use a combination of ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg!
Sweeteners – We are using a bit of honey in replace of the granulated sugar most muffin recipes use. You can substitute agave. I’m also using a bit of brown sugar.
Lemon Juice – Fresh is always best! This is going to add a nice brightness of flavor to our muffins.
Flour – We are using a healthy whole wheat flour and coarse wheat bran flour for this recipe. Whole Wheat Flour is darker in color, is full of wheat flavor, and creates a more dense flavorful baked good.
Almond Meal – Almond meal is just finely ground almonds! It has recently become important in baking items for those on low carbohydrate diets. It adds moistness and a rich nutty taste to baked goods. See “FAQs & Expert Tips” for more info!
Applesauce – Instead of oil or butter we are using applesauce and trust me you won’t be able to tell the difference. This is a trick I use often, especially in my banana bread.
Canola Oil – We are only using a little bit of oil for this recipe. The oil is going to aid in the baking process of the muffins.
Eggs – Make sure to separate them, we need just the whites!
Vanilla Extract – Without vanilla, our muffins may taste a little flat, so it’s an important addition!
Extras – Chopped walnuts and Granola! These will both add flavor and crunch to our muffins.

How To Make Healthy Apple Muffins

process shots showing how to prep ingredients for healthy apple muffins.

Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffing tray with paper liners and lightly spray them with cooking spray.
Combine Ingredients: In a small bowl combine the grated apple, ¼ tsp of the cinnamon, honey and the lemon juice. Stir well and set aside.
Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl combine whole wheat flour, bran, almond meal, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and whisk. Set aside.
Mix Wet Ingredients: In a larger bowl mix the applesauce, oil, egg whites, brown sugar and vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated. You could also use your mixer for this.
Combine Wet & Dry: Slowly incorporate the flour mixture and continue whisking until well combined. Fold in the apples and walnuts.
Bake: Pour the batter into the muffin cups and top each with ½ tsp to 1 tsp of granola. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to eat.

process shots showing how to make healthy apple muffins.

FAQs & Expert Tips

FAQs

What’s The Difference Between Almond Meal And Almond Flour?

While almond meal is typically made from raw, unpeeled almonds, almond flour is made from blanched, peeled almonds. Compared to almond meal, almond flour has a finer texture and lighter color.

What Can I Substitute Almond Meal With?

Sunflower seeds are similar to almond meal nutritionally, because they’re gluten-free and low carb, but they also have the added advantage of being nut-free! You can also substitute rolled oats, regular flour, or coconut flour for the almond meal in this recipe.

How Do I Know When My Muffins Are Done Baking?

The easiest way to figure out if your muffins are done is to insert a toothpick into the thickest part of the muffin dome. If the toothpick comes out clean, with no batter stuck to it, you’re good to go! On the other hand, if the toothpick does come out with batter on it, bake the muffins for another 5 – 10 minutes and test again using a new toothpick each time.

What Else Can I Add To My Apple Muffins?

Feel free to incorporate any other “healthy” or “unhealthy” (it’s your muffin) ingredients! You can add raisins, carrots, dried fruit such as cranberries, your preference of nuts or even some chocolate!

Can I Make These In Advance?

Absolutely! If you want to go ahead and make these apple muffins ahead of time, they freeze excellently! See “Storing/Freezing” for full instructions!

apple muffins in a muffin tin fresh out of the oven.

Tips

Make sure the batter is thick! You do not want a wet batter! If your batter is more liquid than thick, you may want to make some adjustments. Adding a bit more flour or a little less applesauce are some examples of tweaking the recipe. Keep in mind, the batter should be “spoonable” not “pourable”.
Use room temperature ingredients! If you use room temperature ingredients such as eggs or butter (in this case apple sauce) it will help the baking process as they aren’t aren’t cold when incorporated into the other ingredients.
Fill the muffin tins until they are nearly full and the batter will rise, rise, rise! Muffins can’t rise if there isn’t enough batter!

overhead shot of healthy apple muffins on plates.

Storing

The best way to store muffins, or any kind of quick breads, is to place them into a sealable bag and leave them at room temperature. This will keep them fresh for up to 3-5 days.

Freezing

Freezing any kind of muffin is pretty easy! Just wrap your apple muffins in aluminum foil, place them in a large freezer bag or airtight container, and they will last for 3 months!

When it comes time to reheat, just simply place them in the microwave for a minute or until heated through.

an apple muffin broken in half on a plate.

More Great Recipes To Try

Recipe originally shared Nov 2013.