These apple crumble muffins are soft and moist, packed with fresh apple chunks, topped with a buttery crumble, and finished with a simple glaze.
If you want a cozy, bakery-style breakfast or treat inspired by autumn flavors, this is the recipe for you.
A buttery cinnamon crumble bakes into a crisp, golden topping while a simple sweet glaze ties every bite together.
The yogurt-based muffin batter stays incredibly tender and moist, perfectly balancing the tender, juicy apple pieces inside.
Because these muffins rely on fresh, crisp apples, real butter, and warm spices, the flavor is naturally rich rather than overly sweet.
They are my go-to recipe for fall mornings, weekend brunches, or any crowd of apple dessert lovers.
One reader, Denise, commented: “I absolutely love this recipe. ★★★★★”
For more apple desserts, check out my apple cinnamon rolls, apple crumble cake, apple fritters, and apple pie cookies.
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Why this recipe works
- Bakery Style Top: The buttery cinnamon crumble bakes into a tall, crispy, golden crust with a rich spice finish.
- No Stand Mixer Required: Whisking the batter together entirely by hand in two bowls keeps prep stress-free with minimal cleanup.
- Ultra Moist: Using Greek yogurt and melted butter keeps the muffin crumb soft, plush, and moist for days.
- Fresh Fruit Moisture: Packed with fresh, tender apple chunks that release natural sweetness in every bite.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: The crumble and batter components can be prepped early for effortless morning baking.
Ingredients
Before starting, measure and prepare your ingredients so the baking process goes smoothly. You can find the exact measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
The Muffin Batter
All-Purpose Flour: Provides core structure while maintaining a light, tender crumb. Cake flour will work too and make a softer crumb.
Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the muffins and helps create golden, tender tops.
Brown Sugar: Adds deep caramel flavor notes and retains moisture inside the batter.
Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Leaveners that react together to help the muffins rise tall and fluffy.
Kosher Salt: Enhances the warm cinnamon flavor and balances the overall sweetness.
Cinnamon: Infuses a cozy fall spice aroma throughout the entire muffin base.
Unsalted Butter: Melted to provide a rich flavor and keep the texture moist. If using salted butter, remove the salt from the recipe.
Eggs: Large and at room temperature so they emulsify smoothly into the batter.
Vanilla Extract: Deepens and enhances the flavor of the fresh apples.
Greek Yogurt: Adds moisture and a mild tang to create a tender, melt-in-your-mouth crumb. Sour cream works as an equal swap.
Milk: Loosens the batter for smooth, easy mixing.
Fresh Apples: Firm, crisp varieties like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp hold their shape without turning mushy.
The Crumble topping
All Purpose Flour: Forms the structural base for the crisp, golden topping.
Brown Sugar: Sweetens the crumble and creates crispy caramelized bits as it bakes.
Cinnamon: Adds warm spice and a rich aroma to the topping layer.
Kosher Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the rich butter flavor.
Unsalted Butter: Melted to bind the dry ingredients into coarse, buttery crumbs.
The Simple Glaze
Powdered Sugar: Sifted to ensure the glaze drizzling stays smooth, silky, and free of lumps.
Vanilla Extract: Adds flavor depth to the sweet glaze.
Milk: Thins the sugar to the ideal pourable drizzling consistency.
Instructions
Make the muffin batter
1. Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, Greek yogurt, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and kosher salt until smooth.
3. Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Gently fold with a rubber spatula until almost combined without overmixing.
4. Fold Apples: Gently fold the peeled, diced apple chunks into the batter until evenly distributed.
5. Portion: Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin liners, filling each cup about ¾ to ⅞ full for tall bakery caps.
Make the crumble & bake
1. Make Crumble Topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, kosher salt, and melted butter. Stir with a fork until crumbly.
2. Top: Generously scatter the crumble over each muffin, pressing gently so it sticks to the batter.
3. Bake: Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before glazing.
Make the simple glaze
1. Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and silky. Drizzle over the warm or cooled muffins before serving.
Expert Tips
- Weigh the Ingredients: Use a digital kitchen scale to measure dry ingredients like flour for a consistent, light crumb instead of a dense muffin.
- Do Not Overmix: Fold the batter gently just until the flour streaks disappear. Overmixing develops gluten, turning soft muffins dense and rubbery.
- Uniform Apple Dicing: Chop apples into small, uniform ½ inch pieces so they distribute evenly and bake through smoothly.
- Room Temp Wet Ingredients: Ensure your eggs, milk, and Greek yogurt are at room temperature so the melted butter mixes evenly without seizing.
- Press the Crumble: Lightly press the crumble topping into the top of the batter before baking so it adheres during rising.
Troubleshooting
Why did my apple chunks sink to the bottom?
This occurs if apple pieces are cut too large or if the batter is overmixed. Dice apples into small ½ inch pieces and fold them gently into the thick batter so they stay suspended during baking.
Why are my muffins dense or dry?
Muffins turn dense when the batter is overmixed or flour is measured by volume instead of weight. Overbaking also dries out the crumb—check for doneness at the 18 minute mark.
Why did my crumble topping turn soft after storing?
Moisture from fresh apples rises to the surface when stored in a closed container. To restore the crispy crunch, warm stored muffins in a 175°C (350°F) oven for 3 to 5 minutes.
Faq's
Crisp, firm varieties like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady work best. They maintain a pleasant bite and pleasant tartness without turning mushy during baking.
Yes. Plain full-fat sour cream is a direct 1:1 swap for Greek yogurt and keeps the muffins exceptionally moist and soft.
Yes, peeling is recommended. Apple skins become tough and chewy during baking and often separate from the fruit, which disrupts the soft texture of the muffin crumb.
Storing
Keep these muffins at room temperature in an airtight container lined with a paper towel for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freezing
You can freeze completely cooled muffins in an airtight freezer bag for up to 2 months. Wrap individual muffins tightly in plastic wrap before freezing. Thaw at room temperature for 1 hour or warm in the microwave for 15 seconds.
Substitutions
Gluten Free: Swap the all purpose flour for a 1:1 gluten free baking flour blend that contains xanthan gum.
Dairy Free: Replace the butter with plant-based butter sticks, and swap the Greek yogurt and milk for dairy-free yogurt and dairy-free milk.
Variations
Nutty Crumble: Add ⅓ cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts to the crumble mixture before sprinkling over the batter.
Caramel Drizzle: Drizzle warm salted caramel sauce over the baked crumble topping in place of the simple glaze.
Cream Cheese Glaze: Swap the simple glaze for a quick blend of softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, and milk.
Oatmeal Crumble: Replace ¼ cup of flour in the crumble topping with old-fashioned rolled oats for extra texture.
Equipment
- Standard 12 cup muffin pan
- Paper muffin liners
- Large and medium mixing bowls
- Whisk and rubber spatula
- Apple peeler and corer
- Cookie scoop or large spoon
- Digital kitchen scale
More muffins recipes
Double chocolate muffins- Ultra-moist, bakery-style chocolate muffins that stay fresh for days.
Almond flour banana muffins- Fluffy, tender, gluten-free, and naturally sweetened.
Pumpkin banana muffins- Loaded with chocolate chips and a cinnamon crumble topping.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Apple Crumble Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups Flour AP, plain flour
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ cup Butter melted
- 2 Eggs
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup Milk
- 2 Apples peeled and chopped
Streusel topping:
- ¾ cup Flour
- ¼ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ Kosher salt
- ¼ cup Butter melted
Simple glaze:
- 1 cup Powder sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoon Milk
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the muffin batter
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Wet Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, Greek yogurt, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and kosher salt until smooth.
- Dry Ingredients: Add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Gently fold with a rubber spatula until almost combined without overmixing.
- Fold Apples: Gently fold the peeled, diced apple chunks into the batter until evenly distributed.
- Portion: Scoop the batter evenly into the muffin liners, filling each cup about ¾ to ⅞ full for tall bakery caps.
Make the crumble & bake
- Make Crumble Topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, kosher salt, and melted butter. Stir with a fork until crumbly.
- Top: Generously scatter the crumble over each muffin, pressing gently so it sticks to the batter.
- Bake: Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes before glazing.
Make the simple glaze
- Glaze: In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and silky. Drizzle over the warm or cooled muffins before serving.
Notes
- Flour: Weighing your flour on a kitchen scale gives the best results. If using measuring cups, spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife instead of scooping directly from the bag.
- Apples: Firm varieties like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady work best. Peel and dice them into small ½-inch pieces so they distribute evenly.
- Room Temp Ingredients: Pull the eggs, milk, and yogurt out of the fridge early so they're at room temperature. Cold ingredients will cause the melted butter to seize and clump.
- Crumble Topping: Press the crumble gently into the top of the batter before baking so it sticks to the muffins as they rise.
- Reheating: Warm stored muffins in a 350°F (175°C) toaster oven for 3 to 5 minutes to crisp the crumble back up. Skip the microwave so the topping doesn't get soft.
Denise Smith says
I absolutely love this recipe. I weigh my ingredients so they come out perfect every time. I used my large muffin pans and it made 12 large muffins. I use one large cookie scoop, sprinkle cinnamon sugar on it then top with another large scoop and strudel topping. i bake the large muffins at 425 degrees for 7 minutes then 20 minutes at 350 degrees. Next time I am going to top with caramel sauce.
Donnathebaker says
Great recipe. Good tip to push crumble to adhere to batter. I used apple cider in the glaze instead of milk because I had a little left.
Angel says
These were very good and I will be making them again. I used the crumble but not the glaze. I wasn’t that ambitious and wanted to lessen the calories a little.