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These Apple Oatmeal Muffins are exactly how I like my muffins. They’re soft and moist in the middle, lightly sweet, and finished with a buttery cinnamon streusel. I love how the grated apples soften right into the batter as the muffins bake, so you get apple flavor in every bite without big pieces of fruit. No mixer needed, and they freeze really well for busy mornings.
When I have extra apples in the fridge, these healthy apple oatmeal muffins are one of the first things I make with them. The muffins work just as well for an easy breakfast as they do for an afternoon snack, and I love being able to stash a few in the freezer for later.
I also wanted them to have more nutrition than a standard apple muffin, so I worked in oats, white whole wheat flour, flaxseed, and Greek yogurt and the texture is still perfect.
A Healthier Apple Muffin That’s Still Moist
These apple oat muffins are made with a mix of whole wheat flour, oats, and ground flaxseed for more protein and fiber than your average muffin.
And because no one wants a “healthy” muffin that’s dry and dense, grating the apples helps keep the muffins soft and moist while adding natural sweetness and plenty of apple flavor.
Here are a few more reasons I love them:
- Protein and fiber built in. Each muffin has 5 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber from ingredients like oats, whole wheat flour, flaxseed, and Greek yogurt.
- The buttery cinnamon streusel topping. The light streusel topping adds a sweet, crumbly layer to these apple cinnamon oatmeal muffins. It’s my favorite part!
- Extras for busy mornings. I like freezing a few for those mornings when there’s no time to make anything. Having muffins ready to go makes getting out the door a little easier!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s what I reach for when making these muffins, plus a few swaps if you’re working with what’s in your pantry.
For full recipe instructions and complete list of ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of this page.
- Old fashioned oats: I use old-fashioned rolled oats for extra fiber in both the muffins and the topping. Quick oats can work, too, but will give you a finer texture. Skip steel-cut oats, since they won’t soften enough during baking.
- Apples: I use Honeycrisp apples for their sweet, slightly tart flavor and juiciness. Fuji or Gala would also be good choices. Peel them first so you don’t get bits of apple skin in the muffins.
- Flour: White whole wheat flour has the fiber of traditional whole wheat, but with a milder flavor. It’s sometimes called golden wheat. You can also use all purpose flour.
- Ground flaxseed: Ground flaxseed and flaxseed meal are the same thing, and either golden or brown works here. Skip whole flaxseeds, since they won’t absorb moisture or mix into the batter the same way.
- Greek yogurt: Stick with plain Greek yogurt so the apple and cinnamon can shine. I like full-fat or 2% Greek yogurt for these muffins. Regular yogurt is thinner and can change the batter’s consistency, so I don’t recommend that swap.
- Maple syrup: This lightly sweetens the muffins and adds a little maple flavor. Sugar-free maple syrup works, too, or you can try an equal amount of honey for a different flavor.
- Streusel topping: Cold salted butter helps the flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon form little crumbles and gives the perfect amount of buttery flavor.
How to Make Apple Oatmeal Muffins
- Prep the pan and mix the dry ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, ground flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, maple syrup, avocado oil, eggs, vanilla, and peeled, grated apples.
- Combine the batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
- Fill the muffin cups: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. A medium cookie scoop like this works well here, using about 2 scoops per muffin, depending on the size of your scoop.
- Make the streusel: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cold, diced butter and use clean hands to work it into the mixture until crumbly. It should look like wet sand, with some bigger clumps.
- Add the topping and bake: Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the muffin batter. Bake the apple oatmeal muffins for 20–22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
jamie’s tips
My Best Tips for Baking Apple Oat Muffins
Before you get baking, here are a few tips to help you make your best batch of apple oat muffins!
- Don’t overmix the batter. Too much mixing develops the gluten in the flour and can make the muffins tough. Once the dry ingredients go in, gently stir just until you don’t see dry streaks.
- Make it easy to get them out. I recommend a silicone muffin pan because they pop out so much easier than any other method. If using a regular muffin pan, be sure to use paper liners.
- Want mini apple oatmeal muffins? Use a mini muffin pan, filling each cup about ¾ full before adding the streusel. Bake at 350°F and start checking around 12 minutes. They’re ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out without wet batter. The smaller size is great for snacks and lunchboxes!
Meal Prep and Storage
Here’s how to prep and keep the extras for later.
- Store: Let the muffins cool completely, then keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or the fridge for 5-7 days.
- Freeze: Wrap cooled muffins individually in plastic wrap, then place them in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months in the freezer. That way, you can take out just what you need.
- Reheat: Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature, then microwave in 10-second bursts until warm. If you prefer a firmer streusel topping, warm them in a 300°F oven for about 5-10 minutes.
More Easy Muffin Recipes To Try
If you’ve made and loved these Apple Oatmeal Muffins or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and comments below!
Healthy Apple Oatmeal Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Wet ingredients
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups honeycrisp apples, peeled and grated (about 2 large apples)
Streusel topping
- 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
- optional: mix 1/3 powdered sugar + 1 tsp milk for a glaze to add before serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, ground flaxseed, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the apples, Greek yogurt, maple syrup, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until fully combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between prepared muffin pan. Note: A cookie scoop works well here, about 2 scoops per muffin.
- Make the streusel: In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the cubed butter and mix with clean hands until the mixture is fully combined and crumbly (should resemble wet sand, some bigger clumps are okay). Set aside.
- Sprinkle the prepared streusel topping evenly over the muffins.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before enjoying.
Notes
- Don’t overmix. Stir the batter just until no dry streaks remain. Overmixing can make the muffins dense or tough.
- Use old-fashioned rolled oats. This recipe was tested with rolled oats rather than quick or steel-cut oats.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
Food photography by Marie-Catherine Dubé.
