These apple cider spice muffins have deep apple flavor and a moist texture thanks to a triple-dose of apple: apple cider, applesauce, and shredded apple. A medley of warming spices shines through, while a roll in cinnamon-sugar adds the sweetest touch. They’re like fall-favorite apple cider donuts, but in muffin form!
Hello, apple season! This is one of the best times of year for baking, and you better believe I was buying apple cider as soon as I saw it at the store. Was it still August and a balmy 95ยฐF outside? Yes. Was I going to bake with apple cider anyway? Also yes.
Apple Cider Spice Bread opens the Quick Breads & Muffins chapter in my cookbook, Sallyโs Baking 101. It was such a favorite during testing that I couldnโt resist creating a muffin version too. With a few simple tweaks, you can enjoy both versions all season long.
(The biggest difference is that the bread version highlights orange zest for a citrusy note, while the muffins lean into a stronger spiced flavor without it! You also need baking powder in addition to baking soda for the muffins.)
Why You’ll Love These Apple Cider Muffins
- Tons of pure, fresh apple flavor from 3 different sources of apples
- Warmly spiced with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves
- Extra soft & moist thanks to shredded apple, applesauce, and oil
- A buttery cinnamon-sugar topping gives apple cider donut vibes
- No mixer needed
- Dairy-free recipe (if you skip the melted butter in the topping)
- Very adaptable recipeโadd nuts, raisins or dried cranberries
One reader, Rebecca, commented: “These delightful muffins are all the best flavors of fall for me! The flavors are well-balanced and such a wonderful way to start or end the day! โ โ โ โ โ “
One reader, Erin, commented: “Wow! My family and I couldn’t wait for these to cool before we had to try them. They were delicious! Super moist, so much apple flavor, and an amazing mix of spices. Can’t wait to whip these up again. โ โ โ โ โ “
One reader, Kerri, commented: “These muffins turned out perfectlyโa lovely soft and springy texture, beautifully moist without being oily, and so much apple goodness infused with cinnamon and warm fall spices. I also loved the bit of crunch the sugar coating gives itโit’s a nice pop of sweet texture. This recipe is a keeper for sure. โ โ โ โ โ “
Ingredients You Need:
- Apple Cider: Be sure to use fresh apple cider, the kind sold at farm markets or in a refrigerated case in the grocery store’s produce section. Not hard (alcoholic) cider… and definitely not apple cider vinegar!
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Helps the muffins rise.
- Salt: Balances all the other flavors.
- Spices: Cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and clovesโthe same mix you’ll find in salted caramel apple pie
- Oil: The muffins taste dry and rubbery without some fat. Just as if we’re making apple zucchini bread, use vegetable oil. Avocado oil is a great choice, too.
- Brown & White Sugars: Using half white and brown sugars provide enough sweetening, and the brown sugar lends additional flavor.
- Eggs: Provide structure.
- Applesauce: Even more apple flavor!
- Shredded Apple: You need about 1 and 1/2 regular-size apples. Peel and then shred them with a box grater. I like to use a mix of some tart and some sweet, such as 1 Granny Smith and 1/2 a Honeycrisp. For more suggestions, see this post on the best apples to use for baking.
- Optional Walnuts: I LOVE the added texture these give the muffins, but if you have an allergy or simply don’t want to use them, just leave them out.
Reduce the Apple Cider First
Apple cider, either store-bought or this homemade apple cider, is certainly delicious to drink but it wonโt add enough flavor to baked goods. The trick to apple cider spice muffins is to flavor them with concentrated apple cider. Apple cider that has been reduced down on the stove is potent, adding big flavor without excess liquid.
Reducing a liquid ingredient down on the stove to concentrate its flavor is nothing new, and perhaps you’re familiar with the concept from one of these recipes: strawberry cake, apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies, or Guinness chocolate cake.
You can reduce the cider a day or two in advance and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make the muffins. That will save you cooling time, too, because the cider must cool for a few minutes before you add it to the batter.
To reduce your apple cider, simply follow these simple steps:
- Pour 3/4 cup (180ml) apple cider into a small saucepan.
- Simmer on medium heat and set a timer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Begin checking at 10 minutes, and then every 3-5 minutes after that until you have 1/4 cup (60ml) of cider reduction (approximately 20 minutes).
- Remove from heat and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before using in the batter. Pour it into a heat-safe glass liquid measuring cup or bowl and refrigerate it to speed up the cooling process.
After that, the remaining steps are super simple. Whisk together dry ingredients in one bowl, and wet ingredients in another, then combine them. You don’t even need a mixer!
Spoon the batter into the muffin pans, filling each liner all the way up to the top.
My No. 1 Trick for Tall Muffins
Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425ยฐF (218ยฐC), then reduce the temperature down to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) for the remaining bake time. This initial high oven temperature lifts the muffin top up quickly and creates a tall dome, which is why filling the muffin liners to the top is imperative.
Most muffins bake between 350ยฐFโ375ยฐF for the entire time. Setting the oven to 425ยฐF initially and then lowering the temperature after 5 minutes guarantees muffins with tall domes on top. I do this in all my muffin recipes, both on my website and in my cookbook.
The crown on top of these apple cider spice muffins is a brush of melted butter, then a roll in cinnamon-sugar, like the coating on these homemade cruffins and these Nutella-stuffed muffins.
Leftover Apple Cider?
If you’re not drinking it, I have some ways to use it up!
- Apple Cider Spice Bread in Sally’s Baking 101
- Skillet Apple Cider Chicken
- Baked Apple Cider French Toast
- Honeycrisp Apple Sangria
- Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Apple Cider Sangria
Or freeze apple cider in an ice cube tray, so you can make any of these delicious recipes even when it isn’t in season!
Be sure to check out the apple cider spice bread in Sally’s Baking 101โpage 213โwhich features an apple cider glaze on top!
Apple Cider Muffins
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes (includes cider)
- Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These apple cider spice muffins have deep apple flavor and a moist texture thanks to a triple-dose of pure apple: apple cider, applesauce, and shredded apple. Like fall-favorite apple cider donuts, in muffin form! Be sure to use fresh apple cider, not hard cider and not apple cider vinegar.
Ingredients
Muffins
- 3/4 cup (180g/ml) fresh apple cider (NOT apple cider vinegar)
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flourย
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 cup (113g/120ml) vegetable oil or melted coconut oilย
- 1/2 cup (100g) light or dark brown sugarย
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g) unsweetened applesauceย
- 1 and 1/2 cups (210g) peeled and shredded apple (about 1.5โ2 apples)
- 3/4 cup (90g) chopped walnuts (optional)
Topping
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugarย
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Reduce the apple cider: In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until it has reduced to 1/4 cup (60g/ml), about 20 minutes. It won’t necessarily be any thicker, but it should be a bit darker. Pour the reduced apple cider into a heat-safe bowl or glass liquid measuring cup, and set aside (or refrigerate to speed things up) to cool to room temperature before using in step 4.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425ยฐF (218ยฐC).ย Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or use muffin liners. Set aside.
- Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and nutmeg.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, applesauce, and reduced apple cider until combined. Pour the oil mixture into the flour mixture and whisk until combined. Fold in the shredded apple and chopped walnuts (if using).ย
- Divide the batter evenly among the muffin liners, filling all the way up to the top.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425ยฐF. Reduce the oven temperature to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC). Continue to bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15โ16 minutes more. Cool the muffins in the pan set on a cooling rack for 10 minutes, then transfer the muffins from the pan to the rack.
- Make the topping: Whisk the sugar and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Lightly brush the top of a warm muffin with melted butter then dip the top into the cinnamon-sugar. Peel off the liner and roll the entire muffin in the cinnamon-sugar to fully coat. (Or coat just the tops.)
- Cover lightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. The sugared coating draws out moisture, so the muffins become a bit sticky by day 2.ย
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: You can reduce the apple cider in step 1 up to 3 days in advance. Cool, cover, and refrigerate until you’re ready to make the muffins. For longer storage, freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then warm in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Small Saucepan | 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Box Grater | Pastry Brush
- Apple Cider:ย Use fresh apple cider, the kind sold at farm markets or in a refrigerated case in the grocery storeโs produce section. Not hard (alcoholic) cider and not apple cider vinegar.
- Applesauce: If you do not have applesauce, you can replace with mashed banana, sour cream, or plain yogurt. I haven’t tested the muffins using apple butter instead of applesauce.
- Mini Muffins: For around 30 mini muffins, line mini muffin pans with liners or spray with nonstick spray. Prepare batter as directed and fill liners to the top. Bake at 350ยฐF (177ยฐC) the entire time (skip the initial high temperature) for 11โ13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Loaf: If you have a copy, see Apple Cider Spice Bread in Sally’s Baking 101 for the loaf version.
- Why the initial high oven temperature?ย Like I do for mostย muffin recipes, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a very hot temperature. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, switch to a lower temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops so theyโre extra high, then the centers will bake during the lower temperature bake time. This trick makes beautiful bakery-style muffins every time.
Reader Comments and Reviews
But we do have a mystery which the grandlings and I would love your help solving. We’ve made these muffins three times now. And despite adding extra pecans the second time and both extra apples and pecans the third, we have never had enough batter for 12 muffins filled to the top. Each time, we have enough batter for eleven perfect, high-domed muffins, with not one drop extra. We use a USA Bakeware 12-cavity muffin tin, if that means anything. Can you help us discover what we (“Not ‘we’, Grumpy! It’s you.”) are doing wrong?
Hi John! Are you using liners? We always use liners and you will use more batter per muffin if you aren’t. Otherwise, the Wilton pan we use may be ever so slightly smaller than your USA Bakeware pan. Those are the only things I can think of!
Oh man, these are outrageously delicious! Just for fun, we threw some mulling spices into the cider as we were reducing it, plus we decided to use 2 cups of cider boiled down to the 1/4 cup to really intensify the flavor. My two grandlings said these are their favorite muffins they’ve ever had in their “entire lives” – which, at a combined total of 17 years, is saying something. Add my 80-something to that total, and you’re talking some damn fine muffins! Thanks for another family favorite, Sally!
These were delicious! Adding to my “Make every fall” list.
Absolute perfection These are soft and moist and the cinnamon sugar is such a nice touch. I made fresh apple cider with fruit from the farmerโs market for a get-together with my friends and used that for the reduction, so these are extra special.
I made these last week and the whole family agreed that they were excellent. Now they want more!
I’m going to make a double batch today. Is it okay to just double the ingredients or should I make them in separate batches.
Hi Darlene, we’re so glad they were a hit! For best results, we recommend making 2 separate batches rather than doubling.
This recipe is a keeper! Made my own cider and was worried the cloves were too strong, so I added a bit more sugar and cinnamon. It reduced very well, thickened nicely, and the flavor was perfect.
Followed the Muffin recipe exactly, and they were perfect. Only buttered and sugared the tops which was just enough crunch and sweet.
Honestly these muffins smell and taste just like a cider mill doughnut. Thanks Sally I am hanging on to this recipe.
I modified this slightly by omitting the applesauce and substituted an additional 1/4 cup of reduced cider. Also increased the spices. 1/4 teaspoon is much too scant for my taste. Very tasty.
Easy, delicious and so moist! Great fall muffin recipe.
I made ur muffins and they are delicious!!! Could you tell me the calorie count please??
Hi Linda, We donโt usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Love this recipe! I swapped the all purpose flour for whole wheat (half golden whole wheat and half regular whole wheat) and added 130 grams of apple chunks (1 large apple)โhighly recommend.
This might be my favorite recipe from you. The texture is insane. These are pillowy soft and moist. Just amazing.
I liked the texture and how moist they are but oh boy they are way too sweet! Next time Iโll sub with honey and try reducing the amount a bit. I had to skip the sugar topping.
Would I have to change anything if I leave out the apple bits?
Hi Mack, the shredded apple is key for both taste and texture here. Youโd lose a lot of flavor and moisture without. We donโt recommend skipping it.
Hi,
I was wondering if anyone has tried making these with gluten-free flour and how they turned out or if the recipe should be revised somehow?
Hi Kathy! We havenโt tested this recipe with gluten free flours, but some readers have reported success using 1:1 flour substitutes (like Cup4Cup). If you try it, let us know how it goes!
These were super easy to make and absolutely delicious!! My daughter took the whole bowl of them back to college. So I will be making a new batch tomorrow because I need more!
Could I use butter in this recipe instead of oil?
Hi Stephanie, for the best results and texture we recommend sticking with oil, but the same amount of melted butter should be fine in a pinch. The cake may be slightly drier.
I am so impressed with Sallyโs recipes. Instructions are so clear and thorough. Man were these as good as I hoped they might be. I filled the muffin liners and discovered i had forgotten the reduced cider. Put batter back in bowl and stirred in cider. They still came out light and flavorful. The cinnamon sugar covering really completed the muffins into wonderful!!
Could I potentially use sweetened applesauce and reduce the sugar? I just made a big batch of homemade applesauce that is sweetened and would love to try using it in the recipe.
Hi Beth, you can use sweetened applesauce, but we wouldn’t recommend reducing the sugar because it will impact the texture and structure of the muffins, too. They shouldn’t be too sweet!
Is it necessary to peel the apple before shredding? Just wondered
Hi Bonnie, it’s not required, but a slight texture from the skins may be present. If you don’t mind that, then feel free to skip the shredding!
I made these as muffins because I couldnโt find my donut pan. They were delicious, and the apple cider flavor made them extra special. You know you can count on Sallyโs recipes!
I have made these a few times, sometimes the centers sink. I cut back a little on the applesauce thinking I had to much moisture, did it again. I’m not overmixing the toothpick comes out clean. Why can’t I stay consistent .
Hi Wanda! Perhaps the variable that changes could be the kind of apples you’re shredding to add in the batter? A very moist apple could add too much moisture. You can try dabbing away excess moisture from the shredded apples to see if that helps!
I doubled the batch, added 2 tsp of vanilla, and made mini muffins (cooked for 15 minutes). It was amazing! Although I feel like the apple taste got lost a little bit in the spices, it was moist and delicious.
One of the best things I’ve baked.
What are the best apples to use in this recipe please?
Hi Suzanne, We like Honeycrisp apples for this, but have also tested them with Granny Smith. A sweet or tart variety would be excellent!
Made these for the second time! My husband loves them. He says they are an explosion of flavor in your mouth.
I made these with apple butter instead of apple sauce. they were amazing!!!!
Do you know the bake time for mini muffins?
Hi Melissa! The bake time for mini muffins is 11โ13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. See the recipe notes below the recipe for more details.
Hi- just confirming that thereโs no vanilla in these muffins, correct? Thanks ๐
Correct!
Sounds divine. Has anyone tried making these in the jumbo muffin pan? How long would they bake?
Hi Reneโ, you can use the baking instructions from these jumbo muffins are a guide.