Healthy Almond Flour Muffins Recipe with Applesauce

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Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Our Healthy Almond Flour Muffins Recipe with Applesauce delivers a nourishing, budget-friendly batch in under an hour, but it’s the amped-up apple flavor and gorgeous tender texture that will put them in your regular baking rotation! This forgiving twist on our Incredibly Moist Applesauce Muffins means even bakers avoiding gluten can now enjoy our fan-favorite!

• Wholesome ingredients: Our Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix is the clever hack we use in this recipe.
  • The mix mimics wheat flour and is made from two simple ingredients: ground blanched almonds and tapioca flour.
  • Rolled oats give these muffins fiber and a lovely chew, and unsweetened applesauce and honey provide sweetness.
  • No processed sugar or sweeteners are needed!
• Better-than-bakery quality: You get a dream muffin texture here—moist and fluffy, but with enough heft from the almond flour and oats to make them satisfying and the perfect go-to for breakfast or an anytime snack.

Our Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix is foolproof, versatile, and so delicious that you’ll love it even if you aren’t gluten-free. Check out our other recipes using this Baking Mix, including Almond Flour Oatmeal Raisin Cookies and Almond Flour Banana Bread!

Table of Contents

• What are Healthy Almond Flour Muffins with Applesauce?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make Healthy Almond Flour Muffins with Applesauce
• Can I Make These Almond Flour Muffins in Advance?
• How to Store Leftovers
• FAQs
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• More Muffin Recipes

What are Healthy Almond Flour Muffins with Applesauce?

• Healthy Almond Flour Muffins with Applesauce are gluten-free muffins containing our Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix, with applesauce and honey providing exceptional flavor and natural sweetness. The recipe is a gluten-free version of our popular Incredibly Moist Applesauce Muffins.
• Because they’re made with applesauce and not chopped apples, the batter is evenly flavored with sweet and juicy apple flavor. Additionally, the puréed apples give the muffins moisture and a more uniform texture.
• Applesauce has been beloved by home cooks for centuries because of its natural sweetness and ability to keep baked goods moister longer. Although jarred applesauce is a pantry staple, with the current emphasis on whole foods, home bakers have embraced making their own applesauce and also appreciate its usefulness in replacing fat in a recipe.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• 12-cup muffin pan
• Paper liners
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon

Key Ingredients and Why

• Easy Almond Flour Baking Mix

  • To make these muffins, use our gluten-free baking mix made from ground, blanched almonds and tapioca flour (tapioca starch).
  • Blanched almond flour and tapioca flour work together to give these gluten-free muffins sufficient structure while keeping them moist.
  • Almond flour (made from blanched, ground almonds) differs from almond meal (almonds ground with their skins on). Almond flour gives the muffins a pleasant, nutty flavor.

• Unsweetened applesauce

  • Applesauce gives the muffins sweetness and flavor. Cooking down apples into applesauce provides a beautifully concentrated fruit taste and a lovely soft texture.
  • The applesauce delivers concentrated fruit flavor and adds an amazing level of moisture, making these muffins melt-in-your-mouth amazing.
  • Making your own applesauce is quick and easy and gives you superior flavor, but you can substitute store-bought applesauce in a pinch.
  • Alternatively, you can use the same amount of pumpkin purée, prune purée, date purée, mashed sweet potatoes, bananas, avocado, Greek yogurt or strained yogurt, sour cream, silken tofu, or nut butter.

• Honey

  • Honey adds sweetness and its own unique floral note to the muffins
  • Additionally, honey adds moisture to these muffins, and because honey is hygroscopic–it has the ability to attract and hold moisture–it helps keep the muffins moist for days.
  • You can substitute the same amount of maple syrup in place of the honey. 

• Eggs

  • Eggs emulsify the ingredients, meaning they help blend different ingredients together in one cohesive mixture.
  • Be sure to use room temperature eggs, as they incorporate into other ingredients more easily than eggs right from the fridge.
  • Mashed banana, a flax egg, or a chia egg can be substituted for a regular egg. Check out our guide, 12 Best Egg Substitutes for Baking Recipes and How to Use Them for more information.

• Vegetable oil

  • Vegetable oil is a fat that doesn’t contain water (like butter does). No water means there will be less gluten development, and that gives the muffins an extra-tender texture.

• Vanilla extract

  • Vanilla enhances the flavors and adds an aromatic, warm sweetness.
  • It’s easy to make vanilla extract at a fraction of the store-bought with our Homemade Extracts Recipe.

• Cinnamon

  • Cinnamon cozy spice is the perfect compliment to the applesauce.

• Baking powder

  • Baking powder is activated right when it’s combined with the wet ingredients, so be sure to bake the muffins right after the batter is mixed.

• Baking soda

  • Baking soda activates only when mixed with acidic ingredients like the honey in this recipe.
  • Baking soda reacts with acid from the honey and also the eggs to release gas, creating air pockets that help with the rise.

• Salt

  • Salt gives the muffins depth of flavor and keeps them from being too sweet.

• Gluten-free old-fashioned oats

  • One key to the moist texture of these muffins is rolled oats. They also add an irresistible bit of chewy texture.
  • Be sure to use old-fashioned rolled oats here. (Quick oats will make the muffins too mushy, and steel-cut oats will make them too tough.)

How to Make Healthy Almond Flour Muffins with Applesauce

• Prep: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper liners.
• Make the muffins:
  • Whisk the applesauce, honey, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour baking mix, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and oats.
  • Stir the wet mixture and the dry mixture together until moistened (a few lumps are ok).
• Bake the muffins: Fill the prepared muffin cups with batter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack.

Can I Make These Almond Flour Muffins with Applesauce in Advance?

Yes, you can prepare Almond Flour Muffins with Applesauce in advance.

• Partially make the muffins: This batter must be baked as soon as it’s mixed, but you can shorten the prep time by combining the dry ingredients ahead of time. Store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days. On baking day, combine with the wet ingredients.
• Bake and store at room temperature: Put the muffins in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to three days.
• Bake and freeze: You can also freeze the baked muffins well-wrapped for up to two months. Defrost at room temperature.

How to Store Almond Flour Muffins Leftovers

Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or store well-wrapped muffins in the freezer for up to two months.

FAQs

• Can I make these muffins without egg?

  • Yes, you can make these muffins without eggs. Check out our guide, 12 Best Egg Substitutes for Baking Recipes and How to Use Them
  • Bananas, a flax egg, or a chia egg would work well in this recipe.

• Can I make this recipe in a cake pan instead of a muffin tin?

  • This batter can be made into an Almond Flour Applesauce loaf by baking in a 9 x 5-inch loaf tin.
  • Bake the cake for 45-55 min, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • If you find your cake is not done but fully browned on top, cover it over with foil and continue to bake until the center is cooked through.

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• Be sure to check the label on your oats to ensure they are gluten-free, as some oats contain trace amounts of gluten.
• Don’t try to overfill the muffin cups—these muffins won’t rise as high as those made with wheat flour and will end up spreading over your muffin tin. The batter should be enough for 12 muffin cups, filled about three-quarters of the way up. Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 25 to 30 minutes.
• You can top these muffins with some cinnamon sugar before baking and a sprinkling of chopped walnuts or pecans before baking for a little something extra!
• Replace the applesauce with pumpkin puree to make pumpkin muffins!
• You can add 1 cup (6 oz/170 g) of chocolate chips to the batter to make something a bit more indulgent!
• For another variation, mix in a cup of blueberries and a little lemon zest for almond flour blueberry muffins, or sliced banana for almond flour banana muffins.

More Muffin Recipes

• Georgie’s Healthy Breakfast Muffins
• Carrot Cake Muffins
• Healthy Bran Muffins Recipe
• My Mum’s Healthy Banana Muffins
• Complete Breakfast Muffins

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