Sugar Free Apple Muffins - Healthy Mini Muffins Recipe (2024)

At only 48 calories a piece, you can enjoy these healthy and Sugar Free Apple Muffins as a nutritious breakfast or snack! Loaded with apples, cinnamon, and blueberries, there’s no way you’ll miss the sugar in this mouthwatering treat.

Healthy apple muffins

Eating sugar free is not easy. Practically everything at the grocery store has added sugar in it, making shopping for a family close to impossible! When I tried avoiding sugar, I wanted to create a baked good that still tasted amazing, even without needing super expensive ingredients.

Enter these healthy Sugar Free Apple Muffins! They’re a breeze to put together using simple, sugar free, and dairy free baking staples, along with diced apples and fresh blueberries. And guess what? You don’t need any added sugar to help them taste great!

Just like my Healthy Pumpkin Cookies, these apple muffins are nicely spiced, perfect for the whole family, and taste so fresh. Each muffin only has 48 calories, making them a great option for breakfast or an afternoon snack!

Why would you take the sugar out of a muffin recipe?

The thing about muffins is that they aren’t really a health food. They’re high in fat, sugar, and calories, which practically disguises them as cupcakes without the icing.

Removing or reducing the sugar in muffins can sometimes leave you with bland or dry results. That’s why you need to replace the sugar with something more naturally sweet, like fruit or syrups!

How to make sugar free apple muffins

Making muffins sugar free is easy! Plus, they taste just as scrumptious as my mini blueberry muffins and banana muffins. You and your family can munch on them after only a few simple steps:

Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.

Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the smashed blueberries, milk, egg, and vanilla. Gently mix everything together until combined. To finish, fold in the apples.

Spoon the batter into a prepared muffin pan, then bake until they’re slightly golden brown.

Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the tray before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips and substitutions

  • Apples – Any type of apple will work for this recipe! You can chop them into small or large chunks or grate them instead so there’s lots of apple in every bite.
  • Blueberries – Feel free to replace the blueberries with blackberries, strawberries, or raspberries.
  • Gluten free – While I’ve only tested this recipe with all purpose and whole wheat flour, a 1:1 gluten free flour blend should work well as a replacement.
  • Vegan – Replace the egg with ¼ cup of applesauce to make these apple muffins vegan.
  • Regular size muffins – This recipe makes 20 mini muffins or 6 regular size muffins. Feel free to double batch to make more regular size muffins and make sure to bake them for 20 to 22 minutes.
  • Not sweet enough? Add in 1 or 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, honey, or agave syrup if you’d like the muffins to be extra sweet (without added sugar).

Customize the flavors

This recipe is really fun to play with. You can replace the apples with different fruits and veggies, and even add more to the batter when you really feel like getting creative. Use these ideas for inspiration:

  • Instead of apples: Use a mashed banana, grated carrots, mashed sweet potatoes or butternut squash, fresh berries, or peaches.
  • Add in options: Add warm spices, like cloves, ginger, or nutmeg, chopped pecans or almonds, or dark chocolate chips to the apple batter for more flavor.

Storing and freezing sugar free muffins

To store, keep the apple muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 or 4 days. They should stay fresh for up to a week when kept in the fridge.

To freeze, wrap the baked and cooled muffins individually in plastic. Store in an airtight container or ziploc bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

Hungry for more healthy baked goods?

  • Sweet Potato Cookies
  • Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Easy Carrot Souffle
  • Spinach Cupcakes
  • Baked Apple Chips

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Sugar Free Apple Muffins - Healthy Mini Muffins Recipe (9)

4.92 from 34 reviews

Sugar Free Apple Muffins

Print

At only 48 calories a piece, you can enjoy these healthy and Sugar Free Apple Muffins as a nutritious breakfast or snack! Loaded with apples, cinnamon, and blueberries, there’s no way you’ll miss the sugar in this mouthwatering treat.

By: Pamela Reed

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes minutes

Total Time 18 minutes minutes

serves 20

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour (or all-purpose flour if preferred)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup blueberries smashed
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup apples – peeled and finely chopped (this equals one small apple)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.

  • In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.

  • Make a well in the middle of the bowl and add blueberries, milk, egg and vanilla. Mix with a fork until all ingredients are combined.

  • Gently fold in the apples, stirring to fully combine.

  • Spoon mixture into your muffin pan evenly. This recipe makes approximately 20 mini muffins.

  • Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the sides of your muffins are slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from pan.

Notes

This makes 20 mini muffins or 6 regular size muffins. If you are making regular size muffins, bake for 20-22 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 48kcal (2%)

Course: Dessert

Keyword: apple muffins, sugar free muffins

Fall

Did you make this?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @BrooklynFarmGirl and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below.

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Sugar Free Apple Muffins - Healthy Mini Muffins Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes a muffin healthy or unhealthy? ›

What Makes a Healthy Muffin? Signs of a healthy muffin recipe are whole-food ingredients like fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, eggs, and low-fat milk and yogurt (or a dairy-free alternative).

What is a natural sweetener for muffins? ›

Here are our top six sugar substitutes when it comes to baking:
  1. Coconut sugar. Play video. ...
  2. Agave nectar or agave syrup. Play video. ...
  3. Fruit concentrates. Unlike fruit juice, which has added sugar, fruit concentrate is basically fruit with the water removed. ...
  4. Maple syrup. ...
  5. Molasses.
Dec 29, 2020

What is the secret to moist muffins? ›

How to Make Homemade Muffins Moist: Our Top Tips
  1. Tips to Make Homemade Muffins Moist.
  2. Keep Wet and Dry Ingredients Separately.
  3. Add All Flavorings Last.
  4. Consider Paper Liners.
  5. Don't Overfill the Muffin Cups.
  6. Check the Temperature of Your Oven.
  7. Test if Muffins Are Fully Cooked.
  8. Top Your Muffins with Flavor.
Aug 9, 2021

Can diabetics eat muffin? ›

Baked goods like muffins don't have to be off the table if you have diabetes, especially if you whip up a batch of whole-wheat blueberry muffins like these from Vincci Tsui, RDN, who's based in Calgary, Alberta.

Can I eat a muffin while trying to lose weight? ›

Toasting an English muffin seems simple enough, but there is one key rule about it — it needs to be whole wheat. A high-fiber, low-fat option with calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and selenium, whole wheat English muffins make a great weight loss breakfast food.

Can I eat muffins and lose weight? ›

Muffins aren't inherently bad, but if you consume them daily in place of a balanced breakfast, they won't help you reach your weight loss goal.

How do you replace sugar in muffins? ›

Honey Or Syrup

General recommended substitution ratios are as follows: For every cup of sugar, you can replace it with a 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of honey or 2/3 cup agave. If using maple syrup or molasses, 3/4 cup to 1 cup will do the trick.

Which is better for baking stevia or Splenda? ›

Stevia is more stable at higher temperatures. This makes it a better sweetener choice for baking and cooking at temperatures above 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Some research also says sucralose sweeteners can have a negative impact on gut health.

How do you bake without sugar or sweetener? ›

You can substitute the sugar by stirring mashed, overripe bananas or blended dates into batters and doughs for quick breads, cookies, muffins, and pancakes. Bananas add more moisture to baked goods. Dates have an intense sweetness that's fantastic in baked goods such as muffins and scones.

How do you keep mini muffins moist? ›

If muffins are left exposed, the moisture starts to leak from them and they dry out. To store muffins up to 4 days, line an airtight container or zip-lock bag with paper towel and store the muffins in a single layer. Place another layer of paper towel on top of the muffins as well.

Should you use butter or oil in muffins? ›

Many muffin recipes use cooking oil instead of butter. Oil, being a liquid, distributes easily in the quick-mix batter and is readily absorbed into the baked muffin, producing a light non-greasy texture. Vegetable oil is ideal because its mild flavour doesn't compete with the main flavour of the muffin.

What is the first thing a diabetic should do in the morning? ›

Testing your blood sugar is an essential part of managing your diabetes. Test your blood sugar first thing in the morning to get a baseline reading for the day. This can help you adjust your diabetes management plan as needed.

What are the worst carbs for diabetics? ›

Try to eat less of these: refined, highly processed carbohydrate foods and those with added sugar. These include sugary drinks like soda, sweet tea and juice, refined grains like white bread, white rice and sugary cereal, and sweets and snack foods like cake, cookies, candy and chips.

What time should diabetics stop eating at night? ›

At least two hours before going to bed, try to avoid eating anything. Maintain a window of 10–12 hours between two substantial meals- If you work night shifts and are unable to keep your optimal dinner time between 7–9 PM, try keeping a window of 10–12 hours between your dinner and breakfast.

What makes a muffin bad? ›

Overbaking or underbaking the muffins.

Take the muffins out of the oven too soon and they're sticky and uncooked at the center. Bake them a few minutes too long, and those once-moist and fluffy muffins run the risk of turning dry.

Is muffin healthy to eat? ›

An English muffin isn't healthy on its own as it does not provide a balanced meal by itself, but it can still be part of a healthy diet. English muffins can be rich in fiber and several important nutrients, such as selenium, manganese, and B vitamins.

Are muffins an unhealthy breakfast? ›

Unfortunately, this is often a misconception. In fact, most muffins are made with refined white flour, oil, and loads of sugar, offering little in the way of protein or fiber. Additionally, they're often large and loaded with calories, some containing nearly 400 calories each ( 10 ).

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