Healthy apple oatmeal muffins are naturally sweetened with apple, a touch of honey and cinnamon. They are gluten-free, full of fibre and have plenty of protein to keep you feeling full.
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What you'll love about the recipe
- These healthy apple oatmeal muffins are healthy, filling and delicious
- Gluten free, dairy free, low in added sugar and low in saturated fat
- Made with wholegrain oats which give a lovely moist texture and flavour. Baking with oats rather than wheat flour increases the protein content
- Healthy apple oatmeal muffins are easy to make and ready in half an hour. They are easy to transport and great for breakfast on the go or as a healthy lunchbox treat.
Ingredients
Each healthy muffin contains just oats, fresh apple and spices, a teaspoon each of honey and olive oil, and some egg. These really are guilt-free muffins:)
Oats. You'll need rolled or porridge oats to make healthy apple oatmeal muffins. Alternatively, you could use oat flour.
For gluten free muffins, use certified oats. (Gluten free oats are processed separately to avoid becoming contaminated with gluten from other grains.)
Oats are a great source of vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron and B vitamins. They'll help to keep your blood sugar levels stable, and have numerous other benefits such as improved heart health. Read more to see some of the evidence about the health benefits of wholegrain oats.
Apple: use any variety of dessert apple in these apple muffins. I often use apple puree as a sweetener in baking, but in this recipe I've used raw apples to simplify the process. Unpeeled apples will add slightly more fibre.
Honey. Or if you'd prefer, sweeten your low sugar muffins with the same quantity of maple syrup. I also sometimes use molasses which adds a slight hint of caramel, and goes very well with the flavour of apple and cinnamon.
Eggs help to add structure and moisture to the recipe. They are also very nutritious.
Olive oil - or substitute coconut oil or melted butter if you prefer. These dairy free low-fat muffins use only a small amount of oil.
Spices: these apple muffins are flavoured with cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg. If you'd prefer, substitute mixed ground spice, or feel free to experiment with a different combination of spices.
Cinnamon adds a wonderful warm flavour, and along with many other spices, it also has health benefits. Cinnamon is a powerful anti inflammatory, and can help to control blood sugar levels
Raising agent: you'll need to add some baking powder to your healthy apple muffins to make them lighter and fluffier
You can also use similar ingredients to make these chewy healthy oat and raisin cookies for another healthy treat.
How to make healthy apple oatmeal muffins
It's easiest to use a food processor for this recipe. You could also use a blender to get the same result. If you prefer to make the muffins by hand, then ideally use oat flour rather than oats and grate the apples before adding to the mixture.
For this super easy recipe, you just need to roughly chop and core the apples. I always leave the peel on - you won't really notice the peel in the mixture, and unpeeled apples retain more of their fibre and vitamins.
Blitz the oats until they are fine and powdery.
Then add the chopped apples and blitz again.
Add the honey, oil, spices, eggs and baking powder and pulse gently until mixed.
Spoon the mixture into a muffin tin. It's best to use paper cases to line the tin, otherwise you may struggle to prise your muffins out.
Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees (160 fan).
This recipe will make 6 large muffins. Depending on the size of your muffin tins, you might squeeze 1 or 2 extra out of the recipe. If you want to make smaller mini muffins, take them out of the oven after 16-18 minutes.
Serving and storage
These delicious healthy apple oatmeal muffins are great for breakfast, or as an anytime snack. They are filling and substantial, and the combination of low sugar and high fibre means that they will keep hunger pangs at bay for hours. They make a very healthy start to the day.
Once they are cool, store healthy apple oatmeal muffins in an airtight container for 2 or 3 days, they will retain their moistness. You can also freeze them.
You might also like to start the morning with one of these healthy muesli bars.
Frequently asked questions
A large healthy apple oatmeal muffins has 251 calories. They are much more nutrient-dense than most muffins, with more goodness for every calorie.
Many muffins are high in added sugar, saturated fat and calories. However, these healthy muffins are made with wholegrain oats rather than refined flour, and they are low in added sugar and saturated fat.
One of these healthy apple oatmeal muffins is ideal for breakfast. They contain protein and fibre, and are low in added sugar to keep you feeling full. You could also add a bowl of fruit and yogurt to increase protein and vitamins further.
Other healthy baking recipes
Lots of recipes on Cinnamon and Kale are naturally sweetened with fruit. You might like to try this healthy courgette cake or this carrot, apple and sultana loaf.
Or if you want to experiment with some other delicious muffin recipes, you can make these healthy blueberry muffins with coconut flour, or quinoa muffins which use wholegrain quinoa as a base.
Carrot oat muffins, rhubarb and custard muffins and healthy blackberry muffins are made with oats and are low in added sugar.
Happy baking, and if you have any questions or comments, please do get in touch.
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Recipe
Healthy Apple Oatmeal Muffins
Equipment
- Food processor can also make by hand
Ingredients
- 200 g rolled porridge oats
- 3 medium apples cored and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon each ground allspice, ginger and nutmeg
- 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees (160 degrees fan)
- Place the oats in a food processor and blitz until powdery. Add the chopped apple, and blitz until finely chopped.200 g rolled porridge oats, 3 medium apples
- Add the honey, oil, spices, eggs and baking powder and pulse gently until mixed.2 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 2 eggs, 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon each ground allspice, ginger and nutmeg, 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
- Spoon into a muffin tin lined with paper cases, and bake for 20 minutes until golden.
Notes
- For gluten free apple muffins, use oats that are certified gluten free.
- If you want to make the recipe without a food processor, use oat flour in place of whole oats and grate the apples.
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Claire says
These are so delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I will be having them with my yoghurt for breakfast.
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you, I'm so glad you like them:)
Ella says
Really easy recipe and perfect for kids lunch boxes.