3-Ingredient Apple Cinnamon Muffins

3-Ingredient Apple Cinnamon Muffins turn three pantry shortcuts into soft, golden muffins with tender apple pieces in every bite. Pancake mix handles the flour and leavening, while apple pie filling adds sweetness, moisture, and plenty of cozy apple flavor. A little cinnamon brings everything together, so the batter needs one bowl and only a few minutes of stirring.

These muffins are especially handy when you want something homemade without pulling out half the pantry. They bake with rounded tops, lightly crisp edges, and moist centers that stay pleasantly tender after cooling. Serve them warm with coffee, pack them for an easy snack, or freeze a few for busy mornings.

The batter will look thick and rustic rather than smooth. That is exactly right—and one less reason to fuss with it.

Recipe Yield: 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS

2 ½ cups complete pancake mix, just-add-water type
1 ¾ cups apple pie filling, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat and prepare:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup.

2. Mix the batter:
Stir together the pancake mix and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the apple pie filling and fold until just combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy. Do not overmix.

3. Fill and bake:
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about ¾ full. Bake for 18–22 minutes, until the tops are golden. A toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin, away from an apple piece, should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

4. Cool the muffins:
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Helpful Tips to Perfect This Recipe

• Use complete pancake mix: Choose a just-add-water pancake mix and measure it while dry. Do not prepare the mix according to the package before adding it.
• Measure after chopping: Finely chop the apple pie filling first, including the apples and thick sauce. Smaller pieces spread evenly and prevent heavy, overly wet pockets inside the muffins.
• Add a sparkling finish: For the sparkling tops shown in the image, lightly sprinkle the batter with cinnamon sugar before baking.