3 Ingredient Apple Muffins Recipe

These 3 ingredient apple muffins are the perfect way to enjoy fall in your fingertips. Requiring a few simple ingredients and just a few minutes of your time, you'll be blown away by the flavor of this simple recipe. This quick breakfast will simplify your week!

Why I Love This Recipe

Every fall I become mildly (um, wildly) obsessed with everything apples. I throw them into just about every type of recipe I can think of. They're just so delicious! My apple love just begins to tell the story about why I love these 3 ingredient apple muffins so much.

Here are a few reasons why I love this recipe so much:

• Any breakfast recipe that requires a mere 3 ingredients and 10 minutes of prep time is a winner in my book.
• You can do 100% of the mixing in a single bowl and no electric mixer is required. Yes to minimal dishes and cleanup!
• Apples smell so good when they're baking. Your house will smell like you've been slaving away all morning.
• This easy apple muffin recipe turns into such a sweet treat to start your day.
• Cake mix muffins are a life saver! The magical ingredients inside create the most moist muffins you can imagine.

Recipe Ingredients

Spice cake mix - Spice cake mix adds a cozy fall flavor, with its warm spices. You may also use a yellow cake mix or white cake mix if that is what you have on hand.

Apple sauce - Sweetened or unsweetened applesauce will work just fine. Consider making a batch of homemade applesauce to give the recipe a delicious depth of flavor.

Apples - Peel, core and chop two small fresh apples for this recipe. If they begin to brown, squirt them with fresh lemon juice or soak them in a bowl of lemon water. Pat dry with a paper towel before adding them to the mixing bowl.

Any type of apple will work, but here are some good apple varieties to choose from: Honeycrisp apples, gala, granny smith apples, fuji, red delicious, pink lady or braeburn.

Sweet apples will work great, but tart apples taste best, in my apple-loving opinion.

Optional mix-ins - Add up to 1 cup total of any of the following additional ingredients to enhance the texture and flavor of these muffins: chocolate chips, coconut flakes or raisins.

For extra apple flavor, add 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice to the mix.

How To Make 3 Ingredient Apple Muffins

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in a muffin pan and set aside.

Step 2

In a medium mixing bowl, combine a box of cake mix, applesauce and apple pieces.

Stir until free of lumps. Add 1/4 cup of the batter to each of the muffin liners.

Step 3

Bake in the preheated oven for 18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm with butter!

Recipe Notes

• The batter can stick to cupcake liners! Squirt a small amount of cooking spray inside the liners before adding the batter.
• Try a pumpkin apple combo! Add 2/3 cup applesauce and 2/3 cup pumpkin puree to the cake mix and apples.
• Sprinkle a little bit of turbinado sugar to the tops of the muffins before baking for extra crunch and sweetness.
• You can also create a simple crumb topping to sprinkle over the tops before baking. Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour and 3 tablespoons of melted butter in a small bowl. Stir until crumbly. Bake time will remain the same.
• Turn leftovers into cupcakes! Simply top with a generous layer of buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting.
• An alternative to using chopped apples is using grated apple. The small pieces will incorporate nicely into the batter.

How To Store Muffins

Store leftover homemade muffins in a single layer in either a resealable bag or airtight container, at room temperature for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze them in a heavy duty freezer bag for up to 3 months to extend the shelf life.

Can You Put Apple In The Fridge

Apples can most definitely be store in the refrigerator. You will be able to extend their shelf life by pushing them toward the back of the fridge where they will stay coolest.

What To Make With Applesauce

• Use applesauce to replace oil or butter in any baked good recipe to give it a burst of apple flavor.
• Add it to your next bowl of oatmeal.
• Serve it as a healthy snack after school.
• Use it as a topping for oatmeal pancakes, waffles or French toast in place of maple syrup.
• Add it to a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

How To Store Homemade Muffins

Let homemade muffins cool to room temperature before storing them. Place in an airtight container for up to 5 days at room temperature or 7 days in the fridge.

Easy Muffin Recipes

• 3 ingredient pumpkin muffins
• 3 ingredient banana muffins
• Easy applesauce muffins
• Banana carrot muffins