Low Carb Keto Apple Muffins

Name: Low Carb Keto Apple Muffins
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1.5 cup peeled and chopped apples (180g (2 small apples)); 2 tbsp granulated sweetener (for macerating); 1 tsp lemon juice; 1 cup almond flour (100g); 1/4 cup coconut flour (30g); 1/4 cup granulated sweetener (50g (use 1/3 cup / 67g for a sweeter muffin)); 2 tbsp ground flax (14g); 1.5 tsp baking powder; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1/2 cup cream cheese (120g); 3 eggs (large); 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 tbsp granulated sweetener; 1/2 tsp cinnamon

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You only need 5 minutes prep to make these keto apple muffins! This easy recipe contains real apple and no fake extracts, yet the net carb count is really low. A family favourite.

We love these low carb apple muffins for breakfast or as a snack. They are gluten free, gently sweet, packed with flavor and studded with juicy apple pieces. Yum!

I've also added flaxseed to the muffin batter, which increases the fibre content. This recipe is filling, yet light.

And did I mention how easy and quick it is? You only need 5 minutes to prep the batter. The muffins are ready after 25 minutes in the oven.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Recipe FAQs
Recipe tips and variations
Storage
More Muffin Recipes
Recipe

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you need for sugar free apple muffins:

Apples - Any dessert apple works well, from Braeburn to Golden Delicious to Granny Smith.
Almond flour - I always use ground almonds. This is the same as regular almond flour in the US. If your almond flour is super fine, reduce the amount by 1-2 tablespoons.
Coconut flour - It's best to measure this with a food scale!
Ground flax - Make sure you always store ground flax in the freezer. It can go rancid at room temperature.
Sweetener - I used granulated Bocha Sweet in this recipe. Any erythritol monk fruit blend will also work well, white or golden. As would allulose or xylitol.
Eggs - Should be large and room temperature for a better rise.
Cinnamon, vanilla extract and baking powder
Apple cider vinegar - Increases the apple flavor. Cannot be replaced with any other vinegar!
Cream cheese - You could use sour cream instead or a mix of yoghurt and butter.

Instructions

Step 1: Peel, core and chop 2 small apples. Put them in bowl with lemon juice (to prevent them from going brown) and sweetener. Stir and let the pieces sit for 30 minutes to draw out excess liquid.

beaten egg and cream cheese in a food processor bowl

Step 2: Blend the eggs and sweetener until they are frothy and have doubled in volume.

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients - cream cheese, apple cider vinegar and vanilla extract. Blend until combined.

low carb flours stirred together with a fork

Step 4: Stir together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Then add them to the egg mix and blend until a smooth batter forms. It will be quite liquid at first, but firms up as the flax and coconut flour soak up the moisture.

Step 5: Drain all excess liquid from the bowl with the chopped apples (it will be about 2 tablespoons).

muffin batter and chopped apple in a food processor bowl with a spatula

Step 6: Fold into the muffin batter and fill into a muffin pan lined with paper cups. You can also use a well-greased silicone muffin pan.

Step 7: In a small bowl, stir together sweetener and cinnamon. Scatter over the muffins and bake them for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Let the muffins cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

Recipe FAQs

Are apples keto?

Apples contain a fair amount of carbs. However, as long as you eat them in moderation, they it can be part of a keto diet. I make my unsweetened apple sauce every autumn, and we all love this Keto Apple Cake and my apple cinnamon granola bars. These keto apple cinnamon muffins contain 180 grams of apple in total. Spread across 8 muffins this is 22.5 grams or ¼ apple per portion.

Why do you macerate the apples?

Letting them sit in the sweetener draws out excess liquid. This way, the muffins don't become soggy and the crumb texture is light and fluffy.

Do you have to peel the apples?

It's not essential, but leaving the peel on would make the texture more rustic. I prefer the recipe with peeled apples.

Which apples are best for muffins?

This is a personal choice. All dessert apples work. Cooking apples such as Bramley would require more sweetener as they are sour.

Recipe tips and variations

For a richer muffin - Replace half of the cream cheese with butter for a more cake-like experience.

No coconut flour - To make the recipe without coconut flour, replace it with 3 times the amount of almond flour.

Dairy free - Replace the cream cheese with coconut cream.

Nut free - Try a 50/50 blend of sesame flour and sunflower seed flour in place of the almond flour.

Use apple pie spice - Make them taste like apple pie by adding ½ teaspoon nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon each allspice, ginger and cardamom.

Keto applesauce muffins - Use homemade applesauce instead of the apple pieces! You may need to increase the amount of flaxseed to balance the additional moisture.

Add nuts - Chopped walnuts, pecans or even my keto candied pecans.