There are apple muffins, then there are these irresistibly moist and tender Apple Crumb Muffins! My simple recipe is packed with apple pieces and piled high with a buttery streusel topping. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Easy Apple Muffins
This isn’t just an apple muffin recipe, this is possibly the best one you’re likely to stumble across on the internet. Bold claim, I know, but I really love this recipe and am excited to be re-sharing it with you today.
This recipe is super simple and comes together easily by hand (no mixer), including the streusel topping. Unlike many recipes that use a pastry cutter to cut in cold butter, my recipe uses melted butter and a fork to create that sweet, crumbly top. It’s the perfect way to welcome Fall, or just use up a surplus of apples from apple picking. Overall, it’s a game changer!
With fall just around the corner, you’re going to want to save this recipe for those soon-to-be chilly autumn mornings. These apple muffins will cozy up your kitchen real quick!
Why I Love These Apple Crumb Muffins:
- Springy-soft & fluffy interiors
- Punctuated with tart apple pieces
- Thiiiick layer of cinnamon/brown sugar streusel on top
- No fuss, no electric mixer, no headache
- Almost like an apple crisp in muffin form, only a bit less work.
What You Need
Here are the key ingredients you’ll need to make my apple muffins:
- Apples. I talk a little more about what type of apples to use in the video and FAQ section below. Whichever you use, make sure to peel and chop them into small pieces before adding them to the batter.
- Buttermilk. Buttermilk makes these apple crumb muffins beautifully moist and tender. If you don’t have any on hand, you can use my easy buttermilk substitute.
- Butter. Use unsalted butter in the streusel and make sure it’s cooled down after melting. If you only have salted butter, you can omit the salt.
- Brown sugar. A combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar in both the apple muffins themselves and the streusel topping adds a noticeable depth of flavor.
SAM’S TIP: If you have extra streusel, you can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days or in the fridge for longer. It’s great for adding to my banana muffins and pumpkin muffins! Personally though, I never have extra–the more crumb on my apple crumb muffins, the merrier 😊
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Apple Crumb Muffins
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Combine the wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then stir them into the dry ingredients until everything is about 50% combined.
- Gently stir in the apple pieces until just incorporated. Don’t over-mix your batter or the muffins will be dense and dry!
- Evenly divide the batter into a lined muffin tin and set aside.
Preparing the Streusel & Baking
- Whisk together the sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon (and try to break up any large clumps of brown sugar), then drizzle in the melted butter. The butter should be melted, but it shouldn’t be scorching hot to the touch!
- Use a fork to work the butter into the streusel until you have a clumpy mixture.
- Sprinkle streusel over the apple muffins, then bake for 24-25 minutes. One thing I love about this recipe is that, unlike with my chocolate chip muffins or my new and improved lemon muffins, you only need to bake these on one temperature instead of changing mid-way through baking!
- Let the muffins cool in their tin for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely (or to enjoy still warm!).
SAM’S TIP: Don’t overwork your streusel, or you will end up with a paste that will be impossible to sprinkle over your muffins. Just toss/claw together with a fork until it’s combined and clumpy!
Frequently Asked Questions
I always recommend using an apple you enjoy eating, and for me that’s Gala or Golden Delicious (also my apples of choice for apple turnovers recipe and apple butter). Keep in mind that firmer apples are best for baking, so I don’t recommend McIntosh or anything similar in your apple crumb muffins. You could use Granny Smith apples, but I prefer to save them for apple pie since they’re so tart.
Dry muffins are typically a result of over-mixing your batter. These apple crumb muffins are a quick bread, much like apple cider donuts or pumpkin bread, and they should be mixed as little as possible. Use a gentle hand next time and make sure to mix until just combined. Over-baking the muffins can also cause them to be dry, so if you think you didn’t over-mix them, your oven may be running a bit hot and you may need to pull them out of the oven a minute or so sooner next time.
Yes! You can wrap and freeze your apple muffins for up to one month. Be careful when wrapping and make sure you don’t knock off too much of the streusel!
SAM’S TIP: If you’d like your apple muffins to have a bakery-style look, follow my tutorial for how to make muffin liners out of parchment paper. They’re surprisingly easy and instantly elevate the look of your muffins!
I know some of you will want to make this recipe in a loaf pan, and while you certainly could do that, I personally think you should try my new apple bread recipe instead!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Apple Muffins
Ingredients
For Muffins
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed (100g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- ½ cup canola oil may substitute vegetable oil or other neutral cooking oil (120ml)
- ½ cup buttermilk (120ml)
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups peeled chopped apples (215g)
For Crumb Topping
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (156g)
- ½ cup light brown sugar firmly packed (100g)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (66g)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted but cooled so no longer warm to the touch (85g)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon table salt
- In a separate bowl (or large measuring cup), whisk together oil, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla extract until well-combined.½ cup canola oil, ½ cup buttermilk, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and use a spatula or spoon to gently stir ingredients together until approximately 50-75% combined. Add apple pieces and continue to stir until ingredients are just combined (over-mixing may result in dense, dry muffins).1 ½ cups peeled
- Evenly divide batter into prepared muffin tin. Set aside while you prepare your crumb topping.
Crumb Topping
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup light brown sugar, ⅓ cup granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon table salt
- Drizzle melted butter over the flour mixture and use a fork to toss/claw the mixture together until all of the dry ingredients are moistened and you have a crumbly streusel.6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Evenly divide streusel over the muffins.
- Transfer to center rack of 375F (190C) oven and bake for 24-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow muffins to cool in muffin tin for 10 minutes before carefully removing to a cooling rack (I use a butter knife to gently pry them up and then lift them from the pan) and allow to cool a bit before enjoying.
Notes
Apples
A firm apple that you enjoy eating on its own works best for this recipe. I prefer Golden Delicious or Gala apples. Granny Smith are a bit too tart for my taste here.Storing
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. These muffins may also be carefully, tightly wrapped and frozen for up to a month.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Related Recipes
This apple muffin recipe was originally published September of 2015. I have updated the photos, added a how-to video, and updated the post to be as helpful as possible. The recipe itself has been slightly updated; I’ve slightly re-written it to help with the flow of the recipe and have cut down slightly on the amount of streusel, as some readers complained it was too much!
Patti Hyland
Sam, I have been reading a lot about the type of muffin pan makes a big difference in the quality of the muffin. I am currently using a stoneware muffin pan, but was reading an aluminum muffin pan gave a better muffin. What type of muffin pan do you use and recommend?
Sam
Hi Patti! I typically only use aluminum pans. 🙂
Enni
Hi Sam , first time following your written only recipe, muffin still came out good, thank you!
Melissa
I don’t normally comment on stuff but these are the best muffins I have ever made. AND to top it all off, I made the parchment paper wrappers – I have never done this before – amazing!! My only comment is that the crumble recipe makes more than what you need. But no biggie. So delicious. Thank you very much!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy that you loved them, Melissa! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! 🙂
Brianna
I just made these and they are absolutely delicious!! Am I able to refrigerate the extra streusel and use it if I plan to make more soon?
Sam
Hi Brianna! That should work just fine. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Jill
Delicious apple crumb muffins. Will be making your apple cake very soon. Your recipes never disappoint. Thanks Sam.
Sam
Thank you so much, Jill! I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins and I hope you love the apple cake just as much. 🙂
Krista
I think I’ve made these atleast 8 times now! I have 7 kids and 11 of us that live in my house. Such a simple great recipe that I can double. I’ve also baked and sent them to my step mom and my dad in Arizona. As said in a previous comment, Wisconsin gets cold, we love to bake and these muffins never fail. And that’s due to such a great recipe. Thank you very much for all your great treats.
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoys them so much, Krista! 🙂
Amy
I’m wondering if you could add bananas to this recipe?
Sam
Hi Amy! I haven’t tried it. Without having tried it, it’s really too hard to say if you’d need to change anything. If you try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Liz
It’s been rainy and cold here in Wisconsin, perfect weather for baking. Just made these muffins two days ago just for the two of us and we ate the last ones this morning for breakfast. They were so good, moist and very flavorful. Also made your white bread which I’ve done several times and it’s also always delicious. Your recipes never disappoint. Looking forward to trying the apple crisp recipe soon.
Sam
Thank you so much Liz! I am so glad you have enjoyed everything and the muffins in particular. 🙂
Nancy Harms
If I don’t have buttermilg and add vinegar to regular milk, how much milk do I use. It just says 1/2 milk. Did you mean 1/2 cup milk?
Sam
Hi Nancy! You will need 1/2 cup of milk. 🙂
Lisa d
I love your recipe. I’m going to add some chopped walnuts to the crumble topping next time
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Lisa! 🙂
Hannah
Made these this morning and they were absolutely delicious! The crumble was perfect and the apples came out moist.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Hannah! 🙂
Courtney Bryson
How long do they last ive cooked today and stored in an air tight container. Ps they are insane!!! 😍
Sam
They should last about a week at room temperature if you don’t eat them all first. 😉
Bruce
Also, muffins freeze very well in a zippered freezer bag. They stay fresher that way, in case you have to keep them more than two days.
mary kelly
Just in the oven now the crumble tastes amazing even before its baked waiting longingly for them to be baked
Sugar Spun Run
The wait time is the worst, but I promise it will be worth it. 😉 I hope that you love the muffins, Mary!
Mary
Omg i’v made a lot of cupcakes/muffins but these are up there amongst the best I love the contrast between the crunchy crumble topping and the moist full on flavour muffin definetly a keeper thank you for sharing
Sugar Spun Run
That is wonderful. I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Mary! 🙂
Alicia
These muffins are delicious! A favourite in our house
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that they have become a family favorite, Alicia! Thanks for commenting. 🙂
ARIANNE
THESE MUFFINS ARE GREAT!!! I just had one freshly baked muffin a minute out from the oven coz I just can’t wait! I lost my sweet tooth probably wen I was a kid, so I halved the sugar as I’m using my homemade chunky apple jam that already had sugar in it. Only used light brown (raw) sugar as that’s what I only have at the moment. Also, I only have olive oil and I’m not sure if that can substitute canola/veg oil, but I know a lot of recipe calls for butter so I made a little less than half a cup of butter:olive oil. I had to less a bit of liquid coz my jam has sauce in it. Despite all of the adjustments MUFFINS CAME OUT GREAT!!!!!! Much love from Singapore Sam <3
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Arianne! For the oil, I really recommend a neutral oil. Olive oil has a little bit of a stronger taste, but you may have been able to mask it with the jam you used. Either way, I’m glad they turned out! 🙂
Angela
These are the best muffins I think I’ve ever made! I have never commented on a recipe before, but this recipe needs to be praised! It’s a very well-written recipe, every step is laid out perfectly. As for the finished product, it came out exactly the way it should have…the muffin was moist, the topping was crunchy and the taste was absolutely delicious! These will be baked again!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Angela! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment. I really appreciate it. 🙂
Simone Cheong
Muffins came out awesome! I doubled the muffin recipe and added one bag of dark chocolate chips to the batter. I made only one recipe of the topping, and it was enough for the 27 muffins the double muffin recipe yielded.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Simone! 🙂
Sandra Gay Duffey
These muffins were easy to make and lovely and moist but they just were not sweet enough. Don`t think I will make them again
Simone Cheong
Sandra, I added chocolate chips and it brought the sweetness level up without being too sweet. You could also try semi-sweet chocolate chips.
ARIANNE
Uh-oh… I made some chunky apple jam out from left over apples. Thot of making them into muffins and so I found this recipe. I even Halved the sugar as the apple jam already has a bit of sugar in it. But generally I’m not a huge fan of sweets. Updating later once the muffins are done.