This Apple Cinnamon Muffins recipe features tall bakery-style muffins with cinnamon-spiced tops and a soft, tender crumb thanks to lots of fresh grated apples. You’ll fall in love with one bite!
If you love this, then you'll love apple cinnamon bread or the apple cake recipe next!
Why You'll Love This Apple Muffins
These are one of those cozy fall muffins I keep coming back to—the apple flavor is seriously 1000/10. The secret is to use grated apples instead of chopped. The fine shreds spread throughout the batter, so you get tender, flavorful apple in every bite instead of big chunks here and there. They also release just enough moisture as they bake to make the muffins incredibly soft and tender.
I love how simple these are to make, with plenty of fresh apple and warm cinnamon in every bite. They’re perfect for breakfast, an afternoon snack, or whenever you’re craving a little taste of fall!
If you love cozy fall baking as much as I do, you’ll definitely want to try some of my other favorite fall baking recipes!
-maria doss
★★★★★
"I have made these 3 times and they turned out great each time. I list this one in my favorites"
-SAMMY
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How to make tall apple muffins?
Want those tall, bakery-style muffin tops? A few simple tricks make all the difference!
Fill the muffin cups generously: Fill each cup at least ¾ full. If you only fill them halfway, there isn't enough batter to create that beautiful rise.
Bake at 375°F: The higher heat gives the leavening agents a quick boost, helping the muffins rise rapidly and creating that classic domed top. It’s a simple trick that gives homemade muffins a more bakery-style look.
Don’t overmix: Stir the wet and dry ingredients together just until combined. Overmixing develops too much gluten, which can leave your muffins dense and tough instead of light and fluffy.
Ingredients you'll need
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Apples – I recommend using Gala, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious apples in these muffins. These varieties strike the perfect balance of sweetness and slight tartness, enhancing flavor without overpowering the cinnamon or making the batter too wet.
- Eggs – Room temperature eggs mix more smoothly into the batter, creating a cohesive texture. Cold eggs can cause melted butter to seize, leading to uneven mixing and an inconsistent crumb.
- Butter – Melted butter adds rich flavor and a classic buttery taste that pairs perfectly with warm spices and sweet apples.
- Leavening – A combination of baking powder and baking soda gives the apple cinnamon muffin a good rise and helps achieve those bakery-style domed tops.
- Flavorings – Ground cinnamon and vanilla extract are key to achieving that classic fall flavor—cinnamon adds warm spice that complements fresh apples, while vanilla enhances the aroma and depth.
- Sugar – I use both brown and white sugar—brown sugar adds moisture and a rich, caramel-like depth, while white sugar balances the sweetness and promotes even browning.
- Flour – All-purpose flour provides the ideal protein level to build structure without density, helping the muffins hold their shape while maintaining a soft, tender crumb.
How to make apple cinnamon muffins?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
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Step 9 - Transfer batter into paper-lined muffin cups. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Bake apple cinnamon muffins at 375 degrees for about 24 minutes or the topping is deep golden in color.
Tips for Success
- Choose the right apples: Use firm, sweet-tart apples like Fuji, Gala, Golden Delicious, or Honeycrisp.
- Don’t overmix: Stir the batter just until the wet and dry ingredients are combined. Overmixing can make the muffins tough.
- No need to peel the apples: The skin adds texture, flavor, and nutrition. Just remove any large pieces of peel after grating.
- Using Granny Smith? Pack the light brown sugar to balance the extra tartness.
- Don’t squeeze the apples: Their natural moisture is what helps keep these muffins soft and tender.
- Use the coarse side of your grater: Larger holes create noticeable apple shreds and better texture. Fine grating can make the apple too mushy.
More Apple Baking Recipes
Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted but not hot 1 stick
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups grated apples (lightly packed) about 2 medium
- ¼ to ½ cup walnuts, chopped optional
Cinnamon topping
- 2 tablespoons sugar, white
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a standard muffin pan with 8 paper liners.
- Add all dry ingredients into a small bowl and whisk until combined.
- Add eggs, white sugar and brown sugar in a large bowl and whisk for 90 seconds. Add melted butter and vanilla extract and continue whisking for 30 seconds.👉 Use packed light brown sugar if using Garnny smith apples to compensate for the added tartness.
- Using a wooden spoon, stir in the dry ingredients until combined (the batter will be thick). Stir in the grated apples (Remove any visibly large pieces of peel after grating) and walnuts (if using). The moisture in the apples will loosen the batter.👉 Remove any visibly large pieces of peel after grating.
- Divide batter evenly into the prepared muffin pan and sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar topping on top (use all of it). 👉 To make cinnamon sugar, stir together 2 tablespoons white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Bake for 23 to 25 minutes or the tops look deep golden and color and a tooth pick inserted comes clean. Place pan on a wire rack to cool. Serve muffins warm!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Apple Muffin FAQ'S
The best apples to use are firm, slightly sweet varieties like Honeycrisp, Gala, or Fuji. They grate well, hold their texture, and release just enough juice to keep the muffins moist without making the batter too wet. I don’t recommend Red Delicious, as their soft, mealy texture breaks down too quickly when baked. If you're using tart Granny Smith apples, consider adding a bit more brown sugar to balance the flavor.
To grate fresh apples, rinse and dry the fruit, then use the coarse side of a box grater with the skin on. Hold the apple firmly and grate around the core, rotating as needed, and discard the core and any large bits of peel.
No, there's no need to peel the apples before grating. The skin adds flavor, color, and fiber, and it softens nicely during baking. Just make sure to remove any large pieces of the skin before adding into the apple muffin batter.
More apple cinnamon recipes for fall
- Try my apple waffles — they’re super easy to whip up in a blender and use rolled oats instead of flour for a wholesome twist.
- This instant pot apple cinnamon oatmeal is a cozy fall breakfast you can make effortlessly in the Instant Pot. Perfect for chilly mornings!
- If you love apple pie, you’ve got to try my portable apple hand pies. They’re cute, fun, and bake beautifully in either the oven or air fryer.
- For something healthy and comforting, my gluten free apple crumble features warm cinnamon-spiced apples topped with a nutty, crumbly mix of almond flour, sliced almonds, and coconut oil.
- Make sweet, juicy baked apples in the air fryer — insanely delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream.
- And for a quick treat, I pack a whole apple into a tiny apple mug cake. It’s a delightful single-serve dessert!
- Homemade apple galette is an easy apple pie with half the effort and all the flavor
MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💚 Please leave a ⭐️STAR rating and COMMENT below- I love to hear your feedback! Tag me with your creations on Instagram and find me on Facebook.
Hi, I’m Maria! I share easy, flavor-packed dinners, high-protein meals, and irresistible baking ideas. If you’ve ever asked, “Don’t know what to cook tonight?” you’re in the right place. And yes—there’s plenty here for breakfast, snacks, and dessert too. More about maria ->
Lynne
An amazing recipe. I tried it today and was so happy that I did. I was bummed because I didn't save the recipe on my phone and couldn't find it (searched Google and Bing over and over again). I finally realized that I needed to use Safari on my phone and it came right up. It was worth the trouble to find it! It's delicious! I shredded the apples with the skins on as the author suggested and it was fine. Made it very easy not having to peel the apples.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad you enjoyed it hun – Maria ♡
Rebe
23 minutes baking is way to long. I'm sure it would have tasted better with some more spices and less bake time.
Maria Doss
Hi Rebe, Thanks for your feedback. Every oven is different and I hope you give it a try using your favorite spices. Have a wonderful day - Maria
MDingess
I love these muffins and so does my 15 month old son. I make mini muffins so they are easier for him to handle. I hadn't tried the crumble topping but will when I make them for.work in a couple of weeks.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear, so glad you and the baby loved it - Maria ♡
Kathleen cowan
These muffins were great. I doubled the recipe so I could freeze them for snacks for my grandson and they were a big hit.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad you enjoyed it Kathleen – Maria ♡
Robby
These muffins are delicious! I thought I would miss having chunks of apple like the apple muffins I usually make….nope. Perfect taste and texture. I added a couple dashes of allspice to the cinnamon sugar topping. Will definitely be making these again and again.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear! So glad you love it – Maria ♡
Sammy
I have made these 3 times and they turned out great each time.
I list this one in my favorites.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear, so glad you loved it - Maria ♡
Lori
Oh,it is very delicious and moist!! I will use the recipe again. Thank you for sharing.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear, so glad you loved it - Maria ♡
Kim
Delicious! I made a double batch for a ladies brunch at church and they turned out fantastic.
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear, so glad you loved it - Maria ♡
Susan
Yum! Made this morning and we loved them. I may try adding some raisins, next time!
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear, so glad you loved it - Maria ♡
Rachel
Just made these and they turned out well! I added extra cinnamon, a bit of ginger powder and a bit of nutmeg just for some additional flavor (based on feedback from another comment). I also used a little less butter than called for, which I don’t think impacted it.
I did the recipe x 3, which says it will make 24 muffins. I ended up with 48!! I don’t have an ice cream scoop, so it’s possible I made mine too small. But I still think it would’ve made more than 24. Deducted one star because it took me way longer than 10 minutes to prep them - I’d say the 10 minutes is assuming the apples are already grated.
Ultimately, I’m pleased with the results and had fun trying out this recipe!
Brooke
Yum! Lovely and soft, mild (but lovely) flavour. Grated apple gives a nice consistent texture for those that don't like apple chunks, yet not so smooth - like pureed apple - that they seem like toddler food.
I did bake at a slightly lower temp for 20mins and they came out perfect.
Pre-heated to 210c and turned down to 180c as soon as they went in the oven, skewer came out with crumbs (not wet and not clean) = perfectly cooked 🙂
Brooke
Ok I need storage tips! They came out of the oven with a beautiful crispy top, but after storing in an air tight container overnight the top has softened. Is there any secrets to maintain freshness?
Maria Doss
Hi Brooke, The muffin tops tends to soften when stored, but here's a trick that works well: place one or two muffins in a preheated air fryer at 375°F and air fry for 2 to 4 minutes. This method gently warms the muffins while giving the tops a crispy, freshly-baked texture. Hope this helps - Maria
Janie
Do you think I could use frozen apples that are chopped in place of the grated apples? I have made this recipe once and loved it. But I don’t have any fresh apples at this time.
Maria Doss
Hi Janie, Try this - Let the frozen apples thaw, drain off any liquid, and chop them into smallish pieces before adding - Maria
Janie
Ok thank you
Patricia
I made these muffins for my husband and son. They got rave reviews. I followed the recipe as written. Perfectly baked and delicious. I’m wondering if I can make it in a cake pan vs. muffins. Have you ever done it that way?
Maria Doss
Hi Patricia, I love the idea of turning this into a cake! In fact, we've been thinking about it too. Let me do some experimenting and get back to you - Maria
Dany
Loved these muffins. Easy to make and delicious to eat. Followed recipe to the letter. Do you have more of these recipes.
Maria Doss
Hi Dany, That’s wonderful to hear! We have an apple bread recipe which is very similar to it and also a collection of muffins and quick breads you might be interested in checking out - Maria