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Applesauce Muffins! Fluffy, tender oatmeal muffins made with cinnamon, applesauce, and a touch of honey, these pleasantly plump, healthy muffins contain no butter and no sugar. Best (and most importantly) of all, they are scrumptious!

Cinnamon applesauce muffins in a muffin pan

These wholesome muffins are simple, cozy, and homey in the best possible way.

The warm touch of cinnamon and the toasty bits of oatmeal make me think of spontaneous hugs and baking something fun just because.

And while I have a few different oatmeal muffin options—Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, Healthy Oatmeal Muffins (and even more non-oatmeal muffin options like Healthy Banana MuffinsHealthy Zucchini Muffins, and all of these healthy muffin recipes)—I did not have a recipe to suit what I was most craving: a batch of good, old-fashioned applesauce muffins.

This is the ideal healthy muffin for kids, toddlers, and adults alike.

The familiar flavors of cinnamon and applesauce appeal to all, they are perfect for breakfasts on the go, and the healthy ingredient lineup means you’ll feel great eating them too.

THESE ARE THE BEST APPLESAUCE MUFFINS YOU WILL EVER BAKE. I pinky promise!

The best applesauce muffins in a muffin pan

5 Star Review

“THE MUFFINS ARE SO GOOD! They are definitely moist, which I love.”

— Meesh —

How to Make Healthy Applesauce Muffins

While these aren’t one bowl applesauce muffins, the prep is incredibly simple, quick, and you don’t need a mixer.

With warm, cozy spices and a tender crumb, these muffins are a heart-warming embrace wrapped into a tiny package.


The Ingredients

  • Flour. These muffins are 100% whole grain, meaning they are rich in fiber and other nutrients to keep you fuller for longer. I promise they don’t taste like it! Enjoy the healthy breakfast boost, and help yourself to another.
  • Applesauce. You can use applesauce in muffins (either store-bought or homemade versions like Crockpot Applesauce or Instant Pot Applesauce) to make them moist. It’s an excellent replacement for a portion of the oil in many healthy baking recipes like this one. Here, applesauce also becomes part of the muffins’ flavor.
  • Eggs. To create the perfect muffin texture.

Substitution Tip

For applesauce muffins no eggs, you can experiment with flax eggs instead.

  • Honey. I wanted to see if I could make applesauce muffins no sugar by using honey as a natural sweetener. While honey is still a form of sugar, it’s more natural, and I simply adore the way its homey taste pairs with the oatmeal.
  • Oats. Heart-healthy rolled oats are high in fiber, give the muffins a delicious texture, and make them more filling (just like in these Oatmeal Pancakes).
  • Coconut Oil. Since these are applesauce muffins no butter, we need a little oil to create perfectly moist, flavorful muffins.

Why Make Applesauce Muffins with Oil

This recipe takes advantage of the old healthy baking trick to swap applesauce for half of the oil in muffins.

  • I do not recommend substituting 100% of the oil for applesauce in this muffin recipe (or any other). Baked recipes like muffins do need some fat to ensure they come out soft and splendid.
  • If you use only applesauce in a muffin recipe, the muffins will be gummy.
  • Generally, if the recipe doesn’t already contain applesauce, you can swap half of the amount of oil for the same amount of unsweetened applesauce.
  • In this recipe, I’ve already cut out as much of the oil as possible and used applesauce; please don’t reduce it further.
  • Cinnamon, Spice, and Everything Nice. I knew I wanted to make cinnamon applesauce muffins. For extra flavor, I added cinnamon’s BFFs nutmeg and allspice. These two small touches make the muffins truly special.
  • Coarse Sugar. For a dreamy, lightly crunchy sweet muffin topping.

The Directions

  1. Mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl, and whisk the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl.
A mixing bowl with oats on top of batter
  1. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir to combine, adding in the oats.
  1. Pour the batter into the wells of a muffin pan. Sprinkle sugar over the top of each muffin, then bake the applesauce muffins for 18 to 22 minutes at 350 degrees F. Let cool on a wire rack, then DIG IN!
Healthy applesauce muffins with sugar on top

Storage Tips

  • To Store. Place muffins in a single layer in an airtight storage container lined with paper towels. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
  • To Freeze. Freeze muffins in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container or ziptop bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and enjoy as desired.

Meal Prep Tip

Wrap muffins individually in plastic wrap, and store them in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. They’re perfect for grab-and-go breakfasts and snacks!

See my guide on How to Store Muffins for additional tips and tricks.

Applesauce muffins no butter in a muffin pan

What to Serve with Applesauce Muffins

Applesauce muffins with oil in a muffin pan

Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe

  • Muffin Pan. Perfect for making these applesauce muffins.
  • Measuring Cups. These are great because they wash well and don’t bend when scooping a particularly hefty cup of oatmeal.
  • Measuring Spoons. These stay organized in my drawer. Also, two sides mean fewer dishes to wash.

I hope you’ll give these delicious muffins a try! They’re a valued member of my healthy muffin family. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make These Muffins Gluten Free?

To make applesauce muffins gluten-free, swap the white whole wheat flour for a 1:1 gluten free flour like this one. Make sure your oats are certified gluten free.

I don’t recommend trying to swap coconut flour or almond flour in this recipe. If you want to use one of these flours, try my Coconut Flour Muffins or Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins instead.

What Are the Best Applesauce Muffin Mix-Ins?

While we enjoy these muffins without any mix-ins, I think chopped walnuts (a favorite in this Apple Bread) or pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, or blueberries would be delicious.

How Can I Make Vegan Applesauce Muffins?

If you need these muffins to be vegan, try using flax eggs instead of regular eggs and swap the honey for maple syrup.

Applesauce Muffins

4.87 from 76 votes
Fluffy, healthy applesauce muffins with oatmeal, cinnamon, and honey. No sugar and no butter needed for these moist, healthy muffins.

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

Servings: 10 muffins

Ingredients
  

  • 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce store-bought or homemade Crockpot Applesauce
  • 2/3 cup honey
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil melted & cooled 
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups  white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon  baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons  cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup  old-fashioned rolled oats
  • Up to 1/2 cup optional mix-ins: chopped walnuts, raisins, dried cranberries, blueberries, etc. (I kept it simple and left them out, but feel free to add if you like)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse sugar such as raw (turbinado) sugar or sparkling sugar, for sprinkling on top (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 10 wells in a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray or line with paper liners.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the applesauce, honey, eggs, coconut oil, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt.
  • Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the wet ingredients and stir just until combined. The batter will be a little lumpy. Gently stir in the rolled oats and any other desired mix-ins.
  • Divide evenly among the muffin cups, filling each almost to the top. Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar, if desired. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place the muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then gently remove the muffins from the pan (run a butter knife around the edges if the muffins are sticking) and let them cool completely on the wire rack.

Video

Notes

  • TO STORE: Place muffins in a single layer in an airtight storage container lined with paper towels. Store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
  • TO FREEZE: Wrap muffins individually in plastic wrap, and store them in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
  • See my guide on How to Store Muffins for additional tips and tricks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin, without mix-ins or sugar toppingCalories: 319kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 8gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 37mgPotassium: 140mgFiber: 6gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 63IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 2mg

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See my Healthy Muffin Baking Guide for even more muffin recipes and tips.

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

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