These vegan apple cinnamon almond muffins are brimming with warmth and coziness. Plus, they're packed with fiber, biotin, and vitamin e. They're just sweet enough to be desirable yet not so sweet that they can't be enjoyed for breakfast or as a healthy snack!
Last fall, I noticed that there were just three muffin recipes on this site. As a muffin lover, I was shocked and maybe even a tiny bit disappointed, too.
So, I quickly added these vegan pumpkin power muffins to lineup and then got to work on dreaming up a few other easy, nourishing muffin recipes to be added at a later date.
Apple cinnamon muffins were a favorite of mine growing up, so this combination was the next in line to be tested.
I also have my sights set on a twist on a classic (i.e., blueberry-buckwheat) and a vegan remix of another childhood favorite: cranberry-orange. Would you be interested in those combinations? And are there any others you'd like to see on the blog? And specific dietary requests (besides vegan, that is)? Let me know! It's always helpful to hear your thoughts.
In general, I've been loving more convenience-focused recipes that can be made in batches and enjoyed throughout the week as of late, and muffins fit rather perfectly into that category.
These vegan apple cinnamon almond muffins come together with just 15 minutes of active preparation and require a fairly short list of easy-to-find ingredients.
To make them, you'll start by making a flax egg. Whisk together a bit of ground flaxseed and a splash of filtered water in a medium bowl. Let the mixture rest for about five minutes, or until it thickens into a goopy, gelatinous consistency.
Add the remaining wet ingredients to the bowl with the flax egg, including applesauce, grated apple, coconut sugar, virgin coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Set aside.
Next, add the dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl—whole spelt flour, slivered almonds, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt.
Give it all a quick whisk.
Then, add the wet ingredients to the dry and use a spoon to gently mix until all of the flour has been incorporated.
The batter will be golden in color and very thick and fluffy.
Once the batter is ready, divide it evenly between 12 muffin liners.
Since this batter is on the thicker side, I find it's easiest to use an ice cream scoop for this step, but feel free to use the trusty double-spoon, scoop-and-slide method if you prefer.
Bake the muffins for just 16 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs at the tip.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for a bit and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
These vegan apple cinnamon almond muffins are packed with fiber, biotin, and vitamin e.
They're just sweet enough to be desirable but not so sweet that they can't be devoured for breakfast or a healthy snack.
I hope you enjoy these tender, fluffy apple cinnamon muffins as much as I do!
📖 Recipe
Vegan Apple Cinnamon Almond Muffins
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
- 2 tablespoons filtered water
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- ½ cup peeled and grated apple (I use granny smith)
- â…“ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon melted virgin coconut oil (substitute grapeseed oil for a non-coconutty taste)
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole spelt flour
- ½ cup slivered almonds, plus more for topping if desired
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with parchment paper liners.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the ground flaxseed and water. Let stand for 5 minutes to thicken. Then, whisk in the remaining wet ingredients (i.e., apple sauce, apple, coconut sugar, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla).
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (i.e., spelt flour, almonds, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, sea salt).
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and use a large wooden spoon to stir until just combined (read: no flour patches remain). Be careful not to overmix—spelt has a delicate gluten structure, so overmixing will result in dry, crumbly muffins. The batter should be quite thick and fluffy.
- Divide the batter equally amongst the 12 muffin liners. (Since the batter is quite thick and fluffy, an ice cream scoop is great for this job, but you can also go the double-spoon, scoop-and-slide route.)
- Garnish the top of each muffin with a light sprinkling of slivered almonds. Press down lightly to ensure they stick to the batter.
- Bake for 16 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs at the tip.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes or so, and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
- Wrap the muffins and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.
iris says
Could I use just regular all purpose flour? I find it hard to find spelt flour and it’s quite pricy..
thanks !
Ashley says
Hi, Iris! I think that should work okay, but I can't say for certain since I haven't tested it that way. If possible, it might be better to use whole wheat flour since its texture is more reminiscent of whole spelt flour. Either way, hope they turn out well for you! Happy baking!
Taylor says
Shoot! I got all of the ingredients to make these yesterday and then realized just now that I don’t have coconut sugar. What do you think I could use as a replacement?
Ashley says
Hi, Taylor! You can try using turbinado sugar or raw cane sugar. Can't say for certain that either will yield the exact same results, but they should get you close enough! Hope this helps and enjoy!
Isaac Thomas says
Sound like the nost decedent treat. Will be tryin these soon.
IsaacThomas
Peace & Love
Ashley says
Thanks, Isaac! Hope you enjoy them!
Kim says
Blueberry Buckwheat - yes, please!
Ashley says
Awesome!! I’ll get to work on that combo, Kim!
Alex says
Thanks for the recipe! They turned out great - light and fluffy. Of course I wouldn't be myself, if I didn't make a few substitutions - I can't follow a recipe for the life of me ;) Since I didn't have apples on hand, I used grated carrot instead. No spelt flour either, so used wholemeal flour instead. Lastly, I was a bit concerned about using slivered almonds in the batter, since I planned to feed these to my 1 year old, so went for desiccated coconut. Little one gobbled them down happily!
All the best to you!
Ashley says
So glad you and your little one enjoyed the recipe, Alex! Thanks for taking time to come back and share your thoughts and substitution notes—so helpful for me and for others, too. Happy baking! xo
Laurie L says
I would appreciate if you could create a muffin mix recipe that can be kept in the cupboard and mixed with just the wet ingredients and add-ins at a short notice.
Ashley says
LOVE this idea, Laurie! Will get to work on it. Thank you!
Charlene says
Just had a couple of these. They are yummy! I'd never tried spelt flour before and liked the results. Thanks for coming up with such a great recipe..
Ashley says
So glad you're enjoying them, Charlene! Thanks for taking time out of your day to come back and share your thoughts. Means so much.