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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. Jaime Avatar

    Awe man, I think I did something wrong:(. My muffins came out pretty dense and “spongy” in texture. Could I have cooked them too long? It was my first time trying the recipe. I will definitely try it again, just curious if anyone else had experienced this…thanks!

  2. bianca Avatar

    I made these for the first time. Also first time ever using coconut Flour. Not sure what I did as I followed the directions precisely and they were horrible. It was so dry and it looked like cookiedoe. It was like eating saw dust. I think I someone how did something wrong because they didn’t even look like a muffin or anything.

  3. Afton Avatar

    I’m baaaaaack!!!! I commented this morning but hadn’t tried them yet. Um… YUMMM!!!! I am NOT great in the kitchen (yet), but getting there. These took me less than 30 mins start to finish – AND we even made applesauce in the vitamix (organic apples & lemon juice) because I didn’t have any. I did not use ANY sweeteners (other than the apples). Also – the pantry is kinda bare… only had TWO eggs, so I cut the recipe in half and it still made 7 yummy muffins. The kids LOVED them. Now if we would have tried these w/o sweetener a few months ago, we would have all thought they were nasty because we were still like most people and WAY TOO accustomed to sugar. But we’ve been cutting back and it’s been awesome to see how slowly NORMAL taste buds (you know, they way they’re supposed to be) are returning. We really enjoyed these. Not too sweet, not too anything! Just perfect! The kids say, “keep this recipe, mom!”. 🙂 THANKS!

  4. Mary Avatar

    5 stars
    I added the cocoa powder and three TBSP of organic maple syrup in lieu of the honey as I wanted them to be a little sweet and have a hint of maple in them. Oh, wow! I’ve had coconut flour baked items before and thought they tasted too dense and coconutty. Not these. These are delicious and moist.

    Brilliant – thank you for the recipe! 🙂
    Mary

  5. Laura Avatar

    Katie, these muffins are delicious!! I made them as mini muffins and my three young children loved them and asked me to make them everyday. I also traded the coconut oil for grass fed butter as I ran out of coconut oil. Thank you 🙂

  6. lola Avatar

    4 stars
    I made these today but used egg beaters instead of whole eggs and only 1 T of coconut oil. I also added in some banana, ginger, and 1 tsp of cider vinegar just to see if it really “activated” the baking soda (someone up there did it and I use vinegar in red velvet cupcakes so I figured why not? What could go wrong?). They looked and smelled awesome–nice and moist–but for some reason they tasted way too strongly of vanilla extract. Maybe I used 1 T of vanilla extract instead of tsp; I dunno, but they were filling even without the egg yolks (though i bet the real recipe tastes better).

    1. lola Avatar

      5 stars
      OMG I take it all back! The day after I baked them they turned out to be the cupcakiest most delicious muffins I’ve ever made with an alternative flour! Next time I’ll try to flavor them better (i think they came out tasting too strongly of vanilla bc I added a couple Tbls of unsweetened vanilla flavored almond milk) but I can’t believe how good the texture turned out even without “real” eggs and butter! Thank you!

  7. Tracey Avatar

    4 stars
    I made these last night and they are really good. I did add some apple pieces for some crunch as noted. This is my second attempt with coconut flour as the first was a disaster. I love to cook and will be trying more of these healthy recipe’s for sure! Thank you for sharing.

  8. lynn Avatar

    4 stars
    I made these this morning, followed recipe and they were fine. Very moist, texture great, but I think next time I shall add the honey, they seemed to need a little sweetness. Also, I dont think the applesause added enough apple flavor, so I may try real apples next time. This recipe is definitely a keeper and the suggested flavor options are a must try on my list.

  9. Robin Avatar

    Just made these, with added frozen blueberries in the batter and homemade applesauce. They are fabulous, light, moist and delicious, and they past the kid approval test. Thanks 🙂

    1. maile Avatar

      No, rather not. The taste is too coconutty. I rather eat real muffin once a month then this substitution stuff:)

  10. Taylor Avatar

    How long would you bake this if you baked it in a loaf pan? It sounds lovely 🙂

  11. Bea Avatar

    4 stars
    Just made these this morning and forgot any sweetener. Loved the texture and taste. I might put some butter on the next one with a tiny drizzle of honey. Yum! Thank you!

  12. Tara Avatar

    5 stars
    Great breakfast muffins. Soft, moist, and not overly sweet. I added chopped apples and used a ghee/coconut oil combo. Thanks for the recipe.

  13. Diana Avatar

    5 stars
    Hello Katie!!!
    So far I tried few recipes with coconut flour, I’m so happy using it…..your recipe is awesome, just prepared this muffins,,,I have one question, I’m thinking you can help me, in my home we are only two persons my husband and I, so when always I prepared things with coconut flour we took few days for finish it, how many days after prepared can you eat those? (I’m feeling with coconut flour is different)
    Thank you!!!

    1. Carla Avatar

      5 stars
      Hi Diana,

      I make these in double batches and freeze them. Otherwise I have no problem with putting them in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. They taste great and freeze very well.

  14. Carol Avatar

    Great recipe! I have also made it with pumpkin instead of applesauce. My kids love them with a few chocolate chips sprinkled on top.

  15. Maureen Avatar

    5 stars
    I just made this recipe and OMG too good to be true!! I’ve never used coconut flour before. I haven’t had anything bread like for months and couldn’t wait to try this. I made it as a loaf and it turned out great except that the bottom stuck to the pan. I may try Pam next time. Even though the bottom is missing I can still slice it. Just had a slice lathered in butter. Yummy!!

  16. Kyra Avatar

    These were delicious! I added chopped apples and a splash of maple syrup for a tad of sweetness. Next time I’m going to lower the coconut oil quite a bit and will add some shredded coconut. Thanks!

  17. Dee Avatar

    5 stars
    Just made these as a treat for my partner who loves all things apple and fall-spiced. Left out the vanilla and added nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger, and coriander for a “pumpkin spice” effect and added golden raisins since he loves those. They turned out REALLY MOIST and delicious! Word to the wise: don’t get clever and put this in a high powered blender. My blender protested.

    Love your site! Nice to experiment with nut-free baking that doesn’t cost half a jar of sunbutter. Coconut flour is so cost effective!

  18. Ashley Avatar

    5 stars
    Thank you for investing so much into your blog. You have been a sort of wellness mentor in my transition to eating and living well. Thanks! About the muffins- delicious! I have done one batch as directed apples (+walnuts) and this morning I made a batch with banana and walnut. Soooo good! Thanks for investing in this blog is is seriously my go to for just about anything wellness.

  19. Tara Avatar

    These sound amazing! Just wondering if you think I could use egg replacer for the eggs, to make them vegan (sans honey as well)? Thanks!

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