Healthy Applesauce Oat Muffins
A family favorite for years, these delicious, soft and fluffy healthy applesauce oat muffins are low in sugar and packed with whole grains.
The numbers don’t lie. With over 400 5-star reviews, these muffins have become a beloved favorite of many (and one of the most popular recipes on my site!).
Simple and straightforward, the muffins are lightly sweet, packed with whole grains, and most importantly: they are so very delicious.
A Very Straightforward Muffin
The batter for these applesauce oat muffins is simple as can be.
Mix together:
- old-fashioned or quick oats
- applesauce
- egg
- melted butter or coconut oil
- sugar or honey
- milk
And then combine that mixture with whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Optional: adding chocolate chips, craisins, or raisins is a very good idea!
Highly Adaptable
The beauty of this recipe being around for almost ten years is that almost any adaptation you can dream up has probably already been tried.
The comments are full of readers who have made the muffins dairy-free, gluten-free, and accidentally butter-free. 🙂
And in most cases, the report back is that the variations are amazing! So if you’re looking to alter these muffins in any which way, read through the comments for some inspiration.
For instance, a comment from Carolyn: These muffins are delicious!! I made them gluten free by using oat flour instead of wheat flour. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. They have been added to my regular rotation!
Wholesome and Delicious
For me, I love the basic simplicity of these muffins. They aren’t fancy. They also aren’t fussy.
They are the perfect every day muffin for after school snacks, easy breakfasts, school lunchboxes, and everything in between.
I’m very loyal to recipes that stand the test of time, and this one certainly has. My friend, Katie, served these muffins to us during a playdate at her house years ago when we had just moved to northern Minnesota and knew hardly another soul in the area.
I didn’t even wait until the playdate was over to beg for the recipe. (Although more than the muffins, I’m incredibly grateful for the sweet and loyal friend Katie quickly became.)
Friendship > muffins. Although this recipe proves that muffins might very easily be the gateway to great friends.
FAQ for Applesauce Oat Muffins
Yes, it doubles great.
The baked and cooled muffins freeze GREAT. I place them in a gallon-size freezer ziploc bag and freeze. We defrost in the microwave or on the counter for a few hours.
Sure, and you can use flavored applesauce as well (like cinnamon, etc). If using sweetened applesauce, you can probably decrease or omit the sugar in the recipe.
Steel cut oats don’t work very well in this recipe because they don’t soften and absorb as much liquid (they stay coarse and crunchy), but you can sub quick oats for the old-fashioned oats.
Many readers (and comments below) have made that substitution with great results!
One Years Ago: Easy Amish-Baked Oatmeal
Two Years Ago: Healthy Breakfast Cookies
Three Years Ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Four Years Ago: Healthy Dark Chocolate Almond Joy Bites
Five Years Ago: Southwestern Chicken Barley Chili
Six Years Ago: Cheesy Black Bean Lasagna
Seven Years Ago: Whole Grain Honey Bran Muffins
Eight Years Ago: Skillet Butternut Squash, Sausage and Penne
Nine Years Ago: Cheesy Ham and Broccoli Quinoa
Ten Years Ago: Egg-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies with Cream Cheese
Healthy Applesauce Oat Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (see note)
- 1 cup (227 g) unsweetened applesauce
- ½ cup milk
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter or coconut oil, melted
- ⅓ cup (71 g) granulated sugar or honey
- ¾ cup (107 g) whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (70 g) dried cranberries or raisins (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or grease the muffin cups. Set aside..
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oatmeal, applesauce, milk, egg, vanilla, butter and sugar. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt (and cranberries or raisins if using). Make a well in the center and pour in the applesauce mixture. Stir until just combined (don’t overmix or the muffins will be dense and dry). The muffin batter texture might be a bit different (wetter?) than other muffin batters but no fear, carry on!
- Distribute the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Don’t overbake or the muffins will be dry.
- Remove the muffins to a rack to cool completely. Once cool, I place 6-9 muffins in a large freezer ziploc bag, suck all the air out (oh yes I do) and seal the bag, then freeze, pulling them out one by one to stick in my kids lunches or warm slightly for a snack.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from my friend, Katie K.
Recipe originally posted September 2013; updated January 2022 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
These muffins are delicious!! I made them gluten free by using oat flour instead of wheat flour. Otherwise, I followed the recipe exactly. They have been added to my regular rotation!
These muffins are wonderful. I made them again today and forgot the butter/oil. Guess what? Still wonderful!
These. Are. Amazing. I added coconut and hemp seeds as a topping, and they tasted great!
Hi, this recipe sounds too good to be true! I have one question though before I start baking up a storm. Is the butter or the coconut oil melted? Or do they both have to be melted?
Clare – if you use butter or coconut oil, melt it first (and let it cool slightly if it is too hot).
Made these with 1/2 cup white flour and the rest whole wheat. They turned out great. Glad I doubled the recipe.
Thanks!
I made these without the cinnamon and added fresh blueberries and raspberries. They were great.
Thanks for the great recipe! My 21mo and I just made these, he’s chomping down on one as I type. I’ll definitely be keeping a stash in the freezer for his snacks.
Hi! I made these tonight. I just traded out the whole wheat flour for GF oat flour to make them gluten free. They are delicious!! I also added 1 T. of nutmeg. Thanks for this great recipe. These are going into the regular rotation.
OMG. Best muffins I’ve ever had in my entire life!!!!!! My kids are allergic to milk, so I used almond milk, and coconut oil for the butter. Wowza!
Amazing! I had some apples to get rid of so cooked them down to try these. Perfect recipe. Thanks so much for the post.
Mel,
We love these muffins! my 4 and 1 year old gobble them up every time I make them. My 4 year old doesn’t like raisins, so this morning I chopped up an apple and added that instead of raisins. They were fabulous!!! Thanks for all the great recipes!!
I just went through your “best of” list last night and made these for my kids’ breakfast. They were so good and moist and not too sweet. I only had half the needed milk (I doubled the batch), so I added an extra egg and added some pumpkin puree. I also omitted raisins, because suddenly my kids detest them, and added fresh strawberries instead. Thanks for your blog!
Loved these! Next time I’m going to use chunky applesauce and some chopped walnuts. Thanks for the recipe and all the other wonderfully yummy recipes you give. (Just made your sweet & sour chicken for the millionth time last night!)
These were wonderful! All 12 were gone within the first day…I will have to hide them from the boys next time…
I am wanting to experiment with using Pumpkin puree instead of applesauce. Do you think the texture would match up enough?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Chelsea – definitely worth a try! I haven’t subbed in pumpkin so I’m not sure; you’d have to experiment. I’d probably leave a bit of the applesauce in to help with moisture.
Just as an FYI, I have made these both ways…with rolled oats and with quick oats. I used 3/4 cup quick oats instead of the 1 cup rolled oats and they turned out fantastic! I actually prefer them this way. 🙂
Hi Mel – Can I use quick cooking oats instead of old fashioned oats? Thank you for the recipe and I will make it once I hear from you.
Hi Shashi – the quick cooking oats will absorb more liquid so I can see the muffins being slightly more dense so I would recommend old-fashioned if you can. You might read through the comments, also, because I think a few people might have commented about their experience with quick cooking oats.
My son has an egg allergy. What would you substitute for it? I know applesauce is a good substitute for egg. Should I just increase the applesauce? I don’t make muffins often, so I don’t know what would be best. Thanks!
Hi Katie – I haven’t tried it without the egg but upping the applesauce is a good idea. I’ve also seen an egg substitution that uses flax seed. You might try googling that. My friend’s kids have egg allergies and she uses the flax one all the time.
yay thanks for the recipe! I just pulled them out of the oven and couldn’t wait to taste one. DELISH. I used fresh kind of chunky applesauce. Next time I am going to add a bit of ginger, because i love ginger and am kind of addicted to tweaking recipes, and I tell you this is like having a healthy apple pie!
I just tasted these fresh out of the oven and Oh. My. Yum. I used coconut oil and happened to have some homemade applesauce, which probably helped. This is going to the top of my favorite muffin recipes for sure! So excited to have this recipe!
Here’s a surprising discovery I wanted to share: I baked these muffins this morning with one accidental alteration (I forgot to add the margarine I had melted in my microwave … in lieu of butter or coconut oil), and two intentional changes: buttermilk (instead of milk) and in a jumbo muffin pan. Cooking time was about 45-50 minutes, but the result was sweet and deliciously moist.
These are in my oven now – for the third time since you posted the recipe. My kids seem to think they’re just “okay”, but I love them, so I guess that just means more for me! They make a great breakfast or snack along with a Greek yogurt. This time I’ve decided to try using one less tablespoon of coconut oil, so we’ll see how it turns out. Thanks for the recipe!
Dear Mel:
Thanks so much for this recipe – they are moist, delicious and sweet without a lot of sugar – my husband loves them and he usually doesn’t like anything healthy – might have to make another batch right away – i can tell these will be gone by morning!
Delicious!!!! Made them this morning…..so easy…I ate two as soon as they came out of the oven! They ARE healthy, right, so it’s okay. I definitely should have made another batch! They are so moist and flavorful. This is a winner and is being printed and kept in my ‘Queen of the Kitchen’ Recipe Binder! 🙂 Thanks Mel!!!!
While I knew these would be good (how can you go wrong with oats and applesauce?!), I didn’t expect them to be the “blow your socks off amazing” that they are. After my spouse took his first bite, he declared, “These are amazing! Can you make 100 of them?” I haven’t made 100, but have made three batches to date. I bring lunch to work, I love being able to reach into the freezer each morning to pull out a couple to throw in my lunch bag.
I’ve made double batches of these twice in the last three weeks. They are so yummy and they keep so well. Took them on a road trip last week and they were as delicious on day 3 as they were when they came out of the oven. I’ve been trying to make more nutritious breakfasts, and these totally fit the bill. Thanks!
Made these muffins today. Used quick oats because that’s what I had on hand. Baked 15 min. and they turned out moist and yummy! Soo easy using what you probably have already. Will definitely make again!
Just wanted to thank you for posting this recipe, I have made 2 double batches within the last week. My family and friends love them. Thanks so much. OH and I made both regular and mini sizes with no problems. I bake my mini’s for about 12 min.
LOVED these! Always on the hunt for healthy muffins and these were so yummy, not dry at all! 🙂
hey this recipe looks really cool and especially for a snack for after school ( im a teenager:) ! I might get my mom to make these for me and my four brothers and my sister. Thanks for the recipe:))
These are delightful 🙂 My kids aren’t big muffin eaters, so I don’t usually stray from my “usual”. But since I had some homemade applesauce on hand I decided to give them a shot. I doubled the recipe except for the coconut oil- keeping that at 4 T. Also I made mini muffins because my kids will eat 10x’s more mini muffins than regular. We ate the half the batch immediately, so I had to quickly get some into the freezer as planned. Thank you for the healthier than normal recipes! I love making guilt free treats for my family. Mel, you are a life saver 🙂
Hi Mel! I recently inherited lots of apples from my mom who bought a couple bushels for bottling, so I made some homemade applesauce for these muffins. SO good! I ate one, then ended up giving some away to three of my neighbors before putting them in the freezer for later. Thanks for another great recipe! Oh, and I laughed when I read about “Cam the linebacker.” Haha. I just laughed again while writing this. She is a doll!
I don’t usually make muffins for breakfast because of the normally high sugar content but I served these without feeling like I was sugaring up the kids before school. We loved them, especially my 2yo daughter. I liked the hearty texture but they would be even better with some pecans or chopped apples to make them more interesting. I’m going to try that next time. Thanks for the yummy muffin recipe!
These turned out awesome! I did them in my cake pop maker (they’re for my nearly 2 year old daughter’s breakfast – gotta make them fun!), and they turned out fantastic!
I used more cinnamon, and used coconut oil – super tasty!
I am also in awe of Katie and how she manages to stay so calm and collected when she is hosting my kids. Her muffins are great too! Love your blog!
Mel, these were SO good! In fact, crazy but I made these along with your not so healthy pretzel choc chip muffins & would you believe both me & my kids preferred these healthy ones to the other ones! Now it could have been that I baked these ones to the perfect moistness & I think my pretzel ones got a little over done so not as moist but to me the flavor of these beats out the pretzel ones too! Another funny is that we had lots of pretzel streusel leftover so I sprinkled some of it on these apple muffins & that made them even better! Thank you for such a healthy, easy & yummy muffin recipe!!
I really enjoyed these! Instead of using the butter, I used extra virgin olive oil. It worked well! My husband is excited about a healthy alternative to use for his lunch. Thanks!
These muffins are so delicious!! I substituted oat bran for the flour since my husband is gluten-intolerant. Also added craisins and chopped apples. My kids and husband both loved these muffins. Thank you Mel!
Just made these this morning for breakfast, the whole family greedily gobbled them up! Definitely making it into our breakfast rotation. The changes I made, add some banana in with the wet ingredients and slightly reducing the applesauce to compensate. Next time I will add some crushed pineapple as well 🙂 Thanks for another great recipe!
For Melanie….just saw your post and wanted to tell you…I have had trouble with muffins sticking to the papers in the past too. I found Reynolds Brand muffin cups with pretty paper exteriors that don’t fade when batter bakes in them, but the Best part is the foil lining. They never stick! They are pricier, but to me, totally worth it! Hope this helps!
First let me say thanks for your inspiring recipes and your sense of humor that make your website fun as well as informative! I made a double batch of these with a few modifications: I added 2 heaping tablespoons of ground flax seeds to the batter for the health benefits and used Truvia Baking Blend (for anyone who isn’t familiar, this is a sugar and stevia based natural sweeter blend that is low in calories). My daughter did not want cranberries, so I omitted them from the batter for half of the muffins and added cranberries with chopped walnuts to the other half. I feel the basic recipe lacks flavor without the addition of the dried cranberries, but we do LOVE the muffins with the fruit and nut combo. I am looking forward to trying to make a vegan version as well using Earth Balance in place of the butter and soy or almond milk instead of cow’s milk for a vegan family member (I was out of those items and couldn’t wait to try the recipe! ) 🙂 Thanks for a dense, moist muffin recipe that can be very versatile, depending on what additions we may be in the mood for!
P.P.S. do you have a favorite muffin tin pan? I only have one, and need to buy another because I need to double this recipe next time, and who wants to wash and reuse a tin for the second batch?
Bri – glad you loved these! I just bought new muffin tins, actually. Wilton nonstick. I bought them at Shopko but I think this is a link to show you what they are:
http://www.amazon.com/Wilton-Recipe-Nonstick-12-Cup-Regular/dp/B003W0UMPI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380683000&sr=8-2&keywords=wilton+muffin+tin
Inexpensive and so far, I’m loving them.
P.S. your description cracked me up! And it’s nice to be back Mel. I took a long break (pregnancy/newborn…can’t really use that excuse anymore though cause she is 16 months…). I’m coming back strong and have made lots of your recipes lately! Up tonight…curry coconut meatballs! I’ve missed your humor!
I have died and gone to heaven Mel. I thought these would be good, but these are WAY better than expected! Don’t tell, but I’m sitting here eating my THIRD muffin, and I pulled them out of the oven a half hour ago. I will not feel guilty giving these to my kids as snacks. Pretty low flour content, pretty low sugar, and just pure deliciousness! The only thing I did differently was add a granny smith apple to the wet ingredients. I really think that made them even more tasty! There are bites of sweet apples along with the craisins throughout which makes them just over the top. Hopefully there will be some left before my son wakes up from his nap, or he will not be a happy camper. Excuse me while I go and get my fourth…hehehe.
Made these this morning. Shared with a friend. I’ve already received an email from her requesting the recipe. I did substitute brown sugar for the white sugar called for in the recipe. Also, I used toasted pecans in place of the raisins/crasins. I think the response to these has been so good b/c most of us want healthy food that taste great. Thankyou, Mel.
Hi Mel, I didn’t see this asked yet in the comments…do you think I could sub canola oil in for the butter/coconut oil? These are on my make list for today!!! Thanks.
I just pulled these muffins out of the oven. Tasty, moist and delicious!
Just adding another positive review. I was expecting a so-so muffin (being healthy and all, you know :), but they were delightful — light, tasty and yummy. Thanks!
I just made these today with my toddler, and they were delicious! This recipe is a total winner! I just wish I had taken your advice about doubling the batch – I’ll have to make more very soon. Thank you so much!
Mel, Do you know the calorie count per muffin? I made these for my wife and she loves them , but would like to know how many calories per muffin. Thank You for a great recipe.
Hi Frank – so glad your wife loves these muffins! Unfortunately I don’t keep track of the nutritional facts on my recipes but I know there are several free calorie calculators you can use online (you can google to find them). Good luck!
Made this today for an after school snack and they were devoured. Thankfully I heeded your advice and made a double batch. Thanks for another winner recipe!