These Pumpkin Apple Muffins are giving me all the fall feels, they’re comforting, moist and made with pumpkin puree, shredded apples and a delicious spiced crumb topping!
If you’ve gone apple picking and are looking for things to make with all of your apples then here is a great recipe. These muffins are great to have on hand as a quick morning breakfast or an afternoon snack with a cup of coffee. I love how these Pumpkin Apple Muffins stay fresh for a few days and they’re freezer friendly which is great!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- These Pumpkin Apple muffins are incredibly moist and spongy! They are full of all of your favorite fall spices. These muffins are also perfect for anyone who doesn’t love overly pumpkin sweets!
- The pumpkin/apple crumble adds nice crunch to these muffins.
- Lets not forget about the maple icing is so yummy and is a must with these muffins, the added maple brings all of the flavors together!
- You don’t even need a mixer to make these muffins, the icing and crumble don’t require any special equipment.
WHAT IS CRUMBLE?
Crumble is a mixture of flour, sugar, sometimes spices and cold butter. Cold butter is the key to a perfect crumble. If your butter is warm or hot, you’re pretty much going to end up with a greasy blob of flour. When forming your crumble, you want to make sure your hands aren’t touching the mixture too much because your body heat will definlety heat up the butter. So, I usually recommend using two forks to make the proper crumble.
If you happen to have a pastry blender on hand then, that would probably be the most effective way to make your crumble. The crumble is good to go when the butter is broken up into smaller chunks and feels kinda like wet sand.
HOW DO I FREEZE MY MUFFINS?
To freeze the Pumpkin Apple Muffins, you will need to make sure they are cooled completely and place them in a freezer-safe ziploc bag or an airtight, freezer-safe container. If you decide to use the freezer bag, be sure to remove as much air as possible without squishing your muffins before sealing. You can freeze your muffins for up to 2 months! When you’re ready to eat them again, just allow them to thaw out overnight in the refrigerator, then bring them to room temperature or warm them up in the microwave when ready.
QUICK TIP
- Make sure you properly measure the flour, I always like to use the spooned and leveled method, it has always been the most accurate for me. If you stick the measuring cup directly into the flour, it will compact the flour. Compacted flour can cause the muffins to become dry.
- Make sure to not over mix the batter, so it doesn’t get tough.
Check out a few more fall recipes below!
Apple Cider Bundt Cake with Caramel Apple Glaze
Apple Cinnamon Roll Monkey Bread
Questions about these Pumpkin Apple Muffins? Did you make this recipe? Let me know in the comments below! Tag me #chefelizabethreese on Instagram, I’d love to see your creations!

Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 1¾ Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ½ Cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Apple Pie Spice
- ½ Cup Canola Oil
- 1½ Cup Pumpkin Puree
- 2 Eggs, Room Temperature
- ¼ Cup Whole Milk, Room Temperature
- ½ Cup Peeled and Grated Gala Apples (Wrap in a paper towel and squeeze to remove the excess juice)
For the Crumble
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 Teaspoon Apple Pie Spice
- ½ Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 1 Stick Butter Cold and Cubbed
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
For the Maple Icing
- 2 Ounces Cream Cheese, Room Temperature
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 Tablespoon Maple Extract or Syrup
- 3 Tablespoons Whole Milk
Instructions
For the Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray then line with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 15 muffins, so be sure to prepare a second following the same steps. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, apple pie spice, and salt together until combined then set that aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, pumpkin puree, grated apples, eggs and milk together until combined.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together.
- Spoon the batter into cupcake liners using a large cookie scoop, filling them almost full.
For the Crumble
- Whisk the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie and apple pie spices together until combined. Using two forks, cut the cold butter into the mixture until crumbles form.
- Sprinkle crumble pieces evenly on top of the batter.
- Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool while you make the icing.
For the Maple Icing
- Mix all of the icing ingredients together until combined and smooth. Taste test and adjust maple extract, powdered sugar or vanilla as needed. Drizzle the icing over the muffins, enjoy!
S.Lynn says
Made these today. Something went wrong. The center collapsed, collected the crumble top and was a mass of sugar crumble in the center. I used home grown and pureed pumpkin. It seems they would have collapsed in the middle even without the crumb topping so I’ll have to revisit the recipe and see what went wrong. I did not spray the pan before putting in the muffin cup holders. When I removed them there was quite a bit of oil in the bottom area of the tin. Seemed like they needed more flour, less moisture, something different.
Chef Elizabeth Reese says
Hey S.Lynn! That sucks and Im sorry that happened to you! This could have happened due to a number of reasons. What temperature did you set your oven to and how much did you fill your liners? If your oven temperature was too high that could potentially cause this to happen OR if you filled the liners too much the muffins wouldn’t have room to expand and sink. I would not however, recommend adding additional flour as that may cause the muffins to lose moisture.