These perfectly spiced gluten free apple muffins have two whole diced apples inside, and they're made extra tender with sour cream in the batter. Plus, they freeze really well, and can easily be made dairy free, too!
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Why I love these gluten free apple muffins
This simple recipe is essentially just a sour cream-based muffin batter with diced fresh apple chunks folded into the batter in much the same way as you might add chocolate chips. Here's what else I love about these muffins:
- Super tender crumb: Apple chunks that release some moisture as they bake away plus sour cream in the batter make for a super tender crumb.
- Lots of flavor: Nearly 2 whole apples in the batter and on top add lots of apple flavor without being overly sweet; a touch of cinnamon adds more flavor and aroma.
- Quick & easy: Once you've peeled, cored & diced the apples, the muffins practically make themselves!
Ingredients you'll need & substitution suggestions
- Gluten free flour blend: Be sure to use one of my recommended blends, and add xanthan gum if your blend doesn't already contain it. A well-balanced, superfine blend of flours makes all the difference.
- Baking powder/baking soda: Help the muffins rise and help them brown lightly in the oven. Make sure yours are fresh!
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and brings out the flavors.
- Cinnamon (and maybe nutmeg): The classic spice to pair with apples; if you have it, add some freshly grated nutmeg, too.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness but also helps keep the muffins tender.
- Apples: The best apples for baking are usually Granny Smith, since they're sweet, tart, and have a nice firm texture that never gets mushy during baking. Braeburn, Cortland, Empire or Pink Lady apples also work well.
- Cornstarch: We toss the diced apples with a bit of starch to absorb some moisture and avoid mushiness. If you can't have cornstarch, try potato starch or arrowroot.
- Butter: Adds flavor, and helps keep the muffins tender. If you're dairy free, replace with vegan butter (Miyoko's Kitchen brand is my favorite) or virgin coconut oil.
- Sour cream: Adds richness and makes for a really tender crumb. You can use Greek-style plain yogurt in its place. If you're dairy free, replace with your favorite dairy free sour cream alternative or nondairy Greek yogurt.
- Eggs: Help the muffins rise, add texture and structure. If you're egg-free, try using 2 “chia eggs” (2 tablespoons ground white chia seeds + 2 tablespoons water, mixed and allowed to gel).
- Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor and enhances all the other flavors, too.
How to make gluten free apple muffins
Whisk dry ingredients and make the apple mixture
In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients (gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder and soda, salt, sugar, cinnamon). Toss the diced apples with cornstarch, cinnamon, and sugar. Add 2/3 of the apple mixture to the dry ingredients.
Mix in the wet ingredients, fill the muffins wells
Toss the apple mixture in the dry ingredients. Mix in the melted butter, sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Fill the wells of a muffin tin full with the thick batter, add the rest of the diced apple mixture on top, and your muffins are ready for the oven!
Recipe tips & tricks
Start with a 375°F oven
Give your muffins a head start on rising by preheating your oven to 375°F. After 5 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350°F until done. The temperature won't fall right away, of course, but will slowly fall to 350°F for the remainder of the baking time, so your muffins don't burn on the bottom.
Don't rely only on the “toothpick test” for doneness
It's best to bake these muffins until they're mostly firm to the touch. The muffins are so tender inside that the “toothpick in the center” test for doneness can be misleading here.
Use a light-colored muffin tin
Light-colored aluminum muffin tins are the best for muffins that bake evenly and fully. Dark muffin tins bake the outside very quickly, so if your tin is dark-colored line the wells with cupcake liners rather than greasing them and bake at a little lower than 350°F.
Storage & refreshing instructions
If you store these extra tender muffins in a sealed container at room temperature, they will stay moist and tender for at least 2, if not 3 days. For longer storage, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, and then pile them into a freeze-safe zip-top bag for up to 3 months.
Avoid freezer burn by squeezing as much air out of the bag as possible. To refresh frozen muffins, let defrost at room temperature, or microwave at 50% power for about 25 seconds. For a fresh-baked feeling, sprinkle defrosted muffins lightly with some lukewarm water and reheat in a 300°F toaster oven until warm.
Frequently asked questions
Try replacing the butter with Miyoko's Kitchen vegan butter and the sour cream with your favorite dairy free alternative. You can also use dairy free plain Greek-syle yogurt in place of sour cream.
Most other fruit is too tender to use in these muffins. You may be able to use Bosc pears, since they're very firm. Just be sure they're not too ripe or they'll fall apart in the oven. If you'd like to use berries, try our gluten free blueberry muffins recipe instead.
Did you use greaseproof muffin liners? I like “If You Care” brand paper liners because they never stick to my muffins and cupcakes. If you're not sure if your muffin liners are greaseproof, spray the inside of each liner lightly with cooking oil spray before filling and baking. And always let your muffins cool before you try to remove the liner, or they will usually stick.
Gluten Free Apple Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; please click thru for full info on appropriate blends)
- ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg optional
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups (200 g) peeled, cored, and diced apples (about 2 medium-size apples; Granny Smith are best, Braeburn and Cortland are great, too)
- 2 teaspoons (6 g) cornstarch
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 cup (240 g) sour cream at room temperature (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 2 (100 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature, beaten
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F. Grease or line the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin and set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour blend, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, optional nutmeg and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Whisk to combine well.
- In a separate, medium-size bowl, place the diced apples and toss with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and the cornstarch. Toss to combine.
- Add about 2/3 of the apple mixture to the large bowl of dry ingredients, and toss to coat.
- Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the butter, sour cream, eggs and vanilla, and mix to combine. The batter will be thick.
- Fill the prepared wells of the muffin tin all the way with the batter, and smooth the tops with wet fingers.
- Scatter the tops with a few pieces of the remaining apple mixture each, and press gently to help the apples adhere.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F for the remainder of the baking time.
- Bake until lightly golden brown on the edges and mostly firm to the touch, about 22 minutes. The moisture in the apples baked into the top of the muffins keep these muffins very tender on top, so don't expect even browning.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store any leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 2 days; freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
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Thanks for stopping by!
Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Romy says
Hi Nicole! My flour contains guar gum, would that be enough as a substitute for Xanthan? We don’t get xanthan in Austria and guar seems to be an okay-ish alternative :)).
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Romy, guar gum is a substitute for xanthan gum, but it’s not as effective as xanthan gum in heated applications like baking muffins. I can’t promise excellent results with any flour blends other than the ones that I specifically recommend, so I do want to caution you about that since I don’t know the flour blend you’re using.
Romy Krassnitzer says
I tried it with the flour mix with guar gum and it came out great!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so happy to hear that, Romy. Thanks for reporting back!
Nancy says
Delish! Would make them again!
Nicole Hunn says
Thank you, Nancy!
Maria says
So delicious! Not too sweet and perfect with coffee. I was out of baking powder so I added more sour cream and baking soda. Still great.
Alex says
Hi Nicole:
Could I bake 6 jumbo muffins instead of the 12 muffins stated in the recipe?
How would this affect the temperature of the oven and the baking time?
Thank you.
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Alex, I haven’t tried that so I don’t know for sure how long the baking time would be, but I would suggest you start to check at 25 minutes. I’m afraid you’ll have to experiment, though, as ovens and baking times really do vary.
Alexandra Wilk says
Hi Nicole:
Can I use 2 teaspoons of tapioca starch instead of 2 teaspoons of cornstarch?
Thank you.
Nicole Hunn says
That should work fine, Alexandra.
Shrley Red says
i have a friend who is severely diabetic as well as gluten free. What can I substitute for the sugar?
Nicole Hunn says
I’m afraid I don’t really know how you’d use a sugar alternative in this recipe, Shrly, since I haven’t tried it and sugar substitutes tend to be very drying in baking. You could try Lankato brand monkfruit granulated sugar substitute, but you’d almost certainly have to add some additional moisture, maybe some lukewarm water, to compensate for the drying effect. Pay close attention to the images of the raw batter to try to approximate it.
MARIETTA VICTORIA says
love love love any recipe you give us! I happen to have lots of apples at the moment, sothis is what I am doing..it’s like an adventure in my NEW upgraded kitchen <3 thank you for sharing always!
Nicole Hunn says
You’re so welcome, Marietta. Good luck and have fun in your new kitchen!!
Mare Masterson says
Michelle Beck, thank you so much for preserving the recipe! Nicole, thank you so much for tweaking it slightly! I am drooling here at my desk at work! As you can tell, I am having a very hard time being grain free!
Oh, yeah, my Small Bites book is on its way to me! Woo Hoo!
Nicole Hunn says
I am in Michelle’s debt for sure, Mare! ;)