Apple Cinnamon Muffins are soft, moist, and bursting with cozy flavors. With tender chunks of fresh apples, a swirl of sweet cinnamon and a buttery, crunchy, streusel topping, these muffins make the best breakfast or dessert!

If you’re in the mood for more delicious recipes, be sure to check out my Raspberry White Chocolate Chip Muffins, Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins and Easy Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls too!

three apple cinnamon muffins on a wood tray. the front muffin has the paper liner pulled down.

Whipping up a batch of muffins is one of my absolute favorite things to bake. They’re quick, easy, delicious, and perfect for just about any time of day, whether it’s a grab-and-go breakfast, an afternoon snack, or a sweet little dessert. While I love experimenting with all kinds of flavors, from lemon to pumpkin, blueberry to banana, there’s something extra special about the warm, cozy taste of apples and cinnamon.

Honestly, if I could dedicate an entire blog to just muffins, I probably would! But I try to keep things fresh with a variety of sweet treats.

Now let’s talk about my next two loves: apples and cinnamon. Don’t those two just make the best flavor combo ever? Apples are one of my favorite fruits, and cinnamon is my go-to sweet spice. Whether it’s applesauce, breads, cakes, or cookies, this duo makes everything better.

So naturally, I had to combine my muffin obsession with my love for apples and cinnamon, and that’s how these Apple Cinnamon Muffins came to life.

They’re soft, moist, and packed with chunks of tender apple, warm spices, and topped with the most irresistible brown sugar cinnamon streusel. The best part? The topping is super easy to make, no cutting in butter required, and it bakes up crunchy, buttery, and full of sweet, spiced flavor. Honestly, once you try it, you might wish you’d doubled the streusel.

These muffins are everything I love about fall baking, cozy, flavorful, and totally comforting. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

apple cinnamon muffins in muffin tin

Ingredients Needed for Apple Cinnamon Muffins

These apple streusel muffins have two main components: the muffin batter and the streusel topping. Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe: 

  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Light brown sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Ground cinnamon and nutmeg
  • Salt
  • Egg
  • Milk
  • Unsweetened applesauce 
  • Vanilla bean paste (or extract) 
  • Apples
  • Unsalted butter
three apple crumble muffins on a wood serving tray. One muffin is cut in half.

How to Make Apple Cinnamon Muffins

This is such an easy apple muffins recipe! Here are the basic steps: 

  1. Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another. 
  2. Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just blended.
  3. Gently fold in diced apples.
  4. Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins. 
  5. Make the streusel topping and sprinkle evenly over the muffins. 
  6. Bake until done. 

What are the Best Apples for Apple Muffins? 

Fresh, sweeter apples work best for these cinnamon apple muffins. Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Granny Smith are all good choices.

How to Store Apple Crumble Muffins

These apple muffins with streusel topping can be kept at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. These also freeze well! 

three apple streusel muffins on a wood tray with cinnamon sticks and apple slices

Tips for Making Apple Crumble Muffins

  • This recipe makes slightly over 12 regular size muffins. I got about 15 muffins out of the batter, but you may have more or less.
  • I like to use this vanilla bean paste in all of my recipes that call for vanilla extract. The paste gives it a stronger vanilla flavor, without causing the mix to become watered down.
  • Be careful not to overmix the batter once the wet and dry ingredients are combined. You want a light and airy muffin, so mixing until everything is just combined will do the trick.
  • To get those bakery-style muffins, bake them at 425°F for 5 minute. Then, without opening the oven door, lower temperature to 375°F and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. This will help achieve those fluffy, tall muffins.

This apple cinnamon muffin recipe is easily one of the best muffin batches that I’ve made. Full of apples and cinnamon, this recipe is easy, delicious, and a must for any apple lover!

Looking for more apple recipes? I’ve got you covered!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins are soft, moist, and bursting with cozy flavors. With tender chunks of fresh apples, a swirl of sweet cinnamon and a buttery, crunchy, streusel topping, these muffins make the best breakfast or dessert!
2 from 1 rating

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Yield: 16
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Apple Cinnamon Muffins are soft, moist, and bursting with cozy flavors. With tender chunks of fresh apples, a swirl of sweet cinnamon and a buttery, crunchy, streusel topping, these muffins make the best breakfast or dessert!
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Ingredients
 

For the muffins:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar, , packed
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup milk, (any kind)
  • ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste, (or extract)
  • 1½ cups diced apples, (about 3 small apples, I used honey crisp)

For the streusel topping:

  • ½ cup light brown sugar, , packed
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter, , melted
  • ⅔ cup all-purpose flour

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease a 12-count muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray or line with paper liners. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl, combine the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the egg, milk, applesauce, and vanilla bean paste (or extract) in a medium bowl until thoroughly combined.
  • Slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Gently fold in diced apples. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tins, filling each cup about 3/4 full.
  • To make the streusel topping, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, and flour. Stir well until it resembles wet sand. Sprinkle over tops of muffins.
  • Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, then, without opening oven door, lower temperature to 375°F and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of muffin comes out clean. Baking at 425°F first helps to achieve that high, bakery-style muffin. Remove from oven and let cool.

Notes

  • See my tips for making these apple cinnamon muffins in the post (above the recipe box)
  • I like to use this vanilla bean paste in place of vanilla extract in all of my recipes.
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 195kcal, Carbohydrates: 37g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 88mg, Potassium: 129mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin A: 135IU, Vitamin C: 0.6mg, Calcium: 59mg, Iron: 1.2mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Author: Gayle
Did you make this recipe?Let me know! Mention @pumpkin_n_spice on Instagram or tag #pumpkin_n_spice.