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Living Well Mom

I help moms with simple, natural ways to look after their families. Find recipes, fun stuff for kids, and simple DIY ideas. Plus natural solutions made easy peasy!

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Quick And Easy Apple Muffins Recipe (With Oats)

By Erika in Food for Kids

apple recipes muffinsThis post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Apple Oatmeal Muffins - this simple muffin recipe is both mom and kid-approved because it’s delicious without a lot of sugar. It’s a great snack for school or after school. Make ahead and freeze too!
Apple Oatmeal Muffins - this simple muffin recipe is both mom and kid-approved because it’s delicious without a lot of sugar. It’s a great snack for school or after school. Make ahead and freeze too!

These apple muffins are easy to make and full of healthy ingredients and addictive cinnamon flavor. Slightly sweet and very filling, this moist muffin recipe makes an ideal grab-and-go breakfast or snack for the kids.

I’m always on the lookout for healthy easy new recipes. Because as much as I’d love to try some of the more detailed ones, I simply don’t have the time these days. That’s why I was happy to find this recipe for apple oatmeal muffins tucked away inside my recipe box.

I’ve made this recipe countless times over the years and it has never failed me! Give this one a try and see.

apple oatmeal muffins pinterest image this idea now...

Simple And Nutritious Muffin Recipe

A lot of muffin recipes are very sweet and, while yummy, that isn’t something I want to feed my kids every day. 

But since this one only uses 1/2 cup of brown sugar to sweeten this recipe, it’s a nice snack option for the kids. They also get a nice boost of nutrition from oats and shredded apples. Walnuts add a punch of protein too. 

However, the best part of this recipe is that my kids really enjoy them, and I’m sure yours will too!

Plus, I love how simple this recipe is to make.

close up of healthy oatmeal muffins with apples

Ingredients

  • oats/oatmeal – old-fashioned oats are best because they provide a heartier texture, but you could use quick-cooking
  • flour
  • brown sugar
  • baking powder
  • baking soda
  • salt
  • cinnamon
  • buttermilk
  • canola oil
  • egg
  • shredded apple – you’ll need the equivalent of 1-2 medium apples
  • walnuts (optional)

Note: Please grab the handy printable recipe down below for the full recipe!

oats, brown sugar, flour and walnuts

How To Make Apple Muffins

These are some of the easiest muffins to throw together and make, so they’re perfect for busy families!

Step 1

Heat the oven to 400º. Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl.

brown sugar, flour, and baking powder in a bowl

Step 2

In a separate large bowl, beat together the wet ingredients. Whisk the buttermilk, oil, and egg together. Then, stir in the shredded apple.

Step 3

Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and stir until the batter is just moistened.

batter for apple muffins

Step 4

Add the walnuts. (Not a fan, or have an allergy? You can leave the nuts out!)

Step 5

Spray muffin tins with non-stick spray. Or use paper muffin cups. If you use paper cups, you still need to spray them because these muffins do stick.

I used some paper muffin cups, and then I ran out.

Step 6

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until your muffins test done. Cool on a wire rack.

baked apple and oats muffins

Apple Oatmeal Muffins Tips And Ideas

If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use sour milk instead. To make sour milk, just pour 1 TB of lemon juice into a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to reach the 1 cup line. Let it sit and “sour” for 5 minutes.

I often include a teaspoon or so of vanilla extract in my apple recipes (like this delicious homemade apple crisp). If you want to add more depth of flavor in this recipe, add a little bit of vanilla extract.

You could also try making them with whole wheat flour. I didn’t have any in the house when I made this batch, or I would have tried it myself.

I’ve started shredding several apples at a time in my food processor and storing the shredded apples in a zipped bag in the freezer. Then it’s a breeze to throw this recipe together whenever I want.

layout of printable recipe binder pages

Using a food processor isn’t necessary, but it does cut down the workload and speed up the process tremendously!

If you want a gluten-free version, check out my gluten-free apple oatmeal muffins.

golden brown breakfast muffin recipe

FAQs

Here are some common questions I see readers ask about this recipe. If you don’t see your question below, please leave it in the comments!

What kind of apples do you use for baking?

Although you can use pretty much any apple in this recipe, I think the best apples to use are Cortland, Gala, Jonagold, Pink Lady, Macintosh, Honeycrisp, or Fiji apples. 

Different apples will add varying levels of sweetness. If you want to make muffins that are very low in sugar (and even a tad tart), try using Granny Smith apples. Note: Using the Granny Smith variety will also reduce the moisture levels and make these muffins drier.

Do I need to peel apples for baking?

No, you don’t need to! I choose to just because my kids prefer the texture of the muffins without the peels. But if you want to keep the peels on your shredded apples, you can.

Can you freeze homemade apple muffins?

Yes, they will freeze very well for up to 3 months. Then, when you want to use them, pull them out of the freezer and let them sit on the counter until they come to room temperature.

Can I use a different type of nuts?

Yes, if you don’t have walnuts on hand, you could easily swap them out for pecans, almonds, or even pumpkin or sunflower seeds.

These muffins aren’t super sweet, making them perfect for a morning snack. And they’re so delicious that you’ll be fielding requests to make them often.

I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

baked apple oatmeal breakfast muffins in white paper muffin cups

More Apple Recipes To Love

If you and your family love apple recipes, be sure to check out these popular recipes too!

  • Paleo Apple Pecan Crisp
  • Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake With Crumb Topping
  • Caramel Apple Cake
  • Mini Apple Pies
  • Easy Apple Monkey Bread Bites
Print

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

Delicious, without a lot of sugar, this simple Apple Oatmeal Muffins recipe is both mom and kid-approved

  • Author: Erika Bragdon
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 12–18 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups oats/oatmeal (old-fashioned or quick cooking)
  • 1 1/4 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp baking soda
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 c buttermilk*
  • 2 TB canola oil
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 cup shredded apple (1–2 medium)
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions

  1. *If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can use sour milk instead. To make that – pour 1 TB of lemon juice into a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to reach the 1 cup line. Let sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Heat the oven to 400º.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
  4. In another bowl, beat the buttermilk, oil, & egg; stir in apple. Add the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Stir in walnuts.
  5. Spray muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray. Or use paper muffin cups and spray those too. (These muffins do stick)
  6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until tests done.

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    Filed Under: Food for Kids, Recipes, Snacks Tagged With: apple recipes, muffinsPublished on June 28, 2022

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    About Erika

    Erika Bragdon is a flower essence practitioner and a second-generation homeschooling mom with 3 kids at home and 1 in college. She enjoys her chickens, goats, and gardening on a small farm in New Hampshire, and is passionate about sharing flower essences and more ways to renew body, mind, and soul with moms.

    Comments

    1. Rita says

      December 2, 2020 at 1:02 pm

      Let me first say, spraying muffin liners first was brilliant. Secondly, most important these muffins are the bomb! Wouldn’t they look lovely with a little streusel topping swirled on top?
      I dint have buttermilk or a lemon to make my own, I just used whole milk.

      Also, I had enough batter to make some mini muffins after making 12 large. Please someone stop me from popping these little ones in my mouth!

      Reply
      • Erika says

        December 7, 2020 at 9:48 am

        Great idea on adding a streusel to the top – it’s so easy too. I’m glad you enjoyed these muffins, Rita. 🙂

        Reply
    2. Heidi says

      August 15, 2022 at 5:26 pm

      We all loved these muffins. They are so easy to make and a delicious way to enjoy the fruits of our apple picking!

      Reply
    3. Jen says

      October 4, 2022 at 7:00 pm

      I had large flake oatmeal on hand so I used it. I was out of canola/Veg oil, so I substituted olive oil. Turned out amazingly delicious!!! Thanks so much for the recipe!!

      Reply

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