Easy Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins. Soft and moist apple cinnamon muffins with a brown sugar crumb topping. The recipe also includes a dairy-free option.
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Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins
One of my husband’s favorite flavor combination is apples and cinnamon, so I decided to make him some gluten-free apple cinnamon muffins.
I love baking muffins for my family for breakfast, as a snack or a special treat. They are super easy to whip up and can be made in just 30 minutes.
How To Make Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Muffins
These gluten-free muffins are a one bowl wonder that is super easy to make, you don’t even need a mixer. You can quickly whip up these super moist gluten-free apple cinnamon muffins with just a bowl and a spoon.
The first thing you are going to want to do is to pre-heat your oven to 350° F and line or spray your muffin tins.
In a large mixing bowl add the applesauce, melted butter ( or melted coconut oil or Smart Balance butter for dairy-free) and eggs and mix together until fully combined. I always like to combine my wet ingredients first.
Pro Tip
- Here’s a little gluten-free baking tip. I buy applesauce in the snack cups size. They are already portioned out to 1/2 cup and they don’t have to be refrigerated. That way I always have applesauce on hand. I also add 1/2 cup of applesauce to all gluten-free box mixes.
Next stir in the sugar, salt, and pure vanilla extract. Then stir in the gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and xanthan gum (leave out the xanthan gum if your flour already has it) and mix until the muffin batter is smooth and fully combined. (photo 1)
Scoop the batter into baking cups lined/cooking sprayed muffin tin. I like to use an ice cream scoop. (photo 2)
Now it’s time to make the crumb topping. Add all of the dry ingredients of the crumb topping to a small bowl and stir until fully combined. Pour in the melted butter (or coconut oil) into the dry ingredients and stir until the topping looks thick and crumbly.
Sprinkle crumb topping on top of the muffins. I usually use about a tablespoon per muffin. (photo 3)
Bake the muffins for 20 minutes at 350 ° F, or until a toothpick into the center comes out clean. Please watch your muffins because all ovens are different. (photo 4)
These gluten-free muffins can be stored in an air-tight container (if you don’t eat them all).
Really, it’s that easy to bake gluten-free apple muffins!
Gluten-Free Flour
These gluten-free crepes were made with a rice flour blend. I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
Pro Tip
The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup. After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. Friends, please do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup.
Dairy-Free Baking
I have also included a dairy-free option to my gluten-free apple cinnamon crumb muffin recipe. My husband, my youngest son, and I are all dairy-free.
I promise these muffins are just as delicious made with the dairy-free butter or coconut oil.
Some of my favorite dairy-free alternatives that I like to bake with is almond, cashew or coconut milk. I also like baking with coconut oil or Earth Balance or Smart Balance butter.
So, you too can enjoy a gluten-free and dairy-free apple cinnamon muffin.
I love how simple these gluten-free muffins are to make. The muffins are light and moist and full of the apple and cinnamon flavor.
I can’t get enough of the brown sugar crumb topping! It reminds me so much of the bakery-style muffins I use to eat before having to go gluten-free.
Check out some of my other favorite Gluten-Free Breakfast Recipes!
- Easy Gluten-Free Blueberry Banana Muffins {Dairy-Free and Refined Sugar Free Option}
- Easy Gluten-Free Pancakes {Dairy-Free & Vegan Option}
- Gluten-Free Biscuits {Dairy-Free & Vegan Option}
- Gluten-Free Cinnamon Biscuits {Dairy-Free Option}
- Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}
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Easy Gluten-Free Apple Cinnamon Crumb Muffins {Dairy-Free Option}
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 1/2 cups applesauce
- 1/3 cup melted unsalted butter, , use Smart Balance butter or use melted coconut oil for dairy-free option
- 2 large eggs, , room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour, (I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum, , leave out if your flour already has it in it
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Crumb Topping
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, , packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted, (dairy-free use coconut oil or Smart Balance Butter)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to Bake at 350° F.
- Use baking cup liners or cooking spray for the muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl add the applesauce, melted butter ( or melted coconut oil or Smart Balance butter for dairy-free) and eggs and mix together until fully combined.
- Stir in the granulated sugar, salt, and pure vanilla extract.
- Stir in the gluten-free flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and xanthan gum (leave out the xanthan gum if your flour already has it) and mix until all the ingredients are smooth and fully combined.
- Scoop the batter into baking cups lined/cooking sprayed muffin tin. I like to use a greased ice cream scoop.
Crumb Topping
- Add all of the dry ingredients of the crumb topping to a small bowl and stir until fully combined. Pour in the melted butter (or coconut oil) into the dry ingredients and stir until the topping looks thick and crumbly.
- Sprinkle crumb topping on top of the muffins. I usually use about a tablespoon per muffin.
- Bake for 20 minutes at 350 ° F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Please watch your muffins because all ovens are different.
- Allow the muffins to cool. Enjoy!
- Store in an air-tight container.
Notes
- I like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
- The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. Using a spoon, scoop the flour into the measuring cup. After you’ve spooned the flour into the measuring cup, use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
- For the dairy-free option, I use Smart Balance butter or melted coconut oil.
- Store in an air-tight container.
- Mama says, "Check all of your labels."
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is it possible to substitute almond flour instead of Gf mix? I’ve exhausted all your almond flour muffin recipes and that’s all my hubby will eat. Please advise. I hate wasting ingredients. Thank you so much.
Hi Leslie, this recipe was designed specifically to work with GF flour, not almond flour. We do not recommend substituting in almond flour, as the muffins will not turn out correct.
So delicious! I added about 1/2 cup of diced apples and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts. No one could tell these were gluten/dairy free! I did notice that the muffins stick to the liners a little bit, but not bad enough that I wouldn’t take these to a gathering, give to friends, etc.
Hello! These muffins sound great and I’d love to try them but I can’t get the metric measurements. The toggle doesn’t seem to work. I prefer to weigh ingredients when I bake.
Hi Lisa, we’re sorry to hear that. We just checked this function, and it seems to be working on our end. We recommend refreshing the page!
The metric link is also not working for me- when I touch it the page just jumps to the top again, the measurements still in US. I refreshed the page also. Very strange, and a shame it doesn’t work.
I don’t know if it was something I did wrong but when I tried to remove the muffins from the paper lining half of the muffin came off with it leaving me with only a muffin top. I was supposed to bring these to work for my colleagues, but now I have nothing to share. Such a disappointment with all the great reviews.
Hi Meagen, if your muffins are sticking to the liners, it could be that they were slightly underbaked or that they were still too warm when you tried to remove them. We recommend baking for a few extra minutes and allowing them to cool completely before removing them from the liners.
These are the best gluten free muffins I have made! So moist and light. I will be making these often.
Hey, FYI, Smart Balance butter is made from seed oils. Mama says, “read the labels”. What does that mean? what are you reading them to discover? We should all know the dangers of seed oils to our endocrine system, hormones and overall health. No one should eat them EVER!! not even a little bit. fyi. I will try this recipe with ghee or coconut oil. thank you 🙂
Hi Lisa, always read the labels refers to being on the lookout for gluten and other allergens! We hope you enjoy this recipe.
These muffins are amazing. The apple/cinnamon flavour is spot on.
Next time I think I will try Anna’s suggestion of adding some diced apples.
I made these muffins following the recipe exactly; I added cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice – 1/2 tablespoon each. I baked them for 40 minutes and they turned out perfectly – fully cooked in the center and still very moist even after two days. They taste amazing!
Easy to make and delicious!!
K so I loved this recipe but I did a crazy thing! I replaced 1/2 cup of the gluten free flour in the muffin recipe with homemade apple flour. (dehydrated apples stone ground) and all of the gluten free flour in the crumb topping with apple flour. They were amazing!
can I use 1 to 1 gluten free flour
Great tasting! I also added 1/4 cup of diced apple slices.
Simply delicious 🤩
These were delicious! Very easy to make. Moist and fluffy. I just cut back on the cinnamon a bit and used my own homemade applesauce. I also started the oven at 375 then turned oven down to 350.
(Read that it helps with the rise to activate the baking powder. Resulted in domed tops like regular muffins.
I made this recipe, just enough of cinnamon, topping was great and muffins were moist not dry!!! and no one could tell they were gluten free
Amazing! Used the coconut oil and tried syrup instead of regular sugar. These are fluffy and delicious.
Delicious with a bright apple flavor! I used Cup for Cup GF flour. They took a little longer to bake in a silicon muffin pan. It made 12 very full muffins.
Loved these muffins! I am always looking for a new gluten-free muffin so that I don’t have to buy the processed ones in a store. Love having a little sweet with my coffee in the morning. I did chop up some apples and use one cup of applesauce instead of one and a half cups. The streusel definitely makes these muffins! Very moist and very delicious. I will definitely be putting these as one of my favorites.
I love all things apple cinnamon and these are AMAZING. I have a go to paleo apple bread that I make at Thanksgiving…I will be changing to this recipe in November. Perfect flavor, good crumb, and the topping is the extra I didn’t know I was missing. I used homemade applesauce and a combination of GF all purpose flours.
Audrey, Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe! I made these to take to a Women’s Conference at my church today. Several of us are gluten free due to allergies/health issues. They got rave reviews from all who ate them. Even the non-gluten free folks ate them and loved them too! I will be trying more of your recipes!
First time maker today. They are absolutely wonderful
I make these often. Moist and delicious.
I do not usually leave comments, but these are wonderful. The next batch I plan to use chopped pecans on the top also. Thanks for this simple and yummy idea.
These are the best gluten free muffins I’ve come across after 19 years of being a celiac! They’re super moist, easy to make and the crumb top just makes them perfect! You won’t be disappointed!
Hands down the best gluten free muffin recipe I’ve come across. I added chopped apple. So delicious!!
These muffins have a great flavor. I really enjoy the recipes from your website. If I made these muffins into a quick bread loaf, how would the oven temperature and cook time change?
This is our favorite muffin/cupcake recipe! It is so easy and delicious! It is our go to for birthday parties, especially with cinnamon buttercream frosting. I like to brown the butter first. Thank you for this great recipe!
These muffins are scrumptious!! Sometimes gluten free pastries don’t taste as yummy as ones with gluten, but this recipe is absolutely delicious. It’s a major plus that I was able to throw it together in just a few minutes. THANK YOU!
These muffins were AMAZING, the whole family loved them! I substituted 2 Tbsp ground flax + 6 Tbsp water for the eggs, and used the advice of reducing applesauce and adding diced apples. Light, fluffy and super tasty! Thanks so much for the great recipe – gluten free, vegan recipies are hard to find!
These were delicious. Great texture, apple flavor, spice & sweetness. I used melted coconut oil & a little less than the 1 T called for cinnamon in the batter. I preferred subtle spice since no fresh apple in the recipe. The apple was there. Loved that light but not cup-cakey. Smells fabulous of course!
Amazing recipe, these comments aren’t lying
Wonderful. Just wonderful! Best muffin recipe ever. I added raisins this time. Walnuts and raisins next time. They are so moist and delicious. Thanks for sharing.
I made these yesterday morning. I made them dairy free, egg free and used 1/4 cup honey instead of granulated sugar because of allergies. They are so good! They don’t taste like GF at all! Thank you for sharing your recipes. I am making your turkey sausage recipe tomorrow morning.
Audrey ! These muffins were so soft and bursting with flavor; absolutely delicious! I followed the recommendation of some reviewers ;I reduced the applesauce to 1 cup and added 3/4 cup cubed apples .Thank you, for sharing this wonderful recipe !
I am trying out healthy recipes that don’t use regular flour for my grandchildren. This one was really good using one to one flour. Would I be able to freeze them – and if so what would be the best way to do that?
I am so happy that you enjoyed the apple muffins. Allow the muffins to completely cool before placing them in a plastic freezer bag. You could even go the next step and wrap each muffin in aluminum foil before replacing in a freezer bag. Thanks for asking!
I made these today for the first time. They were so good. The flavours were so tasty. My husband and I both loved them with added blueberries. Tomorrow I plan to make some without the berries to share with a friend. So happy I found this muffin recipe.
I just made these today! They turned out delicious! Even my extremely picky daughter loved them. I just started incorporating a gluten free lifestyle and this recipe is a winner. Thank you!
Thank you so much Lyndsay for the awesome 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the apple muffins. You are so welcome, I love sharing the recipes I make for my family. Thanks again!
All of your recipes that I have tried have been outstanding, but this one is my favorite! I made these for the first time yesterday and they are DELICIOUS!!! I made them df & gf, used 1/4 c of turbinado sugar in the main recipe and used it again for the topping. Thank you for all of these great recipes!
Thank you so much Christine for the awesome 5-star recipe review, it really made my night! I am so happy that you have enjoyed all the recipes of mine you have made and that these muffins are your favorite. You are so welcome, I love sharing the recipes that I make for my family. Thanks again!
Yummy!! I feel so proud that I made something GF and it tastes good! I had Kind Arthur GF flour on hand, so that’s what I used. I also followed the people that reduced the apple sauce to one cup and added about 3/4 cup of diced apple. Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you so much Erin for the awesome 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the muffins and you feel proud about baking gluten-free. That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for sharing how you modified the recipe and added diced apples to the muffins and the brand of gluten-free flour you used, as I know it will help others. Thank you again!
These turned out really good. We don’t really eat sweets, and I rarely bake, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Substituted coconut palm sugar for brown in the topping, but otherwise followed the recipe. I was confused about measuring the butter for the batter after it was melted. I ended up just melting a little more than 5 TBSP butter and hoping I was close. The muffins had good flavor without being overly sweet, and were definitely better after they had cooled and firmed up a bit.
Thank you so much May for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the apple muffins. The recipe calls for 1/3 cup of melted butter. So I usually measure out 1/3 cup of butter then melt it in my microwave. Thank you for sharing that you used coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar, as I know it will help others. Thanks again!
These are excellent! Moist and tasty with a nice texture. My daughter made them for Thanksgiving dinner and we received compliments from everyone – GF or not! Thank you for recipe!
Thank you so much Sue for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! I am so happy everyone enjoyed the apple muffins. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family and helping others. Thank you again!
Made these for the family this morning. They’re delicious! Will definitely make them again!
Thank you so much Jackie for the awesome 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you and your family enjoyed the muffins and you will be making them again. Thanks again!
I used this with real apples chopped up as well as walnuts. I then added a bit more gf flour and tada I made them cookies. The topping also had apple and nuts.
Thank you so much Dawn for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! Thank you for sharing your modifications, as I know it will help others. I am so happy that you enjoyed them, thanks again!
These apple muffins are by far the best gluten free muffins I have ever tasted. I appreciate the metric conversion. It made them so quick and easy to put together. In South Africa our cup measurement is larger than USA. Thank you for this recipe which I shall use all the time.
Thank you so much Carol for the awesome 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the apple muffins and they were the best gluten-free muffins you have ever tasted. You really made my day! You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family. Thank you so much for sharing about the differences in measurements in South Africa, as I know it will help others. Thanks again!
My husband and I made these today as a treat. They are so yummy! Will definitely make again.
Thank you so much Jessica for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you and your husband enjoyed the apple muffins and will be making them again. Thank you again!
These muffins are awesome!!
I replaced the granulated sugar with xylitol and the brown sugar with coconut palm sugar and they were truly amazing!! Hopefully not too hard on this preggo momma’s blood sugar! Thanks for a great and easy recipe!
Thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the muffins and that they were amazing. I am glad to hear that the xylitol and the brown sugar with coconut palm sugar worked well in the recipe. I totally understand about blood sugar and being pregnant, I had gestational diabetes with one of my pregnancies. Congratulations on your baby! Thank you again!
I made these last night! This was the first recipe to pop up when I googled apple muffins and I am so thankful! They went down a treat at work (couple GF eaters there) and at home (couple of greedy ones!).
They rose up lovely and were sooooooo fluffy but did sink a bit though I do intend to experiment with the eggs a bit more next time I try this. I’m in Ireland so all my recipes are in grams so everything was a wild guestimate. I’ll have to bite the bullet and buy measuring cups for my next attempt!
Thank you for posting this!
Lea.
Hi Lea! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed the muffins! I just added the grams conversion to the recipe. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family. I apologize that the feature was not turned on in the recipe card. If you click on the metric link below the ingredients it will switch to grams in the recipe card with the grams. I’ve not tested this conversion to grams to make sure it has the same results as cups, teaspoons, etc… Please let me know if they seem correct. Thanks!
Hi!! Thank you for this recipe!!! I have 4 kids dairy free/gluten free and they LOVE these muffins!!!
Thank you so much Ashlie for the amazing 5-star recipe review! I am so happy to hear that your kids loved the muffins. These apple muffins are one of my kid’s favorite too. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family. Thank you again!
I made this as muffins for a neighbor who is gluten and dairy free and they were yummy! Do you know if the recipe would work as a loaf, like a quick bread loaf?
Hi Priscilla! I am so happy that you and your neighbor enjoyed the muffins. It makes a great quick bread as well. Just bake it for 50 minutes to 1 hour. I have not baked the loaf with the crumb topping, just with the apple batter. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you again!
I used 2 of the small snack size containers of applesauce and 3/4 finely diced apple. It turned out great! I loved the recipe but it would have been easier with the ingredients in order. I also substituted some of the sugar for date sugar. Next time I want to add walnuts! (Note, I also did NOT bring the eggs to room temp… I never do as I always forget ahead and everything is just fine, I whisk them before putting in the recipe.} I also mixed dry ingredients separately before adding to the wet ingredients to ensure the baking soda is nicely distributed and the flour is a bit lighter (I used Cup4Cup flour so no xantham needed to be added). Then I used that bowl for the crumbs and used 1 heaping tsp to make it easier to distribute. The recipe made 13 muffins so I used a cupcake container and balanced it on the edge of the pan to cook. Thanks for inspiring me today!
Thank you Verena for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the muffins. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family. Thanks again!
These muffins are supet good! Even my husband couldnt tell they were gluten free! I did drizzle glaze on top also. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Thank you so much Sue for the wonderful recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the muffins. A drizzle glaze sounds yummy. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family. Thank you again!
Great recipe! Ive been gluten free for years and am still searching for good muffin recipes. This is definitely one of the best I’ve ever found. Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you so much Tina for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the apple muffins. You are so welcome I love sharing what I make for my family. Thank you so much for your kind words and encouragement!
Thank you for this recipe! These muffins are delicious! We are gluten free and dairy free and I totally have missed eating good muffins. I did make a bit more of the crumb topping – it is soooo good!
Hi Deb thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star recipe review! I am so happy that you enjoyed the apple muffins. I can’t get enough of the crumb topping too. You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family. Thanks again!
These look delicious. I like little pieces of apple in my apple muffins. I’m pondering how much applesauce I might need to take out to allow for adding diced apples. I was wondering if you might have any suggestions?
Hi Dawn! I have never tried adding chopped apples to these muffins. The applesauce also helps with the moisture of the muffins. The recipe might work if you swap a 1/2 cup of chopped apples for 1/2 cup of applesauce. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out. Thanks!
I made these and they tasted great. I was surprised to see that the crumb topping stayed on some but not others.
Could you help me out with my delimma.
A nice recipe for the fall season.
Hi Terry. I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the apple cinnamon muffins! I’m not sure why the crumb topping would stay on some but not others. I have not had this problem when I bake the muffins. Maybe you could pat the crumb topping down on top of the muffin batter. I hope that helps!
These Muffins are so yummy! Very easy to make. They don’ even taste GF.. THANK YOU FOR THE AMAZING RECIPE!!
Thank you so much for the wonderful 5-star recipe review Melissa! It makes my heart so happy to hear that you enjoyed the muffins! You are so welcome, I love sharing what I make for my family.