These easy apple muffins combine juicy apple chunks, applesauce and buttermilk for an incredibly soft and moist texture. Finish them with melted butter and cinnamon sugar for the perfect fall treat.

More fall inspired muffins we love include applesauce muffins and pumpkin muffins!

A group of cinnamon‑sugar‑topped apple muffins displayed on a wooden board, accented by cinnamon sticks and green apples for a cozy fall vibe.

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Key Takeaways: Cinnamon Apple Muffins

  • Flavor: Fresh apple, warm apple pie spice and a buttery cinnamon-sugar finish
  • Texture: Soft and moist with tender chunks of apple in every bite
  • Yield: 12 standard muffins or about 48 mini muffins
  • Difficulty: Easy, with a simple no-mixer batter and everyday baking ingredients

Why I Love This Recipe

Apple picking always leaves us with plenty of apples to use, and these apple muffins are one of my favorite ways to bake with them. They’re a cozy fall treat that works just as well for a breakfast muffin as it does for an afternoon snack.

They’re also a great make-ahead option because they freeze beautifully and can be warmed up whenever you need one. More muffin recipes I love to keep on hand include my mini banana muffins and pumpkin muffins with cake mix!

XO - Jamielyn

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.
  • Applesauce: For even more apple flavor and a moist texture. I love to use my Crockpot applesauce.
  • Buttermilk: Made with a simple mixture of milk and vinegar, buttermilk helps to make these muffins super light and soft.
  • Cinnamon sugar topping: Melted butter, cinnamon, and sugar are added on top to give these apple muffins the ultimate finishing touch!

How to Make Cinnamon Apple Muffins

Showing wet ingredients combined in a bowl with flour, baking powder and baking soda ready to be folded into to make muffin batter.

Step 1: Whisk together the vegetable oil, applesauce, and sugar in a large bowl. Add the eggs, vanilla, and buttermilk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir just until combined.

Diced apples in a bowl with spices and flour.

Step 2: 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 being mixed into a muffin batter in a bowl.

Step 3: Gently fold diced apples into the muffin batter.

Apple muffin batter divided evenly among 12 lined muffin cups.

Step 4: Divide batter between the paper liners and 12-cup muffin tin and bake at 375°F for about 30 minutes.

Baked cinnamon apple muffins cooling in a 12-cup muffin pan.

Step 5: Rest for a few minutes in the pan then remove from pan and place on wire cooling rack.

Hand holding a freshly baked apple muffin coated in cinnamon sugar.

Step 6: 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.

Single cinnamon sugar‑coated muffin perched atop others in a stacked arrangement, styled against a backdrop of blurred green apples.

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.
  • Spices: You can also add more fall spices for a bolder flavor, such as nutmeg, all-spice, or cardamon. You can also substitute the applesauce for apple butter.
  • 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.

Cinnamon Apple Muffins FAQs

What are the best apples to put in apple cinnamon 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.

Do I need to peel the apples for apple muffins?

Peeling the apples gives the muffins a softer, more even texture, so that is my preference. You can leave the peel on if you like, but dice the apples finely so the pieces soften as the muffins bake.

Should I cook apples before putting them in muffins?

No, there is no need to cook the apples first. Peel and finely dice them before folding them into the batter, and they will soften as the muffins bake while still keeping some texture.

Close-up of a cinnamon apple muffin torn open to reveal a moist interior with diced apple chunks, nestled among sugar-coated muffins and fresh green apples in the background.

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

More Apple Recipes

Apple muffins on a wooden cutting board.

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

5 from 46 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12
Soft, moist cinnamon apple muffins are packed with fresh apples and warm fall spices. A buttery cinnamon sugar coating gives them an irresistible bakery-style finish.
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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 applesauce
  • 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
  • ½ Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2-3 Tablespoons butter , melted

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 cup 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 1/2 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: 1muffin, 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.