These Apple Chai Spice Muffins have a soft and moist texture, while still being gluten free! Made using wholesome ingredients like almond flour and the warm spices of chai, these delicious muffins would go perfectly with a chai tea latte or hot cup of coffee for a morning or afternoon snack.
These muffins are so healthy that you could even eat them as a delicious breakfast! If you’re looking for ways to use up those extra apples this apple season than you might also like to try my Gluten Free Apple Crumble, Kale, Apple and Cranberry Salad or my Granola Stuffed Baked Apples.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- these muffins are a delicious way to use up excess apples this apple season.
- this recipe is gluten free, refined sugar free and dairy free.
- using chai spices, these muffins have a great flavour!
- almond flour gives these chai muffins a soft and moist texture.
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Most of the ingredients in this muffin recipe you will probably already have on hand and are all easily found at your local grocery store or organic grocer. Read onto see what ingredients you will need.
Dry Ingredients
- buckwheat flour – I use a light buckwheat flour that doesn’t have an overpowering buckwheat flavour.
- rice flour – you can use either brown rice or white rice flour.
- almond flour – also known as finely ground blanched almond meal. Some blanched almond meal can be quite course, if this is the case simply blend it briefly in a blender or food processor.
- spices – I like to make my own chai spice blend using a combination of ground cardamom, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. If you don’t have this combination of spices you could also use mixed spice or pumpkin spice.
- baking powder – I always opt for an aluminium free and gluten free baking powder.
- rapadura sugar – can be swapped for coconut sugar or brown sugar.
Wet Ingredients
- eggs – large eggs are required for this recipe.
- extra virgin olive oil – I prefer to use olive oil over vegetable oil as vegetable oil is highly processed and refined. You could also use liquified extra virgin coconut oil, however this will give a slight coconut flavour to the muffins and will give a slightly heavier texture.
- vanilla extract
- coconut beverage – you could use any milk of choice including cows milk, oat milk or almond milk.
- apples – coarsely grate the apples with the skin on. I prefer to use red apples for this recipe like pink lady, honeycrisp apples etc. But you can use whichever apples you can get your hands on.
Find ingredient quantities in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
How to Make Apple Chai Spice Muffins
Making this recipe is so easy and doesn’t even require an electric mixer. Follow this step-by-step guide to get perfect muffins!
Step 1: Prepare muffin pans. First preheat the oven and prepare the muffin tin by lining each muffin hole with paper cupcake liners. Alternatively you can grease the muffin tin with olive oil or butter.
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Step 2: Combine flour, spices and sugar. Sieve the buckwheat flour, rice flour, spices and baking powder into a large mixing bowl. Add the rapadura sugar and almond flour and whisk to combine.
Step 3: Mix wet ingredients. Add the eggs, milk, olive oil and vanilla extract into a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
Step 4: Make muffin batter. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients. Pour the egg mixture into the well along with the grated apple. Use a wooden spoon to mix together until just combined.
Step 5: Bake. Spoon the muffin batter into all twelve muffin moulds. I like to use an ice cream scoop to get even distribution of mixture (a regular sized ice cream scoop holds the perfect amount of batter for one muffin). Top each muffin with a thin slice of apple and then place into the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes, or until they are golden brown and the top springs back when pushed down gently. Or until a cake tester or skewer comes out clean when pressed into the centre of the muffin.
Step 6: Cool. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool to room temperature. This delicious recipe is so delicious eaten warm!
Storage
Once the muffins have cooled completely, transfer to an airtight container. Keep on the counter top for 1-2 days before placing in the fridge. In warmer climates almond meal turns rancid quite quickly so the fridge is the best place for these muffins. To get that “just baked” texture, warm in the microwave for 30 seconds before serving.
Health Benefits
- The apple contains pectin, which is a soluble fibre and helps to improve digestion and reduces Low-Density-Lipoprotein (LDL) and Very-Low-Lipoprotein (VLDL) levels. LDL’s and VLDL’s are bad cholesterol. Increasing its clearance helps to promote a healthy cardiovascular system.
- Buckwheat contains rutin, a bioflavonoid which promotes good immune health and works as an antioxidant.
- Almond meal is high in protein and good fats, providing essential nutrients for brain health.
Apple Chai Spice Muffins – Gluten Free
Equipment
- Medium Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Wooden Spoon
- Cupcake Papers
- Muffin tin
- Grater
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1/2 cup buckwheat flour
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1 cup almond meal
- 1/3 cup rapadura sugar
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cardamom powder
- 1/4 tsp clove powder
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin
- 1/2 cup coconut beverage
- 260 grams apples, grated (plus extra apple slices for decoration)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with cupcake papers and set aside.
- In a large bowl sieve the buckwheat flour, rice flour, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, clove powder and baking powder.1/2 cup buckwheat flour, 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, 1/4 tsp clove powder, 3 tsp baking powder
- Add the almond flour and rapadura sugar to the bowl and whisk to combine. Crumble any lumps of rapadura sugar if necessary.1 cup almond meal, 1/3 cup rapadura sugar
- In a medium sized bowl, add the olive oil, vanilla extract, coconut beverage and eggs and whisk to combine.2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup olive oil extra virgin, 1/2 cup coconut beverage
- Add the grated apple and egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.260 grams apples grated (plus extra apple slices for decoration)
- Divide mixture evenly between the 12 muffin moulds. Top with thin slices of apple (optional).
- Place muffins into the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and muffins spring back when pushed gently in the centre.
Notes
Storage
Once muffins are room temperature, transfer to an airtight container and store on the container for 1-2 days before transferring to the fridge. In warmer climates transfer to the fridge after one day. Muffins can also be frozen in airtight container for up to 3 months. Once the muffins have been stored in the fridge they may not be as soft as when first baked. Reheat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to get that “just baked” texture.Substitutions
- rapadura sugar – swap for brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- spices – swap for mixed spice if you don’t have all of the required spices.
- coconut beverage – use any milk of choice.
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