This post may include affiliate links; see our disclosure policy.
These cozy gluten free muffins are spiced and lightly sweet, featuring apples, oatmeal, cinnamon and nutmeg. (They’re dairy free, too!)
Here’s a gluten free muffins recipe for all eaters! Because they’re irresistibly delicious. This gluten free oatmeal muffin recipe came about because, confession: Alex and I are not muffin people. To us, muffins are an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. Right?! And it’s not that we’re so un-fun we don’t want to eat cake for breakfast. Maybe if we were 12 again?
But in adulthood, we’ve found that cake for breakfast really messes up how we feel the rest of the day: sugar crash, hungry 30 minutes later, shaky, upset stomach. So we wanted to create a muffin that was nutrient dense and satisfying, but at the same time tastes good. Meet our gluten free oatmeal muffins! Keep reading for the recipe.
Related: 18 Delicious Healthy Snack Recipes | 28-Day Healthy Meal Plan
Gluten free by way of oats!
In very few of Alex and my recipes do we use gluten free flour. Instead, we try to make gluten free items with natural, whole food ingredients like oat flour and almond flour. Using this philosophy does make it difficult in baked goods to come up with a suitable texture. Gluten does go a long way in bringing in a fluffy, beautiful muffin texture. However, the texture of these muffins is a nice compromise. We’ve used oat flour and rolled oats as the base for the muffin. As you can see, they’re a little denser and not as tall as a typical muffin. But these gluten free muffins are moist and beautifully fluffy.
Related: Gluten Free Banana Muffins
How to make gluten free muffins
This gluten free muffins recipe is an update to an older recipe of ours, but totally revamped with the help of our star recipe tester Rochelle. Rochelle loves baking and muffins, which made her the perfect collaborator for making gluten free oatmeal muffins. She kept the concept of our previous muffins, but added a few twists. Here are the secrets to these NEW gluten free oatmeal muffins:
- Oat flour: Instead of all purpose flour, these gluten free muffins feature oat flour that you can make in a food processor! All you do is process normal rolled oats until they are ground into a fine flour. If you don’t have a food processor, you can purchase oat flour at a grocery store or online.
- Coconut oil: Coconut oil keeps the muffins moist and also dairy free. Make sure to follow the instructions about using coconut oil as it can sometimes solidify when mixing with cold ingredients. If you’re not into coconut oil and eat dairy, you could use butter as well.
- Maple syrup: We love using natural sweeteners in our baked goods, and maple syrup brings the right gentle sweetness here.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice: This blend of spices helps to evoke the feeling of apple cinnamon oatmeal.
- Apples: To bring more moisture and a hint of sweet, mixing in diced apples makes the perfect texture.
Want another apple muffin? Our apple muffins have a crunchy streusel topping that’s to die for (and there’s a vegan variation, too).
This gluten free muffins recipe is…
Vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free and naturally sweet.
Related: Gluten Free Breakfast Ideas for Everyone | Vegan Breakfast Ideas
Apple Gluten Free Muffins
These cozy gluten free muffins are spiced and lightly sweet, featuring apples, oatmeal, cinnamon and nutmeg. (They’re dairy free, too!)
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups oat flour OR rolled oats processed in a food processor into a flour consistency (see below)
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 ½ teaspoons nutmeg
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup refined coconut oil, melted and cooled (substitute butter if desired)
- 1 cup milk (non dairy milk, for dairy-free), room temperature
- 1 egg, room temperature
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup diced apple (1 medium apple)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin.
- To make the oat flour, place 1 ½ cups rolled oats in a food processor and process until it is very fine. (Note: Do NOT try this with steel cut oats, as they are a very different texture from rolled oats!)
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the oat flour, oats, nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, and kosher salt.
- Melt and cool the coconut oil. Bring the milk and egg to room temperature (so that the coconut oil does not turn solid when mixing). In another bowl, mix together the milk, egg, maple syrup, and vanilla, then gradually whisk in the coconut oil.
- Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until smooth. Allow to sit for 10 minutes while the oats rehydrate.
- Meanwhile, dice the apple. After 10 minutes, gently fold in the apples to the batter. Then use a ¼ cup measure to spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and golden. Store refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months.
Looking for more gluten free recipes?
Many of our gluten free recipes are made with nutrient dense whole foods like oat flour and almond flour. Here are a few of our favorite gluten free recipes:
- Healthy Banana Bread Muffins
- Acai Bowl Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Skillet Cookie
- Amazing Gluten Free Chocolate Cake
- Pistachio Honey Gluten Free Donuts
- Healthy Banana Bread
- The Best Cup of Coffee or Cold Brew Coffee
- Chocolate Tahini Vegan No Bake Cookies
- The Best Toasted Oatmeal
- Lemon Poppy Seed Oatmeal Pancakes
- Vegetarian Spinach Quiche
- Healthy Granola Recipe
- Sweet Potato Hash Browns
- Banana Oatmeal Pancakes
- All gluten free recipes on A Couple Cooks
More muffins recipes
We’ve got lots more where these come from! Here are our favorite muffin recipes:
Use a similar recipe but never as a breakfast muffin.
Mine is a variation of a US raisin bran muffin.
Soak Alban is milk until fully absorbed and use raisins instead of apple. Keeps moist for up to 7 days. Very filling and great for people who don’t get enough bran in their diet.
These have become my go-to recipe, the mix of flavors is just right. Sometimes I have had them turn out a little crumbly, not sure what I did wrong. Last time I substituted 1/2 c Gluten free flour mix for 1/2c of the oatmeal flour ( I didn’t have enough oatmeal) and they came out just as good and maybe a little less crumbly. I also made this recipe with chopped frozen cherries. I halved the spices, doubled the vanilla, so they were Vanilla Cherry muffins and they were delicious!
How do we store these?
You can store refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen up to 3 months!
This is the recipe I’ve been searching for! I wanted a heavy gluten-free muffin, not too sweet, and oat flour is my favorite. The 1-to-1 gf flours don’t taste good to me. I left out the Allspice, put in the cinnamon & nutmeg, a little more Vanilla and cherries that I’d quartered. Oh so good! This will be my go-to from now on, thank you!
I’ve made these probably five times now. Although I seldom follow the recipe exactly, they turn out deliciously every time. I usually add pecan pieces, put less baking powder, and more apple. I love the spice mix, the lightness of them and the chewiness of the oats. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them!! :)
These taste great but even after a few hours in my gas oven they are still a bit mushy inside and don’t really have a crumb aside from the top and bottom of them. Do you have any idea what might be causing this? Would be very helpful. Also, please could you share what the texture of the muffins should be if you cut them in half immediately they come out of the oven?
Thanks!
Hi Ren, thanks for the note! Are you saying you’re storing the muffins in your oven for a few hours? Or that you baked them that long? Because of the chunks of apples inside, the muffins are a little gooier than other muffins you might be used to. Also we don’t recommend cutting them in half immediately out of the oven: they will collapse and be too soft. We’d recommend letting them cool at least 20 minutes before trying to eat. Thanks!
I bake them for about 2.5 to 3 hours and they still look underdone in the middle layer. Thanks, I mixed the batter for longer and let them cool for about 40 mins before cutting today and they were more set, but still had a ‘wet’ layer. In terms of substitutions, I followed the recipe but used all oat flour (instead of part oat flour, part rolled oats), almond milk, flax egg, choc chips (instead of diced apple).
Hi there! The bake time is 25 minutes. We’re not sure how you can bake muffins for 3 hours without burning? Perhaps your oven has an issue?
Just made these for the first time today. They are fantastic!!! Also, my house smells wonderful.
These work for both my Low-FODMAP eater, and my dairy and gluten free eater. The rest of our family loves them as well.
Thank you. :)
So glad you love them!
Do you know of an egg substitute that would work with the somewhat heavier texture of oat? My little one can tolerate baking soda and vinegar as a rise, but have no idea the amoun to use for this recipe? He has a tremendous number of allergies and oat is the only grain he can have. It would be wonderful for him to have these as I’ve found no other recipe for muffins.
You can use a flax egg! Here’s our recipe: https://www.acouplecooks.com/flax-egg/ Good luck!
I tried this recipe Tuesday night to have for breakfast Wednesday morning, they were amazing. The kids devoured them and were full until lunchtime, a breakfast miracle! They are moist and delicious, will definitely be making them regularly from now on.
Awesome! Thanks for making :)
Can you replace the oat flour with almond flour? I asked the hubby to get oat flour from the store today and he came home with almond flour. :) Thanks!
We haven’t tested this variation — I’m not sure!
I went to Farmers Market and had a Gluten Free Oat Cake Muffin and was looking for something that would be moist and flavorful. I made your recipe and was very pleased with the taste – very moist. I added ground ginger and raisins. Thank You so much for sharing your wisdom and detail on the HOW TO. Excellent recipe for GF
You’re welcome! Love the addition of raisins — we’ll have to try it.
I am always looking for gluten-free recipes for my B&B guests who ask. I’ve not been impressed with any recipe that calls for gluten-free flour as they always turn out tasting terrible, and coming inside. These were absolutely perfect! Beautifully risen, not crumbly, and also tasty. I followed the recipe exactly, except I created the apple instead of chopping it. Very important to let this sit To thicken up as the oats are absorbed. I might try another patch using a different kind of oil as I did find the coconut oil came through more than I wanted it to. But truly a great recipe. Definite keeper!
I am looking for a bread using oat flour but no apples just something a bit more plain. Do you think I could leave out the one cup of apples?
I think this would work — it might taste a bit more bland without the apples but I’m not sure!
I replaced the apple with a mashed banana and they were moist and delicious.
I made them yesterday. Loved them. I put walnuts in mine and used homemade applesauce in place of some of milk. Loved them
So glad to hear it! Thank you for making them!
I adore cooking with oat flour! Especially in muffins. and I’ve been all about apple recipes lately; these are perfect! :)
These turned out very good. They Rose up and stayed moist. I measured the oats before grinding them, not after, and it worked fine. I did make two additions. I put in a handful of cinnamon chips. My family that can eat gluten gobbled these right up. I made mini muffins and cooked for 18 mins. Made 24.
so you say 1 1/2 cups of oats or oat flour. if i process 1 1/2 cups of oats i get less than 1 1/2 cups of oat flour… so which should i measure… the oats before they go into the vitamix to make flour? or the oat flour after it comes out of the vitamix?
thanks! looking forward to trying these!
Julie: this should come out the same: 1 1/2 cups rolled oats should equal 1 1/2 cups oat flour. If it’s a little less, that’s ok! You can use the 1 1/2 cups of rolled oats to make the flour.
These are wonderful. Adaptable. Good for you. And did I mention wonderful. I am very tired of gf muffins that are more likely to lumps of lead than food, and we don’t like gf flour mixes so these are really a treat!
I appreciate the simplicity of this recipe. Exactly what I was looking for. They turned out great! Mine were done in 20 minutes. Thanks!
Maybe they meant 1 teaspoon instead of 1 tablespoon of baking powder?? I just tasted my batter and it was so bitter!!! They’re in the oven now… fingers crossed!
I JUST MADE THESE AND THEY’RE DELICIOUS!! They’re the perfect breakfast muffin. I added a handful of cinnamon chips for a little extra burst of flavor, and it’s great :)
Very yummy. I’ve made them twice for my wife, who is “gluten sensitive.” I’ve substituted molasses for honey with good results. One thing your readers might want to note: the batter is runny. Don’t be worried!
What is the total yield of oat flour in this recipe? I usually use around a cup. Looks super delicious! :-)
HI Shanna, this recipe has been updated and the total yield of oat flour is the same as the rolled oats, 1 1/2 cups.
Just wanted to share- they came out excellent!!! Thank you!!!
Oops- should have mentioned I used coconut milk. Will definitely be making these again.
Glad you enjoyed them!
Made this for breakfast yesterday, so yummy and customizable. I ate mine with a bit of honey drizzled on top, and my boyfriend ate his with jam. I used soy milk and it worked great.
Do you know if they freeze well?
You know what, we have not tried them frozen, but I’d think they’d do pretty well! We may try this out in the future – let us know if you have any luck!
Very nice muffin recipe. Second time I made them I tossed in some raisins, sweet potato and banana puree, ginger, and a tad of molasses–so you have a very versatile muffin formula! Thanks for the post.
Fun! I love the sound of your twist. Thanks for writing!
I’m not much of a sweet breakfast person either, but somehow waffles have made a regular appearance at my breakfast table, as of late. I think it helps that they get smothered in peanut butter instead of syrup ;)
Anyway, I am loving these. And need to give them a whirl because I haven’t baked with oat flour in ages.
PS – I owe you an e-mail. Soon, I promise :)
PB waffles — what an excellent idea! Can’t wait to hear from you! :)
YUM! These look great! Does the recipe require regular/whole milk or could I use Almond Milk instead? Or could I use fat-free milk? Thanks so much for another great suggestion!
You can definitely use almond milk here!
I can`t wait to make these for my dad. He needs a glutenfree diet and gets tired of the same bread. Where I live you can buy glutenfree oats.
These look perfect. Such a simple recipe, but very wholesome and healthy. I’ll have to make these for breakfasts this week.
Sadly every celiac I know also can’t tolerate oats but that just means that there will be more of these for me! Love that shot of the muffins, really gorgeous.
Yes, it is interesting all the levels of gluten tolerance! I think there are some gluten-free oats out there as well? But yes, these are just as delicious for non-gluten free diets! :)
Celiacs can’t eat most oats because they have been cross-contaminated with wheat, but there is actually no gluten naturally in oats. So, a few companies now offer “gluten-free” oats, which, to be more accurate, are actually oats that have been protected from contact with gluten. Quaker is one such company.
ere are gluten free oats (ie. Uncontaminated oats). Quaker brand makes them and a fee other companies.
Gorgeous, gorgeous! I love that you guys are doing a Google Hangout! I’m not sure if I’ll be at my computer on Sat afternoon, but if I’m free, I would love to join. Also, I love cooking with oat flour – it gives baked goods such a nice texture and flavor (and I’m not even GF!)
You are so sweet – thank you! Sorry to miss you, but we’ll have to do another soon. Yes, we are not GF either, but tend to feel better when we have a nice balance of gluten-filled versus gluten-free items, so it’s always fun to experiment for us :) We haven’t done too much with oat flour, but look forward to more in the future!
Will be trying this recipe! I make an oatmeal bread by grinding oats in my Magic Bullet (love my magic bullet!) and it is very yummy. Great, healthy alternative and oats are so flavorful. Thanks for the muffin recipe!
I eat oatmeal almost every day, so it’s nice to find recipes like this where I don’t have to fuss with preparing a bowl of oatmeal. Grab and go is a nice change of pace, and these would be great snacks!
Yes! I actually didn’t think of this being a great “to go” breakfast (since we ate them along with some dinners). Great idea!
I’ve been playing with alternative flours a lot lately, and next on my list is oat flour. Will definitely have to try this!
These look absolutely lovely! I would love waking up to these!
i’ll definitely try this recipe!
xxxFiC.
Awesome! I love how simple these are. Definitely will be making them soon!
These look awesome, but not sure how they are not “cake” maple syrup acts like sugar…..