These cinnamon apple muffins are full of fall flavor! Loaded with diced apples and rolled in cinnamon sugar these moist muffins are easy to make for breakfast or snack.

I love baking with apples during the fall! Favorites include apple crepes or apple desserts like apple cobbler or apple dump cake.

Cinnamon apple muffins on a wooden board.

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Apple Cinnamon Muffins

These cinnamon apple muffins have a moist and tender crumb with chunks of freshly chopped apples mixed throughout. They’re finished with a buttery cinnamon sugar topping that adds a rich sweet flavor plus can be prepped in just 15 minutes!

I love to make a big batch of these and my applesauce muffins then freeze half for an easy breakfast option. They are one of my favorite fall snacks, along with easy pumpkin muffins with a cake mix and pumpkin banana bread. Add a cup of hot chocolate and this treat just became dessert!

Why I Love This Recipe

  • Fall flavor and texture. These apple muffins are soft and moist from the oil and buttermilk with chunks of fresh apples and a topping of sweet cinnamon sugar.
  • Freezer friendly. Double the batch and freeze half of these cinnamon apple muffins for a quick grab-and-go breakfast with a smear of apple butter.

Recipe Ingredients

Apple muffin ingredients on a marble counter.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Apples: I love to use peeled and diced Granny Smith apples when making these muffins. They’re sweet, and crisp and will hold their shape when baking.
  • Baking staples: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking powder, and salt.
  • Spices: Add warm fall flavor by using a combination of apple pie spice and ground cinnamon.
  • Oil: This makes the muffins super moist and tender. Vegetable oil is my preference, but canola oil or coconut oil would also work.
  • Apple sauce: For even more apple flavor and a moist texture.
  • Buttermilk: Made with a simple mixture of milk and vinegar, buttermilk helps to make these muffins super light and soft.
  • Topping: Similar to my favorite Snickerdoodle muffins, melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar are added on top to give these apple muffins the ultimate finishing touch!

How to Make Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Whisk together the vegetable oil, apple sauce, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk and mix until well combined. Whisk together the dry ingredients with spices then pour combine flour mixture with wet ingredients.

Egg mixture in a bowl with flour.

Add the diced apples into a separate bowl and toss with a little bit of flour and cinnamon. This gives them more flavor, as well as prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin pan.

Diced apples in a bowl with spices and flour.

Gently fold the diced apples into the batter until combined. Divide batter between the paper liners and 12-cup muffin tin and bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes. Remove from pan and place on wire cooling rack.

Diced apples being mixed into a muffin batter in a bowl.

Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush the tops of the muffins with melted butter, then roll into the cinnamon sugar mixture until well coated.

Cinnamon apple muffins stacked on top each other.

Tips and Variations

  • Grated apples. During testing, I grated the apples. While I prefer the diced apples for flavor and texture, you can use grated apples for a more dense muffin.
  • Add-ins. These apple muffins would taste delicious with chopped pecans or walnuts added in. You can also add more fall spices for a bolder flavor, such as nutmeg, all-spice, or cardamom.
  • Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Rolling them in a buttery cinnamon sugar mixture after baking makes these scrumptious but you can sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar.
  • Other toppings: Feel free to use a streusel topping or make an easy crumb topping. You could also leave off the topping and drizzle with a sweet maple glaze instead.
Apple muffins cut in half stacked on top of each other.

Want more muffin recipes? Snack on these delicious pumpkin crumb muffins, banana bread muffins, or morning glory muffins.

More Apple Recipes

Apple muffin cut in half stacked on top of muffins.

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

5 from 46 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12
These cinnamon apple muffins are full of fall flavor with loads of diced apples and rolled in cinnamon sugar.
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Ingredients 

Muffins

  • 2 Granny Smith apples , peeled and finely diced (about 2 cups)
  • 2 cups + 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour , divided
  • 2 teaspoons apple pie spice , see notes
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon , divided
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup apple sauce
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt

Topping

  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2-3 Tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Instructions

Muffins

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Generously grease or line with muffin cups a 12-cup muffin tin.
  • Toss apples with flour and spices. In a medium bowl, toss 2 cups diced apples, 2 teaspoons flour, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
  • Wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 applesauce, and 1 cup sugar until combined. Beat in 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons vanilla, and 1/2 cup buttermilk until well combined.
  • Dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons apple pie spice and 1/2 teaspoon remaining cinnamon. Stir flour mixture into wet ingredients. Fold in the apples.
  • Bake. Divide batter evenly between the tin cups. Bake 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the edges are golden. Remove pan from oven and place on a cooling rack.

Topping

  • In a small bowl, stir together 2 Tablespoons sugar and 1 Tablespoon cinnamon. Brush the tops of the muffins with 2-3 Tablespoons melted butter, then roll in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve warm.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Apples: While I prefer granny smith, honey crisp also works great. If you prefer a softer apple, you can grate the apples instead of having bigger pieces. 
Mini muffins: You can also bake in a mini muffin pan (makes about 48 mini muffins). For mini muffins bake about 16 to 18 minutes.
Apple pie spice: If you don’t have apple spice you can use 1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon all-spice.
Storage: Best served warm the first day. Store leftovers in a covered container up to 3 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
Recipe updated 8/22 

Nutrition

Serving: 1g, Calories: 315kcal, Carbohydrates: 55g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 37mg, Sodium: 121mg, Potassium: 159mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 139IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Recipe FAQs

What is the secret to moist muffins?

In this case, there are a few key ingredients included in this recipe that make these easy apple muffins so moist and delicious. The apple sauce, vegetable oil, and buttermilk all contribute to the perfectly moist texture, so I wouldn’t recommend making substitutions that could alter the consistency.

What are the best apples for baking muffins?

The best apples to bake with are varieties that are crisp with a sweet flavor. You want them to be able to hold their shape when baking. No one likes mushy apples!

I prefer to use Granny Smith apples in this apple muffin recipe, although Honeycrisp is another great option.

Can I make mini muffins?

You can also make these into mini apple muffins for a smaller bite. Simply bake in a mini muffin pan at 375°F for about 16 to 18 minutes. This recipe will make about 48 mini muffins.

How to store apple cinnamon muffins?

These muffins do taste best served the first day (especially warm!) but will stay fresh at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. You can freeze them for up to 3 months. Let thaw at room temperature for about 1 hour prior to enjoying, or thaw in the microwave until warm.