Kick off your day with these warm, fresh from the oven gluten free apple muffins. They’re dairy free and refined sugar free. And with scrumptious little bits of apple and sprinkles of cinnamon, they’re a perfectly spiced treat everyone will look forward to!
Apple muffins that are dairy free, gluten free AND refined sugar free... and they still taste good? How is that possible?! I promise you any doubts about sugar free baked goods tasting ‘weird’ or ‘funny’ will melt away after tasting these muffins. They are undeniably delicious and use a sugar replacer that doesn’t leave an aftertaste and isn’t overly sweet.
I don’t need to be dairy free, can I substitute regular milk?
If you don’t need to avoid dairy, then feel free to use any type of milk you have on hand. Use at least a 1% fat type milk.
How do I use Swerve sugar replacer?
If you’re new to Swerve, you are in for a treat. It’s a cup for cup sweetener that functions just like brown sugar or white sugar in recipes. The only real difference I notice is when taken right from the bag, it’s sweeter than brown or white sugar would be. But once it’s baked, there is no difference! Find Swerve here.
What type of apples work best in these apple muffins?
The best apples are the ones you have on hand. But if you don’t have any on hand, look for Granny Smith or even Pink Lady in the grocery store. Granny Smith are the green ones that are super tart if you bite into them. They bake really well and don’t get mushy like others can.
What kitchen tools do I need to make these?
These gluten free apple muffins need just a few convenient items from your baking toolkit:
- A large bowl – These muffins are just a one bowl prep, so just one large bowl is all you need.
- A sturdy spoon – I love these spoons!
- A whisk – A good whisk allows the dry ingredients to fully incorporate.
- A 12-cup muffin tin – These pans are excellent for baking muffins in – highly recommend them!
- Muffin scoop (optional) – While you don’t necessarily need a muffin scoop, it makes filling muffin cups a whole lot easier!
What's the best Way to Store these Apple Muffins?
If these don't get devoured on the first day and you're lucky enough to have some to store for later, then keep them in a well sealed plastic bag on the counter for a day. They freeze really well too, so any longer than a day and just make sure all the air is out of the bag and stick it in the freezer for later.
How to Make Gluten Free Apple Muffins
Room Temperature Ingredients
Just like in these carrot muffins, these crepes and this French bread, room temperature ingredients are a must for gluten free baking. Warm ingredients tend to blend together better than cold ingredients so allow time to take the chill off eggs and milk beforehand.
Measure the flour
On most of my recipes here at Gluten-Free-Bread, you’ll see a weight measurement and a cup measurement for the flour. That’s because most of the time, weight measurement is a more accurate way of measuring flour than cup measurement. The reason has to do with all the different kinds of flours that are available. While I buy most of my flours from Nuts.com, Bob’s Red Mill also carries those flours and 1 cup of Bob’s Red Mill white rice flour could actually be 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp. of Nuts.com white rice flour. Weight is a true measurement of how much flour you really need in the recipe.
A kitchen scale is a low cost solution to the measurement problem. This one from Amazon is an excellent scale and will become an indispensable kitchen tool!
Mix with a whisk
If you’ve ever wondered what the benefit is of using a whisk to mix dry ingredients, here’s the answer: whisks take on a sifting quality that help thoroughly blend the dry ingredients. While they are very useful for beating egg whites and whipping cream, they also do an incredible job of blending dry ingredients.
Fold in apple chunks
Oh these apple chunks.
The key to these delicious gluten free apple muffins is nice, big chunks of apples. All they need is a quick peel and then dice these beauties up. Wondering what apples are the best for these muffins, and baking in general? My favorite apple for baking is a Granny Smith. It’s what I recommend for this recipe and for my apple bread recipe too. They’re firm enough that they hold their shape when baked and they’re super tasty too.
Filling the muffin tin
Once the apple chunks are mixed in, grab your muffin tin because it’s time to start filling up the cups. Each one should be filled almost to the top. Once they are all filled, sprinkle a few leftover apple chunks on top each muffin cup.
Bake and Enjoy
Bake these muffins at 375 F for about 25 minutes. And the good news is you don't even have to wait very long to enjoy them - they can be eaten warm from the oven!
Gluten Free Apple Muffins {Dairy Free, Refined Sugar Free}
Ingredients
- 325 g gluten-free-bread’s flour blend about 2 ½ cups
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- ¾ cup firmly packed Swerve brown sugar
- 1 cup almond milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple peeled and coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a 12-hole muffin tin. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the gluten free flour blend, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and Swerve. Mix with a wire whisk.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the almond milk, oil and egg. Using a sturdy spoon, stir the mixture just until combined.
- Carefully fold ¾ of the apple chunks into muffin batter.
- Using a large spoon and spatula or muffin scoop, drop the batter into the prepared pan.
- Add the remaining apple chunks to the top of each muffin.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the toothpick test comes out clean.
- Let the baked muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then transfer each one to a wire rack to cool.
Video
Notes
- Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients.
- Fold in the apple chunks with a rubber spatula.
- Fill the muffin cups almost to the top.
- Enjoy these muffins warm from the oven or wait until cooled.
Nutrition
More delicious gluten free quick bread recipes:
- Heart Healthy Gluten Free Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins
- Gluten Free Potato Rolls
- Light and Fluffy Gluten Free Buckwheat Pancakes
- Quick Gluten Free Cranberry Bread
- The Best Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones
Jennifer
Would it be possible to get recipes for gluten free items that are more than just a regular recipe with "gluten free flour blend" as a substitution? I'm not trying to be snarky, it is just very frustrating.
Christine
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for asking, but I'm not sure what you mean. I have over 200 recipes and some use my flour blend, some use a combination of flours, some don't use any flour at all. These biscuits for example, https://zestforbaking.com/flaky-buttery-gluten-free-biscuits-recipe are a-mazing and use my flour blend too.
If you're looking for something in particular, let me know, I'm happy to help!
~Christine
Lynne
Can I use almond flour?
Christine
Hi Lynne,
Thanks for asking - I haven't tested the recipe with just almond flour though. The flour mix has starches in it too. So I can't say for certain how the results will be. But if you do try it, let me know how they turn out.
~Christine
Loisyeager
Is there no xantham gum in the Apple muffins?
Christine
Hi!
Right, no xanthan gum!
Christine