These simple, lightly sweetened gluten free apple muffins are packed with juicy bites of apple, cozy spices, and a secret ingredient: browned butter!
The perfect cozy bake, light and fluffy gluten free apple muffins are wonderful to make during apple season, but they're welcome any time you want to make a quick batch of fruit muffins. I used the Golden Delicious apples from our tree, but any sweet apples work wonderfully here. The browned butter adds a depth of flavor that's out of this world good. Let's get to baking!
Love apples? Make my recipes for gluten free apple cinnamon bread, gluten free apple scones, or gluten free applesauce bread!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
These moist and sweet gluten free apple muffins are so good I promise you won't be able to tell they're gluten free! All the basics are here, but the real stand out is the lightly browned butter that takes these muffins from basic to brilliant. Here's why you'll love this recipe:
- Adjustable spices - I love that you can use any combo of spices you love in these apple muffins. Want to just add cinnamon? Sure thing. Like cardamom and cloves? They will also work!
- Sweet and tender - No dry or gritty crumb here! You'd never be able to guess that these are gluten free muffins (trust me on this one).
- Gorgeous crumb - Sometimes muffins fall flat, but you'll use enough baking powder and a higher oven temperature to ensure perfectly risen muffins every time.
Ingredient Notes
- Butter - Unsalted butter is best so that it doesn't compete with the sweetness of the muffins.
- Milk - I like whole milk in this recipe, and 2% milk also works.
- Eggs - I tested this recipe using large eggs so I recommend using large eggs!
- Gluten free flour - I used my homemade gluten free flour blend to make these muffins. Use whatever gluten free all-purpose flour you prefer.
- Granulated sugar - You can reduce the sugar by ¼ cup if you like, or use light brown sugar.
- Baking powder - Check your carton to make sure it's fresh, otherwise you may end up with flatter muffins.
- Salt - I always use fine sea salt in my recipes. Table salt also works.
- Ground spices - You can use your choices of spices here, like cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. I used an equal combination of ginger and cardamom.
- Apples - Use whatever apple you like. I used Golden Delicious apples from our tree.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for the full ingredient amounts.
Variations
- Nuts - Chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, or almonds, will give these muffins a bit of crunch.
- Cinnamon chips - For a burst of cinnamon flavor, add ½-1 cups of cinnamon chips.
- Add a topping - Mix together 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of granulated or brown sugar and sprinkle it evenly over the tops of the muffins before baking.
For another take on gluten free muffins, try my gluten free banana zucchini muffins.
What Apples are Best for Baking?
The best baking apples are firm so that they hold up well to the oven's heat. Some favorite apple varieties for baking include Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Crispin, and Cortland. Bright green Granny Smith apples are also a nice choice because they are firm and not too sweet.
Instructions
Here's a look at how you'll make this recipe, with the detailed instructions included in the recipe card lower down:
- Brown the butter: Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners and brown the butter.
- Make the batter: Whisk together the dry ingredients, and combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Combine: Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients then fold in the apples. Evenly divide the batter in the pan.
- Bake: Bake the muffins on 375℉ for about 25 minutes.
How Do You Brown Butter?
To brown butter, place the ½ cup of butter in a saucepan over medium heat (you may leave the stick of butter whole or slice it into tablespoons). Cook the butter, shaking and swirling the pan, until it is melted. After about 5-8 minutes, the butter will be fully melted and golden brown with a gorgeously nutty smell. Remove the butter from the heat and place in a bowl.
Baking Tip
Make sure to cool the browned butter before you add it to the batter. This is why your first step is to brown the butter - you want to give it a bit of time to cool before incorporating it into the muffin batter. If the butter is too hot it can cook the eggs, and the muffins will not cook properly.
Tips & Substitution Suggestions
If you need to make ingredient substitutions, I've included some easy swaps below, plus a few tips to help you make these gluten free apple muffins:
- Let the batter rest while the oven preheats - Gluten-free flours benefit from resting to let them absorb liquids in the batter, which makes for a better structured and tender final product.
- Use your favorite gluten free flour - I love using my homemade gf flour blend in these muffins, but any brand of store-bought gluten free all-purpose flour will work just fine.
- Make them dairy-free - To make dairy-free apple muffins, substitute your favorite non-dairy milk for the milk and use your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter. You could also use a neutral oil (½ cup) for the butter, and omit the browning step.
- Don't brown the butter - I get it - sometimes we're short on time. If you don't have time to brown the butter, no worries, these muffins will still taste delicious.
- Other sugars - For a deeper, more caramelly note of sweetness, use light or dark brown sugar instead of the granulated sugar. Or, substitute maple syrup or coconut sugar for the sugar.
Storage
Here's how to store your gluten free apple muffins:
- Counter - Keep muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - Place muffins in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can eat them cold, let them come to room temperature, or gently reheat them in a toaster oven or microwave.
- Freezer - Put the muffins in a freezer-safe, sealable bag and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before serving.
More Gluten Free Apple Recipes
If you tried these Gluten Free Apple Muffins or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below! And I always appreciate a star rating if you loved it ❤️
Recipe
Gluten Free Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ¾ cups gluten free flour (210 grams)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground spices of choice , cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, etc.
- 1 cup apples , peeled, cored, and finely chopped
Instructions
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners.
- First, brown the butter: cook the butter over medium-low heat until it melts and starts to brown a bit (about 5 minutes). Stir and watch it carefully so that it doesn't burn. Set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk the milk and eggs to combine, then whisk in the butter. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Fold in the apples.
- Divide the batter equally between the muffin cups in the prepared pan and preheat the oven to 375℉. Rest the batter while the oven heats, or for up to 20 minutes.
- Place the muffins in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until very lightly browned and a tester inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan set on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then turn out the muffins to cool completely.
Notes
- Let the batter rest while the oven preheats - Gluten-free flours benefit from a rest to let them absorb liquids in the batter, which makes for a better structured and tender final product.
- Use your favorite gluten free flour - I love using my homemade gf flour blend in these muffins, but any brand of store-bought gluten free all-purpose flour will work just fine.
- Make them dairy-free - To make dairy-free apple muffins, substitute your favorite non-dairy milk for the milk and use your favorite non-dairy butter for the butter. You could also use a neutral oil (½ cup) for the butter, and omit the browning step.
- Don't brown the butter - I get it - sometimes we're short on time. If you don't have time to brown the butter, no worries, these muffins will still taste delicious.
- Other sugars - For a deeper, more caramelly note of sweetness, use light or dark brown sugar instead of the granulated sugar. Or, substitute maple syrup or coconut sugar for the sugar.
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