Start your morning with Banana Apple Muffins! They’re soft, tender, and packed with cozy fall flavors! Sweet banana meets crisp apple in every bite, with just the right touch of cinnamon to make your kitchen smell amazing. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or a grab-and-go treat!

A bite taken out of a muffin near apple slices.

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A Note from Kim

Cozy Morning Treat

These Banana Apple Muffins have quickly become a favorite in my house—my kids can’t get enough of them, and I love that they’re sweet without being over the top. I often make a batch on Sunday so we have a few for the week, and it’s such a simple way to start the day on a cozy, happy note. I also love sneaking in extra diced apples or a sprinkle of chopped nuts on top for a little added crunch. Every bite feels like a hug in muffin form!

With love (and lots of good eats), - Kim

I just tried these and they were amazing! A new favorite! So moist and fluffy at the same time. I put a little less sugar and they were perfect. Thank you!

— Lila

Looking for more muffin recipes? Try my classic banana muffins or these delicious apple muffins with a crumb topping!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Small bowls with eggs, mashed bananas, grated apple, sugar, flour, oil, applesauce and spices.
  • All-purpose flour: The base of the muffins, giving them structure and softness.
  • Granulated sugar: Sweetens the batter and helps create a tender crumb.
  • Brown sugar: Adds moisture and a deeper, caramel-like sweetness.
  • Baking soda: The leavening agent that helps the muffins rise and stay fluffy.
  • Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors.
  • Spices: Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger and ground cloves are warm spice that pairs perfectly with apples and bananas.
  • Eggs: Bind the ingredients together and add richness.
  • Ripe bananas: Provide natural sweetness, moisture, and a soft texture.
  • Unsweetened applesauce: Adds flavor and keeps these moist while cutting back on oil.
  • Oil: Brings richness and tenderness.
  • Pure vanilla extract: Enhances sweetness and ties all the flavors together.
  • Grated apple: Adds fresh apple flavor, extra moisture, and little bursts of sweetness.
  • Topping: Combine brown sugar, flour, melted butter, and cinnamon to make a sweet, crumbly streusel topping.

Fun Flavor Twists

Here are some tasty variations you can try for your banana apple muffin recipe:

  • Swap the fruit: Use pears, blueberries, or chopped peaches instead of apple, or mix in mashed pumpkin or sweet potato for a seasonal twist.
  • Add nuts or seeds: Stir in chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds, or sunflower seeds for extra crunch and protein.
  • Mix in chocolate: Fold in chocolate chips, white chocolate chunks, or cocoa nibs for a sweeter, indulgent option.
  • Gluten-free option: Substitute a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend for a treat that’s safe for gluten-sensitive eaters. My favorite brand is King Arthur Measure-for-Measure Flour.
A bite taken out of a muffin near apple slices.
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Banana Apple Muffins

Yield: 12 large bakery-style muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Start your morning with Banana Apple Muffins! They're soft, tender, and packed with cozy fall flavors! Sweet banana meets crisp apple in every bite, with just the right touch of cinnamon to make your kitchen smell amazing. Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or a grab-and-go treat!
Author: Kim

Ingredients

Muffins

  • 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 medium (200g, about 1 cup) ripe bananas, mashed
  • ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • ¼ cup oil, any kind works, I used avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 large (155g, about 1 cup) peeled, cored and grated apple

Topping

  • ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (30g) flour
  • 2 tablespoons (28g) melted butter
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

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Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Combine flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves together in a large bowl.
  • In a separate medium bowl, combine eggs, mashed bananas, applesauce, oil and vanilla.
  • Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and gently stir to combine without over-mixing.
  • Fold in the grated apple gently.
  • Scoop batter evenly into the cavities of a muffin tin. They will be very full. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, make the topping by mixing together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and melted butter. Mixture will be lumpy, but all flour should be incorporated into mixture.
  • Sprinkle the topping over the top of muffin batter. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool slightly before removing from pan. Continue cooling muffins on a wire rack.

Notes

This recipe was originally published on 1/30/18. It was updated on 9/3/25. The old recipe is below, it makes 9 muffins.
  • 1 cup mashed ripe banana (approx. 2 medium bananas)
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon melted coconut oil*
  • 1 1/2 cups almond flour or almond meal
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 dash sea salt or Himalayan salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped apple (approx. 3⁄4 medium apple)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350° F.
  • Line muffin pan with nine muffin papers or lightly spray a muffin pan with cooking spray or better yet, use a silicone muffin pan. Set aside.
  • Use a blender to mash bananas. Add eggs and coconut oil to the blender with the banana and blend until smooth.
  • Next, add almond flour/meal, baking soda, and salt to the blender; blend until well combined.
  • Stir chopped apple into the batter.
  • Divide batter evenly between 9 muffin cups, 3⁄4 full.
  • Bake for about 22 minutes, or until golden brown.
  • Let muffins cool for about 10 minutes and then run a knife around the sides of the muffin to remove from muffin cups.
 

Notes

The old recipe is from Autumn Calabrese’s Fixate cookbook and can also be seen on Beachbody On Demand.
photos by jess at jess gaertner creative
Author: Kim
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 307kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 36mg, Sodium: 221mg, Potassium: 171mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 31g, Vitamin A: 129IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 2mg

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How to Make Banana Apple Muffins

These muffins rise tall and proud, just like the kind you’d find in a bakery! The secret is starting them in a hot oven, then lowering the temperature so they bake up with those gorgeous high tops and a tender, fluffy inside.

Combining flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves together in a large bowl.

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk together flour, sugars, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves together in a large bowl.

Combining eggs, mashed bananas, applesauce, oil and vanilla.

Step 2: Mix wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, combine eggs, mashed bananas, applesauce, oil and 1 tsp vanilla.

Stirring the banana mixture into the dry ingredients.

Step 3: Combining wet and dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and gently stir to combine without over-mixing.

Folding grated apple into muffin batter.

Step 4: Add the apple. Fold in the grated apple gently.

Batter in a muffin tin.

Step 5: Add batter to muffin pan. Scoop batter evenly into the cavities of a muffin tin. They will be very full. Set aside.

Make the topping by mixing together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and melted butter.

Step 6: Make the topping. In a small bowl, stir together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and melted butter. Mixture will be lumpy, but all flour should be incorporated into mixture.

Muffin batter topped with a streusel before being baked.

Step 7: Bake. Sprinkle the topping over the top of muffin batter. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 degrees f. While keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF. Bake for an additional 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.

Banana apple muffins on a wire rack.

Step 8: Cool. Allow muffins to cool slightly before removing from pan. Continue cooling muffins on a wire rack.

Kim’s Recipe Tips

  • Use very ripe bananas: The riper the bananas, the sweeter and more flavorful your muffins will be.
  • Grate the apple finely: This helps it blend seamlessly into the batter, keeping the muffins moist without big chunks. I like this box grater!
  • Measure the flour properly: To avoid dense or dry muffins, be sure to measure the flour using a kitchen scale or the spoon and level method. Don’t scoop the flour directly out of the bag, which adds more flour into the cup.
  • Don’t over-mix the batter: Stir just until combined, over-mixing can make the muffins tough instead of tender.
  • Fill muffin cups evenly: This ensures the muffins bake at the same rate and look uniform.
  • Check doneness with a toothpick: Insert into the center of a muffin; if it comes out mostly clean with just a few crumbs, they’re ready.
  • Let them cool a bit: Muffins continue to set as they cool, so wait at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.
  • Muffin pan: My favorite muffin pan is this nonstick muffin pan from Williams Sonoma. You’ll never have to stress about muffin batter sticking to the sides again, cleanup is a breeze and every muffin pops right out without having to use paper liners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use chopped apple instead of grated apple?

Yes, you can use chopped apple instead of grated! Just keep in mind that grated apple blends more evenly into the batter, while chopped apple will give you little juicy bites of fruit throughout the muffins. Both are delicious, it just depends on the texture you prefer.

Can I use this recipe to make mini muffins?

Yes, use a mini muffin pan, bake them for about 11-12 minutes.

What type of apple is best to use in this recipe?

For the best flavor and texture, I recommend using a firm, slightly tart apple like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Pink Lady. They hold up well when baked and balance the sweetness of the muffins perfectly. Softer apples (like Red Delicious) can get a bit mushy, so it’s best to avoid those.

Storage Recommendations

Because these apple banana muffins are packed with fresh apples, they won’t last quite as long as traditional baked goods. If you’ll be enjoying them within a couple of days, keep them in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer freshness, store them in the fridge for up to 5 days. Want to save some for later? Freeze them in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag for up to 3-6 months, just thaw and warm before digging in!

Banana apple muffins smeared with butter.

More Apple Recipes to Enjoy this Fall

These are some of my family’s favorite apple recipes! Each one is simple, delicious, and sure to bring that homemade comfort we all crave this time of year

Chicken salad with apples in a bowl with lettuce.

Chicken Salad with Apples
Serving of apple dump cake topped with a scoop of ice cream on a plate.

Apple Dump Cake
Puff pastry apple tarts topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Puff Pastry Apple Tart
Apple pie overnight oats with layers of oat and milk mixture, yogurt and cinnamon apples.

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats

If you try this, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.