Vegan Cinnamon Muffins

These super-soft vegan cinnamon muffins come complete with a crumb topping and a light drizzle of vanilla icing. It’s like a coffee cake vegan recipe transformed into easy muffins — a perfect breakfast treat any day of the week!

Several cinnamon muffins are grouped together.

I love just about everything cinnamon. For example, these egg-free coffee cake muffins are simply infused with cinnamon.

I’m obviously obsessed with adding cinnamon to a muffin. It’s a no-brainer. That means this easy muffin recipe makes me happy in so many ways!

Key Ingredients

You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe, including substitution ideas:

  • Vegetable oil — There’s no doubt that vegetable oil helps make baked goods like muffins soft and tender.
  • Sugar — We’ll use a combination of granulated and brown sugar as sugar helps create volume in a variety of baked goods.
  • Applesauce — Applesauce adds more tenderness, while also serving as an egg replacer (more on that below).
  • Almond milk — Use any plant-based milk here, such as unsweetened almond milk or soy milk.
  • Apple cider vinegar — Vinegar enhances the leavening by activating the baking soda.
  • Flour — I recommend all-purpose flour, but if you want healthy cinnamon muffins, you can add some fiber by using half whole wheat white, whole wheat, or even whole wheat pastry flour (whole wheat pastry flour is different from whole wheat flour).
  • Cornstarch — Use either cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
  • Baking powder & baking soda — Make sure yours is fresh by testing a bit of baking powder in water and baking soda in vinegar. If it bubbles, your batch is good to go.
  • Ground cinnamon — It wouldn’t be easy cinnamon muffins without a heavy dose of cinnamon!
  • Salt — Sweet flavors by themselves are pretty unfulfilling. Salt adds depth of flavor.

How to Make Cinnamon Muffins

  1. Make the streusel topping by stirring together the sugar, cinnamon, flour, and vegan butter. Set aside.
  2. Stir together the oil, sugars, applesauce, milk, and vinegar.
  3. Combine the dry ingredients. Pour in the milk mixture in and stir until just combined.
  4. Pour the batter into prepared muffin tins.
  5. Spoon the crumble topping evenly across the muffins.
  6. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and the streusel topping is golden brown.
  7. Allow the muffins cool slightly before drizzling with icing.

Why is This the Best Recipe?

  • Applesauce serves as both an egg replacer and a source of moisture for these muffins, making every bite soft and tender
  • Cornstarch is added to reduce the protein in the flour. It’s why cornstarch can be added to all-purpose flour to make cake flour substitute. This creates a soft crumb.
  • The powerful combination of baking powder and baking soda adds leavening which is important for vegan baked goods.

Storage Tips

Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. These muffins can be refrigerated up to 7 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Egg Substitute for Muffins

There are many reasons to consider egg substitutes for muffins, including the fact that there are so many people who suffer from egg allergies. Besides that, animal agriculture is an environmental nightmare and also plays a part in most global health issues.

These situations aside, you may want to consider baking without eggs for this simple reason: eggs are not necessary to make delicious baked goods!

With these cinnamon muffins, I’m using applesauce as an egg substitute, but here are some of my other favorite egg substitutes for muffins:

  • A chia egg is simple to make and works great in everything from cookies to cakes and muffins.
  • The flax egg is probably the most well-known egg substitute.
  • Mashed banana is a great egg substitute, but it will impact the flavor. Sometimes that flavor is desirable and sometimes not.

New to Vegan Baking?

The idea of making cookies, cakes, or muffins without eggs or dairy can seem like a hill too tall to climb. But with the simple tips in my Guide to Vegan Baking, you’ll be baking like a vegan pro in no time!

The best muffin recipes are moist and tender, which is one reason I test all my recipes before sharing them with you!

Reader Reviews

★★★★★
These muffins were top notch! Easy to make and delicious!

Debbie

★★★★★
I love these muffins. My family asks for them all the time!

Pam
A cinnamon muffin with a bite take out sits in front of other muffins.
A cinnamon muffin has a bite taken out.

Vegan Cinnamon Streusel Muffins

You'll love these easy vegan cinnamon streusel muffins for breakfast or for a treat. Make these tender, crumbly-topped muffins for breakfast, brunch, snack time, or even for dessert! 
5 from 6 votes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 344kcal

Ingredients

Crumble Topping

  • cup brown sugar
  • ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 6 tablespoons vegan butter melted

Muffins

  • ½ cup vegatable oil
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
  • ¾ cup almond milk unsweetened
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (see note on flour)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Icing

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C. Line muffin tins with papers or spray muffin compartments with vegetable spray.

Crumble Topping

  • In a bowl stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and flour. Drizzle with vegan butter and stir to combine until you achieve a crumbly mixture. Don't overmix. Set aside.

Muffins

  • In a medium bowl stir together the oil, sugars, applesauce, milk, and vinegar. Stir to combine.
    A bowl full of liquid ingredients.
  • In a large bowl stir together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Create a well in the middle of the flour. Pour the milk mixture in and stir until just combined.
    A bowl full of liquid ingredients is being poured into a bowl full of flour ingredients.
  • Pour the batter into prepared muffin tins. Use a spatula to get every last bit of the batter. Spoon the crumble topping evenly across the muffins. Use your hand to gently tamp down the crumble topping. Bake for 5 minutes, then leaving muffins in the oven, turn the oven temperature down to 350°F/175°C. Bake for another 16 – 17 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. The crumble topping should be nice and golden brown as well.
  • When done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before drizzling with icing.

For the Icing Drizzle

  • Prepare the icing by adding powdered sugar to a bowl. Add milk and whisk.
  • Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. These muffins can be refrigerated up to 7 days or frozen for up to 1 month.

Recommended Equipment

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Notes

Regarding flour, this recipe uses all-purpose flour. You can substitute 1:1 Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, but note, this is not the same as whole wheat flour. If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour, either use 100% all-purpose flour, or 1 cup all purpose flour combined 1/2 cup whole wheat flour.
Make Ahead Instructions: For longer storage, freeze muffins (with or without icing) for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired. Top with icing before serving if needed.
Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 215mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 267IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg

The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

This post was originally published in 2020 and was updated to include new photos, new text, and an updated recipe in 2021.

3 Responses to Vegan Cinnamon Muffins

  1. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyDebbie Reply

    5 stars
    These muffins were top notch! Easy to make and delicious!

  2. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyPam Reply

    5 stars
    I love these muffins. My family asks for them all the time!

  3. Avatar thumbnail image for MarlyOlivia Wilson Reply

    5 stars
    This muffins are fabulous …and more easy to make with delicious as well….i can’t wait to try it…Thanks for sharing a beautiful muffins….!

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