These impressive bakery-style Vegan Apple Muffins are loaded with chopped apples and cinnamon, topped with a sweet crumble topping, and decorated with vanilla icing.

If you love this apple muffin recipe, you’ll enjoy these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins, Vegan Banana Muffins, and Vegan Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins as well!

close up on a vegan apple muffin with a bite taken out of it.

These bakery-style vegan apple muffins are no ordinary muffins. They’re more like a mix between my Vegan Apple Crumble and Apple Fritter Bread

The muffin batter is loaded with chopped apples and cinnamon, then topped with a sweet brown sugar crumble. Bake until tall and fluffy and finish them with a drizzle of the easy vanilla glaze! With sweet and comforting flavors in each bite, these apple cinnamon muffins are the best and most decadent fall breakfast or dessert.

What I love about these apple muffins

  • The tender, moist texture – These are the softest, most tender muffins. You won’t be able to stop at just one!
  • Plenty of apples throughout and the crumb topping – The crumb topping takes these muffins to the next level! And there are fresh apple pieces in every bite.
  • Surprisingly easy and quick to make – The muffins are easy to make in 1 bowl and the crumble/icing mix up super quick with minimal ingredients. They might look fancy but they couldn’t be easier to make!
overhead view of vegan apple muffins topped with white vanilla icing.

How to make vegan apple muffins

Make the flax eggs by stirring the ground flaxseeds and water together in a small bowl. Set aside to thicken.

Whisk the flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Pour the melted vegan butter, oat milk, vanilla, and flax eggs into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Do not overmix the muffin batter! The more you work the batter, the more dense the muffins will be. Only stir the wet and dry mixtures together until all of the dry flour is incorporated.

whisking the dry ingredients for vegan apple muffins together in a glass bowl.
using a wooden spoon to stir vegan apple muffin batter in a glass bowl.

Next, use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to fold the chopped apples into the batter.

using a wooden spoon to stir chopped apples into vegan apple muffin batter in a glass bowl.

Fill the muffin liners with the prepared batter. Sprinkle the crumb topping on top of each muffin.

Bake the apple muffins first at 425ºF for 5 minutes, then at 350ºF for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Baking tip: Baking the muffins first at a high temperature for a short amount of time yields taller, more bountiful muffins!

unbaked vegan apple muffin batter in a muffin tin.
vegan apple muffins topped with a crumble topping in a muffin tin.

Meanwhile, make the icing by whisking the powdered sugar, vanilla, and non-dairy milk in a bowl until smooth.

Drizzle the vanilla icing over the warm or cooled muffins. Enjoy!

baked vegan apple muffins in a muffin tin.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of apples are best for baking?

I recommend using any kind of firm and tart apple, like granny smith apples. They hold their shape well but still soften nicely when baked. And if you don’t want to use granny smith apples, feel free to use any of these six kinds of baking apples recommended by Bon Appetit. I often use honeycrisp for baking.

Can these be made gluten free?

I haven’t tested it but replacing the all purpose flour with a quality gluten free flour mix (in the batter and crumble topping) should work well.

How do you store apple muffins?

Transfer the muffins to an airtight container, then store them on the kitchen counter for 2 to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Can you freeze them?

Yes, vegan apple muffins freeze well! Keep them in a sealed freezer-safe container or ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

close up on a vegan apple muffin with a bite taken out of it.
apple muffin on a white board with a bite taken out of it with glaze
5 stars (9 ratings)

Best Ever Vegan Apple Muffins

These impressive bakery-style Vegan Apple Muffins are loaded with chopped apples and cinnamon, topped with a sweet crumble topping, and decorated with vanilla icing.
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins

Ingredients 
 

Muffins

  • 2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
  • 5 tablespoons water
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup melted vegan butter
  • 3/4 cup oat milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled and diced apples

Crumb topping

  • 1/4 cup melted vegan butter
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup all purpose flour

Optional icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon oat milk

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F and line a standard muffin pan with paper liners. Spray lightly with oil.
  • In a small bowl, stir the ground flaxseeds and water together. Set aside to thicken; these are your flax eggs.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients: flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
  • To the bowl with the dry ingredients, pour in the melted vegan butter, oat milk, vanilla and flax eggs. Stir with a large spoon until just combined, but do not over mix or your muffins will be dense.
  • Fold in the apples.
  • Using a small measuring cup or ice cream scoop, transfer the batter to the prepared liners and fill to the top.
  • Make the crumb topping: In a small bowl, combine all ingredients and mix with a fork until crumbly.
  • Sprinkle the crumb all over the tops of the muffin batter.
  • Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 15-18 more minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. This will help the muffins be tall!
  • Make the icing: Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and non-dairy milk to a small bowl and use a fork to whisk until combined and smooth.
  • Drizzle icing over warm or cooled muffins. They will stay fresh for 2-3 days at room temperature, up to 1 week in the refrigerator and can also be frozen.

Notes

  1. Gluten free – You may use a quality gluten free flour mix in the muffins and the crumb topping.
  2. Oil free – Use applesauce in place of the butter for the muffins. I’d probably just leave off the crumb topping for oil free.

Nutrition

Calories: 338kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 158mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 582IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Author: Nora Taylor
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Read my full disclosure here.

Posted In: , , , , , , , ,

you may also like:

Comments

  1. Ils sont tout simplement délicieux…………. J’adore votre site. Toutes les recettes que j’ai essayé jusqu’à date sont excellentes

    Merci

  2. Excellent. We did these with honeycrisp, but I would do something more tart next time to counteract the wonderful sweetness. I have to say that Nora Cooks is the most consistent food website I’ve ever tried. Never a miss.

  3. These really are the best ever apple muffins! If I could post a picture of my husband’s face when he took his first bite, I would! I made another apple muffin recipe recently that was good. But this one is GREAT!

    1. Haha, that’s fantastic! Thank you so much for the terrific review! I’m so happy everyone loved the muffins 🙂

  4. So good!!! I left out the flax seed and they were fine in case anyone’s wondering. These definitely taste like they came from a bakery!

  5. These are so good! Not embarrassed to admit I burned mouth on 1st one (yes I had two almost straight out of oven!) because I couldn’t wait! These are simply wonderful, the tartness of apples, & crumble topping is the ‘piece de resistance’. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge & delicious easy to follow vegan recipes!

    1. Hi Aimee! Your comments and review are so uplifting! Thank you for sharing them! I appreciate you!

  6. Absolutely delightful! I used Cortlands since they’re so fluffy and have a nice vanilla flavor, it worked well. I’ll try using the high-temp start on some of my other dense recipes to see if they respond well, thanks for the great technique!

  7. I haven’t made these yet, but I’m sure I will love them, since I love everything that I’ve made from your site.
    Thank you.

  8. You did it again Nora with another successful recipe! These muffins are so light and delicious. The best word to describe these freshly baked muffins is scrumptious!
    . I too will be adding chopped walnuts or pecans the next time. (A granny smith apple was used in this recipe.)

    1. Hi Patrice. I’m so thrilled you love the muffins! Thanks for your fabulous review and feedback! Happy baking!

  9. Woo new recipe!! I HAD to make these right away (I love your apple fritter bread). I’m happy to report they’re delicious 😊. Sweet and indulgent but not overly so. Exactly what I want from an apple dessert. I’ll absolutely make them again, perhaps with walnuts incorporated somehow. Thank you so much! ❤

    1. Hi Laura. How wonderful you found the muffins delicious! They would be delicious with walnuts! Thanks for your fabulous feedback and review!

    1. Isn’t it interesting how they just disappear! I’m thrilled you loved the muffins! Thanks for sharing your terrific review and feedback!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.