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Coconut Flour Apple Cinnamon Muffins Recipe (Grain Free)

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gluten free apple cinnamon muffins recipe
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Breakfast Recipes » Coconut Flour Apple Cinnamon Muffins Recipe (Grain Free)

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

gluten free apple cinnamon muffins recipe

Coconut Flour Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Hearty breakfast muffins that can be personalized to your specific tastes.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Calories 129kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

12

Ingredients

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

Nutrition Facts
Coconut Flour Apple Cinnamon Muffins
Amount Per Serving (1 muffin)
Calories 129 Calories from Fat 67
% Daily Value*
Fat 7.4g11%
Saturated Fat 5.2g33%
Cholesterol 68mg23%
Sodium 130mg6%
Carbohydrates 12.9g4%
Fiber 4.9g20%
Sugar 5.1g6%
Protein 3.7g7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

If you frequently need breakfast to-go, try making a large batch of these and freezing them.

Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

Easy Coconut Flour Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Missing baked goods? Try these other favorite grain-free breakfast recipes:

Have you ever tried making grain-free muffins? What other variations can you think of? Please share below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

333 responses to “Coconut Flour Apple Cinnamon Muffins Recipe (Grain Free)”

      1. Amanda Mirkin Avatar
        Amanda Mirkin

        Thanks, I did use softened, but after I added the eggs, the coconut oil clumped. Would you advise to always use room temperature eggs, when baking with coconut oil?

        1. Wellness Mama Avatar
          Wellness Mama

          That can help. I usually just use an immersion blender and it mixes it all even if the coconut oil hardens

          1. Amanda Mirkin Avatar
            Amanda Mirkin

            Thanks, I brought everything to room temperature. I added 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp ground cloves, and bumped up the vanilla to include 1/2 tsp with the tsp. And put in a extra tablespoon of honey.

  1. radical mama Avatar
    radical mama

    delicious! i didn’t have a full cup of applesauce yet & wasn’t about to make more, so i used a 1/3 cup of yogurt. made a perfectly moist muffin but it really needed the extra apple for flavor. i used the full amount of cinnamon & it was perfect. i used my food processor instead of mixer which made a perfectly smooth muffin. these muffins were lighter than the cupcakes for my daughters birthday a few weeks back- i may try them as cake SOON!

  2. Katie Avatar

    I just made them, only change was 4 eggs and added walnuts! A great go to recipe, I also poured some creamy peanut butter on top of 2 out of 3 that I ate.

  3. Kara Myers Avatar
    Kara Myers

    I’m not a huge fan of cinnamon, but made these for my daughter (exactly as posted with the cocoa powder addition) and snagged one. While the flavor isnt my most favorite, the texture is amazing! Has anyone ommitted cinnamon with good results? Would these make “chocolate cupcakes” without the cinnamon? Ideas for other flavor variations if cinnamon is ommitted?

  4. Ocho Avatar

    I just finished making these.  I didn’t have applesauce so I used 1/2 cup of yogurt and 1 chopped up apple instead.  I did add the 2 Tbsp of Agave nectar.  It took a little longer to cook but they turned out great.  Mine made 12.  My hubby scored it 7.5 which is good as I’ve never gotten higher than a 9 as he assumes 10 is perfection.  I added a few chocolate chips just to his which he enjoyed.  Thanks so much for the recipe!  Oh, and I did add 1/4 tsp sea salt just to help make the sweetness stand out. Many thanks – I just joined the blog.

  5. Judy C. Avatar
    Judy C.

    Wow! These are surprisingly good! They came out perfect. I swapped a mashed ripe banana for 1/4 cup of applesauce and also added a big handful of walnuts to the batter. Opted for a half a stick of butter instead of coconut oil, too. Very moist and surprisingly muffin-y! I will definitely be making these often!

  6. Linford Avatar
    Linford

    Wow. This sounds wonderful, and so many ideas on adapting it! I am a baker who is off grains and going nuts without baking. Thank you!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      You actually don’t need the baking soda, but baking powder would also work, or you could just omit and they wouldn’t be as fluffy…

      1. Jessica Avatar

        I never use b.soda but double b.powder instead. Also, I made these last week and they were so good I made them again. I doubled the recipe but they turned out terribly. I’m having issues with being successful with coconut flour so was really happy they turned out the first time. Is this maybe not a doubleable recipe?

  7. Heather Avatar

    This is a great recipe! These muffins are delicious and filling. Perfect for a to-go snack. One thing I keep forgetting is to warm the applesauce to keep the coconut oil from turning to concrete. Love these though. I make them almost weekly.

  8. Moreen Avatar

    I’m having one of these with a cup of tea as I write this — delicious! This is one of the few coconut flour recipes I’ve tried that’s resulted in a well-risen cake with a proper muffin appearance (maybe it was because I added chopped apples?). Thanks for the great recipe!

  9. Laura Brodland Avatar
    Laura Brodland

    I can’t wait to make these,  Curious though, how many muffins did it make?  Thanks.

  10. Alicia Avatar

    Just made these today – great texture.  I am going to add raisins and chopped apples to the next batch for a little more sweetness!

  11. Janelle Deeds Avatar
    Janelle Deeds

    Just popped them in the oven 😉 Looking forward to tasting them warm!

  12. Eita Avatar

    I think they’re WONDERFUL… Even though i didn’t have any eggs, i had to use water, vegetable oil, and baking powder… 🙂 it still tastes OK though…

  13. Tammy Carroll Avatar
    Tammy Carroll

    I added this before baking (streusel topping): brown sugar (about 1/2 c) pecan chips (tiny pieces) about 3-4 T, 2t cinnamon, 2-3 T grass fed butter, pinch of salt. Mix with hands until its like play dough texture. Break small pieces and put about 3-4 pieces on top of each muffin….this made the muffins completely awesome!! Everything is better with streusel! Haha!

  14. Shanna Avatar

    Made these this morning and they were awesome! I added blueberries and baked in a silicone loaf pan. Yum…thanks for the recipe!!

  15. Karyn Avatar

    These tasted great and the whole family loved them but they raised my blood sugar (I have to test for gestational diabetes). Big time bummer. I did use the honey and I added some banana as mentioned at the bottom. Oh well, lesson learned, but I did freeze some for after baby is born.

    1. Afton Avatar

      I would try them without the honey and banana – both individually have a relatively high glycemic index – and you used both of them. The apples should be sweet enough. If not, I would probably add tad organic stevia. Haven’t tried it yet, but I’m about it. 🙂

      1. Maile Avatar

        Hey ALL!
        I’ve finally . . . decided unless people are allergic/sensitive to gluten. I would just make regular muffin and enjoy it ONCE in a . . . blue moon (and blue moon for me occur every 1 1/2 month:) LOL) because it is way too coconut tasting and it is just not worth eating:)

        It is about taste and not quantity . . . LOL:)

        But otherwise, I am completely LOW CARB!

  16. Robin Avatar

    Made these this morning for my grain-loving family. A hit! Very filling, and we served them with a mashed banana and cinnamon puree as a topping.

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