At only 48 calories a piece, you can enjoy these healthy and Sugar Free Apple Muffins as a nutritious breakfast or snack! Loaded with apples, cinnamon, and blueberries, there’s no way you’ll miss the sugar in this mouthwatering treat.
Healthy apple muffins
Eating sugar free is not easy. Practically everything at the grocery store has added sugar in it, making shopping for a family close to impossible! When I tried avoiding sugar, I wanted to create a baked good that still tasted amazing, even without needing super expensive ingredients.
Enter these healthy Sugar Free Apple Muffins! They’re a breeze to put together using simple, sugar free, and dairy free baking staples, along with diced apples and fresh blueberries. And guess what? You don’t need any added sugar to help them taste great!
Just like my Healthy Pumpkin Cookies, these apple muffins are nicely spiced, perfect for the whole family, and taste so fresh. Each muffin only has 48 calories, making them a great option for breakfast or an afternoon snack!
Why would you take the sugar out of a muffin recipe?
The thing about muffins is that they aren’t really a health food. They’re high in fat, sugar, and calories, which practically disguises them as cupcakes without the icing.
Removing or reducing the sugar in muffins can sometimes leave you with bland or dry results. That’s why you need to replace the sugar with something more naturally sweet, like fruit or syrups!
How to make sugar free apple muffins
Making muffins sugar free is easy! Plus, they taste just as scrumptious as my mini blueberry muffins and banana muffins. You and your family can munch on them after only a few simple steps:
Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the smashed blueberries, milk, egg, and vanilla. Gently mix everything together until combined. To finish, fold in the apples.
Spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan, then bake until they’re slightly golden brown.
Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the tray before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Tips and substitutions
- Apples – Any type of apple will work for this recipe! You can chop them into small or large chunks or grate them instead so there’s lots of apple in every bite.
- Blueberries – Feel free to replace the blueberries with blackberries, strawberries, or raspberries.
- Gluten free – While I’ve only tested this recipe with all purpose and whole wheat flour, a 1:1 gluten free flour blend should work well as a replacement.
- Vegan – Replace the egg with ¼ cup of applesauce to make these apple muffins vegan.
- Regular size muffins – This recipe makes 20 mini muffins or 6 regular size muffins. Feel free to double batch to make more regular size muffins and make sure to bake them for 20 to 22 minutes.
- Not sweet enough? Add in 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, honey, or agave syrup if you’d like the muffins to be extra sweet (without added sugar).
Customize the flavors
This recipe is really fun to play with. You can replace the apples with different fruits and veggies, and even add more to the batter when you really feel like getting creative. Use these ideas for inspiration:
- Instead of apples: Use a mashed banana, grated carrots, mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash, fresh berries, or peaches.
- Add in options: Add warm spices, like cloves, ginger, or nutmeg, chopped pecans or almonds, or dark chocolate chips to the apple batter for more flavor.
Storing and freezing sugar free muffins
To store, keep the apple muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 or 4 days. They should stay fresh for up to a week when kept in the fridge.
To freeze, wrap the baked and cooled muffins individually in plastic. Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Hungry for more healthy baked goods?
- Sweet Potato Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Easy Carrot Souffle
- Spinach Cupcakes
- Baked Apple Chips
Pin for later:
Sugar Free Apple Muffins
PrintIngredients
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour if preferred)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup blueberries smashed
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup apples – peeled and finely chopped (this equals one small apple)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.
- Make a well in the middle of the bowl and add blueberries, milk, egg and vanilla. Mix with a fork until all ingredients are combined.
- Gently fold in the apples, stirring to fully combine.
- Spoon mixture into your muffin pan evenly. This recipe makes approximately 20 mini muffins.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the sides of your muffins are slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from pan.
Edith says
Can I use frozen blueberries?
Pamela Reed says
Yes you can, but make sure to defrost and drain first – or you’ll end up with blue muffins. 😉
Victoria E.Bennett says
They were great!!!!
Pamela Reed says
So happy to hear – thanks for commenting! 🙂
June says
Hi how much more flour do I need for regular size muffins and if I want to put some honey in how much do I use .Thank you .
S R says
Can i use oats/oats flour in this recipe?? How abt buckwheat flour/ragi flour?
Rachel B says
Can I use milk instead of almond milk?
Pamela says
Yes you can!
Mona G says
This is an amazing recipe!!! I don’t eat sugar or any substitutions (think honey, agave nectar, rice malt syrup, etc.), and I’ve been searching for a fruit-based, sugar-free recipe for a while now. I’m so glad I found this one!!!
Dan B says
Love this recipe so much! Is there a way to substitute apples for bananas in this recipe and what ingredients would I have to change?
Mrs C says
Great recipe and so easy to make. Keep the simple no sugar recipes coming. I made these with my own apples on our trees.
Pamela says
It must be so great to have your own apple trees! Glad you enjoyed the muffins, thanks for commenting! 🙂
Anita Hyndman says
Can’t wait to try these
Harper says
These muffins were super good! I’ve never made a sugar free muffin before but this was awesome. Will definitely make these again!
Faigie says
I made these for my Dad who can’t have any sugar- they were amazing! He’s already asked for more!! what a great and healthy recipe – thank you!
Estelle says
Can I ask what temp u put oven to? It says 400.. mine only goes to 220…
Anonymous says
your oven might be in celcius – if so, 400 degrees farenheit is approximately 205 degrees celcius
Jacqueline says
I made these for my toddler and was glad to have a sugar free option, but they were just so-so.
Sabrina Zaragoza says
Sugar free muffins – what a great idea! The muffins looks yummy. Will try to make them. Thanks for sharing, Pamela. Hope to study more similar recipe from you.
Laura | Food Fun Family says
These look great! Thanks for sharing with the Delicious Dishes Recipe party this week!
Nicole says
These sugar free muffins look delicious! And a great way to get your apple muffin fix. Thanks for linking up your recipe at the #HomeMattersParty this week.
David says
it’s a great idea for people who need to reduce sugar in their ration. I always love healthy and delicious treats. so thanks for sharing i’ll try it out for my kids this weekend.
GiGi Eats says
These look so moist, flavorful and absolutely delicious! I’m in !!
Mary says
Oh I love this, Tis’ the season for fall!
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
Giving up sugar would be so hard for me! But it would be easier with a big batch of these muffins on hand 😉 I can’t wait to go apple picking so I can try these!
Pat C.Wilson says
you right , it’s hard to take a break from sugar. everything need sugar to be more tasty. but you still can replace sugar by some fruits. :)) it’s September – season of apples so don’t miss it. Apples are always the best for our body. i really love these muffins.
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
I love that you found apple trees on your property! What a find! These muffins look amazing 🙂
Amanda says
When I first looked at the back of spaghetti sauce and saw all the sugar I couldn’t believe it. Forget that! These muffins look great. A perfect breakfast!
cheri says
Love the way you sweeten these up Pamela, they look delicious!
David says
What a fun idea to use sugar-free jam as a flavor booster in these muffins! We were just talking the other day about how much sugar is in pretty much everything we eat…so kudos for coming up with this tasty (and approachable!) muffin recipe. I’m thinking these would make a great weekend breakfast!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
I am so excited for all the apple recipes that are around at the moment and this is going on the list for me to try! I love muffins with a coffee.
Ashley says
Pasta sauce in particular always amazes me at how much sugar it has when you buy it at the store – it’s crazy!! These muffins look so pop-able and delicious!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
I know what you mean, seems like sugar is in EVERYTHING! These muffins look so moist…plus, they are adorable being ‘mini. Love the sugar free jam in there…great idea! These would be perfect for breakfast or afternoon snack 🙂
Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says
I’ve got to try this soon because I love puff apples and muffins too! OMG, it’s like the ultimate recipe and I would probably eat at least 4 for breakfast. Love this is sugar-free too. Can’t wait to try the recipe myself 🙂
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
You are indeed correct Pamela, everything seems to have sugar in them! My mom is a diabetic and I’m always looking for ways to make her treats that she and us can enjoy and these muffins sure fit the bill – loving the sugar free blueberry jam in these too!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I love healthy and delicious treats like this…these mini apple muffins look terrific!