Gluten Free Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

This Gluten Free Apple Muffins recipe is baked with cinnamon streusel topping. It's moist and made with sour cream and fresh apples!

Fall baking is in full swing at our house and one of our favorite recipes thus far this season is this one for Gluten Free Apple Muffins. They're super moist and baked with a cinnamon streusel topping.

These muffins are made with sour cream and fresh apples. They're sweet, tart, and the streusel gives them a bit of crunchy texture. I love to enjoy them with a cup of coffee for breakfast OR dessert.

Apple muffins are the perfect treat to enjoy during the cool fall months. This recipe is also great for sharing; I have found that friends and family are always more than happy to take them off my hands.

These old fashioned muffins are easy to make and will fill your house with the amazing scent of apples and cinnamon as they bake!

Jump to:

• What Apples Are Best For Muffins?
• Do I Need To Peel The Apples First?
• Ingredients For Gluten Free Apple Muffins
• How To Add Moisture To Muffins
• How To Make Apple Muffins From Scratch
• Tips To Make Muffins Light and Fluffy
• Combine The Wet and Dry Ingredients
• How To Make Streusel Topping
• How To Assemble The Muffins
• How Long Do Apple Muffins Take To Bake?
• How To Store Apple Muffins
• Can Apple Streusel Muffins Be Frozen?
• Gluten Free Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

What Apples Are Best For Muffins?

When it comes to baking muffins or any other apple desserts, I find that a combination of tart and sweet apples make for the best flavor. For these muffins I went for a combo of Granny Smith and Gala apples.

Tart apple varieites include Granny Smith, Jonagold, Ida Red, and Cortland. Granny Smith is the most popular and available in grocery stores, making it a great choice for baking.

Some of the best varieties of sweet apples that are great for apple muffins and all kinds of apple desserts include Gala, Braeburn, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, and Fuji.

Feel free to choose both sweet and tart apples of your choice, based on your tastes and the variety of fresh apples available in your area.

Do I Need To Peel The Apples First?

I recommend peeling apples before adding them to homemade muffins or any baked desserts. Removing the peels makes for a better overall texture.

I normally advocate for leaving the skin on fruits and vegetables when cooking because of the vitamins and minerals they provide, but let's not kid ourselves - These muffins are not diet food.

Ingredients For Gluten Free Apple Muffins

Here's what you'll need to make them.

• ½ cup (1 stick) + 2 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter (split)
• ½ cup Sugar
• 2 Large Eggs
• ½ cup Sour Cream (may substitute plain Greek yogurt)
• 2 cups + ¼ cup Gluten Free Flour Blend (may use regular AP flour if not gluten free)
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• ½ tsp. Kosher Salt (split)
• 1 Large Sweet Apple (such as Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Braeburn) (equals 1 ½ cups diced)
• 1 Large Tart Apple (such as Granny Smith, Ida Red, or Cortland) (equals 1 ½ cups diced)
• ¼ packed cup Brown Sugar
• 1 ½ tsp. Cinnamon (split)

This recipe is uses a gluten free flour blend. I love Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Flour but any gluten free flour blend will work.

If not gluten free simply substitute regular All-Purpose Flour for the GF flour.

How To Add Moisture To Muffins

One of the best thing about these muffins is the fact that they are super moist and this is achieved by adding sour cream to the batter.

Sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) helps to provide baked goods like muffins with great texture and moisture. It adds a bit of tanginess and gives these muffins a rich quality.

1. Peel 1 large (or 2 small) sweet apples such as Gala, Braeburn, or Fuji. Peel 1 large (or 2 small) tart apples such as Granny Smith or Jonagold.
2. Dice both the sweet and tart apples into very small pieces. (Yields approximately 3 cups of chopped apples). Set aside.
3. Place ½ cup (1 stick) of softened (but not melted) unsalted butter in a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a Kitchen Aid mixer along with ½ cup granulated white sugar. Cream the butter and sugar using a hand mixer or the whisk attachment of a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer for a minute or so on medium until it is light and creamy.
4. Add 2 eggs and ½ cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt) to the bowl and mix for another 30 seconds or so until completely combined.

How To Make Apple Muffins From Scratch

The next step is to mix the dry ingredients, which are then combined with the wet ingredients along with the diced apples.

1. In a separate mixing bowl combine 2 cups gluten free flour blend (or regular AP flour if not gluten free), 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt. Stir until completely combined.

Tips To Make Muffins Light and Fluffy

Here are some tips that will help your muffins turn out perfectly every time.

• Make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature. Take the eggs, sour cream, and butter out of the fridge 30 minutes or so before baking to allow everything to come to room temperature.
• Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are not expired.
• Make sure that there is not too much liquid in the batter. It's important to use fresh apples (as opposed to canned or frozen) so that the batter does not become watery.
• Do not overmix the batter or it can become tough (this is especially true when using All Purpose flour).

Combine The Wet and Dry Ingredients

Once the wet and dry ingredients are ready it's time to combine them in one bowl.

1. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients a bit at a time, stirring to combine with a spatula.
2. Repeat until all the batter is combined.
3. Add the diced apples to the batter along with ½ tsp. cinnamon and fold in until completely combined.

The muffin batter will be a bit dense.

How To Make Streusel Topping

The best thing about these Gluten Free Apple Muffins is the cinnamon streusel that is added to the inside AND on top of them.

The layer of streusel adds great crunch, texture, and provides a little extra sweetness to balance out the tartness of the apples.

1. To make the streusel add 2 tablespoon of softened, (but not melted) butter to a small bowl.
2. Add ¼ packed cup brown sugar, ¼ cup flour blend, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon kosher salt to the butter. Combine all of these ingredients with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

How To Assemble The Muffins

The cinnamon streusel is baked inside of and on top of these apple muffins. To achieve this it's best to layer it into the batter before baking.

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line a muffin tin with muffin or cupcake liners.
3. Add a spoonful of the muffin batter to the bottom of each muffin cavity, using half of the streusel. Sprinkle a spoonful of the cinnamon streusel on top of the muffin batter.
4. Add another layer of muffin batter on top of the streusel layer and smooth it out with a spatula.
5. Sprinkle the other half of the streusel over the top of the muffins.

Love old fashioned desserts? Check out these recipes!

• Coffee Infused Banana Bread
• Rhubarb Streusel Bread
• Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake
• Buttermilk Rhubarb Cake
• Lemon Glazed Doughnuts
• Scandinavian Almond Cake

How Long Do Apple Muffins Take To Bake?

These Gluten Free Apple Muffins only take 18-20 minutes to bake in the oven.

1. Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes, rotating the muffin tin once during baking to ensure that all the muffins cook evenly.
2. Once a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean the muffins are finished. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Baking times may vary slightly depending on your oven and the size of your muffins.

The muffins should spring back to the touch when they are fully baked. The edges should be golden and the inside springy, but not gooey.

Love fall desserts? Don't miss these recipes!

• Pumpkin Bread Pudding
• Crustless Pumpkin Cheesecake
• Pumpkin Streusel Coffee Cake
• Gluten Free Pumpkin Scones
• Pumpkin Spiced Panna Cotta

How To Store Apple Muffins

Once all of the muffins are baked it's best to let them cool slightly.

When the muffins are cool to the touch feel free to eat them or share with others.

These muffins are pretty decadent and more probably more suited for dessert than breakfast (but I won't judge you for eating them for breakfast).

• To store leftover muffins it's important to let them cool completely.
• Place a paper towel on the bottom of an airtight storage container or heavy-duty plastic storage bag. Line the container in a single layer with the cooled muffins and place another paper towel on top.
• Cover with a lid and store up to 4 days at room temperature.

Adding the paper towel to the container will absorb any excess moisture and help to keep the muffins fresh.

Don't miss these Sour Cream Rhubarb Muffins and Roasted Banana Walnut Muffins!

Can Apple Streusel Muffins Be Frozen?

Yes!

Feel free to whip up a batch of these muffins and enjoy them throughout the fall months by storing them in the freezer.

How To Freeze

1. Allow the muffins to cool completely before freezing.
2. Once cooled, place the muffins in a heavy-duty freezer bag.
3. Label with the date and freeze up to 3 months.

How To Thaw

1. Remove as many muffins as you like and thaw in the refrigerator, or at room temperature.
2. Heat them in the microwave for a few seconds if desired.

Love apple desserts? Check out these recipes!

• Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cake
• Cast Iron Apple Crisp
• Gluten Free Apple Pie
• Old Fashioned Apple Galette
• Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Looking For More Apple Recipes? Don't Miss These!

Apple Cinnamon Bread

Glazed Apple Pie Bars

Dutch Oven Apple Crisp

Apple Coffee Cake