• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Bake It Paleo
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Wellness
  • Shop
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • All Recipes
  • By Meal
  • By Diet
  • By Category
  • Wellness
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • All Recipes
    • By Meal
    • By Diet
    • By Category
    • Wellness
    • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Paleo

    Healthy Apple Walnut Muffins (Paleo)

    Published: Oct 8, 2021 · by Katie

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    These healthy apple walnut muffins are made with almond flour, dried apples, studded with raw walnuts and lightly sweetened with honey. They're a healthy paleo muffin recipe - easy to make and perfect for snacking or topped with icing for dessert.

    sprinkling bee pollen on iced muffins

    Cinnamon, apple and walnut is a delightful combination. Yes?! 

    As a snack, I've eaten fresh apples coated in nut butter and sprinkled with cinnamon more times that I can count.  I guess that's how the idea for these healthy apple walnut muffins came about.  Nothing better than combining one of my favorite paleo approved snacks into a muffin...another one of my favorite afternoon treats.

    These muffins have a whole host of great qualities. Here's what you need to know:

    Recipe Highlights

    • paleo friendly
    • gluten free & grain free - made with a mixture of almond flour and arrowroot starch
    • dairy free - no butter or milk
    • low in added sugar - only sweetened with the dried apples and a tablespoon of honey
    • easy to make - made in a food processor or blender

    These flourless apple muffins really are a treat! They're healthy and quick to make but still full of flavor and perfect for a treat when topped with a sugar free icing.

    apple walnut muffins topped with icing

    Baking with Freeze Dried Apples

    Despite my love for fresh apples, these muffins don't actually contain any!  They are made with freeze dried apples. 

    Although you can find apples year round, they are in season from late July to early November.  I find them tasting best during the months of September and October.

    Freeze dried, however, are tasty and available year round. Plus, dried fruit works well in baking.  You get more flavor and don't have to worry about the extra water involved in fresh fruit.  (That can sometimes mess with the batter consistency.)

    If you can't find freeze dried apples, then use any crisp dried apple, such as Bare apple chips. They will produce similar results. If you're looking for a fresh apple muffin recipe, take a look at my paleo blender apple blender muffins.

    Ingredients

    Here's a list of what you need to make this recipe for apple walnut muffins:

    • freeze dried apples
    • blanched almond flour
    • arrowroot starch (or tapioca flour)
    • apple pie spice (or cinnamon)
    • baking soda
    • salt
    • eggs
    • water (or nut milk)
    • avocado oil
    • honey (optional)
    • vanilla extract
    • walnut pieces

    These apple muffins contain simple, paleo and gluten free ingredients.  The combination of almond flour and arrowroot provides a moist, fluffy muffin texture.

    I added a tablespoon of honey to this muffin recipe, but this ingredient can be omitted, making these sugar free apple muffins.

    I topped these gluten free apple muffins with a sugar free icing. It's optional but a great addition. All you need for the icing is: powdered monk fruit, arrowroot starch and almond milk.

    easy-apple-walnut-muffins

    How to Make Cinnamon Apple Walnut Muffins

    To make these easy apple walnut muffins you'll need a food processor or high powered blender. This tool is necessary for blending the freeze dried apples into the batter.

    Before making the batter, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with 8 paper or silicone muffin liners.

    Make the Batter

    Next, make the batter. In a food processor (or blender) combine all muffin ingredients except the walnuts. (Note: if you don't want the walnuts visible in the muffins, then go ahead and add them with the rest of the ingredients.)

    Blend the batter, stopping every so often to scrape the sides, until it is a smooth, consistent texture.

    Then, add in the walnuts and pulse the batter a few times to mix them in.

    Pour the batter into the lined muffin pan, filling the cups just over half way full.

    making-the-muffin-batter

    Bake the Muffins

    Place the muffins in the preheated oven and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes.

    After baking, remove them from the oven and cool the muffins on a wire cooling rack to room temperature.

    Ice the Muffins

    The icing is optional, but sugar free and a great addition.

    To make the icing, combine all icing ingredients in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth.

    Spoon the icing onto the cooled muffins.

    icing the muffins

    Storage

    These muffins are best kept in an air tight container in the fridge, up to one week.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Do I have to use freeze dried apples?

    Any type of crisp dried apple will work for this recipe. I used freeze dried apples, but organic apple chips would be a great substitute.

    I haven't tested this recipe with soft dried apples or raw apples - I think they would change the muffin texture too much.

    Is there a substitute for almond flour?

    The best substitute for almond flour would be tigernut flour or ground sunflower seed.

    Can these muffins be made vegan?

    I have not tested this apple muffin recipe without eggs. If you try an egg substitute let me know the results in the comments below.

    More Paleo Apple Recipes

    • Cinnamon Apple Cookies (with dried apples)
    • Paleo Apple Pie (with raw apples)
    • Cinnamon Apple Blender Muffins (with raw apples)
    • Cranberry Apple Energy Balls (with dried apples)

    Enjoy!

    Print
    clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
    sprinkling bee pollen on iced muffins

    Healthy Apple Walnut Muffins (Paleo)

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4 from 1 review
    • Author: Katie
    • Prep Time: 10 min
    • Cook Time: 20 min
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 8 muffins
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    Description

    Healthy apple walnut muffins made with almond flour, flavored with freeze dried apples and loaded with raw walnuts.  Paleo, gluten free and dairy free.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Muffins

    • 1 bag freeze dried apples (28g or about 1.5 cups)
    • 1 cup blanched almond flour (90g)
    • ⅓ cup arrowroot starch (48g)
    • 1 tsp apple pie spice (or cinnamon)
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • 2 large eggs
    • ¼ cup water (or nut milk)
    • 2 Tbsp avocado oil
    • 1 Tbsp honey (optional)
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • ⅓ cup walnut pieces (40g)

    Icing (optional)

    • 2 Tbsp powdered monk fruit sweetener
    • 1 Tbsp arrowroot starch (or tapioca flour)
    • 2 tsp almond milk


    Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line a muffin pan with 8 muffin cups.
    2. Add all ingredients except walnuts to food processor and blend until well mixed.
    3. Add in walnuts and pulse batter a few times*
    4. Pour batter into lined muffin pan.
    5. Place the muffins on the middle rack of your oven and bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.
    6. Remove from oven and cool muffins to room temperature on a wire cooling rack.
    7. Optional: make the icing.  Combine all icing ingredients in a small bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  Drizzle icing over cooled muffins.

    Notes

    *If you don't want the walnut pieces to show in the muffins then add them in step 2 with all other ingredients.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag us — we can't wait to see what you've made!

    pinterest image for apple walnut muffins
    « Healthy Kit Kat Recipe (Gluten Free, Vegan)
    Homemade 100 Grand Bars (Gluten Free, Vegan, Paleo) »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amy

      April 10, 2022 at 3:55 am

      Thanks for this recipe. I’ve made it several times. I just want to say I tried using freeze-dried apples, which were not that easy to find, then I tried fresh apples. I much prefer the fresh because they’re sweeter and moister.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi there!

    I'm Katie and I have a passion for baking healthy treats using real, whole food ingredients. On my blog you'll find a variety of sweet and savory recipes, all gluten free and dairy free. My mission is to make baking nutritious, delicious, simple and family friendly.

    More about me

    Subscribe

    Sign up for my mailing list to get early access to discounts, new recipes and more!

    Subscribe here!

    Cereal

    Cereal is typically anything but healthy... not Lovebird! It's all organic, paleo, plant based AND low in sugar. My kids love it too!

    Lovebird grain free cereal: paleo, vegan and AIP

    Popular

    • Paleo Chocolate Torte (Flourless, No Bake)
    • Healthy s'mores cookies on lined baking sheet.
      Gluten Free S'mores Cookies (Paleo, Vegan)
    • Bite of a brownie protein bite to show texture.
      Brownie Protein Bites (Gluten Free, Paleo)
    • Healthy Coffee Cookie Cups (No Bake, Gluten Free)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Terms & Conditions

    Recipes

    • Paleo
    • Vegan
    • Whole30
    • Nut Free

    Search

    • link to Instagram account
    • link to pinterest account
    • link to facebook

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 - Powered by Feast+