These grain-free and gluten-free paleo pumpkin muffins are an amazing autumn treat. My simple and delicious almond flour pumpkin muffin recipe has a moist crumb and calls for just a few easy-to-find ingredients!
Nothing says autumn like pumpkin-flavored everything: pies, lattes, nuts—even toothpaste and shampoo (I kid you not, people). But before pumpkin fatigue sets in, I need you to try my grain-free Paleo Pumpkin Muffins for one simple reason: they’re crazy simple and delicious.
Almond Flour Muffins
These paleo pumpkin muffins are made with just almond flour as the base. Even though I love grain-free paleo treats, I don’t have the patience (or the expandable pants) required to test out every single substitution or alternative flour available. If I can nail a paleo dessert recipe with just one type of flour—in this case, almond flour—I call it a day and say “you’re welcome” to my waistline. Plus, I don’t need to spend tons of money on expensive flours and starches that I’ll rarely use.
Pro tip: The most accurate way to measure almond flour is by weight on a kitchen scale. No scale? You can also just use the “fluff, sprinkle, and scrape” method demonstrated here with dry measuring cups.
Nut allergy?
Need a nut-free version? I don’t have one (yet), so try this pumpkin bread recipe by my pal Danielle Walker instead!
Substitutions?
Unfortunately, my cooking skills are way stronger than my baking skills so I’m not sure how this recipe will work with different flours or how to substitute the eggs, sweetener, etc. If you try a substitution and it works out great, please leave a note in the comments so everyone can benefit from your baking prowess. Thanks in advance!
Can you use the paleo pumpkin muffin batter to make a cake or bread?
Yes! If you want to make a paleo pumpkin snack cake or pumpkin bars, pour the batter into a greased 8-inch by 8-inch square cake pan and bake it in the oven for 25 to 35 minutes or until cooked through. Love pumpkin bread? Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until cooked through. If the top is browning too quickly, tent the top of the loaf with a piece of foil at the 45 minute mark.
Get your kids to bake them!
These paleo pumpkin muffins are so dang easy to make, you should hand the recipe to your kiddos and tell them to bake a dozen! Before I finalized the recipe, I asked my favorite teenagers to bake a batch to see if the muffins would come out the right way…and the recipe passed with flying colors!
Let’s make Paleo Pumpkin Muffins!
Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients:
- 2½ cups (280 g) super-fine blanched almond flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar (or 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 cup (240 g) canned pumpkin purée
- ½ cup (170 g) honey
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Equipment:
- All my favorite kitchen tools are listed on this constantly updated Amazon page.
Method:
Heat oven to 350ºF with the rack in the middle. Line a muffin tin with parchment muffin liners or grease it well with ghee or coconut oil.
Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: almond flour, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Whisk it all together.
In a separate large bowl, add the pumpkin purée, honey, eggs, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer or whisk to blend everything together.
Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and use a hand mixer to blend…
…until well combined.
Don’t dawdle because the baking soda has already been activated at this point and the muffins need to get in the oven!
Divide the batter evenly into each muffin liner. (I recommend using a #20 disher to scoop the batter if you have one.)
Bake the muffins in the oven at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the muffin tray at the halfway mark.
The muffins are done cooking when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove the muffins from the oven and transfer the muffins to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Eat ’em up! Store the muffins in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.
Looking for other tasty paleo pumpkin dessert recipes? Make one of these treats:
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Paleo Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 2½ cups finely ground almond flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 cup canned pumpkin purée
- ½ cup honey
- 4 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350ºF with the rack in the middle. Line a muffin tin with parchment muffin liners or grease it well with ghee or coconut oil.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: almond flour, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Whisk it all together.
- In a separate large bowl, add the pumpkin purée, honey, eggs, and vanilla. Use a hand mixer or whisk to blend everything together.
- Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients and use a hand mixer to blend until well combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into each muffin liner. (I use a #20 disher to scoop the batter.) Don’t dawdle because the baking soda has already been activated at this point and the muffins need to get in the oven!
- Bake the muffins in the oven at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the muffin tray at the halfway mark. The muffins are done cooking when the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and transfer the muffins to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Janice Lee says
I made these last night! I followed the recipe exactly. Delicious and very moist! I ate 3 in one sitting. 😜 The 280g of almond flour is incorrect. Make sure you use the 2-1/2 cups of flour.
Josie says
Yes! For those who have nut allergies Danielle Walkers nut free version of this amazing! If you have 3 boys like we do, make sure to double up! 🤣
Mia Montgomery says
Turned out…pretty much yum! Used Bob’s Red Mill Superfine Almond Flour. Skipped the hand-mixer (unfortunately, I don’t own one!..not sure if that made any difference. Thank you!
Tracy Mayhue says
These are baking now! I used three mini-loaf pans instead of muffin tins and I added chopped apple. (Hope it works!) I also used Bob’s Red Mills Superfine Almond Flour.
Vicky Dumas Frye says
Do these freeze well?
Pam says
Can I sub for the honey? Something like Swerve (erythritol) Or is the liquidy-ness of the honey necessary?
Fay says
Do you think this will work with bananas? Mashed up bananas substituted for the Pumpkin to make banana muffins?
Brian Cox says
i’ve made these multiple times — exactly per the recipe and with substitutions. most recently, i substituted maple syrup for the honey and added in generous handful of chopped walnuts. holy smoke, these were da bomb! for breakfast, i cut them in half and toast them in the air fryer on the “warm up food” setting, and then spread a little yogurt (instead of butter) on each half after toasting. these make for a very happy morning!
Karen says
Just sent this recipe to all of my friends. WOW this was delicious! Very moist, and I like how there’s no coconut oil. 10/10!!
Amy says
Same here. Coconut oil and full fat milk takes away from the pumpkin.
Amy says
Thank you. Made with maple syrup and it made the day (and probably the rest of the week)!
These are amazing!
Mica says
I didn’t realize I was out of honey until I was already IN IT. I subbed 1/4 c maple syrup and 1/4 c coconut crystals and they came out great. Thanks for a great muffin recipe! We loved them!
Theresa Corona says
Super delicious! I made one change because I thought I had honey and didn’t buy any. I was out of honey, but had raw organic blue agave. I subbed the same amount of agave as the recipe calls for honey. Never have made them before so I cannot say they are better or worse with agave. As always, thank you for this recipe, Michelle Tam, you are amazing and make my Paleo life happy.
Hannah says
These turned out amazing and delicious! My boys gobbled them down for breakfast and these would be great in school lunches. My only substitution was almond meal for almond flour because that was what was in my pantry, but it didn’t seem to cause a problem. Thank you for your great, family recipes!
Solvay says
These are delicious. “Heaven”, says my husband. I made them with the lemon juice option and also added about a half cup of chopped dates. So good!
Daniel says
THESE ARE AWESOME!!!! They are so soft and fluffy and flavorful. for the honey, I used raw honey. I also added 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon.
Penny says
My husband says these are the best muffins I’ve ever made! They are indeed delicious. The last batch I made I added 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries (I use the ones sweetened with apple juice).
Em says
Fantastic, moist, melts in your mouth. I added chopped walnuts to them as another reviewer suggested. They would have been a bit bland without something imo. Anyhow, will make again.
Margaret Lehr says
These were delicious! They have a nice texture and are much lighter than other gluten free muffins that I have made. Thank you!
Elizabeth says
These are really, really good. I’ve made them twice now, following the recipe exactly, except for subbing maple syrup for the honey. I have tried baking with almond flour before and nothing seems to turn out very good. I am SO happy that I found a baked treat without flour that I can really enjoy. I am amazed. THANK YOU!
Emily McNichols says
I’ve made these twice & they are amazing! I have frozen the remaining pumpkin puree both times. Has anyone made these using the defrosted puree and if so, were you pleased with the results?
Jody says
I made this and forgot the cream of tartar….and they were fine! I added a lot of chopped walnuts, replaced honey with 1/4 c. maple syrup (I’m a good New Englander, and also like to limit the sweetness), and topped with a few sunflower seeds. I really benefit from a fatty spread (like ghee or butter if you do dairy); I might experiment with adding a bit in the batter next time (I greased the muffin pan with coconut oil this time so that added a bit of fat too). But anyway, they’re terrific and the recipe is a keeper! Would maybe add soaked raisins or chopped dates sometime too.
Jody says
Haha can I correct that typo in my comment? THEY really benefit from a fatty spread! HAHAHA
Jody says
I’m back here with more: I just made these again, this time using CASHEW FLOUR instead of almond. Added a generous grind of…wait for it….black pepper. Used lemon juice instead of cream of tartar. Added a cup of chopped walnuts and 6 chopped dates. Result? SUPERB. The cashew flour adds richness, and the muffins remained tender and moist. Cashew flour is a total winner, makes a nice change from the always-reliable almond flour. Thanks again for a wonderful recipe!
Paleo Beginner says
Wonderful recipe! We used buckwheat honey and smeared yummy cocoa cashew butter on them and it was amazing!!
Mag says
Can these be frozen?
Michelle Tam says
Yes! I thaw them in the fridge before I pack them or reheat them.