Apple Muffins With Oats And Pecans

Apple oat muffins with Greek yogurt, tart apple chunks and a crunchy oat pecan streusel. Soft for days, with gluten-free and monk fruit options.

I first posted these apple oat muffins in October 2014.

Twelve years and a lot of apple seasons later, they’re still the muffins I bake as soon as the first Granny Smiths show up, so this fall I made them again, reshot them and filmed the whole thing.

The recipe barely changed, because it didn’t need to.

Greek yogurt keeps the crumb soft for days. Real chunks of tart apple go in every bite.

Ground rolled oats add a nutty, whole-grain flavor.

And the top gets an oat pecan streusel, crumbled by hand, that actually crunches.

What’s new is the flexibility.

I usually bake them with monk fruit sweetener now, walnuts work as well as pecans, and with almond flour they’re completely gluten-free.

Why These Apple Oat Muffins Work

They’re meal prep friendly. One batch makes 12 muffins: breakfast and snacks for the week, and they freeze well.

They stay moist. Greek yogurt and oil give a soft, tender crumb that holds up all week in the fridge.

The apple is real. Diced Granny Smith instead of applesauce or apple flavor, so you get juicy pieces in every bite.

The streusel. Oats, pecans, cold butter and a little sugar make a bakery-style crunchy top.

The tall bakery dome. Five minutes at 425°F makes the muffins spring up fast, then you drop the heat to bake them through.

Ingredients for Apple Muffins With Oats

• Apples: Granny Smith is my pick. They’re tart, hold their shape and balance the sweet streusel. Honeycrisp or Braeburn work too. You’ll need about 3 medium apples for 2 cups diced.
• Oat flour: just rolled oats ground in a blender until fine. No need to buy oat flour.
• All-purpose flour: or almond flour for a gluten-free batch (see below).
• Greek yogurt: plain, any fat level. It reacts with the baking soda for lift and keeps the muffins moist.
• Sugar or monk fruit sweetener: regular sugar, or a monk fruit sweetener that measures 1:1 like sugar. I usually bake them with monk fruit.
• Oil: canola or another neutral oil, light olive oil or melted coconut oil.
• Eggs, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
• Pecans or walnuts: chopped, in the batter and in the streusel.

For the Oat Pecan Streusel

Cold butter, rolled oats, flour, sugar (or monk fruit) and chopped pecans or walnuts.

Tips for the Best Apple Muffins

Dice the apples small, about ½ inch, so they soften fully and don’t sink.

Don’t overmix. Stir until you can’t see dry flour, then stop. Overmixed batter bakes up tough.

Fill the cups almost full. That, plus the hot start, is what gives you the tall muffin top.

Keep the streusel cold until it goes on the batter.

Watch the bake time. Apples release moisture, so juicy apples can need a few extra minutes. Trust the toothpick.

Variations

• Walnut instead of pecan: swap 1:1 in the batter and the streusel.
• Lower sugar: use a monk fruit sweetener that measures 1:1 like sugar, in the batter and the streusel. This is how I usually make them.
• Gluten-free apple muffins: replace the all-purpose flour with almond flour, in both the batter and the streusel, and use certified gluten-free oats. CONFIRM that you swap it cup for cup.
• Dairy-free: use a plant-based yogurt and coconut oil in the streusel.

Storage, Make-Ahead and Freezing

• Room temperature: 1–2 days in a container lined with a paper towel.
• Fridge: up to 7 days in an airtight container. Warm them for 10 seconds in the microwave.
• Freezer: up to 3 months. Wrap them individually and thaw on the counter, or warm them straight from frozen.

They’re my weekly breakfast prep in the fall. Bake on Sunday, and there’s a muffin for every school morning.

FAQ

Can I make these apple oat muffins gluten-free? Yes. Use almond flour instead of all-purpose flour in the batter and streusel, and use certified gluten-free oats.

Can I use sugar substitute? Yes. A monk fruit sweetener that measures 1:1 like sugar works in both the muffins and the streusel. I bake them that way most of the time.

Do I need oat flour? No need to buy it. Grind rolled oats in a blender until fine.

What apples are best for muffins? Tart, firm apples like Granny Smith hold their shape and balance the sweetness. Honeycrisp and Braeburn also work.

Why do you start the oven at 425°F? The first 5 minutes of high heat make the batter rise quickly and form a tall dome. Then the lower temperature bakes the inside without burning the top.

Can I use walnuts instead of pecans? Yes, swap them 1:1.

Why did my apple muffins turn out wet in the middle? Juicy apples add moisture. Bake a few minutes longer and check with a toothpick in the center.

More Muffin and Apple Recipes

• Slow Cooker Applesauce
• Apple Donuts
• Cinnamon Apple Pull-Apart Bread
• Cream Cheese Filled Apple Bread
• Blueberry Banana Muffins + GF Option
• Low-Carb Pumpkin Muffins With Cream Cheese Filling
• Baked Pears With Yogurt, Honey and Pecans
• Baked Pork Chops With Apples

5 from 1 vote

Apple Muffins Recipe

By Mira Lyubenova

Apple, oat and pecan muffins recipe. Fluffy with crunchy oat – pecan streusel topping.

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 40 minutes mins

Servings: 12

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Ingredients 

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Muffins:

• ▢ 2 medium eggs
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 cup canola oil, (extra virgin, vegetable or coconut oil can be substituted 1:1)
• ▢ 2 cups peeled and diced apples, (I used Granny Smith, around 3 medium apples)
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• ▢ 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 3/4 cup whole wheat oat flour
• ▢ 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Oat-Pecan Streusel Topping:

• ▢ 4 oz (50 gr) cold butter
• ▢ 1/3 cup rolled oats
• ▢ 1/3 cup flour
• ▢ 4 tbsp sugar
• ▢ 4 tbsp chopped pecans

Video

Instructions 

• Prepare streusel topping: In a bowl combine butter, sugar and flour and crumble until you get coarse breadcrumbs. You can use your fingers or a fork. Add rolled oats and pecans. Keep refrigerated until you need to use it.
  
• Preheat oven to 425 F (220 C). Line a muffin tin with paper liners or spray with cooking spray. I use Misto.
• Beat eggs, sugar and oil until well blended.
  
• Combine yogurt and baking soda and add to mixture. Mix until combined.
• In a bowl combine dry ingredients (1 1/4 cup flour, 3/4 cup oat flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1 1/2 tsp baking powder) and add to wet ingredients. Mix until incorporated.
  
• Fold apples and pecans and mix until just combined.
  
• Transfer muffin batter to muffin tin, filling each cup almost full.
• Add about 1 tbsp of oat-pecan streusel topping to each muffin.
  
• Bake at 425 F (220 C) for 5 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for 25-30 more minutes, until tips are golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean. (Apple baked goods may be tricky to bake, so please watch how your muffins bake and allow a few extra minutes. Baking time may depend on the kind of apples used, flour, moisture of the ingredients, oven and climate).
• Take out of the oven, but let muffins cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack until they cool completely.
  
• Keep muffins refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 7 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 48mg, Sodium: 236mg, Potassium: 204mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 23g, Vitamin A: 285IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 67mg, Iron: 1.6mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @cookinglsl or tag #cookinglsl!