Vegan Apple Muffins

I'm so excited about my newest muffin recipe! It incorporates some of my favorite fall flavors (apple and cinnamon) into a bakery-style muffin that's not just delicious, it's also super easy to make. Whether you want an on-the-go breakfast, a quick snack, or a sweet dessert treat, this vegan apple muffin recipe will definitely hit the spot!

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

If you're wondering about whether you can substitute an ingredient, or why a specific ingredient is used, look here first. If you can't find the answer here, feel free to leave a comment, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

all-purpose flour: For the best texture, I recommend sticking with all-purpose flour. Cake flour is too light for this recipe, and whole wheat won't produce the same light, fluffy texture.

vegan brown sugar: I prefer brown sugar in this recipe because it creates a richer taste than white sugar, but other types of sugar like coconut sugar would work also. If you're in the US, look for organic brown sugar or brown sugar that's labeled "vegan," because ordinary brown sugar may be processed using animal ingredients.

baking powder: This ingredient is key to creating tall muffin tops and a fluffy texture. Be sure that you use fresh baking powder.

ground cinnamon: This complements the apple flavor and adds to the sweet, earthy character of the muffins.

salt: Balances the sweetness and adds depth to the flavor. I used sea salt, but table salt or Himalayan pink salt would also work.

plain, unsweetened almond milk: Any plant milk would work here, as long as it's not significantly thicker or thinner than standard almond milk.

sunflower oil: You can use any neutral oil you like here, like grapeseed, safflower, or canola oil. I don't recommend skipping the oil or using applesauce instead, as muffin recipes do require some fat content, and using applesauce didn't turn out well in my tests.

apple cider vinegar: This helps to create a tender texture in the muffins. You can also use white vinegar.

vanilla extract: For flavor; I recommend using real vanilla extract because the flavor is more complex than artificial vanilla. If you bake frequently, Costco has a large bottle of vanilla extract that's very reasonably priced.

apple: I used a Pink Lady apple, which is on the tart side, but you can use any fresh apple that you like for baking. Another great tart option is Granny Smith, while you could choose Honeycrisp or Braeburn for a sweet option. I don't recommend apples like Gala, Fuji, or Red Delicious as they tend to get mushy when they're baked.

Streusel Topping & Lemon Drizzle Icing Ingredients

powdered sugar: Also known as icing sugar or confectioner's sugar. Like brown sugar, this may not be vegan in the US due to the use of animal ingredients during processing. Look for organic to be sure that it's vegan, and be sure to sift your powdered sugar to eliminate any clumps.

almond milk: Any type of non-dairy milk is okay here.

lemon juice: This gives the icing a tangy flavor; if you prefer a more subtle taste, you can use vanilla extract instead.

Tips for Getting the Best Results

Measuring your flour: Flour is notoriously hard to measure using cups, so I always go by weight. You can get metric measurements using the toggle switch at the top of the ingredients list. If you don't have a kitchen scale, be sure not to scoop your cup into the flour to measure. That will pack the flour into the cup and give you too much flour. Instead, spoon the flour into the cup, then use the back of a butter knife to level off the top.

For the best texture, don't overmix! If you overmix the batter, you'll allow the gluten to develop, which will make your muffins dense and tough instead of light and fluffy. You'll want to be extra careful since you'll have to fold in the apples after mixing. Mix just until there's no more dry flour left. If it's lumpy, it's perfect!

Measure the batter: I like my muffins to all be around the same size, so I measure the amount of batter I add to each liner. The best way I've found to do this is to put the batter bowl on top of the kitchen scale and hit the "tare" button so the scale reads 0 grams. Then, I'll use a spoon or ice cream scoop to remove batter until it reaches the amount that I want to add. In this recipe, I used about 80 grams per liner, so the scale would say -80 g. Then I'd hit the tare button again to reset it to 0 for the next muffin. You could also use an ice cream scoop to get an equal amount in each liner, but that method is less precise.

Bake with 2 temperatures: You may have noticed that in the recipe, we start out at 425°F and then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. While this isn't necessary for every muffin recipe, in this apple muffin recipe, the initial high temperature helps to raise the tops of the muffin higher, giving you tall and fluffy muffins.

Use a squeeze bottle to drizzle the icing. I've used a lot of methods to drizzle icing, but using a squeeze bottle is the easiest and cleanest. With some practice, you'll have beautiful iced muffins!

Don't drizzle icing onto muffins you're not going to eat right away. These muffins are moist, and the moisture can cause the streusel topping to lose its crunchiness over time. You can restore some crunchiness by reheating the muffins in an air fryer or oven, BUT that will melt the icing if you've already added it. If you wait to drizzle the icing, you can reheat without the icing, then add the icing on top.

How to Store Vegan Apple Muffins

These muffins are the most delicious when they're fresh, but they'll keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days. For longer storage, you can refrigerate them for up to a week or freeze them in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

If you've frozen the muffins, you can defrost them at room temperature for a few hours or in the refrigerator overnight.

To store the icing separately (which I recommend), keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If it gets too thick, you can add a bit of non-dairy milk to restore its texture.

Although you can eat the muffins at room temperature, you may wish to reheat leftovers. This will not just warm the muffins, but it can also crisp up the topping if it's softened a bit. I reheat in the air fryer at 350°F (180°C) for 3–5 minutes until heated through. You could also reheat in the oven for 10–12 minutes at the same temperature.

More Vegan Muffin & Breakfast Recipes

• Vegan Banana Muffins

• Vegan Blueberry Muffins

• Fluffy Vegan Pancakes

• Vegan French Toast

• Vegan Glazed Donuts

• Vegan Brown Sugar & Cinnamon Pop-Tarts