These egg-free Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins are made with rolled oats, oat flour, grated apples, and flaxseed. They're healthy and delicious.
I've been on a bit of a muffin-making kick lately, and I've been especially enjoying making my muffins from oats and oat flour. While these oat muffins are technically gluten-free (for people who can tolerate oats), my family enjoys them even though none of us needs to follow a gluten-free diet.
I have an idea to create a series of these oatmeal muffins that are all inspired by the store-bought oatmeal packets that I ate as a kid. And when I ended up with a bunch of not-so-great apples that no one wanted to eat (soft and kind of mealy, but still good for baking), I decided to start with Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins. And since eggs are so expensive and in short supply right now for many of my readers, I decided to make them egg-free.
How to Make Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins
To start making these (and all) oatmeal muffins, use a coffee grinder or mini food processor to grind half of the rolled oats into oat flour. Or if you already happen to have oat flour on hand, you can use that instead.
Next, you'll want to prepare the flaxseeds to replace the egg. If your flaxseeds are whole, use the coffee grinder again to grind them. Then, mix them with some water and let them sit for a few minutes. The mixture will thicken to a gel-like consistency.
Meanwhile, prepare the apple by peeling it and grating it with the large holes on a box grater. After peeling the apple, there is no need to cut it up. Simply grate the apple from whole, rotating it each time you reach the core.
Next, whisk together the dry ingredients (oats, oat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt). In a smaller bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the wet ingredients (yogurt, milk, oil, and the flaxseed mixture).
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed with a hand mixer (alternatively, you can use a stand mixer) until the dry ingredients are moistened. Increase the mixer speed to high, and continue mixing for 2 minutes.
Note that using an electric mixer (or mixing very aggressively with a whisk) is important when making gluten-free muffins because it will give the batter more structure, which helps the muffins rise and become soft and fluffy when cooked. Gluten-free muffins that are not mixed aggressively will be dense and flat.
Once the batter is fully mixed, stir in the grated apple. Cover the bowl of batter and put it in the fridge for at least an hour, or up to 12 hours (leave it overnight if you want fresh-baked muffins in the morning). Resting muffin batter is beneficial to all muffins, not just gluten-free ones.
When it's time to bake, grease your muffin pan and/0r line the cups with paper liners. Distribute the muffin batter evenly between the cups. Bake the muffins until they're golden brown on the tops and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin comes out dry with a few crumbs clinging to it.
Let the muffins cool for a few minutes before serving. To store leftover muffins, cool them to room temperature, then store in an airtight container or zipper bag at room temperature for up to two days, or in the freezer for a longer period.
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins Ingredients
- Rolled oats - you will be using a coffee grinder or mini food processor to grind half of the oats into oat flour. If you already happen to have oat flour on hand, you can use that instead.
- Ground flaxseed - Flaxseed pro-tip: always buy your flaxseed whole, as ground flaxseed goes rancid much more quickly. Grind your flaxseed as needed with a coffee grinder.
- Water - use whatever water you normally drink. Cold tap water is fine.
- Apples - you will need two small or about one medium or large apple to get a cup of grated apple. Peel the apple first, then grate it using the large holes of a box grater.
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Cinnamon
- Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt - note that you can replace the combination of Greek yogurt and milk (below) with regular (non-Greek) yogurt, buttermilk (liquid or powdered mixed with water), or dairy-free versions of any of the above.
- Milk - you can use any milkfat percent or your favorite dairy-free version. See the tips above to replace the combination of Greek yogurt and milk.
- Canola oil or any other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- Coarse sanding sugar or tubinado sugar (aka demerara sugar in some places) - whatever you call it, you're looking for coarse crystals of sugar here. This is optional, for sprinkling on top of your muffins. Regular granulated sugar will dissolve into the tops of the muffins.
Want more muffin recipes?
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one muffin if you use the recipe to make 12 muffins. The nutrition information doesn't include the optional coarse sugar to top the muffins.
The calculations use the recipe as shown, with flaxseed, water, Greek yogurt, and 1% milk. Any recipe substitutions may result in slight changes to the nutrition information.
Though this recipe is gluten-free, not everyone who requires a gluten-free diet is able to tolerate oats.
This recipe is vegetarian as written. To make the recipe vegan and dairy-free, replace the Greek yogurt and milk with dairy-free versions of the same.
Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups rolled oats divided
- 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed or substitute chia seeds (see note)
- 6 Tablespoons water (see note)
- 2 small apples any type (1 cup grated - see note)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt see note
- ½ cup milk see note
- ¼ cup canola oil or any other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- coarse sanding sugar or turbinado sugar optional, for sprinkling on top of muffins
Instructions
- Add 1 ¼ cups of the rolled oats to a clean coffee grinder or mini food processor. Pulse until the oats are finely ground, to the texture of flour (you might have to do this in a couple of batches if using a coffee grinder).
- If your flaxseeds are whole, grind about 2 to 2 ½ Tablespoons of whole flaxseed in your coffee grinder. Measure out 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed and place it into a small bowl. Add 6 Tablespoons water to the bowl with the flaxseed, and stir. Let the mixture sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Peel the apples and grate them using the large holes of a box grater (there is no need to cut the apple up to do this. Simple grate the apple, one side at a time until you reach the core, rotating the apple until all the flesh is grated off of the core). Measure out 1 cup of grated apple.
- Whisk together the ground oats, the remaining 1 ¼ cups rolled oats, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together ½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt, ½ cup milk, ¼ cup canola oil, and the flaxseed/water mixture.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix with a hand mixer on low speed until the dry ingredients are incorporated. Increase the mixer to high speed and mix for an additional two minutes. Fold in the grated apple. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and place in the fridge to rest for at least an hour, or up to 12 hours, or overnight.
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by lining the cups with paper liners. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Top each muffin with a little bit (roughly ¼ teaspoon per muffin) of coarse sanding sugar or turbinado sugar, if desired.
- Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it. Cool the muffins for 10 minutes before serving. Store any leftovers in a zipper bag in the freezer and thaw at room temperature or for a few seconds in the microwave.
Notes
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