Just a few days after I moved into my house last summer, I knocked on a few of my new neighbors’ doors with plates of these, these, and these… Although slightly surprised, they were still extremely welcoming and gracious as they accepted my homemade treats. They couldn’t believe that I was the one baking for them—usually it’s the other way around when a new person moves to the neighborhood!
I quickly explained how Amy’s Healthy Baking was my full-time job, and I reassured them that they were doing me a favor by taking all of those sweets off my hands. While I eat some of everything that I bake, I don’t exactly want to polish off an entire pan of brownies or two dozen cookies by myself… Especially knowing how many new recipes I test each week!
Over the winter, one of the families knocked on my door and gave me a brown paper bag with a thank-you present inside. “It’s for your dog!” they actually revealed, and when I peeked inside…
I saw two small “pup-cakes” from the nearest gourmet Sprinkles cupcake bakery! How sweet was that?? (No pun intended…)
Back inside, I unwrapped one of them and called over my little dog. I let her sniff the pup-cake, and she looked up at me with questioning eyes, as if to ask, “Is that really for me? It looks like a human treat…” I laughed as I gave it to her, and she immediately dashed over to her bed to devour it. Not a single crumb was left!
Yet now, my little dog comes running into the kitchen any time I bake cupcakes, including these Healthy Cinnamon Apple Cupcakes… She thinks they’re for her! Instead, I gave her a couple leftover apple slices and saved these cupcakes for us humans!
These healthy cupcakes are supremely tender and full of cozy spice flavor. They basically taste like apple pie, just in cupcake form! Yet unlike traditional apple pie with its calorie-laden crust and sugary filling, these cupcakes contain no refined flour or sugar and only 114 calories!
Let’s talk about how to make these healthy apple cupcakes!
You’ll start with white whole wheat flour (like this!). It’s not a combination of white (aka all-purpose) flour and whole wheat flour! Instead, white whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier type of red wheat. While they both have the same health benefits, white whole wheat flour has a lighter taste and texture, which lets the tender texture of these healthy apple cupcakes truly shine!
Hint: White whole wheat flour and regular whole wheat flour is similar to the difference between red and green grapes! Same health benefits, just a different color and slightly different taste!
Then you’ll mix a trio of spices into the flour: cinnamon (I’m obsessed with this kind!), allspice (like this!), and nutmeg (like this!). Allspice is actually a single spice, not a mix of spices! Its name can be confusing… But allspice is named because it tastes like a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
The allspice and nutmeg give a richness and added depth to the spice flavor, so don’t skip them!
Unlike traditional cupcake recipes (or even traditional apple pie recipes!), these healthy apple cupcakes only contain ½ tablespoon of butter. Yes, that’s it! The rest of their tender texture comes from… Do you know?
If you’ve been around my blog for a while, I’m sure you do. It’s Greek yogurt! Greek yogurt adds the same moisture to your cupcake batter as extra butter or oil, and it gives your healthy cupcakes a big protein boost, too!
You’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and sweeten your cinnamon apple cupcakes with another one of my favorite ingredients: liquid stevia (I love this one!). Stevia is a plant-based, no-calorie sweetener that contains nothing refined or artificial (aka it’s clean eating friendly!). It’s also highly concentrated. You just need 3 ½ teaspoons to sweeten this entire batch of cupcakes!
This is the liquid stevia that I buy because I love its sweet flavor and don’t notice any strange aftertaste, like with some other stevia products. Although you can find it at many health-oriented grocery stores, I buy mine online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. (And you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine, too!)
Time for the most important part… The diced apple! I use red Fuji apples because they have a perfect texture for baking (nice and firm!), and they also have lots of natural sweetness. Remember to dice them finely, no larger than the size of chocolate chips, to ensure they full cook through and soften while your cupcakes bake!
But before you dollop your batter into the pan, remember to coat your cupcake liners with cooking spray! Low-fat batters like this one stick to liners like superglue, so coating them with cooking spray first ensures that the liners easily peel away.
Ready to make the healthy cinnamon frosting? It actually starts with more Greek yogurt! This is my favorite Greek yogurt for frosting because it’s much thicker than any other brand I’ve tried… And thick frosting holds its shape after piping it onto the cupcakes!
But to help it hold its shape even better, you’ll mix the Greek yogurt with instant pudding mix (like this!). Sounds crazy, right?? The instant pudding mix actually thickens the Greek yogurt even more, which gives it the perfect stiff consistency for piping.
And of course, we can’t forget the cinnamon (remember, this is my favorite!) and a bit more liquid stevia (I use this one!) for that sweet and cozy flavor. In all honesty… I could eat a bowl of this frosting for breakfast! 😉
How tempting do these healthy cinnamon apple cupcakes look?? They’re perfect for the 4th of July, Memorial Day, Labor Day, fall days… Or any day you’re craving a cupcake!
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your healthy cupcakes!
| Healthy Cinnamon Apple Cupcakes | | Print |
- for the cupcakes
- 2 cup (240g) white whole wheat flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tbsp (7g) unsalted butter or coconut oil, melted
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 ½ tsp liquid stevia
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp (210mL) nonfat milk
- 1 ¼ cups (155g) diced red apple (about 1 large)
- for the frosting
- 2 cups (480g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 servings (16g) sugar-free, fat-free instant vanilla pudding mix (see Notes)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅝ tsp liquid stevia, or adjusted to taste
- To prepare the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners, and coat the liners with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, egg whites, vanilla extract, and liquid stevia. Stir in the Greek yogurt. Stir in 2 tablespoons of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts.) Gently fold in the diced apple.
- Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners. Bake at 350°F for 19-22 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- While the cupcakes bake, prepare the frosting. Add the Greek yogurt, instant pudding, cinnamon, and liquid stevia to a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Cover the top of the bowl with foil, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Once the cupcakes have completely cooled, pipe the cinnamon frosting on top just before serving.
Whole wheat pastry flour, regular whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour may be substituted for the white whole wheat flour.
I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It’s one of my favorite ingredients (you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine!), and I buy it online here because that’s the cheapest price I’ve found. For sweeter cupcakes, increase the liquid stevia by ½ teaspoon (for 4 teaspoons total).
If you prefer not to use stevia in the cupcakes, substitute ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons (210mL) of agave, honey, or pure maple syrup for the liquid stevia. Omit the milk if using any of those liquid sweeteners. (The batter should be fairly thick, similar to muffin batter.) If you prefer not to use the liquid stevia in the frosting, then substitute 1 ½ teaspoons of this powdered stevia OR ¼ cup of Truvia or granulated sugar.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
I use Fuji apples because they have a great texture for baking and lots of natural sweetness. Make sure to cut them to be no larger than chocolate chips to ensure your cupcakes bake evenly.
This is my preferred Greek yogurt for the frosting because it's extremely thick!
You just need the dry instant pudding mix (I use this one!)—don’t prepare it according to the package directions! You may omit it, but you’ll need to increase the liquid stevia. Also, do NOT beat it for 2 minutes! Simply mix until all of the ingredients are just barely combined. Without the instant pudding mix, the frosting will no longer be stiff enough to pipe, so you’ll need to spread it on the cupcakes instead.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat, low sugar, higher protein}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies
♡ The Ultimate Healthy Apple Crumble
♡ Healthy Small Batch Apple Crumble Bars
♡ Healthy Blueberry Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
♡ Healthy Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting
♡ Healthy Banana Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
DIscusting ! Just made them and it flat, no texture and other. Really disappointed because I was hoping doing something as beautiful as your pictures.
I’m honored that you tried making my recipe, Marie-Astrid! That sounds really disappointing and not like how these cupcakes are supposed to turn out at all, so I’d love to work with you to figure out what happened. 🙂 Was it only the texture that was off, or was the flavor your cupcakes not sweet enough either? What did their insides look like? Did your cupcakes never rise, or did they collapse while cooling instead? Did you make any modifications to the recipe, including those listed in the Notes section?
I know I just asked a LOT of questions, but once I know your answers to all of them, I’ll have a much better time of narrowing down the culprit!
Hi there,
I’d like to try this recipe though I’m more into plain but full fat greek yogurt (usually 5%). Would you happen to know if the fat content will negatively impact this recipe, either the cupcake itself or the frosting?
Additionally, instant pudding mix isn’t available in my country. Is there something else I could substitute it with or whip up?
Thanks in advance!
I’m honored that you’d like to try my recipe, Ashton! Your full-fat Greek yogurt should work just fine in the cupcake batter. I haven’t tried using it in this frosting before, so I’m not 100% sure. How thick is it? Is it more wet and slightly runny, or is it super thick and holds its shape when scooped out of the container with a spoon?
Unfortunately, I haven’t found a great substitute for the instant pudding mix. Instant pudding mix contains a different type of cornstarch, which is activated even at cool temperatures, whereas regular cornstarch requires heating to activate its thickening properties. I haven’t found anything else that replicates what that different type of cornstarch can do. However, I shared what to do if you don’t have instant pudding mix in the Notes section of the recipe (located directly underneath the Instructions!). I know it can be easy to miss! 😉 I just updated that bit of the Notes section to make it even more clear as well! 🙂
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cupcakes!
Can we use agar agar or gelatine for the icing? I am a big fan of your healthy dessert recipe (bless you girl! Thank you so much!) and i want to give a try this recipe since we have green apples at home. Thanks in advance!
I’m honored that you’d like to try this recipe, Shely! Gelatin won’t work because it needs to be heated to activate its thickening properties, whereas the instant pudding mix is activated just by mixing it with the yogurt (no heat or cooking necessary!). I haven’t worked with agar agar, so I’m not sure and don’t want to lead you astray. If you decide to try making these cupcakes, I’d love to hear what you think of them! 🙂
Hi..if i use the whole egg ..is it ok?
You can use 2 whole eggs! Just reduce the milk by 1 tablespoon to compensate for the added liquid volume from the yolks. 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think of these cupcakes, Faridah!
Thanks amy!
You’re welcome, Faridah! I’m happy to help! 🙂
Hey Amy,
I’d just like to double check to see if I understood correctly: if I’m not using Stevia I should add 210 ml of honey/agave instead of the Stevia and the milk. Is that it?
It seems to be quite a big amount of honey 🤔
Yes, that’s correct! The stevia that I use is very concentrated, so a little goes a long way. That’s why the amount of stevia is so small compared to the amount of honey that you’ll need to use to achieve a similar sweetness level in the cupcakes. 🙂
I’d love to hear what you think of them if you try making this recipe Tatiana!
Thank you for this recipe, we absolutely loved it. I’m always looking for new healthy recipes for my kiddos and will bank this one too for sure. Although I didn’t have liquid stevia, I used powdered instead and went with my intuition for sweetness because I wasn’t really sure of the conversion. I also added a little apple syrup. All in all, I’m very pleased with the recipe and will be sharing with all my friends!
*maple syrup
I tried the recipe and it was so delecious! Thank you! 😊
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed these cupcakes, Darina! Thanks for taking the time to let us know, it really means a lot! 🙂