Healthy oatmeal applesauce muffins made with whole wheat flour and no refined sugar. They’re easy to make and so delicious! Perfect for a low fat breakfast or snack.
Recipe updated on September 22, 2019.
I’ve come to realize that a lot of muffins are just breakfast cupcakes. That really is what they are. Now, let me be clear; I’m not going to stop eating them, but you gotta have some balance in your life.
It’s time to cut back on the junk food breakfasts. Don’t deny it. Sometimes you have breakfast foods that aren’t really breakfast food because it’s easier to just throw some high corn syrup O’s cereal in a bowl with some milk and eat it. We all do this. I’m guilty of it too but we can’t go on like this.
So for those of you who love muffins with all your heart but are trying to stay on track, I have a much healthier option for you.
Yes, I come to you with yet another healthy breakfast muffin recipe.
These cinnamon oatmeal muffins with applesauce are low fat, naturally sweetened, high in fiber, made with whole wheat flour and no butter or milk.
Even though these healthy oatmeal apple muffins are dairy-free and whole wheat, they’re still just as good as their non-healthy counterparts.
I really like whole wheat muffins but only if they don’t taste like whole wheat muffins. You get what I’m saying? I don’t like how sometimes they can have this harsh texture or be extremely dry. These two reasons alone made me avoid whole wheat baked goods for years. Fortunately, that’s not the case with these oatmeal applesauce muffins!
They’re soft, moist, and so much more filling compared to white flour muffins. I like to have them with a cup of tea. It’s the perfect way to start the day, especially when it’s cold outside.
Healthy breakfasts aren’t so bad once you find the right recipes. And I’ve come to learn that making little changes can really have a big impact on your overall health.
Not only are these low fat oatmeal muffins great for breakfast they’re a healthier snack option too. They keep you full in between meals and help you avoid snacking on things that don’t really hold much nutritional value.
They also make for a kid-friendly breakfast and they’re great for the lunchbox too!
Sweetened Applesauce vs. Unsweetened Applesauce
Sweetened applesauce is usually sweetened with corn syrup. This recipe calls for unsweetened applesauce but if you only have the sweetened kind on hand I recommend that you reduce the honey or maple syrup to 1/3 cup.
Can I use Rolled Oats instead of Quick Oats?
You can, however you’d end up with muffins that are denser, chewier, and nuttier in flavor and texture. I can’t guarantee that the muffins will still turn out soft and moist so I recommend sticking with quick oats.
More Healthy Muffin Recipes:
- Healthy Banana Applesauce Muffins
- Healthy Greek Yogurt Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
- Healthy Greek Yogurt Pumpkin Muffins
- Healthy Pumpkin Banana Muffins
I love having healthy muffins for breakfast; especially quick oat muffins! They taste good and they’re really good for you too. If you give this recipe a try let me know how it turns out in the comments below. I love hearing your feedback!
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Healthy Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins {Sugar Free}
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup quick oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- Oats and brown sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray or lightly grease with oil (I don’t recommend using liners unless they are foil or parchment).
- In a large bowl mix together the applesauce and honey/maple syrup.
- Beat in the oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Add the oats, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and mix until combined.
- Add the flour and gently mix until fully incorporated. Do not overmix!
- Scoop the batter into the muffin pan dividing it evenly among the cups.
- Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of oats and brown sugar.
- Bake for 18 – 19 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or mostly clean.
- Cool in pan 5 minutes then remove.
Notes
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22 comments
Pretty good muffin recipe overall. My tops didn’t turn out as “pretty” as yours, but the muffin was tasty nonetheless. I too like using coconut oil in baked goods; lends great flavor. I ended up doing half AP flour and half WW flour, and I put my oats in a grinder first to give the muffins a smoother texture, and I think the kids would like them better like that (especially my picky 1st grader). I added a little bit more of the classic spices to my batter, and ground hemp seed to increase the nutritional value. Oh and I did maple syrup for the sweetener. I can’t wait to play around with this recipe a bit more. Thanks for sharing.
To be honest the tops only look “pretty” because of the oats sprinkled on top. ? They’re not the best-looking muffins but you’re right, still tasty. Use whole wheat flour only and you or the kids won’t even be able to tell the difference! There’s no need to grind quick oats for this recipe; unlike rolled oats, they’re quite soft when baked. You should try them without grinding the oats first and let me know how you like it. Thanks for trying my recipe and leaving a review!
How much ground hemp seed did you add?
Wow! I’ve tried some healthy muffin recipes, that – frankly – made me a little more fearful of trying more and doubt if I could ever make a healthy muffin that I would just as soon eat as a not-so-healthy one. This recipe has renewed my hopes and confirmed that healthy muffins CAN be delicious! I’d choose this for breakfast any morning, or even a healthy dessert, and I LOVE some sugar loaded desserts ?, so I’m thrilled to have a better option! Thanks so much for a quick, easy, healthy AND DELICIOUS muffin recipe that’s permanently marked as a favorite! They were quick and easy enough to pop in the oven before my one- and three-year-old woke up and discovered them with complete delight! We all loved them! Thanks again, great job! ? Definitely will be checking out other recipes from you!
Same here! That’s why I began creating my own healthy muffin recipes. You’re very welcome, Laci. ? I’m thrilled that you and your little ones love them. Thank you so much for supporting Beat Bake Eat!
Hi Crystal – just wanted to stop by and say thank you so much for this recipe. I made them for my dad (who is diabetic and extremely hard to please) for his Birthday, and he actually loved them, said that he didn’t experience a spike in the blood sugar, and even asked me to make them for him again! I did not use whole wheat flour only because I didn’t have it on hand, but I will next time. I also didn’t add the brown sugar on top for Dad as I knew he’d say that was too sweet, but I’ll be making them for both of us in the near future and will include the brown sugar on my batch! Thanks again! 🙂
You’re very welcome, Josephine! Aw, I’m really happy to hear that. They really are wonderful muffins. It must be hard for him to find recipes that don’t spike his blood sugar. I also have relatives with diabetes so I understand. I’m glad you’ll be using whole wheat flour next time; so much healthier. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Update – Hi Crystal, it’s 3 years later and I just had to stop by and tell you I’m still making these muffins and they are dad’s favorite and pretty much only “dessert” he eats. I make them for practically every occasion for him and sometimes just because; even my brother that lives with him sneaks a few for himself so they’re quite popular over here. I just made them yesterday for Father’s Day! And I keep whole wheat flour on hand now; nice to know they’re even healthier and I couldn’t detect any difference in taste or texture. I even make a double batch so I can keep some for myself and my husband because we love them too. I love to cook but I don’t consider myself to be a great baker unless I’m making your muffins. Thank you again for this permanent family favorite. I hope you’re doing well. 🙂
These turned out great! I did add some walnuts in half of them, and really liked the addition. Thanks for a tasty, healthy muffin recipe!
That’s good to hear! I’m happy you liked them. You’re very welcome. Thank you so much for leaving a review.
If I only have rolled oats, how would that be?
The texture would be different; heartier, chewier, and not as soft, and the muffins would take longer to bake. If you have a food processor or blender you can pulse the oats a few times to mimic the texture of quick oats.
These came out soooooooooo delicious! I halved the recipe, but boy do I wish I had made the whole dozen. They taste like something I’d get in a bakery on a fall day. They were super fluffy but I did have to bake them a little longer (around 22 minutes) in my oven. Granted, it is one of those small conventional ovens that I can only make a maximum of 6 muffins in at a time. But let’s be honest, I’ll probably be making 6 more today. My mom isn’t a fan of cinnamon and still really really loved these and raved about them!
Oh yay! I’ve never heard of those ovens before. I’ve only ever heard of and owned a toaster oven; they’re great just small. Thank you! That’s quite the compliment considering these muffins are whole wheat and sugar free. Tell your mom that I’m very happy that she likes them.
Made this to increase the fiber in our diets. Even my slightly picky daughter liked them. I have a question – can these be frozen?
I’ve never frozen them myself but I believe they can be, yes. You’d just need to wrap each muffin tightly with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap and/or place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag. I’m not sure how long they’ll last for (at very best quality) but for most muffins it’s at least 2 weeks.
These muffins were just what I was looking for. No sugar or butter, healthier ingredients. I did not add the sugar on top of the muffins. They were delicious. Do you have any healthy cookie recipes?
Great! No, not yet.
These muffins are amazing. Made them this morning. I had to use regular white flour, I didn’t have whole wheat. Can’t wait to try with whole wheat. Has anyone tried using 1/2 honey and 1/2 maple syrup. I think that would be good also.
They are so delicious with whole wheat flour; it adds a pleasantly mellow nutty flavor. Of course! I use a mixture of honey and maple syrup in my baking recipes all the time.
The muffins were very moist and delicious,but I have a slight sour taste .What did I do wrong? I would like to bake them again . Thank you for a great recipe.
So sorry I missed your comment, Karen. Hmm, I’m not sure. Maybe an expired ingredient?