My easy gluten-free applesauce muffins are the recipe I have made on repeat for decades. My family can’t get enough of the soft, tender texture, while I love the wholesome simple ingredients – unsweetened applesauce, oats, banana, and a touch of cinnamon. All that natural moisture means these applesauce oatmeal muffins bake up bakery-perfect without any oil.

a stack of two applesauce muffins on a white plate
No one will believe these hearty gluten-free apple oat muffins use only applesauce and mashed banana for moisture – no oil!

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Simply, The Best, Gluten-Free Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins

If you open our freezer on any given day, you will find stashes of muffins. With four kids to get off to school, I need plenty I rely on tons of no-fail gluten-free muffin and scones recipes to keep the mornings running smoothly (or, at least, smoother).

I’ve never been a fan of store bought muffins, especially gluten-free ones, due to expense, excess sugar, and empty calories. My homemade gluten-free applesauce muffins are a great mixture of GF oats and all-purpose gluten free flour so I can make one recipe we can all equally enjoy.

Similar another hearty family-fave, moist gluten-free bran muffins, I love how adding unsweetened applesauce replaces the oil. In fact, these muffins are completely oil-free because using mashed banana, along with applesauce, provides plenty of moisture to keep the muffins soft and tender.

A warm batch of moist, homemade muffins can be made, start to finish, in less than 30 minutes. Since they require no peeling, grating, or dicing of apples, it’s as simple of dumping ingredients in a bowl, mixing and baking.

While I love the ease in which I can make them, my family kids loves the cinnamon apple flavor with a hint of banana. (Want a heavier emphasis on banana taste? Try these flourless banana oat muffins.) If you don’t need a GF muffin recipe, prior to having to make a gluten-free version, I made them for many years with all purpose flour as well.

I made these this morning as written, adding 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and they are SO good. I ate two right away and struggled not to eat more. Very easy to throw together and I almost always have everything on hand. I will definitely be making these often!

—Julie

Let’s Make This Together!

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

Easy peasy dump and mix applesauce oat muffins

If excess prep stresses you out, these are your magic muffins. First whisk together the dry ingredients – quick cooking oats (gluten-free certified), GF flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together all the ingredients that make these muffins exceptionally moist – applesauce, mashed banana, egg, and milk.

stirring the wet and dry ingredients together.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. That’s all! No peeling or dicing apples here.

Scoop and bake

Divide the batter in the muffin pan, filling almost to the top. This is how you get nice, domed-top muffins. To quickly and evenly portion out muffins use a trigger ice cream scoop. It is the perfect size with no mess! 

A little baking tip – since these are oil-free muffins, they have a tendency to stick to the paper liners a bit. I’ve tested them with muffin liners and without. If using liners, it’s best to spray the insides. Otherwise, just grease the muffin pan and scoop directly into there. Bake in a 400℉ oven for 15 minutes and enjoy!

trigger scoop dropping muffin batter into tins.
Use a trigger scoop to quickly and evenly divide the muffin batter.

Ingredient Swaps and Mix-Ins

If you don’t need a GF applesauce muffin recipe, feel free to swap out the gluten-free flour with traditional all purpose or even whole wheat flour. If you don’t have banana on hand, that can be replaced with 3 tablespoons oil, any preferred.

Also, for a dairy-free, gluten-free recipe, you can use non-dairy milk. The brown sugar may be reduced or use an equal amount of honey or pure maple syrup. The muffins will contain more moisture, so they will need to bake a couple minutes longer.

Any applesauce may be used – cinnamon applesauce, homemade applesauce, or any variety of store bought. For spiced applesauce muffins add in 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves.

For mix-ins, add 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries, 1/2 cup chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, or dried fruits. You can also make a quick streusel topping by combining 1/4 cup quick oats, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon melted butter to sprinkle on before baking.

an applesauce oatmeal muffin broken up with other muffins around
Soft, tender, and perfect as is, but we also like to add in chopped nuts, dried cranberries, and mini chocolate chips for an extra special bakery touch.

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a stack of two applesauce muffins on a white plate
4.36 stars (31 ratings)

Moist Applesauce Oatmeal Muffins (Gluten-Free)

Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
Yield: 12
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
My easy gluten-free applesauce muffins are the recipe I have made on repeat for decades. My family can't get enough of the soft, tender texture, while I love the wholesome simple ingredients – unsweetened applesauce, oats, banana, and a touch of cinnamon. All that natural moisture means these applesauce oatmeal muffins bake up bakery-perfect without any oil.
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Ingredients
 

Equipment

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. If using muffin cups, spray the insides of muffin cups with cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl stir together flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
    1 ¼ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour, 1 ½ cup quick cooking oats, ½ cup packed brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon salt
  • In a separate bowl whisk together applesauce, mashed banana (or oil), egg, milk, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the bowl with flour ingredients. Stir until thoroughly combined.
    1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1 mashed ripe banana, 1 large egg, ½ cup milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Divide the muffin batter among the muffin tins, filling almost to the top. TIP: To easily and evenly divide muffin batter I like to use a trigger ice cream scoop.
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and place the muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Gently remove muffins from the pan and allow to cool completely on wire rack.

Notes

 
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.
Calories: 148kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 14mg, Sodium: 179mg, Potassium: 167mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 52IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 46mg, Iron: 1mg
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