Perfect for breakfast or a snack. Dark, moist, and scattered with raisins & fresh apple bits. I think these oil-free vegan apple sauce cinnamon muffins are my best muffins yet!
Apples are always in season
I know some people feel that baked apple recipes are only for the fall and apple season, but I strongly disagree. Apple baking is for all-year-round. To me, any day that starts with these sweet vegan muffins is bound to be a good one!
Apple vegan muffins made without oil
The trick with baking without oil is not difficult. Apple sauce is what keeps this recipe moist without added artery-clogging oil. Getting recipes to rise when baking without eggs is pretty simple too.
Do you remember doing volcano science experiments when you were a kid? The ones where you used baking soda and vinegar to get that red food-colored lava to bubble out of the paper mache mountain?
That’s the same technique that makes baked goods rise without eggs–baking soda and vinegar. Back in the 30’s they called it Depression Cake or War Cake.
Depression cake is a type of cake that was commonly made during the Great Depression. The ingredients include little or no milk, sugar, butter or eggs, because the ingredients were then either expensive or hard to obtain.
Similar cakes are known as “War Cake,” as they avoided ingredients that were scarce or were being conserved for the use of soldiers.”–Wikipedia
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Baking with whole grain flours
Baking with whole grain flours such as wheat, spelt, oat, and others helps to make the recipes a much healthier option.
The Whole Grains Council defines whole grains to be foods that contain all the essential nutritional parts of the whole grain kernel. That means the food must include the bran, germ and endosperm in the process of grinding, crushing, cracking or extruding the kernels. By definition the word “whole” in “whole wheat flour” means that the entire kernel has been ground into flour.
The addition of the word “grain” does not change the meaning of whole wheat flour.–LiveStrong
These vegan apple muffins are not gluten-free, but this link to the Minimalist Baker will help adjust it for those that want to give it a try.
Sweetening with Date Paste
This recipe calls for brown sugar, and many people are avoiding refined sugars. For those who using only natural sweeteners, date paste can be used in this recipe. It’s pretty simple to make date paste using the instructions here.
- Soak 1/2 cup of dates in 1/2 cup of water overnight or approximately 8 hours.
- Remove dates from water and set the water aside.
- Puree dates in food processor or blender.
- Add a few tablespoons of soaking water to the date puree and continue to blend. Blend until the date paste is creamy.
- Add more soaking water if needed.
So scrumptious and easy to make, no one will ever guess these are vegan apple cinnamon muffins!
Did you know you can adjust the serving sizes of any of my recipes? Simply go to the ‘Servings’ listed in the recipe card right above the ingredients list. Hover over the number of servings, and a sliding bar will appear. Slide to the number of servings you would like, and the ingredients will automatically adjust the amounts.
Other Plant-Based Apple and Snack Recipes
Plant-Based Starter Kits
Want to go plant-based but not sure where to begin? We have Plant-Based Starter Kits for only $27 that include a book, DVD set, and all the material shown below. Click photo to find out more and how to order.
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 cup brown sugar or date paste
- 15 oz apple sauce (or 1.5 cups)
- 1/2 cup almond milk (or other plant milk)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup apple, diced
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
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In large bowl, mix together all dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, brown sugar (if using).
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In medium bowl, whisk together apple sauce, almond milk, vanilla, vinegar, and date paste (if using).
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Pour well-blended wet mixture into large bowl with dry ingredients.
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Peel and dice 1/2 cup apples, add to bowl, along with raisins, and mix well.
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Spoon batter into a silicon muffin baking non-stick pan or paper muffin cups. I recommend the silicon pan because these seem to stick to paper cups after baking. Place in oven and bake for 25 minutes.
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Remove from oven, allow to cool, and serve.
Thank you Terri! The muffins look very appetizing!
You’re welcome, Nadege! Enjoy!
OMGoodness! These look fabulous!
And BONUS: I already have all these ingredients! Can’t wait to make these! Thanks!
I like this blog. I’m so sick to death of blogs that have a lot of dialog about their lives and how their day is going and you have to scroll through dozens of unnecessary photos, (and ads if they are trying to make money). Kudos to the author for excellent organization of this blog! First thing you get is the actual recipe and it’s easy to quickly print! There is product endorsement, at the end and plenty of photos but not ad nauseam. The recipes all sound great too! Thank you!
Wow! Thank you so much for the positive feedback! I am glad you like the layout of my blog. I agree that too many ads and needing to scroll way down the page to find the actual recipe to print can be a turn-off. Trying to make it as user-friendly as possible and love hearing that it’s heading in the right direction. Thanks again!
I agree with you 100%. I cannot stand all those blogs where before the recipe they talk about all their life history, there’s really no need for this.
I expect we add the raisins at the same time as we add the apple. Oopsie alert! 🙂
That’s exactly right, and I will make note of it in the recipe. Thanks for the heads-up!
Do you know the cup measurement for the applesauce? I don’t have a scale to weigh it. Thanks!
Yes, 15 oz is around 1-1/2 cups. Hope you enjoy!
These are delicious!! Thank you!
So glad you like them! They save well, so we eat them for days.
I can’t whait to make these for my grandson.
Awesome! You made me smile! 😀
Thank you for this recipe, Terri! Simple and perfect for this Fall season. Just baked them and they are delicious!!!
You’re welcome, Barbara! So glad you are enjoying them this morning!
This recipe sounds great! When I feel better and can make them I will☺️What is the serving size for breakfast? I’m hoping 2 Thank you VERY much, for your work!
I personally would eat 2 muffins with fruit for breakfast. I hope you feel better soon!
Hi Terri,
I was hoping to find a Pinterest button to save recipe for later. Did I miss it? Thanks
Hi Diane! If you are on a desktop, there is a Pinterest button that floats in the top left corner of the page, in the green leafy background. There’s Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and + button for other social media outlets.
UPDATE: After I saw your message, I checked my phone and realized that there were no social media buttons showing. That must have happened when I changed my blog theme over a few weeks ago. Thank you for letting me know! I have now installed a plug in to fix it. If you are on a phone or other handheld device, the share buttons are now across the top of the post, right above the picture, as well as below. Hope this helps, and thank you for following!
Can you post a date paste recipe?
Absolutely! I’ve added to the bottom of recipe as well.
Date Paste Recipe-
1. Soak 1/2 cup of dates in 1/2 cup of water overnight or approximately 8 hours.
2. Remove dates from water and set the water aside.
3. Puree dates in food processor or blender.
4. Add a few tablespoons of soaking water to the date puree and continue to blend. Blend until the date paste is creamy.
5. Add more soaking water if needed.
How do you make Apple sauce? I have your recepie book and it uses Apple sauce alot. I live in Ireland and have never come across it. Also we don’t have Sukanat sugar either. Any suggestions? Many thanks Orla
Orla, I had no idea that Ireland doesn’t have apple sauce. Interesting to find out. Here’s and easy recipe for it.
Apple Sauce-http://allrecipes.com/recipe/51301/sarahs-applesauce/
Sucanat is just a less refined sugar. Any sugar/sweetener would work just fine.
Hope this helps!
My son is allergic to wheat, would there be a substitute for the flour? (Almond, brown rice or sougrham?)
Yes, here is a link that might help. http://www.natureseats.com/blog/recipe-blog/item/almond-flour-flour-conversion
Thank you for the recipe! I made these yesterday and they are delicious! So fluffy! And easy to make. 🙂
For who would be curios of a method to make homemade apple sauce: (this makes 2 cups and a bit, depending on the size of the apples) I chop 4 apples in the food processor with a bit of water (5-8 tablespoons) and the juice of one lemon, then I put it in the microwave for 7-8min occasionally stopping and steering until all the apple is cooked. Or you can make it on the stove until the apples are cooked. I use this whenever there is a call for apple sauce in a recipe and it works great.
These are delicious and satisfying! Great recipe…thank you!
Gloria, if you are the one that posted the picture on Instagram this morning, your photo is fabulous! I’ve shared the link to it all over Facebook and Twitter. So glad that you like these! If you’re like me, they’ll be a snack later today too!
Hi, can you make a cake instead? If so, what size pan would I use and at what temperature?
We made these this morning and they were wonderful!!!! Thank you so much for a healthy, tasty recipe.
10/10 great muffin and easy to make thanks for sharing.?
I have Whole Wheat Pastry flour and organic spelt flour….will either of those work in place of whole wheat flour?????
Yes, the spelt will work just as well as the whole wheat. I might even use 1/2 spelt and 1/2 pastry flour. The muffins should turn out great!
Can I use almond flour?
I have not used almond flour but think it would work just fine.
These are delicious! I used whole wheat pastry flour and the muffins were so light and moist.
I just made these muffins, needed to add half a cup of almond milk to get the batter to a good consistency. Very tasty!
These are delicious. Thank you for great recipe.
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed them!
I made the applesauce muffins yesterday but baked it in a cake pan, it’s delicious . This is one I’ll be making a lot! Thank you for another great recipe!
I just made these. The flavor is delicious, but I must have done something wrong, they never cooked in the middle. I will try again later.
Ovens vary greatly, so I would suggest cooking a little longer next time. Muffins can be tested for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the middle. When the toothpick comes out clean, they are ready. Happy baking!
I’ve been alternating making the sweet potato & apple muffins and making them in double batches when I make them…they’re so convenient to keep in the freezer so I can grab them on my way out the door in the mornings to eat while I drive!!! BOTH ARE SOOO GOODDDD & FILLING!!!!
I just made the muffins, and I like them. You’re right, they are very sticky on the papers. Would adding more cinnamon to the recipe affect it negatively?
Nancy, I’m glad that you liked the muffins! Adding more cinnamon to the recipe would be just fine. I’m a cinnamon-lover too.