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These Paleo Pumpkin Muffins are light & fluffy, without using any flour or oil! They are lightly sweet, with the perfect amount of pumpkin spice flavor.
What makes them Paleo?
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!
These Paleo Pumpkin Muffins are:
- Made in just 1 bowl
- Gluten-free
- Grain-free
- Dairy-free
- Oil-free
- Naturally-sweet
- and perfect for Fall baking!
Like most of my Paleo recipes, I don’t recommend trying to use a flax egg here as an egg substitute. 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.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in a Paleo muffin?
- Almond Butter
- Pumpkin puree
- Maple syrup
- Eggs
- Baking powder
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Salt
You can use homemade almond butter or store-bought (look for the kind that needs to be stirred), and if you can’t find canned pumpkin puree, I’ve also got you covered with a tutorial on how to make pumpkin puree.
I use store-bought pumpkin pie spice for convenience, but you can make your own pumpkin pie spice at home, too.
How to Make the Pumpkin Muffins
1. Stir. Add all of the ingredients together in a large bowl, and mix well, until the batter looks very smooth.
2. Bake. Use a 1/4 cup measure to divide the batter among 12 muffin liners in a pan. Bake at 350ºF until the muffins rise and look firm in the center, about 25 minutes.
3. Enjoy! Let the muffins cool in the pan, then remove the muffin liner and enjoy. They have an amazingly fluffy texture, without using any flour.
Extra Add-Ins
If you love a muffin with a variety of textures and flavors, there are several things you can add-in to the batter to make these even better.
Here are some ideas:
- Mini Chocolate Chips (I like Enjoy Life or Hu brands)
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Dried Cranberries
- Raisins
- Fresh Cranberries (for a tart flavor)
You can sprinkle these on top, or fold them into the batter for extra texture all throughout the muffin.
Helpful Tips & Common Questions
Baking powder. 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.) As an alternative, you can swap the baking powder for a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda + 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar.
Stick prevention. 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.
Note: Typically I use reusable silicone muffin cups in our home, to reduce waste (since I test recipes a lot!) and they work okay for this recipe, but you do have to be extra-gentle when trying to get these muffins out of a silicone muffin cup. The bottom of the muffins can be tricky to remove in that case.
Substitutions. If you don’t have almond butter on hand, try using cashew butter as a swap! Peanut butter also works, but it’s not Paleo and will result in a drier texture. For a nut-free recipe, try using sunflower seed butter instead of almond butter.
Swapping honey. You can use maple syrup instead of honey, if you prefer. Or you can use a 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup coconut sugar, for a slightly different texture.
Low on almond butter? I’ve also made this recipe with 3/4 cup almond butter + 2 tablespoons of ground flax, to help add extra structure.
More Grain-Free Muffins to Try
- Apple Spice Muffins
- Almond Flour Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Raspberry Chocolate Muffins
- Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
I can’t wait to hear which ones you try next!
Paleo Pumpkin Muffins (Gluten-free!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond butter (263 grams)
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (127 grams)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (104 grams)
- 2 large eggs (97 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5 grams; or 1/2 teaspoon baking soda)
- 2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice (6 grams; see notes)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt (2 grams)
Optional Add-Ins:
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries or raisins
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 extra 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 you want to. Using roughly a 1/4 cup measure, distribute the batter evenly among the 12 baking cups.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes at 350ºF, until the centers puff up, and are 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, I recommend storing 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 these Paleo Pumpkin Muffins, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like them. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from each others’ experience.
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite Pumpkin treat?
Autumn
These were amazing. My favourite muffins ever!
Cait
Happiness is not feeling deprived! Our household is gluten-free & these are delicious. Tonight I’m trying seed butter because our daycare is nut-free, I’m hoping I just happened upon a new favorite toddler breakfast 🙂
Martha
Delicious. How many calories per muffin. I got 10 muffins out of recipe
Katrina
My kids loved this recipe! Thank you!
Megan Gilmore
I’m so glad to hear that!
Annette
Instead of coconut flour can you use Wheat flour?
Megan Gilmore
No, coconut flour should never be replaced in a recipe– it’s just WAY too different. I’d suggest looking for a recipe that uses all-purpose flour instead as a basis for modifying.
Emma
do yo know the calories per muffin?
Brett
I make these regularly with a baked sweet potato mashed up. They’re delicious and my 7-year-old loves them for breakfast.
Vicki
Hi is it possible for you to give the carb count and calories in the pumpkin muffin recipe? Thanks Vicki
Britt
I like the texture and moisture of these muffins. The ratio of ingredients produces a flavor that is more almond than pumpkin, however. In fact, the almond overpowers the other flavors entirely when made as written. A good muffin, but not what I was looking for in the pumpkin flavor department.
Arielle
I’ve made these twice and I absolutely love them. I was looking for something that had absolutely no flour in it since I seem to have a reaction to it and these were perfect! They are amazing for fall. I did end up adding more chocolate then the recipe called for though since I love chocolate and so does the rest of my family, but I’d never even tried almond butter and I found I really liked it!
Connie
Made these for Xmas morning – delicious! Very easy to make. I would love to play with adding nuts or cranberries or chopped apple. Thanks for the recipe!
Mindy
I have these in the oven right now! Can’t wait to eat them. Thanks!
Anna
These are just simply the easiest, most delicious muffins I have ever made – the reason why I placed this recipe on my “Go-To” Board on Pinterest. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, Megan!
Sandi Ramirez
i WONDER if i can use my sun nut butter in place of the almond butter since i am ALLERGIC to tree nuts except for coconuts. Going to give these a try. making both versions to freeze for back to school breakfast for this “ducky”. my grand daughter starts kinder in a week and i have to get her up and ready so her mom can leave work and take her to school. since i have pain and am disabled this will make it easy for me to have breakfast with her yet follow my no grain, dairy, sugar eating method. thanks
H Awe
Has anyone had any luck using egg substitutes? This recipe looks great but it is so hard to bake grain free and vegan.
Renee
I used flax eggs instead of regular eggs and they were perfect!
Lexi
can I substitute the maple syrup for date paste? how much?
Megan Gilmore
If you’re using my recipe for date paste here: https://detoxinista.com/make-date-paste-healthy-sugar-substitute/ I’ve made suggestions in that post for using it as a swap for maple syrup and for coconut sugar. (I tested a few recipes using those substitutions, too, but I imagine each recipe could be a little different.)
Newbie GF DF PALEO
These are so great! Moist but fluffy! Made them just as the recipe says, and included the chocolate chips. Next time I’m just gonna use a bit more pumpkin spice!
Amy
Here’s the variation I made today, which was quite good; below is the version I plan to try sometime soon:
~2 cups almond butter
~2 cups pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup honey (I would have preferred to use maple syrup, but we were out at the moment)
~1/2 cup chopped walnuts
~1/2 cup chopped dates
This yielded 1 pumpkin date-nut loaf + 8 muffins.
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Pumpkin date-nut bread #2 (what I plan to try next chance):
1-3/4 cups almond butter
1/4 cup melted butter
1 can pumpkin puree
3 eggs (large or extra-large)
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped dates
Anna
I used TJ’s canned Organic Butternut Squash in place of the pumpkin today. Absolutely wonderful.
Rebecca
I love your recipes so much! Have both tour cookbooks and have even gifted them to friends!
I was wondering if you have tried making any of your muffin recipes vegan with chia or flax eggs? Thanks!
Renee
I made these with flax eggs and they turned out great!!
Erika
THESE. ARE. DELICIOUS. I’m off and on the Paleo wagon, so I eat muffins with flour frequently. These may be even better than ‘normal’ muffins–so dense and moist. I used honey, and followed the recipe exactly as stated. I will be making these again for sure!
Jessica
These are excellent! Thank you!
Riley
I made two batches but i used a donut pan instead of a muffin pan and they came out amazing!! I cook a lot for my little siblings and they love anything pumpkin, so these disappeared pretty quick!
Cat G
These were really very good. Made the recipe exactly as written with the addition of the chocolate chips, and was surprised at how well they turned out – and how much they tasted like, well… muffins! Moist, sweet but not excessively, and nice texture. My kids and nieces (6-12 yo) loved them, too. Definitely an addition to the grain free menu at our house!
Jordan
These are perfect! Coming off of an elimination diet and these were the perfect fall dessert I needed that was still a whole food. Great recipe!
Sue
These are so good! I followed the recipe except for using coconut sugar in place of the maple syrup because it’s what I had around the house. The texture is amazing! My husband couldn’t believe they didn’t have flour in them, they are light and fluffy! Very easy to make, I will make them again!
Julie Price
This and the double chocolate pumpkin muffins (a variation on the same basic recipe) are our go-to dessert/breakfast on the go/road trip snacks . . . so flippin’ good! I get compliments every time I make them. So easy, I make and share freely. A couple of tips: (1)Make sure to undercook a bit. Do not overcook. (2) Add an extra 1/2 tsp of ginger and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. (3) Top with So Coco Whip for an extra treat. It reminds me of my childhood when we made Dromedary gingerbread mix topped with Cool Whip. No eating like that anymore, but I can’t believe how nostalgically similar and delicious it tastes when you add the extra ginger. I am so thankful for this recipe!
Jen
These are so good and easy! I’m always a little skeptical of grain free muffins because I’m just not sure how they will rise. My son eats muffins every morning so thank you Megan for a healthier option. I used cocoa nibs instead of chocolate chips. These really are delicious, as always with Detoxinista.
Correne
I love that this recipe doesn’t have a bunch of expensive ingredients! The muffins are soooo yummy! My girls like them, too!!
Jasmine
These are so good! Made them for my toddler. We used a mixed nut butter from Costco and added 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract. Also used honey instead of maple syrup and skipped the chocolate chips. Recipe only made 9 muffins for us. We’ll be making these often!
Michelle
These are amazing! My new go-to muffin! No chocolate chips in the pantry but will try adding them next time.
Renee
These were soooo good! Everyone in my family loves them! I used flax eggs instead of regular eggs and they turned out great! So soft and delicious! I’m about to go make another batch 2 days after the first.
Jessica
I’ve been making these muffins for years now, ever since she first posted the recipe!! They’re so easy and healthy. I prefer them with chocolate chips.:)
Hilary
I found this recipe and was a little skeptical of how this was going to turn into a muffin, but it actually worked really well.
The first batch I made, I followed the recipe exactly. The result was surprisingly muffin like, and very fluffy and moist, but I found them fairly bland. Not a lot of pumpkin or pumpkin spice flavor. My kids had them for breakfast this morning and liked them (both asked for seconds, and then thirds, lol).
I made a second batch and upped the pumpkin and spices by 50%, added cloves, and since I had used most of my almond butter on the first batch, I saw another reviewer had used cashew butter and I substituted it. I baked it a couple of extra minutes to compensate for the extra moisture from the added pumpkin. This second batch was much more to my taste and seemed much more “pumpkin spice” flavored (we will see what the kids think).
I am really excited to find this recipe. My 7 year old vegetarian daughter is extremely active and high energy (plays softball and runs cross country and basically never stops moving) and burns through a lot of calories and since she absolutely hates nuts and nut butters in any and all forms, I struggle with finding quick, portable, high energy/healthy fat snacks for her. This is the first time I have tried to sneak her nuts and had them go undetected! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Laura
Hiii my son is currently on a sugar free diet but I found a monk fruit sweetened maple syrup but was still hoping to use less than 1/3 if a cup. Do you think using a few tablespoons instead would work?
Teresa
I made these this morning. Quite tasty! I made some regular ones, as well as a few with dried cranberries and a few with walnuts. Next time, I will try the raisin add-in. I would like a little more pumpkin spice flavor. Are there any downsides to increasing the amount of pumpkin spice?
Megan Gilmore
No, I think you can add as much spice as you like! I kept it mild here, because my kids are a little pickier when it comes to spices.
Teresa
I just saw that another person commented on increasing the pumpkin spice by 50% with success, so I will try that. Regardless, this is another great recipe. Thanks, Megan!
Jennifer
Made these muffin a with chocolate chips and pecans as add-ins and they were super delicious!
NicolE
!!! What happened to the old recipe ???
I have been baking these since 2018, but this year you updated the recipe. I followed the above the other night and they came out completely different, more dry, we LOVED the texture before so much more! Please let me know if you can share the old post. Thank you !! 🙂
Megan Gilmore
I believe the old recipe called for 1 cup of almond butter, no flax seed, and used 1/4-ish cup of maple syrup instead of coconut sugar. The resulting muffin always sunk in the middle for me, so I was embarrassed to serve them for company, but I believe those are the main tweaks I made to the original recipe!
Daniela
I usually don’t do Reviews, but this Recipe deserves one because it is ridiculous amazing! Nobody will guess that these muffins have no flour or real sugar! Meghan, you nailed it!
stacy
I’ve made this muffins for years and I love them! Im noticing they now say ground flax seed, has that always been an ingredient Ive never noticed it before? Has the recipe changed?
Megan Gilmore
This one has changed slightly based on feedback from my picky kids. The old recipe called for 1 cup of almond butter (and no flax) and used 1/4-1/3 cup of maple syrup instead of the coconut sugar. That recipe tends to sink in the middle, so after several complaints from readers I decided to tweak it. But, they’re delicious either way!
Helen
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!
Amanda
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!
Megan Gilmore
Ground chia seeds would be the most similar swap, or you can use a little more almond butter instead.
Erica Viegas
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?
Megan Gilmore
This post just got updated, so you’ll see it here now without the flax!