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Most applesauce muffins bake up flat because the batter is too loose. My first batches had the same problem, so I kept testing ratios of applesauce, oil, and flour until the batter held its shape. One and a half cups of applesauce is the sweet spot, and oil instead of butter keeps them soft for days. These are the tall, cinnamon spiced applesauce muffins I make every fall.
This is the third muffin recipe of Beth’s that I’ve made and once again the recipe does not disappoint! Easy to make, amazing flavor and they have high domes. What’s not to love!
-Kelsey
The Applesauce Muffin Recipe of your Dreams
I spent 6 months testing muffin recipes for my Bakery Style Muffins Cookbook. That’s where I learned what it really takes to get big, domed tops. It starts with the batter.
My first batches of these applesauce muffins had one big problem. The batter was too loose, and loose batter doesn’t dome. It spreads, and you end up with flat tops.
So I tested different ratios of applesauce, oil, and dry ingredients until the batter was thick enough to hold its shape. One and a half cups of applesauce turned out to be the perfect balance. Add more and the batter loosens up, and you lose those super domes.
I use oil in almost all my muffin recipes, and this is why. Butter is firm at room temperature, so butter muffins start to feel dry and dense once they cool. Oil stays liquid, which keeps the crumb soft and tender on day two, three, and four.
Why You’ll Love These Applesauce Muffins
- Ready in 30 minutes — just 10 minutes of prep and you’re basically done
- Simple pantry ingredients — no specialty items required
- Perfectly moist crumb — the applesauce keeps these tender and soft every single time
- Warm fall spices — cinnamon and nutmeg in every bite
- Tall, domed bakery-style tops — no special equipment needed, just a standard muffin pan
- Gluten-free friendly — swap in a 1:1 GF flour and they turn out just as good
- Freezer-friendly — make a batch now, enjoy one (or four) later
Applesauce Muffins Recipe Ingredients
These simple ingredients make the best applesauce muffins! Keep scrolling to get the full measurements and instructions in the recipe card below.
- all-purpose flour
- granulated sugar
- baking powder
- salt
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- applesauce
- eggs
- vegetable oil
- vanilla extract
How to Make Applesauce Muffins
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir together and set aside.
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the applesauce, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. The batter will be very thick.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF / 220ºC.
- For bakery style muffins, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Fill the liners with 6-8 heaping tablespoons of batter. Sprinkle the tops with sanding sugar.
- Place one pan in the center of the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF / 220ºC, then keep the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350ºF / 180ºC and bake for 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan. Repeat with the remaining batter, bumping the temperature back up to 425ºF / 220ºC.
How to Properly Measure Flour
The most accurate way to measure flour is to use a kitchen scale, weighing it in grams. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, follow this method.
- Aerate the flour with a whisk or spoon. Flour becomes heavy and compact as it sits. Aerating is the same as fluffing the flour, but not the same as sifting it. Do not sift the flour unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
- Use a spoon to sprinkle the flour into the measuring cup. Do not tap the cup against the counter, as this will compact the flour.
- Use the back of a butter knife to level off the excess. You’ll need to repeat the aerating process after filling each cup.
Tips for Bakery Style Applesauce Muffins
Big, domed muffin tops don’t happen by accident. They come from a thick batter and a few simple techniques I use in every muffin recipe, along with my famous chocolate chip muffins. Follow these four steps and your applesauce muffins will rise tall every time.
How to Create Bakery Style Muffins
Bakery style muffins are known for their domed tops. Plus who doesn’t love them? I used a few techniques to help “lift” these muffins so they would have large, domed tops!
1. The Rest Period
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes after it’s mixed and before you scoop it into the muffin pan. During the resting period, starch molecules in the flour are absorbing the liquid in the batter, causing them to swell and giving the batter a thicker consistency (ref the kitchen whisper). Our 15 minute rest is just a quick rest.
2. Fill Every Other Muffin Cup
This tip has been a game changer! For bakery style muffin tops, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Filling every other cup allows the muffins to spread and dome without running into each other. This technique also encourages the muffins to brown, creating a golden muffin top.
3. Fill Them To The Top
Fill your muffin liners to the top with batter. Yes, this goes against everything you’re heard but it’s important in helping the muffin gain that height.
4. Bake at High Temperature Initially
Bake the muffins at a high temperature (425ºF) initially, then lower to 350ºF. Starting the muffins off at a higher temperature causes the batter to rise rapidly, setting the outer surface of the muffin, producing a dome shape.
How to Make Gluten Free Applesauce Muffins
Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend in place of all-purpose flour. I used King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour with great results.
How to Store Moist Applesauce Muffins
If you’ll be eating the muffins within 24 hours of baking, you can leave them uncovered on the counter. The muffins will not dry out while left at room temperature for 1 day.
In fact, muffins are so moist they can become soggy and those crunchy, sugary tops can disappear when stored in an airtight container.
But I have a trick to help that – paper towels.
For longer storage, 2-4 days, line the bottom of an airtight container with paper towels. Place the muffins in a single layer in the container then cover the muffins with any additional layer of paper towels. The paper towels will act like a sponge, absorbing the moisture they release while they are stored.
If the paper towels become too moist around day 2 or day 3, replace them with fresh paper towels.
How To Freeze Muffins
Individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap. Then place them in a ziploc bag or airtight container and place in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw, leave them at room temperature until defrosted, about 1 hour. Or unwrap them and microwave at 20 second intervals until defrosted.
These turned out amazing! Easy recipe to follow, definitely recommend! :)
-Nicole
Easy Applesauce Muffins Recipe FAQs
Either unsweetened or regular applesauce works in this recipe — the ingredient list actually calls out both. If you use regular (sweetened) applesauce, the muffins will be slightly sweeter, which most people won’t mind. Unsweetened gives you a little more control over the overall sweetness. What you want to avoid is flavored applesauce (like cinnamon applesauce) since this recipe already has its own spice balance built in. Whatever you use, make sure it’s smooth — chunky applesauce can throw off the batter consistency.
Three things matter most here. First, don’t skip the 15-minute batter rest — this gives the flour time to absorb the liquid and thickens the batter, which directly supports that tall dome. Second, measure your flour correctly: aerate it first, spoon it into the measuring cup, and level it off with a knife. Packing flour is one of the most common reasons muffins turn out heavy. Third, mix just until the dry ingredients are combined — overmixing develops gluten and leads to a tougher, denser crumb. The batter will look thick and that’s exactly right.
More Fall Recipes
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Easy Applesauce Muffin Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups (378g) applesauce, unsweetened or regular
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (149g) vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- sanding sugar, for topping muffins
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir together and set aside.3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar, 3 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt, 2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- In a larger mixing bowl combine the applesauce, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.1 ½ cups (378g) applesauce, 2 large eggs, ¾ cup (149g) vegetable oil, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. The batter will be very thick.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and allow the batter to rest for 15 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 425ºF / 220ºC.
- For bakery style muffins, line a 12 count muffin pan with 6 muffin liners, meaning you’ll only fill every other muffin well with batter. Fill the liners with 6-8 heaping tablespoons of batter. Sprinkle the tops with sanding sugar.sanding sugar
- Place one pan in the center of the oven and bake for 7 minutes at 425ºF / 220ºC, then keep the muffins in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350ºF / 180ºC and bake for 13-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan. Repeat with the remaining batter, bumping the temperature back up to 425ºF / 220ºC.
Last Step: I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a rating and comment here.
I’m called the muffin Nonnie I’m always looking for muffin recipes These are moist, light and I got a beautiful dome on top. 4 stars because I thought they were bland. I even put ground cloves but probably not enough. I will make again but spice it up a bit. Thanks
I have made these several times and they are excellent and really beautifully domed. I make big batches of apple butter without sugar and this is my favorite way to use it. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
If I were to fill the 12 count muffin pan, what should be the temperature of the oven and for how long should I bake them?
Made these with my 3yo and we approve! It’s such an easy recipe to bake with the little one. We halved the recipe to make 24 mini muffins, baked for 11 mins at 200c. Came out excellent! Thank you for the recipe Beth, I’ve also just ordered your book!
Love this recipe. With all the apples around, iI was happy to see you use this amount, as I always double my recipe. Grand children have large appetites for Muffins….♥️😜
My kids and I demolished these. Made just as instructed but slightly less nutmeg and it was perfection.
What type of all purpose flour do you like best for your muffin recipes?
I typically use King Arthur’s All-Purpose Flour or Gold Medal’s All-Purpose Flour.