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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. Brianne Grogan Avatar
    Brianne Grogan

    5 stars
    This is one of my favorite go-to recipes because it’s SO easy and quick, and requires minimal ingredients. Thanks as always, Wellness Mama!

  2. Eve Avatar

    1 star
    I was looking forward to enjoying these, but was sorely disappointed at the first bite. They were bland, eggy, gummy, and just INEDIBLE. I’m guessing it was the lack of dry ingredients and sweetner and the large quantity of eggs. I couldn’t finish my muffin, and neither could my family, so the entire batch was thrown in the trash. Either these reviews are phony (or so many substitutions were made that the original recipe became unrecognizable) or my entire family just has a ridiculously bad taste in muffins.

    1. Katie - Wellness Mama Avatar

      If you read the comments on any of my recipes, you’ll find both positive and negative reactions. Some people follow the recipe exactly, while others try to make substitutions based on their family’s preferences or dietary needs. All of my recipe creations have been tested on my own family, and if it doesn’t meet their seal of approval, I don’t post it. It’s possible your family’s personal taste and food preference is different than mine, and that’s ok. Thanks for reading!

      1. Sam Avatar

        I had the exact same reaction. Inedible. I double checked all my measurements and it only made 9 horrible muffins. I hope the rest of the cookbook is better. Sorry-hate to be negative

    2. Eliz~ Avatar

      5 stars
      This was my review~ (up above)
      “I doubled the ingredients, deleted the honey and substituted olive oil and made this a cake! I’ve also used pumpkin instead of applesauce, and added tiny bits of dark chocolate for the kids.
      Always my go to recipe for “snack” cake! THANK YOU!!”
      And I stand by it!

      Eating whole foods does not in any way taste like Betty Crocker. I raised my oldest kids on Betty (ages 22-41) and I’m so glad I realized my error and my youngest children ages 9-16 have benefited greatly. We think these taste better!

  3. Tyler Avatar

    5 stars
    I can not wait to try these Apple Cinnamon muffins. I love learning new recipes, especially with coconut flour in them. Its a great alternative to regular flour. Thanks for the post.

  4. Sabrina Avatar

    5 stars
    Just wondering what the carb count is for these muffins….or where to find it. Thanks

  5. Judy Avatar

    Is the amount of cinnamon correct? 2-3 tablespoons seems an awful lot. I used 2 teaspoons with the cocoa powder and it was perfect.

  6. Elizabeth Avatar
    Elizabeth

    Hi Katie,

    I had a question about your recent laundry post but wasn’t able to leave a comment there for some reason. Your resources page mentions Nellie’s as your store-bought brand of choice but I noticed that wasn’t listed on your recent post. Do you not use Nellie’s anymore from a certain reason? How about Tropical Traditions?

    Thanks!

  7. Catherine Hsu Avatar
    Catherine Hsu

    Tried the recipe today and cannot believe how moist and delicious these muffins are!

  8. Catherine Avatar

    5 stars
    Do you have a recipe for GF cinnamon rolls? I cannot eat Wheat. Love cooking with coconut flour and oil. I love
    cinnamon and coconut.
    I plan to try all your recipes. They look delicious.

  9. Gwyn Avatar

    5 stars
    Hi
    These muffins are delish! I like a few others used 4 eggs (I get them from a local farmer and they are huge). As a matter of personal preference I used a little less cinnamon and added about 1/4 tsp of salt. I have also used maple syrup in place of honey and that’s really good too! Thanks for the recipe!

  10. Barb Zuckerwise Avatar
    Barb Zuckerwise

    5 stars
    All … this recipe is DELICIOUS! I read that some of you think they are BLAND, so I tweaked it a bit. Here’s what I did: 1. I used jumbo eggs (just FYI), 2. I used about a tsp of Stevia and a tsp of DaVinci Gourmet sugar free pumpkin pie spice syrup, their syrups are terrific. No aftertaste, and they have a great variety of sugar free choices. 3. Use Saigon cinnamon…. it’s sweeter, and gives everything great flavor. I used 2 Tbspn 4. I used Trader Joe’s Bourbon vanilla….Result: the muffins taste like spice muffins (think gingerbread ish… they are a nice brown color). They are far from bland. Watch your cooking time. If your oven is true to the temp, 12 minutes is plenty. The bottoms of mine started to burn when I left them a little longer. Thanks for the great recipe!!!

    oops… one more thing: I added flaked unsweetened coconut….. a couple of “grabs” out of the bag…. add a little bit of crunch and sweetness.

  11. Khrys Avatar

    5 stars
    Thank you for this amazing recipe!! We live in Abu Dhabi where the thing to do on Fridays is brunch. Fancy, buffet style brunch with tables and tables of food and free flowing alcohol. Totally unhealthy and of course leads to over eating. So today for our 7 year anniversary instead of making reservations for a fancy brunch I decided to surprise my family with a “fancy” homemade and mostly healthy brunch at home. I served this for dessert, topped with a vanilla protein frosting we sometimes make. SooSooo good! I have never eaten such a moist muffin before! Only change I made was 4 eggs instead of 5 because thats all I had. They were just as yummy as the first batch I made last week. Thanks girl, you rock!

  12. demi Avatar

    hi katie.please help me.i dont knwo how to send u pictures to see my muffins and help me so i wil have to tell you.i made the recipe but they dont look like yours.i dont know how much is a cup of applesauce..maybe i added a tb more or so.also i added 4 eggs plus one flaxegg just to see how it will taste.what else…i added orange zest and extract instead vanilla,and it took me less than half cup of coconut flour since here i can buy one that is very dry so i throw it in my goods slowly and check the batter.my batter was thicker than pancakes i think and i had 12 muffins in paper liners inside the muffin tins and i also greesed them so it wont stick like i read from previous readers.they came out on 25min stuck on paper liners,inside they were mushy or maybe undercooked or sth…too moist???maybe add less applesauce next time or more flour?it should be thick like pour it with spoon or more dry to bake?i am so sad….

  13. Raine Avatar

    4 stars
    Wonderful recipe , both myself & my boy love them, but I use 2 teaspoons of honey, is that right or is it 2 tablespoons? Thank you x

  14. Alison Avatar
    Alison

    4 stars
    I love these muffins! However, I do make 2 changes when I make them (and I’ve made them quite a few times, because I love them that much): I cut back on the cinnamon and usually use no more than 1 TBS (personal preference) and I add 1/4 tsp of salt to bring out the flavors of the muffin.

    If you need sweet, definitely add the honey. And definitely eat these with some cold lightly salted butter. Yum!

    Thanks for a great recipe!

  15. Karen Avatar

    5 stars
    I am a muffin fanatic and this recipe is a winner. I also discovered while making this recipe how easy it is to make homemade applesauce. Double winner for me! Thanks. 🙂

  16. Liz Avatar

    I had to cook them for way longer…. I filled regular muffin cups.. substituted more applesauce for oil. Did it make it too wet?

  17. Eliz Avatar

    5 stars
    I doubled the ingredients, deleted the honey and substituted olive oil and made this a cake! I’ve also used pumpkin instead of applesauce, and added tiny bits of dark chocolate for the kids.
    Always my go to recipe for “snack” cake! THANK YOU!!

  18. Noor Avatar

    5 stars
    I will try this recipe today and I’ll get my 4year old daughter to taste them for breakfast. I can’t wait.
    I hope you include more wheat free alternatives to cakes and deserts.
    Thank you,

  19. Heidi Avatar

    3 stars
    Tastes great, but what is the secret to stop them sticking!? I’ve made twice now in non-stick pan with spray oil. To get them out I need to painstakingly go around the edge of each one with a silicon spatula while hot. When cold they get totally torn up trying to remove. While hot I am lucky to get half out still in tact!

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