These gluten free apple muffins make a delicious breakfast, healthy lunchbox or snack idea. Made using a combination of buckwheat flour and ground almonds these muffins are low in sugar, fluffy, moist and delicious.ย
See also Polish apple pancakes!
These gluten free apple muffins are made with lots of sweet apples so they are moist, fruity and delicious. They come with a crunchy topping of maple coated almonds and make a perfect breakfast or snack.
These gluten free apple muffins are healthy
because they are:
- low in sugar: they are sweetened by apples and a very moderate amount of sugar.
- low in fat: I used vegetable oil rather than butter.
- high in fibre: thanks to the fruit as well as the flours.
- high in protein.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Apples: I recommend using a sweet variety. Good options include Braeburn, Gala, Cox or Golden Delicious.
- Buckwheat flour.
- Almond flour/ground almonds: adds sweetness, tones down the buckwheat and produces great fluffy texture.
- Baking powder: ensure it's gluten free if required.
- Light brown sugar: adds a hint of caramel and helps keep these muffins moist. But you can use coconut, cane or muscovado sugar if you prefer.
- Eggs.
- Milk: I used regular milk but any dairy free alternative will work (though I do not recommend coconut milk as it's very calorific).
- Vegetable oil: use any mild tasting oil.
- Almond extract: use vanilla extract if preferred.
- Cinnamon: I only used cinnamon but you can add a bit of nutmeg (half tsp) and ginger (1 tsp) into the mixture or swap these for pumpkin spice.
- Almond flakes and maple syrup for a sweet, crispy topping.
Why use buckwheat flour
Despite its name, buckwheat is not a type of wheat but a seed, so it's naturally gluten free (both the groats as well as the flour) as well as nutritious.ย Buckwheat flour produces great bakes, which makes it an ideal substitute for wheat flour.ย It has a slightly malty, earthy flavour, which works great in muffins and crepes.
Thanks to the addition of the ground almonds (almond flour) there is only a hint of buckwheat flavour in these healthy apple muffins.
How to prepare the apples
I chose to coarsely grate the apples to ensure the fruit is distributed evenly throughout the batter. This can be done quickly using a box grater - you only have to peel the apples (no need to core them) before grating.
Another advantage of grating the apples is to ensure these gf apple muffins are moist throughout.
If, however, you prefer to cube the apples that's fine, too, but you'll have to peel as well as core them.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1.Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ gas mark 6. Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin pan or line with paper cases and set aside. Combine the buckwheat flour, ground almonds, baking powder, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Stir thoroughly using a whisk.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, milk and almond extract until smooth.
3. Peel, core and coarsely grate the apples then stir into the egg mixture.
4. Combine both mixtures and stir only until the dry ingredients are no longer visible.
5. Spoon the batter into your muffin pan. In a bowl mix together the almond flakes with the maple syrup and place a small amount on top of each muffin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 23 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes then transfer your apple gluten free muffins to a cooling rack.
Serving
Most muffins are best served warm and these gluten-free apple muffins are no exception. If possible, pop them in the microwave for 8 seconds before serving. You can enjoy them as they are or with a little butter or cream cheese.
Can I use different fruit
Yes, you can use pears (make sure they are firm so you are able to grate them). You can also use a combination of apples and pears. Another option is to add a little grated carrot into the mix (but remember to stick to the recommended weight).
Top tips and FAQs
- Peel and grate the apples just before adding into the batter as peeled apples are prone to discoloration.
- I recommend using sweet rather than sour apples (or your muffins may not be sweet enough).
- Do not overmix the batter. Stir just to combine.
- These moist gluten-free apple muffins are delicious with the maple almond flakes on top, but you can omit this step if you like. They'll be delicious without it too!
- Best served on the day they are made.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Related recipes
- Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins with Maple Syrup
- Truly Healthy Carrot Muffins
- Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins with Buttermilk
- Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting
Check out also these other healthy breakfast recipes!
Keep in touch!
If you make this gluten-free apple muffin recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Did you make any substitutions? Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Recipe
Gluten Free Apple Muffins (Low Sugar)
Equipment
- Box grater
- 12-hole muffin pan
Ingredients
- 8.82 ounces (250 g) sweet apples peeled, coarsely grated, approx. 3 medium apples
- 1 cup (128 g) buckwheat flour
- 1ยผ cups (120 g) almond flour
- 2ยฝ teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking powder ensure it's gluten free if required
- โ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup (240 ml) semi-skimmed milk/low fat
- โ cup (70 g) light brown sugar
- โ cup (80 ml) vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- โ cup (40 g) almond flakes
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ 190 C fan/ gas mark 6.ย Lightly grease or line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper muffin cases and set aside.
- Combine the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, sugar, cinnamon and salt and stir using a whisk.ย
- In another bowl whisk together the eggs, oil, milk and almond extract until smooth. Peel and coarsely grate the apples. Add into the egg mixture and stir.
- Pour in the flour mixture and stir just to combine.ย Spoon the batter into the muffin pan. In a small bowl combine the almond flakes with the maple syrup and place a small amount on top of each muffin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 23 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
- Peel and grate the apples just before adding into the batter as peeled apples are prone to discoloration.
- Spices: I only used cinnamon but you can add a bit of nutmeg (ยฝ tsp) and ginger (1 tsp) into the mixture or swap these for pumpkin spice.
- Batter: Do not overmix the batter. Stir just to combine.
- Serving: Most muffins are best served warm and these gluten free apple muffins are no exception.ย If possible, pop them in the microwave for 8 seconds.ย You can enjoy them as they are or with a little butter or cream cheese.
- Storing: Keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
JC
These look delicious! I'd like to try this recipe. Are " almond flakes" the same as "ground almonds?" I'm not clear what almond flakes are and if they get sprinkled on top of the muffins before baking? Thank you!
Monika
Almond flakes are thinly sliced almonds, and yes, you sprinkle them on top of the muffins before baking (see photos). Hope this helps:)
Kate
Hi, Monica. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I am looking forward for my daughter. But I want ask can I replace almond flour to coconut flour? Would it be okay? Thanks ๐ Kate from Cambridge uk.
Monika
Hi Kate, I wouldn't recommend it, unfortunately. Coconut flour absorbs moisture differently than almond flour so the amount wouldn't be the same, but I can't tell you what it is without testing it first. I am guessing it would be less.
Cindy
Made these for bible study group. Was a hit! Several of us are gluten free and refined sugar free. I exchanged apple sauce for the oil, vanilla for the almond extract (I didn't have any on hand), added 1/8 tsp ground cloves, and a little zested nutmeg. I'll definitely make these again! Maybe adding a little more spice. Like an apple spice muffin. Thanks for the recipe!
Monika
I like your tweaks, I might try using apple sauce instead of oil next time I make these! Thank you for your feedback:)
Sally
I used fruit purรฉe. 200g. Also one whole egg with 2 egg whites. Delish
Monika
Fantastic, thanks for the feedback:)
Elizabeth
I have made these muffins now multiple times with either apples or pears and, more recently, half apple and half rubarb (I did add 20 gr of suger to make up for the tartness of the rubarb). This recipe is seriously no fail!
Monika
That's fantastic! Thanks for the feedback:)
Michelle
Perfect recipe. Just the right amount of sweetness (I find most recipes overly sweet) and cooked perfectly. I squeezed out some of the juice from the apples before adding them.
Monika
Glad you enjoyed these! I understand why you would want to get rid of some of the juice from the apples but you don't need to worry about too much moisture if you add the apples into the batter as soon as you've grated them. Really appreciate the feedback:)
Elizabeth
I made these muffins this morning and they are absolutely, hands down, the best GF muffins I have ever made! They are moist and the sweetness is perfect (IMO). The only change I made was using almond milk (so for you dairy-free folks: that works too!) I love baking by weight as I find the results are typically better. I would definitely recommend weighing your grated apples as I found that 2 were just enough. Thanks so much for this recipe! I will be trying this with pears too for sure ๐
Monika
Glad you liked these muffins! I totally agree that weighing ingredients produces better results in baking. Thanks so much for the feedback:)
Eb Gargano / easypeasyfoodie
What a fab, easy peasy breakfast recipe - these would be great to take on a super busy day when you need to have breakfast on the run!! And much healthier than commercially available 'on the run' breakfast options. Eb x
Monika
Thank you! They are much healthier indeed, with a lot less sugar, and they also stay moist even the next day:)