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–+ servings
apple muffins on a white plate with apple slices
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5 from 4 votes

Dairy Free Muffins - Apple and Cinnamon

Apple and cinnamon dairy-free muffins, made from scratch. Soft and sweet, they are full of warming cinnamon and tender pieces of apple, all topped with crunchy raw sugar. Featuring healthier ingredients like applesauce, oats and coconut oil, they are the perfect dairy-free and egg-free treat for morning or afternoon tea or adding to lunchboxes.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: baking, Breakfast, healthy
Cuisine: Australian
Servings: 18 muffins
Calories: 139kcal
Author: Andrea Geddes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup milk of choice I used rice milk, but soy milk or any other plant-based milk will work.
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 ¾ cups self raising flour white or wholemeal (whole wheat).
  • ½ cup rolled oats
  • 2 ½ teaspoon cinnamon ground
  • ½ teaspoon ginger ground
  • 900 grams apples About six medium apples. No need to peel. Grate some of the apples to make 1 cup (firmly packed) and then finely dice the remaining apples into very small pieces.
  • ¾ cup applesauce
  • ⅓ cup maple syrup
  • ⅓ cup liquid coconut oil or canola/vegetable oil or grapeseed oil
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or essence

Optional

  • raw sugar, to sprinkle over the top
  • extra oats to sprinkle over the top
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 180 °C/356 F and grease or line muffin trays (18 holes for medium sized muffins, or 12 holes for larger muffins).
  • In a cup or small jug, stir your milk of choice and vinegar together and set aside for a few minutes to curdle while you prepare the other ingredients.
  • In a large mixing bowl, stir all of the dry ingredients (flour, oats, cinnamon, ginger) together until combined.
  • Using your hands, squeeze and discard about half of the juice from the grated apple and mix the wet ingredients (buttermilk, grated apple, diced apples, applesauce, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla) together in a bowl.
  • Add the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Gently stir until just combined.
  • Divide the mixture between the 18 (or 12) muffin holes. Top with a sprinkle of raw sugar (optional) and/or extra oats and bake for around 12-15 minutes for medium sized muffins, 15-18 minutes for large muffins, or until the muffins are cooked through, fluffy and lightly golden.
  • Remove the muffins from the oven and gently place them on a wire rack to cool completely. Handle with care, as they will be soft when fresh from the oven. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. When it comes to finding the best apple for baking, choose a crisp, tart variety like Granny Smith. They have a strong flavour and a texture that holds up well in baking. Golden Delicious, Jonathan, Honey Crisp or Pink Lady apples also work well.
  2. Use whichever type of dairy-free milk you prefer. Rice milk, oat milk and soy milk all curdle well, but almond milk, cashew milk or any other type of non-dairy milk can be used, depending on preference.
  3. Don't overmix the batter. Overmixing will give you gummy and dense muffins.
  4. The diced apple should be cut into very small pieces. Large chunks of apple won't cook through completely.
  5. The grated apple will be very wet and hold a lot of liquid. Before adding it to the muffin mixture, gently squeeze about half of the liquid from the grated apple, without draining it completely. It should still feel wet, but not be dripping.
  6. This recipe makes 12 large muffins, but for smaller lunchbox snacks, the batter can be divided into smaller muffin trays to make 18. Cooking times will vary slightly for smaller muffins.
  7. For extra texture and flavour, sprinkle the muffin tops with a little raw sugar and a few extra oats before baking.
  8. You can remove the peel from the apples if you prefer, but leaving it provides extra nutrients and texture.
  9. I find that using an ice cream scoop is the easiest and neatest way to get the batter into the muffin holes. This way, you can also ensure that all of the muffins are equally sized.
  10. Storage; Store these muffins at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 24 hours or in the fridge for 5 days.
  11. Freezing; Dairy-free muffins can be be frozen in an air-tight container or freezer bag and stored for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave them at room temperature for an hour, or place them (covered) in the refrigerator overnight.
  12. Please note that the nutrition information is based on the batter being divided into 18 muffin holes, with one muffin being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional add-ins or sides served with the muffins.
  13. This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary. 

Nutrition

Calories: 139kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 142mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 31IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg