Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donut Muffins

It’s fall and time for everything apple and pumpkin! If you’ve followed this blog for a while you know I don’t create many gluten free baking recipes. Vegan baking is tough enough and adding gluten-free to the mix makes it even tougher. I also dislike buying special additives like xanthan, guar gum or other stabilizers as they’re expensive and you often only need a little. I wanted to use alternative flours you may already have in your cupboard if you already bake gluten-free like almond and oat flour which you can even make from whole almonds or oats if you have a high speed blender or food processor.

As a kid, I used to love going to the local farms in NY and NJ where they’d have apple cider donuts during the fall months. Candy apples were always a favorite too but those donuts…you could smell them from the parking lot usually when they were being fried and I still remember that heady aroma. These muffins try and recreate that flavor but they’re baked and then sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

I researched a lot of recipes before creating these and noticed most called for reducing apple cider which will lend a stronger apple flavor. That’s a lot of work so I decided to use apple butter along with fresh apple cider and that was all the apple flavor needed. You can find apple butter at most grocers.

One ingredient you may not have on hand is potato starch. It works really well in baked goods as one thing I noticed is that most gluten-free recipes called for a lot of binding agents. Usually it’s eggs in but for vegan baking it’s not as easy to make sure everything binds but is not gummy without those traditional ingredients. I wanted these to bake like any other muffin and you’ll notice the high crown I achieved on these. Very proud of that. To achieve this, ingredients needed to be at room temperature and the most important step is that the batter needs to rest for at least 15-20 minutes before baking. This allows the oat and almond flours to absorb some of the moisture resulting in a higher and lighter bake.

I made these as mini muffins but you can certainly make these regular size or even jumbo. You can use paper liners if desired but I prefer them naked so to speak. Some recipes called for brushing the entire muffin in butter (vegan of course!) then cinnamon sugar but I didn’t find that to be necessary. I liked just a simple light brushing over the top then a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. To be honest, you don’t even need the butter as these are so moist the sugar will stick to them without an issue.

Will these freeze well? Yes! Wrap them as airtight as possible and they should keep for months! I would not add the cinnamon sugar if planning to freeze but would add it after they were thawed and right before serving.
Can I use a pre-mixed gluten-free flour blend? I don’t see why not but I often find that they can have a bitter aftertaste. The almond and oat flours don’t have an aftertaste and don’t require additional stabilizing agents so this is why I chose them.
Can I use something other than potato starch? I would think cornstarch or arrowroot powder would also work.
Can I use applesauce instead of apple butter? You can, but the flavor will not be as intense. You can generally find apple butter in most grocery stores by the jams and jellies.

I hope you enjoy these muffins! They were a labor of love for those who avoid gluten. If you make these please share your experience by leaving a review and rate the recipe!

Vegan Gluten-Free Apple Cider Donut Muffins

Recipe by Kreg

5.0 from 3 votes

Servings

12-24

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

These are amazing light tender muffins with the flavor of an apple cider donut that are totally gluten-free!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups almond flour

• 1 cup oat flour

• 1/4 cup potato starch

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 1/2 cup sweet apple cider

• 3/4 cup apple butter

• 1/3 cup coconut oil (liquid, but not hot)

• 4 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from canned chickpeas)

• 3 tablespoons flax meal

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• Topping

• 3 tablespoons melted vegan butter

• 1/4 cup vegan granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

• In a large bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients. Pour the wet into the dry and mix until we’ll combined. You can’t over-mix as there’s no gluten to develop.
• Let the batter rest unrefrigerated but covered for at least 15 to 20 minutes for some of the wet ingredients to be properly absorbed.
• Preheat oven to 350°. Spray a mini or regular muffin pan with cooking spray. Using a spoon or small ice cream scoop, add batter to each cup so that they’re 3/4 full. The batter will rise but not as much as a traditional muffin. Bake 12-15 minutes for mini muffins and 25-27 minutes for traditional sized muffins or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Ovens vary and if using convection, the bake times may be less. Let these cool completely in the tin then carefully remove and place on a rack.
• Mix the topping ingredients together and melt the vegan butter. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the tops of each muffin then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar as desired. I’ve found that the sugar will stick even without butter if you don’t want to use any.

Notes

• You can use plain oil instead of coconut oil if you don’t like it or are allergic. I prefer the coconut flavor so I use unrefined but refined coconut oil won’t have any flavor.
  
• You can use cornstarch or arrowroot powder if you don’t have potato starch.
  
• If you have a gluten free flour blend on hand, you can probably use that instead of the almond and oat flours but I have not tested it.
  
• You can make your own oat or almond flour if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtek.
  
• You can use apple juice in place of the cider if need be.
  
• To ensure your sugar is vegan, buy organic or look for brands that state they’re vegan.

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