I discovered this grain-free apple cinnamon muffin recipe out of desperation, really. (Isn’t it so true that necessity is the mother of invention?)
On this particular morning I realized I only had five eggs in the fridge — not even close to enough to feed us all, especially when each kid could easily eat three each! I had coconut flour, homemade applesauce, and coconut oil on hand, so I mixed them and … voilà!
The kids requested them every day at breakfast for a week straight, and a great go-to (and also “to-go”) breakfast recipe was born!
Paleo Apple Cinnamon Muffins: A Break from the Norm
I’ll be real here… I haven’t always been a great baker, which I guess makes sense considering we don’t often eat grains. Still, being grain-free can mean a lot of scrambled eggs for breakfast, and we all have those days when only baked goods will do.
It always feels great to get it right and hit on a recipe that makes both mom and kids happy.
If you haven’t had coconut flour muffins before, know that they turn out a little smaller and denser than your typical muffin. Still, they have that bready texture and aroma. They’re full of protein and fiber that really satisfy, not to mention all the great health benefits of coconut since these muffins use both coconut flour and coconut oil.
These apple cinnamon muffins stay in regular rotation at our house and even kick off the breakfast section in my Wellness Mama Cookbook. As with almost all of the recipes in my cookbook, this muffin recipe takes 30 minutes or less to make, uses real food ingredients, and doesn’t generate a lot of dirty dishes to wash up afterward.
If you have to be careful and rotate recipes for allergy reasons or are just looking to get more variety at breakfast, check out the Real Plans meal planning tool for more help.
Apple Cinnamon … or Whatever Flavor You Desire!
I chose this applesauce and cinnamon combo out of convenience, but these muffins are incredibly versatile. I even discovered with a few simple modifications I could turn this recipe into these coconut flour apple cinnamon pancakes!
Using either the muffin or pancake recipe as a base, try these mix-ins to change things up from time to time:
- Reduce the applesauce by ¼ cup and add an overripe banana before blending
- Stir in ½ cup toasted chopped nuts, such as walnuts, by hand
- Mix in ½ cup fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries
- Add ½ cup chopped apples for a little extra texture
- Add 3 tablespoons cocoa powder to make almost cupcake-like muffins
- Top with shredded coconut before baking for extra crunch
- Skip the apple and make them orange cranberry or lemon blueberry muffins!
The Recipe
Coconut Flour Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Servings
Ingredients
- 5 eggs
- 1 cup applesauce
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2-3 TBSP cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 2 TBSP honey or other sweetener of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Grease a muffin pan with coconut oil or use silicone muffin cups like these.
- Mix all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl with an immersion blender or whisk until well mixed. I prefer the immersion blender so the coconut oil mixes evenly even if cold/hard.
- Let sit 5 minutes. This helps the coconut flour absorb moisture and creates a better texture in the finished muffins.
- Use 1/3 cup measure to scoop into muffin tins.
- Bake 12-15 minutes until starting to brown and not soft when lightly touched on the top.
- Let cool 2 minutes, drizzle with honey (if desired) and serve.
Nutrition
Notes
Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!
Missing baked goods? Try these other favorite grain-free breakfast recipes:
- Almond Flour Pancakes – Easy to whip up for a crowd and only takes 3 or 4 ingredients!
- Grain-free Flatbread With Spinach and Egg – Missing toast? Try this!
- Grain-free Pumpkin Pancakes – This budget recipe skips alternative flour using egg and pumpkin as the binder.
- Coconut Flour Biscuits – Indulge in sausage gravy and biscuits again, or top with eggs and hollandaise sauce for grain-free eggs benedict!
Have you ever tried making grain-free muffins? What other variations can you think of? Please share below!
These have been my go-to weekend muffins pretty much every weekend during autumn 2020. They are easy to make, simple, don’t cause the bloat I feel from wheat flour, and they are delicious! I like to load them with chopped apples, raisins, and walnuts. Terrific recipe!