Healthy Apple Muffins

Name: Healthy Apple Muffins
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 cup old fashioned oats; 1 cup whole wheat flour; 10 pitted dates; 2 large ripe bananas; 1 cup greek yogurt (plain or vanilla); 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon ground clove; 2 apples (peeled and diced small); ½ cup old fashioned oats; ½ cup whole wheat flour; 6 pitted dates; 1 large ripe banana; ½ cup plain greek yogurt; 1 large egg; ½ teaspoon baking soda; ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract; ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ⅛ teaspoon ground clove; 1 apple (peeled and diced small)

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Tender, cinnamon-laced healthy apple muffins are perfect to start the morning, a sweet after-dinner treat, or pack as a snack!

Easily made in the blender without oil or butter but with whole wheat flour, Greek yogurt, and filled with bites of fresh apple pieces!

Healthy apple muffins, wrapped in brown paper sitting in a deep silver tray lined with white cloth. There is an additional apple in the corner as well as some leftover oats.

These cozy flavored blender muffins are super fast to whip together and burst with cinnamon apple flavor. My kiddos truly love them and we make them in both mini and regular muffin sizes!

What to Love About These Apple Muffins

It is Monday and I am sitting here in my pajamas declaring that today we eat a hot breakfast that's also super easy to put together. Who's with me?!

This muffin recipe is filled with all sorts of whole food ingredients and get your day going goodness that's constantly baked in this house for quick breakfast or after-meal sweet treats with the kiddos.

Yes, we're talking about these deliciously healthy apple muffins.

Why are we loving them?

no refined sugar (sweetened with dates!)
no butter
no oil
combo of oats and whole wheat flour
light texture
super moist (thanks apple pieces!)
warming fall spices

While you can eat these healthy apple muffins for breakfast, they're also extremely satisfying for dessert! Especially with a generous serving of whipped cream if I may say so myself.

View from above of a black metal tray containing lots of items. There is a deep silver tray lined with white cloth and filled with apple cupcakes. There are 2 leftover apples on the tray, a small bowl of oats, a few dates and a cup of tea. Next to the black tray is a white plate with butter on it.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Making these easy healthy apple muffins couldn't be easier, you'll just need to grab a few pantry staples and in only 30 minutes, you'll have yourself a wonderfully baked batch of muffins that fill your home with all the comforting smells!

All the ingredients required to make apple muffins. There is a white plate containing whole wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, clove and old fashioned oats. There is a wooden egg holder holding 2 eggs, a small white ramekin dish with vanilla extract, 2 very brown bananas, a white plate full of dates. 2 red apples and a white bowl with greek yogurt.

For the sweets: Instead of sweetening with granulated sugar, we add dates. If you don't like dates, or just prefer not to use them, you can swap in maple syrup or even regular granulated sugar.

Hint: My favorite tip for baking with dates is to soak them in hot water before blending or chopping. It softens them so they're easier to blend, especially if your blender is not super powerful.

For the grains: blend together both oats and whole wheat flour. The oats add heartiness and retain the moisture from the wet ingredients, but the blend of flour with the oats adds lightness.

Instead of oil or butter, we're blending up very ripe bananas. The kind that's brown and spotted and really soft. They're naturally sweet and along with just a little greek yogurt, are all the wet ingredients we need.

If you don't have yogurt or if you want to keep these apple cakes vegan you can substitute an extra banana and a flaxseed egg.

The yogurt used in here makes this muffin extra light and super moist. I use plain greek yogurt, but you can also use vanilla, it will just add a touch more sweetness.

The best part though is the bites of fresh apple folded into the batter! Not only adding moisture but a crisp apple taste.

The batter for the apple muffins is sitting in a large white bowl. It is a creamy brown color and the apple chucnks are very visible.

It's like a pie that we can eat any time of day without judgment. If you really want to experiment, you could fold in some nuts or raisins at this point, however, I prefer just the apple for a classic Fall taste.

How to Make Healthy Apple Muffins

If you've been around this fall, you know I'm a sucker for a fun baking pan. This autumn-inspired cakelet pan from Nordicware doesn't disappoint in the totally snackable size cute cakes department.

I use this pan to make this recipe in a mini muffins size, otherwise you'll need two regular muffin tins.

A white bowl with 2 handles on it is filled with dates and hot water.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two muffin tins with paper liners. In a small bowl, soak the dates in piping-hot water for about 5 minutes. While the dates soak, chop the apple into small diced pieces, set aside.

Looking through the top of a blender with no lid, you can see banana dates and yogurt.

Drain the dates from the water. Add the dates, banana, egg, yogurt, vanilla, and spices to a blender. Blend on high for 20-30 seconds until all the ingredients are finely mixed.

Looking through the top of a blender with no lid, you can seea blended cream color batter.

Add the flour, oats, and baking soda to the blender. Blend on high for 30-45 seconds until completely mixed.

Scoop into the muffin tin and bake for 23 to 25 minutes until a toothpick poked in the center of a muffin comes out clean.

A pile of apple muffins lined in brown papers in a cloth lined container. One of the muffins has been broken in half and a chunk of butter is on top of it.

FAQs

How long do these muffins stay fresh?

These muffins will stay fresh for around 4 days. My favorite way to store them is inside an airtight container, with a piece of paper towel underneath and also on top of my muffins. This will catch any moisture that gets into your container and prevent your muffins from going soggy! You are welcome!

Can I freeze these muffins?

Yes, but make sure they are completely cool first. Then I would suggest wrapping it in some plastic wrap and putting it in the freezer. It will last around 2 months there. You can thaw it and reheat it whenever you like.

Can I add other mix-ins to this recipe?

Yes of course - get creative! If you don't want to use apples, why don't you add cranberries for a festive touch? Or dried fruits like raisins and sultanas. Nuts would also work! If you do try out any new flavor combinations, please let me know in the comments below.

Hungry For More Scrumptious Apple Treats?

If you are looking for some more indulgent apple treats, then you need to check out my Mascarpone Swirled Apple Loaf with creamy mascarpone icing. It's moist, has a tender crumb, a creamy cheese swirl in the center, and a sweet glaze on top, it's SO good - trust me!

Or try my Apple Butter, it's simple to make and bursting with apple flavor! It's a delicious spread for toast, to use in tarts, and a quick way to add a spoonful of the taste of fall to any dish!

Did you love how easy it was to make these healthy apple muffins in the blender? Me too! Try my Pumpkin Spice Pancakes for another delicious, healthy breakfast that can be blended together in only minutes!

If you loved these Healthy Apple Muffins, please consider leaving a star rating and comment below! Don't forget to tag @hungerthirstplay when you post on Instagram and Facebook so I can see all your hard work!