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Paleo Pumpkin Muffins are light & fluffy, without using any flour or oil. They are not too sweet, with the perfect amount of Fall flavor.
Inspired by my Almond Butter Blondies, these paleo muffins make an easy after-school snack or breakfast on the go. They taste like a traditional muffin, and come together quickly in one bowl!
If you want more of a chocolate brownie-like experience, be sure to try my Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins for another variation.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instead of using flour, these muffins get their structure from a combination of almond butter and eggs. Just like magic, they become light & fluffy when they bake!
As a result, this recipe is gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free, without relying on almond flour or coconut flour. If you don’t have almond butter on hand, you can use cashew butter with similar results.
If you can’t find canned pumpkin puree, I’ve also got you covered with a tutorial on how to make pumpkin puree from fresh pumpkins. Store-bought pumpkin pie spice is convenient, but you can make your own pumpkin pie spice at home using ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
How to Make Paleo Pumpkin Muffins
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a standard muffin tin with 12 paper liners.
In a large bowl, combine the almond butter, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, eggs, baking powder, pumpkin spice, and sea salt. Stir well until the batter is smooth.
Use a 1/4 cup measure to divide the batter among the muffin liners, and sprinkle the tops with chopped pecans, walnuts, or chocolate chips. (You can also stir the mix-ins into the center of the muffin if you like.)
Bake at 350ºF until the muffins rise and look firm in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for at least 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. They have an amazingly fluffy texture, without using any flour!
This paleo muffin recipe should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days for the best shelf life. Or you can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
I don’t recommend using a flax egg or other egg substitute in this recipe. The results will be very gooey in the middle like they are under-baked, and the muffins won’t rise. The eggs provide structure to these flourless muffins, so if you need a vegan alternative, I’d recommend trying my Vegan Pumpkin Donuts (which you can bake in a muffin tin) or Vegan Pumpkin Bars, instead.
For a paleo pumpkin bread, you can attempt to bake this as a loaf for 50 to 60 minutes at 350ºF. It will most likely work better if you bake it in a 9-inch square pan, however, like my healthy pumpkin bars. In that case, you can bake the square cake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350ºF.
You can swap the baking powder for a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar in this recipe. When using baking powder in Paleo recipes, be sure to look for a brand that is made with arrowroot starch instead of corn starch. (Corn isn’t technically Paleo, if you are following a strict plan.)
Flourless baked goods tend to stick to the pan more than muffins made with a traditional flour. If you are baking these for guests, I recommend using a parchment muffin cup (affiliate link) to ensure these muffins will easily release from the pan, and from the paper liner. If you prefer to use silicone muffin cups, be extra gentle when trying to get these muffins out, since they are more fragile than a grain-based muffin.
You can definitely use honey instead of maple syrup in this case. Or you can use a 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup coconut sugar, for a slightly different texture.
Looking for more paleo muffin recipes? Try my Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins, Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Almond Flour Muffins, or Spiced Applesauce Paleo Muffins for more ideas.
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond butter (263 grams)
- ½ cup pumpkin puree (127 grams)
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (104 grams)
- 2 large eggs (97 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder (5 grams; or 1/2 teaspoon baking soda)
- 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice (6 grams; see notes)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (2 grams)
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, walnuts, or raisins (optional mix ins)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF, and line a muffin tin with 12 parchment paper liners. (I don't recommend making these without a liner, as grain-free baking is prone to sticking.)
- In a large bowl, combine the almond butter, pumpkin, maple syrup, eggs, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Stir well, until the batter is completely smooth.
- Fold in any of the optional add-ins, then use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter evenly among the 12 baking cups. Top with a few extra chocolate chips or walnuts, if you like.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350ºF, until the centers puff up and feel firm to a light touch. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Because these muffins are pretty moist, store them in the fridge for the best shelf life. They will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Paleo Pumpkin Muffin recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like them.
Just made these for these second time. Added a handful of chopped pecans and some raisins and turned out very tasty 🙂
Love these. Indeed very fluffy, also very tasty, couldn’t be easier to make.
This recipe turned out really good! My husband is on a diet to help beat cancer (based on ChrisBeatCancer Square One program) and has cut out pretty much all carbs. He does use maple syrup on occasion and honey daily in tea. Lol So I cut the maple syrup back to 1/2 a cup, and it still tasted great! I added raisins in it to help with sweetness. 🙂 I used carrot puree instead of pumpkin, just to try it, and you can’t tell the difference!!
I didn’t have almond butter on hand, so made that according your directions, and wow is it so much better than store bought!!!! I made it in the food processor, took OUT half a cup, then added the rest of the ingredients (minus the raisins😄) and mixed it in the processor…save me another dish! Then I mixed the raisins in with a spoon. I also put it in a baking dish (I think its 8×11) with parchment paper and that worked great! I have been loving several of you recipes, bout your 2 detox books, and am looking forward to trying many more!! Thank you so much!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins AND almond butter, Amanda. Mixing them together all in the food processor is genius. Hope you enjoy the recipes in my cookbooks, too!
Has anyone used a protein based almond butter like Rxin this recipe? It could use a lil
Protein! I would scale back the maple syrup to compensate
Have made these multiple times. I love the texture of these muffins–they’re so light and hold together so well, despite being grain-free!
Question: could I make this recipe into a 9×13 sheet cake?
Would flax egg work in place of
Eggs?
Love these pumpkin spice muffins! I had them fresh out of the oven for breakfast. They were so filling and the texture of the muffin was perfect. A great breakfast option for a girl on the go!
There used to be an old Pumpkin Spice Recipe on your site that I used many times, the photo had chocolate chunks in it, and the recipe was very similar without flax. What happened to that one?
This post just got updated, so you’ll see it here now without the flax!
Hi, I love your site! After having my son, i wanted real healthy snacks and I found your recipe for spinach muffins (for picky eaters). My son (and all my friends) loved it! For this recipe, is there an alternative for the ground flax seed. Thank you so much for providing healthy and easy recipes!
Ground chia seeds would be the most similar swap, or you can use a little more almond butter instead.
Oh my word!!! These are amazing! Just made them, I don’t use baking powder so I did a third of a tsp of baking soda and 2/3 tsp of cream of tartar. I can’t believe how moist and fluffy they are! I was surprised that there was nearly no flavor from the almond butter and that the pumpkin really came through after they were cooked. Will be keeping this recipe on hand!