These gluten free applesauce muffins are perfect for breakfast or as a quick after school snack.

Make this applesauce muffin recipe the night before with unsweetened applesauce and raisins or other fun mix-ins.

Or freeze up a batch so you always have some on hand to enjoy.

With a few substitutions, this is easily an egg-free, sugar free, dairy free, or vegan applesauce muffin recipe.

How to make applesauce muffins

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Fill the muffin pan with liners.

3. Whisk together gluten free flour, cinnamon, allspice, and baking soda in a medium mixing bowl.

4. Beat together butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy in a large mixing bowl.

5. Add eggs, applesauce, and vanilla and stir until smooth.

6. If you're using raisins (or another mix-in like chocolate chips or dried cranberries) place them in a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and toss to coat.

This helps keep the mix-ins from sinking to the bottom of the muffin cups.

Gradually add dry to wet ingredients just until the muffin batter is just moistened. Don't over mix the batter!

7. Fold in raisins (or other mix-ins), if using.

8. Divide batter in the muffin pan using the cookie dough scoop.

9 Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

10. Cool muffins on a wire rack.

11. Serve room temperature or warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Special equipment needed to make the applesauce muffins

• (2-3) 6 cup or a 12 cup muffin pan
• muffin liners, which are the same thing as cupcake liners
• cookie scoop
• cake tester - I like this better than using a toothpick
• wire rack

What kind of applesauce?

You can use unsweetened applesauce from the store or homemade applesauce to make applesauce muffins.

If you only have sweetened applesauce on hand (or made sweetened homemade applesauce) cut back on the amount of sugar in the recipe.

You can also use cinnamon applesauce or another flavored applesauce like pear applesauce. (Again, try to find one without refined sugar, if possible.)

Are these gluten free applesauce muffins?

Yes, these are gluten free applesauce muffins because the recipe uses a gluten free all-purpose flour mix.

I recommend Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour. I love this product because it cooks up just like regular flour in all my GF recipes.

If you're not gluten free, you can use regular white flour.

How to measure flour

Believe it or not, you shouldn’t scoop the flour directly out of the bag with a measuring cup.

It packs down the flour and you end up with a bit too much in your cup. Too much flour means your muffins may come out too dry. Yuck.

Instead, spoon the flour from the bag (or the container you keep your flour in) into your measuring cup. Then use the back of a spatula or knife to level off the top of the cup.

That way the flour is given a mini-sift and isn’t packed down.

Check out my Best Gluten Free Products List to find more terrific GF baking products!

Can I make these sugar free applesauce muffins?

YES! You can use a no-calorie sweeteners like powdered monk fruit sweetener and Swerve Sweetener.

If you like the taste of brown sugar in your apple muffins you can use Swerve Sweetener, Brown.

All are terrific sugar free substitutes.

What can I add to the muffins?

Sprinkle cinnamon sugar or decorative sugar on the muffin tops. A sugar topping adds a fun crunch.

Mix-ins: Instead of raisins, you can use dried cranberries or chocolate chips for this gluten free applesauce muffins recipe.

Can I make vegan muffins?

If you're vegan, you know what substitutions you can make in baking. But for those baking for vegan friends and relatives here's the scoop:

Butter: use a vegan buttery spread like Earth Balance or coconut oil that's solid at room temperature. (Go for the buttery spread. It's tastier.)

Egg substitute: You can use Follow Your Heart egg substitute or Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Egg Replacer.

If you’re comfortable, you can also use flaxseed or aquafaba as an egg substitute.

Can I make dairy free applesauce muffins?

If you're dairy free, use a vegan buttery spread like Earth Balance.

If you're adding chocolate chips to these muffins, use Enjoy Life Baking Chocolate Semi-Sweet Mini Chips, which are dairy free, GF, and vegan

Can I make these egg-free?

If you have an egg allergy, try Follow Your Heart egg substitute or Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Egg Replacer.

Can I make pumpkin muffins or banana muffins? 

You can substitute 1 cup pumpkin purée or mashed banana for the applesauce.

Can I make mini muffins?

Yes, you can make mini applesauce muffins! You'll need a mini muffin pan, mini cupcake liners, and will have to adjust the baking time accordingly to about 10-12 minutes.

What's the best way to store these homemade muffins?

Store leftovers in an airtight container or Ziploc baggie in the fridge. They should stay good for up to a week.

Can you freeze these muffins?

I like making a big batch of muffins and freezing them for later. They make terrific weekday breakfasts or after school snacks for the kids.

So the muffins don't stick together in a big frozen mass, you need to “flash” freeze them. Here’s how:

1. Allow them to completely cool and place them on a silicone mat or parchment-lined baking sheet. Then freeze them for 20 minutes.

2. Once the muffins are frozen, remove them from the baking sheet.

3. Then place them in a freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag. (Remember to squeeze the air out of the bag to prevent freezer burn.)

4. Label and date the baggie or container. Store the muffins in the freezer for 3 to 4 months.

To thaw the frozen muffins, just place them on a plate for 30 minutes or so on the countertop.

You could also zap them on 50% power in the microwave, but I’d worry about drying them out.

If you want to heat up the muffins, you can place them in the microwave for 10-15 seconds on high.

Are these healthy applesauce muffins?

I'm not a doctor or nutritionist, so I don't give advice or opinions.

Add a few tablespoons of ground flaxseed to the muffin batter before baking to make these more wholesome with more fiber.

More tips for making the best gluten free applesauce muffins

Can I use brown sugar instead of white sugar? Substitute up to 1/2 cup of brown for the white sugar.

Will my muffins stick to the pan? If you're concerned, you can use nonstick spray and then a paper liner. (This does help the liners stay put before you fill them.) But it's not necessary.

More muffin recipes

If you're looking for muffin recipes, I hope you'll enjoy these delicious recipes:

• Banana Oatmeal Muffins Recipe – make with bananas and Cheerios
• Zucchini Muffins Recipe – bake these with leftover zucchini from your garden
• Healthy Strawberry Muffins Recipe – use your favorite strawberry yogurt
• Raspberry Yogurt Muffins Recipe – one of my most popular recipes
• Hash Brown Sausage Muffins Recipe – a savory muffin recipe that’s perfect for breakfast

Yield: 12 to 18 MUFFINS

Applesauce Muffins (gluten free)

Print

These gluten free applesauce muffins are a delicious breakfast or snack. This applesauce muffin recipe is easy to make in advance and freeze.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup raisins, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Fill muffin tin with liners.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, allspice, and baking soda.
4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until creamy and fluffy.
5. Beat in eggs, applesauce, and vanilla until smooth.
6. In a small bowl, add raisins and about 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture and toss to coat.
7. Gradually add dry ingredients to wet ingredients just until the muffin batter is just moistened.
8. Fold in raisins, if using.
9. Divide batter into muffin tin using a cookie dough scoop.
10. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
11. Cool on a wire rack.
12. Serve room temperature or warm.
13. Store leftovers in an airtight container.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Baking & Cooling Racks
• 
  Bob's Red Mill Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour, 22 Ounce, Pack of 4

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

18

Serving Size:

1 muffin
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 121Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 78mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 1gSugar: 15gProtein: 2g

Nutritional information is automatically calculated per the ingredients list. Serving size may not be accurate. Please double-check with your preferred nutritional app for the most accurate information.