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Home » Muffins
4.9 from 24 reviews

Sugar Free Apple Muffins

18 minutes
apple
By: Pamela Reed
Posted:10/8/21
Updated:10/8/21
Jump to Recipe

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.

stack of apple muffins on top of each other on table.

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!

apple muffin ripped open showing baked muffin with blueberries and apples in it.

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!

bowl of chopped up apples.

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.

white bowl filled with muffin batter mixture.

Spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan, then bake until they’re slightly golden brown.

mini muffin pan filled with batter.

Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the tray before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

mini muffin pan with baked muffins in it.

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).
long white plate filled with baked apple muffins on it.

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:

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.
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4.88 from 24 reviews

Sugar Free Apple Muffins

Print
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.
By: Pamela Reed
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 13 minutes minutes
Total Time 18 minutes minutes
serves 20

Ingredients

  • 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.

Notes

This makes 20 mini muffins or 6 regular size muffins. If you are making regular size muffins, bake for 20-22 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 48kcal (2%)
Author: Pamela Reed
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:American
Keyword:apple muffins, sugar free muffins
Did you make this?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @BrooklynFarmGirl and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below.

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  1. Dan B says

    September 16, 2021 at 7:44 pm

    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?

    Reply
  2. Mrs C says

    September 15, 2021 at 9:53 am

    Great recipe and so easy to make. Keep the simple no sugar recipes coming. I made these with my own apples on our trees.

    Reply
    • Pamela says

      September 16, 2021 at 4:36 pm

      It must be so great to have your own apple trees! Glad you enjoyed the muffins, thanks for commenting! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Anita Hyndman says

    August 30, 2021 at 3:20 pm

    Can’t wait to try these

    Reply
  4. Harper says

    March 8, 2021 at 1:33 pm

    These muffins were super good! I’ve never made a sugar free muffin before but this was awesome. Will definitely make these again!

    Reply
  5. Faigie says

    February 7, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Estelle says

      September 13, 2021 at 9:20 pm

      Can I ask what temp u put oven to? It says 400.. mine only goes to 220…

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        November 17, 2021 at 10:16 pm

        your oven might be in celcius – if so, 400 degrees farenheit is approximately 205 degrees celcius

        Reply
  6. Jacqueline says

    January 26, 2020 at 12:34 pm

    I made these for my toddler and was glad to have a sugar free option, but they were just so-so.

    Reply
  7. Sabrina Zaragoza says

    October 4, 2016 at 12:25 am

    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.

    Reply
  8. Laura | Food Fun Family says

    September 21, 2016 at 9:41 pm

    These look great! Thanks for sharing with the Delicious Dishes Recipe party this week!

    Reply
  9. Nicole says

    September 18, 2016 at 1:28 pm

    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.

    Reply
  10. David says

    September 15, 2016 at 3:29 pm

    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.

    Reply
  11. GiGi Eats says

    September 15, 2016 at 1:18 pm

    These look so moist, flavorful and absolutely delicious! I’m in !!

    Reply
  12. Mary says

    September 14, 2016 at 10:19 am

    Oh I love this, Tis’ the season for fall!

    Reply
  13. Megan - The Emotional Baker says

    September 14, 2016 at 6:57 am

    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!

    Reply
  14. Pat C.Wilson says

    September 13, 2016 at 1:39 pm

    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.

    Reply
  15. Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says

    September 11, 2016 at 9:53 am

    I love that you found apple trees on your property! What a find! These muffins look amazing 🙂

    Reply
  16. Amanda says

    September 10, 2016 at 3:49 pm

    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!

    Reply
  17. cheri says

    September 9, 2016 at 12:55 pm

    Love the way you sweeten these up Pamela, they look delicious!

    Reply
  18. David says

    September 9, 2016 at 8:51 am

    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!

    Reply
  19. Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says

    September 9, 2016 at 7:47 am

    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.

    Reply
  20. Ashley says

    September 8, 2016 at 3:45 pm

    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!

    Reply
  21. Dawn - Girl Heart Food says

    September 8, 2016 at 12:05 pm

    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 🙂

    Reply
  22. Anu - My Ginger Garlic Kitchen says

    September 8, 2016 at 11:33 am

    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 🙂

    Reply
  23. Shashi at RunninSrilankan says

    September 8, 2016 at 10:41 am

    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!

    Reply
  24. [email protected]'s Recipes says

    September 8, 2016 at 10:28 am

    I love healthy and delicious treats like this…these mini apple muffins look terrific!

    Reply
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Hi! I'm Pamela, an artist Mom who shares family recipes. My farm is a 1,000 sq ft apartment in NYC. Let's make dinner together.

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