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.
I’m just making these for the millionth time and am once again so thankful for this recipe. My family can not stand coconut things (crazies) but I sneak that coconut oil into these babies and they love them! I always double the recipe and bake mini muffins and cinnamon chips are one of our favorite add-ins. Thank you for all of the best go-to recipes!!
Just made these. I’ve had 4 already! The kids loooove them!
Thanks for the great recipe
I’ve probably commented here before, but I’ve now made these probably 20 times! They are so good and moist and tasty! Easy to put together, these are my go-to muffins.
My 12 month old LOVED these- subbed about half a smashed banana for the sugar and added a little flax seed and they were sweet enough for us!! Love the coconut oil
Hi Mel – I posted a comment but it didn’t show up so I’m trying this again.
These muffins were amazing!!!! I’m calling them pregnancy muffins because I needed a healthy snack. 🙂 I wish now that I had made a double batch of them.
Here are my changes: I used coconut oil instead of butter, I milled my own wheat flour and I used 8 Stevia packets instead of sugar. I also added blueberries instead of raisins. I baked mine for a solid 20 minutes and they were perfect. They did stick to the liners so next time I will either spray the liners or try using a sprayed pan without the liners and see what happens. I would also like to try these as mini muffins too. This is my new fav recipe! Thanks Mel!!!
I just made these and they are amazing!!! I’m calling them pregnancy muffins because I needed a healthy snack. 🙂 I used coconut oil instead of butter, I mill my own wheat flour and I used 8 packets of Stevia instead of sugar. I also added blueberries instead of raisins. These were so delicious and I wish I had made a double batch the first time! I cooked mine for an even 20 minutes. Also – they did stick to the liners so next time I may try spraying the liners or just spraying the pan and seeing how they turn out. I also want to try them as mini muffins. Thanks Mel!!!!
I have read all of the wonderful comments about your muffins. I am going to make them today to take on our vacation. Thank you so much!
These were great! I used homemade applesauce and canola oil and they tasted delicious!! I loved that they used a whole cup of applesauce!
I am due to have baby #2 any day now and how been making freezer meals like a crazy lady! I wanted to have something healthy and yummy for my hubby and two year old to enjoy while I’m recovering. I was skeptical when they came out of the oven because, no, they are not all that pretty, but wow are they fabulously delicious! I’m gonna keep the whole “healthy” thing a secret and let them think they are just pampered by mommy hahaha
Made these this morning and loved them! This recipe is definitely a keeper, and so easy to throw together in a pinch for a tasty breakfast.
Good heavens. I doubled this recipe today to freeze muffins for later and they are already almost gone! Ha! Just like every other recipe of yours that we try. Every time my husband ooohs and aaahhhhs over a meal and then asks where I found the recipe I have to laugh out loud. “It’s from Mel!” Every time! I’m not sure why he even asks anymore. Thanks for being our go-to-resource for tried and true delicious recipes! You are the best!
Thank you for such an awesome recipe! As someone who doesn’t bake much because sometimes a recipe is too detailed or takes too much time, these were easy to make and the recipe was straight forward. I especially liked how you listed the ingredients and the amounts in the same order as when they were listed in the recipe so when you used an ingredient it was easy to just check the item off! I added the dried cranberries to my muffins and used chunky applesauce and they came out great!!! Looking forward to trying more recipes from you!
Mm good. Turned out great!
Great recipe turned out perfect! Thanks for mentioning the batter texture. I was skeptical! I used plain flour and it worked fine. Will make again.
These turned out great!!! I was looking for something to go with some apple butter that I made. I normally don’t eat bagels, toast, muffins, etc. I wanted to find something that was a healthier option. My variations on this recipe where using butter (not coconut oil), pure cane sugar for sugar, and arrowroot for the baking powder. All of the ingredients besides the milk where organic, and I didn’t add any dried fruit. The batter was super quick and easy to put together, all of the ingredients are always pantry items for me, and these came out perfect! I had to add about 8 minutes on to the cooking time. I could seriously sit down and eat them all! (not recommending that!) Thank you for such a great recipe. I don’t always have the best of luck on my first try with a new recipe. It is definitely already added to my recipe book.
These muffins are an excellent breakfast choice for my daughter in college. She frequently studies late; having a nourishing and tasty breakfast ready to go in the morning makes room for just a little more shut-eye. I poured through half a dozen similar recipes before settling on this. I made two dozen mini muffins in liners, placed in standard muffin tins, so they spread out a bit. I reduced the baking time to 13 minutes, using the toothpick test. The muffins were perfect – so moist, chewy and satisfying! BTW, I used a little more than 3/4 cup of instant apple cinnamon oatmeal, and 1/4 cup steel-cut oats. In addition, I used brown sugar instead of white. Typically I reserve use of wheat flour for breads, so I used white flour. I didn’t add more fruit, as I figured the apple oatmeal flavor was tasty enough on its own – it was!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Thank you for the best muffin recipe ever. I added orange zest, raisins and cranberries. They are moister than moist even 2 days later! 🙂
Made these tasty treats this morning. They were so easy, quick and satisfying. I used 1 and 1/2 tbs of melted butter with white flour and homemade applesauce from the freezer because that is what I had on hand and they turned out great. Can’t wait to try them again with some additions such as nuts, bananas or choc chips the possibilities are endless. Thanks for another keepsake recipe.
I really like this recipe! I’ve experimented with it and would add that people who try this should not try to use coconut flour instead of whole wheat flour because the muffins fall apart.
I just made a batch of these today and they are delicious! I used canola oil instead of coconut oil and used 1/4 c brown sugar instead of 1/3 c sugar. I also baked them for only 12 minutes and they came out perfectly soft and amazing. Thanks for the great recipe. 🙂
I’m not usually one to leave comments, but I’m compelled to say SOMETHING about this recipe. I made these today, and they are definitely going into a pile of recipes I like to call my “Laminated List”…joining others that are on regular rotation in my kitchen. I love that this recipe 1.) has simple ingredients; I had everything in my kitchen, so no running to the store or Googling crazy ingredients 2.) tastes decadent, but I feel like I’m cheating the system because they’re a lot healthier than traditional muffins. 3) is sooo easy; If I glance at a recipe that goes on and on, I move on…I’m way too lazy to follow a 10-step recipe! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
These have quickly become my staple for breakfast and snacks. And they do freeze so well. I packed some frozen ones in a cooler for a road trip and they were perfect. I have another double batch in the oven right now…… Finally a healthy muffin that is not overloaded with sugar. I find it works well with about half the coconut oil and I also add ground flax.
This is my first time making a recipe from your site and these muffins were amazing! They made exactly 12 muffins and eating one was already soooo filling. They’re the perfect snack! I’ve been scouring the web for sweet yet healthy recipes and this I will definitely make often! It’s also my first time baking anything with coconut oil and wow love the flavor! My entire kitchen smelled more like coconut than it did apples actually. I used the virgin unrefined one so that must be why the coconut flavor was stronger. Thanks again for the recipe!
love these muffins, used applesauce and a mashed banana and only 2 Tablesppons of the oil, and 1/4 cup sugar. Will try with honey next time as others have. I find them very satisfying.
These are amazing! I needed a new type of muffin in my repertoire and these are perfect. I made them exactly as the recipe states (with coconut oil) and they are moist and flavourful. My son loves muffins and has requested some fresh apple chunks in the next batch which I will try.
Loved your post…brought a smile to my face.
Not real crazy about this recipe. I wish I hadn’t done a double batch actually. If you’re looking for a typical muffin texture, this is not it. I didn’t have time to let it set and thicken a bit more with the oats, very runny. I even added approx 1/3 cp more flour, since I was using all purpose and w/w has more fiber, I think. Ends up very moist, yes, but a bit gelatinous from the oats. Didn’t rise much and they do stick a bit to the papers – and mine are usually bullet-proof. If You Care brand.
Thanks for sharing though! I’m sure the kids will munch on them all weekend and be very appreciative of ready snacks.
These were good. I used 1/4 cup honey in place of sugar and my younger kids missed the extra sugar. I love a muffin with oatmeal. I will make again and try them sweeter to appeal to the younger kids.
Excellent! Used Craisins and would like to know calories and c/p/f. Thanks.
I searched for ways to use applesauce and so glad I tried your muffins! I subbed stevia for the sugar and used some muesli. Not too sweet, moist and full of healthy whole grains and fruit! I froze most of them for portion control. Thanks for posting, I understand why so many double the recipe!
I’ve been eying this recipe forever…and the wilting apples in my refrigerator gave me the perfect excuse to finally make it.
Delicious! My toddler decided to stop eating cooked oatmeal, but he gobbled this! I used spelt flour, organic butter, and halved the sugar- using organic cane sugar. I also mixed in a tablespoon of chia seeds-why not?
Thank you, none of your recipes have ever disappointed me!
Do you have nutrition information for these? It’d be good to know the calorie, fat, and carb count if possible!
No, I don’t but there are several online calculators that are helpful if you want that type of info.
Hi Mel :). Katie K. Is a mutual friend of ours so I had to try these! They are in the oven as we speak! I’m wondering if you ever bake with coconut sugar? We are just starting to sub our white sugar for it because it is so much healthier, and I thought maybe you had some experience with using it!
Hi Michelle – thanks for the comment! I have almost no experience baking with coconut sugar…mostly because it’s never been super easy to find (or affordable) where I used to live but I have seen it in a couple local markets lately and wondered about it. Sorry I don’t know more about it! If I start experimenting with it, I’ll let you know.
I tried this today and it was great! Healthy and not too sweet.
Yum O!
Wow! These muffins are amazing! Forget about dieting for now. I tried out my Amaranth flour for the first time in this recipe. So, making the double recipe, I used half whole wheat and half amaranth. I will try out your original recipe next time. For Valentine’s day I added one cup frozen, thawed raspberries and cut half the applesauce. Also half butter and half coconut oil. I think as long as you keep the basic measurements you can experiment.
So funny! The raspberry muffins are green! St. Patrick’s day is not far away, but they won’t last.
These are great muffins. Most healthy muffins are a disappointment so these are an extra joy.
I could not stop eating these! I put some walnuts and chocolate chips on top and they were amazing. My only issue was after peeling off the muffin liner, a good chunk of the muffin on the bottom would come off with it. Maybe I’ll get different liners and see if it helps
Hey Erica – you might try lightly greasing the muffin liners if the batter is sticking.
do you think the whole wheat flour could be subbed with almond meal?
Not sure – I don’t use almond meal or flour often but you could certainly experiment.
They were great! Thank you!!
can you use white flour and quick oats instead of wheat flour and old fashioned oats?
That would probably work fine!
This is our FAVORITE muffin recipe and it turns out great every time. This morning I tried a variation and it was delicious! I used carrot juice instead of milk and a handful of fresh blueberries instead raisins. My kids devoured them!
I just made these and completely forgot to add sugar (I always think I can multitask in the kitchen, but apparently I cannot…) and they still turned out great! Not as sweet tasting as maybe an apple-y oat muffin should be, but definitely not terrible either. If you were to put a bit of honey or peanut butter or margarine on them, I bet you wouldn’t even really tell about the lack of sugar…? (Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself so I don’t feel as silly for leaving out such a main ingredient. Oops).
I made these last night and accidentally left out the butter – AND THEY WERE STILL DELICIOUS!! I’m not sure I’ll ever make them with the butter now…why add those extra calories if the muffins don’t need it! Thanks for a great recipe!
Good to know!!
These muffins are soooo delicious!!! I used spelt flour, homemade apple/pear sauce and almond coconut milk and they turned out amazing!!!!!
I made these yesterday for my 2 year old and 8 month old and they LOVE them. Making a double batch tomorrow to freeze! Thanks.
We make these all the time and they are my kids’ favorite muffins, hands down!! I never use muffin liners; we just spray the muffin tin with cooking spray and they come out beautifully. I made them with honey for the first time today and my kids can’t tell the difference, and neither could I. We never get around to freezing them because they get eaten too quickly:) Maybe a quadruple batch would solve that problem;)
I love these things! I always have batches and batches of these in the freezer for quick mornings. I make them into mini muffins and always add flax seeds and use coconut oil. The night before I stick some in a sandwich baggie and thaw them on the counter. Yum and thanks!
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! I made them for my 14 month old son and he LOVED them….he kept saying “more more” and doing the sign language for “more”. I added in diced apple instead of raisins. Thanks again!
Made these today. They taste delish. The only modification was that I did half brown and white sugar combo and I added raisins and dried cranberries. The muffin paper did kinda stick to the muffin a little.
My mother is very sugar conscious, and I have two diabetics in my holiday circle that I’d like to feed these for breakfast…has anyone tried these with the splenda brown sugar mix? other sugar substitute, at least partially?
I haven’t; sorry!