Vegan Apple Crumble Muffins – Easy & Moist!

These vegan apple crumble muffins have everything you love about apple crumble, baked into soft, moist, and fluffy muffins with a buttery, golden topping! Made with simple pantry staples, these muffins are perfect for a cosy weekend bake or a grab-and-go breakfast.

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If you love a warm, cosy apple crumble, you’re going to fall in love with these vegan apple crumble muffins! They combine the comforting flavours of a classic apple crumble with the fluffy, bakery-style goodness of a muffin, which I love in the Autumn and Winter seasons!

Each bite is soft, tender, and packed with juicy apple chunks, topped with a golden crumble that adds the perfect sweet buttery crunch. These muffins are wonderful for breakfast, an afternoon treat with a cuppa, or even as a sweet snack on the go. They’re made with only 12 simple ingredients, dairy and egg-free, and ready in just 30 minutes!

Must Read: The Ultimate Guide to Perfect Muffins – A complete guide to baking your perfect vegan muffins with easy and delicious muffin recipes!

Main ingredients and substitutions

*Use room temperature ingredients unless otherwise instructed.

Plain flour: The base of the muffins is plain flour. A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend can be used for a gluten-free version if you want to make them gf. If using self-raising flour, omit the baking powder and baking soda.

Soy milk: I like using soy milk for baking! It provides moisture and combines with apple cider vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk. Almond milk, oat milk, or any other plant-based milk works as well if you don’t want to use soy.

Caster sugar: Caster sugar is a very fine form of sugar and it’s great for baking. If you want, light brown sugar or granulated sugar can be used too.

Vegan butter (melted): I used vegan butter for the main fat component of this recipe, it adss richness and “buttery” flavour to both the muffins and the crumble. I used one from Flora.

Vegetable oil: I added a dash of veg oil to lock moisture in the muffins. Oils keep the muffins moist and light in texture. You can use coconut oil as well, but the texture might be slightly different when it’s cooled down.

Diced apples: I used Honeycrisp, but you can use any type of apples that you like using for baking!

Other ingredients: Cornflour, cinnamon powder, apple cider vinegar, vanilla extract, baking powder, and baking soda.

Note: Substitution may change the final taste and texture of this recipe.

*I use bone char-free sugars for all of my recipes. I cover the topic in my article Vegan Baking 101. Go to the “Is sugar vegan?” section to learn more!

Recommended equipment for this recipe

Mixing bowls: Use a large mixing bowl for easy mixing of the muffin butter. 

Silicone spatula: Silicone spatula is perfect for folding the muffin butter gently, and also ideal for folding in the diced apples without over-mixing.

12-cup muffin tray: A standard 12 size muffin tray is all you need for baking these muffins evenly.

Muffin liners: I like using muffin cups/liners because they look cute and also much easier to remove from the tray.

Ice cream scoop: Get an ice cream scoop if you don’t have one, it’s a game-changer for muffins! It helps portion the batter evenly across the muffin cups.

*The ingredient list and measurement for this recipe can be found in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to make vegan apple crumble muffins

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).

Step 1: Prepare the crumble topping

First things first, let’s make some crumble topping! In a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt with a small whisk until well combined. Then add the melted vegan butter and vanilla extract and mix until crumbly with a fork or spoon. Ta-da, super easy! Cover the bowl and set aside in the fridge while you make the muffin batter.

Step 2: Make the muffin batter

Mix the soy milk and apple cider vinegar to make vegan buttermilk. Set aside. Cut apples into about 1-2cm dices. Set aside.

Now on to making the muffins! In a large bowl, combine the plain flour, caster sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon powder, and cornflour. Whisk until evenly distributed. In a separate bowl or large jug, whisk together the vegan buttermilk, melted vegan butter, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract until smooth.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and gently mix using a silicone spatula or a large wooden spoon until just combined. Overmixing can make the muffins dense, so mix gently. Add the diced apples and fold them in gently so they’re evenly spread throughout the batter. About 2-4 folds should be enough!

Step 3: Bake

Scoop the batter into muffin cups using an ice cream scoop. If you are making medium-sized muffins, fill each about three-quarters full. If you are making big muffins, then fill the cups to the top. Sprinkle the crumble topping generously over each muffin and bake until golden and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool in the tray for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy them warm or at room temperature!

Expert tips and tricks

Do not overmix the batter

A light hand when combining the wet and dry ingredients prevents tough, chewy muffins and keeps the texture fluffy! Being gentle is the key.

Rest the muffin batter, if you have time

If you have time, try resting the muffin batter before baking! Allowing the muffin batter to rest for about 30 minutes before baking helps the flour fully hydrate and the leavening agents activate fully. This results in muffins with a beautifully domed top and an extra soft, tender crumb. I accidentally found this trick when I had a small oven that could only bake half a batch at a time, and the second one always came out better! So if you can spare the time, cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature or in the fridge, it’s a simple trick that makes a noticeable difference.

Cool before removing from the tray

Did your muffin top break apart when you picked up from the tray? I know you want to eat the muffins asap but resting is always worth the patience! Resting the muffins for at least 5 minutes in the tray makes them easier to remove without breaking apart.

Use a digital scale to weigh ingredients

Always use a digital scale rather than measuring cups when you are baking. It’s so much more accurate and measuring correctly is very important to achieve the best result.

Recipe variations

• If you fancy a pear version, I have pear muffins with crumble topping!
• Drizzle some caramel sauce on top to make caramel apple crumble muffins, an even more indulgent dessert perfect for after a meal!
• Use brown sugar in the crumble topping for a richer, caramel-like flavour.
• A bit of crunch is always a good idea in baked goods. Add some chopped walnuts or pecans to the crumble for crunch!

How to store

• Room temperature: These muffins stay fresh in an airtight container for up to 1 day. Keeping them covered prevents the crumble from going soft and also from fruit fries. If you live in a particularly warm climate, do not leave the muffins at room temperature.

• Refrigerator: I prefer to store muffins from day 1 if I have some leftovers. Stored in an airtight container, the muffins last up to 2-3 days. Briefly warming them in the microwave or in the oven brings back their softness and flavour like a freshly baked one!

• Freezer: Once fully cooled, muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months. They should be wrapped individually and placed in a freezer bag or freezer-friendly air-tight container. Thaw at room temperature and warm gently if you want in the oven before serving.

*Although you can store this recipe in the fridge or freezer, it’s always best to consume it fresh and as soon as possible.

Q and A

Want to master the basics of vegan baking?
Check out Vegan Baking 101 – the beginner’s guide to vegan baking for you to become an excellent vegan baker and familiar with the basics of vegan baking, ingredients, and techniques with useful tips!

You will LOVE these vegan apple crumble muffins because they are:

• quick and easy to make
• super moist and tender with buttery crumble
• perfect for any occasion – breakfast, picnic, dessert, and more

Want more recipes like this?

Try my other delicious muffin and dessert recipes you might enjoy!

• Raspberry muffins
• Chocolate chip muffins
• Blueberry lemon muffins
• Apple cinnamon muffins
• Apple crumble cake
• Apple turnovers
• Pear muffins
• Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
• Apple pie cookies
• Apple Crumble Coffee Cake
• Apple Banana Muffins

Visit the muffins page and recipe page for more delicious recipes!

Please leave a comment and rate this recipe with 5 stars in the comment section below if you like the recipe! Let me know and tag me @thechestnutbakery on Instagram too. Thank you for making my recipe, friends!

Recipe Card

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