Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
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These Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins are high in fiber and protein, low in carbs, made with coconut flour, and are absolutely delicious. Double the batch and stick some in the freezer for another time.
“These were awesome. Very moist and light. The best coconut flour recipe I have tried yet!” – Shauna
Reasons You’ll Love this Recipe
Say hello to a gluten-free recipe that is delicious and turning into a kid-favorite meal around our house! Here are a few reasons you’ll love this recipe:
- It’s made with coconut flour. Coconut flour is high in fiber and protein. It’s low in carbohydrates and gluten-free!
- They are a great make-ahead breakfast recipe.
- They are freezer-friendly. I make a big batch and freeze these in freezer bags.
- Savory muffins pair perfectly with smoothies. A few mornings a week, I blend our Tropical Smoothie, reheat a few of these muffins in the microwave (only takes 90 seconds), and pass them off as he’s heading out the door.
Ingredient Notes
- Coconut Flour – When you first go to buy coconut flour in the natural food section, you’ll have a little sticker shock. But, the price isn’t as bad as it seems at first glance. That’s because you only need a 1/2 cup of coconut flour to produce 12 muffins. A typical wheat muffin recipe would require at least 1 1/2 cups.
- Pumpkin Puree – This recipe won’t use all of the can. You can freeze the pumpkin (similar to how you can freeze butternut squash) and use it in pumpkin recipes like our Pumpkin French Toast or our Whole Wheat Pumpkin Waffles.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a small bowl, mix together the coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, maple syrup, butter, vanilla extract, and pumpkin.
Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk well to combine until no lumps remain and batter is thick. (The great thing about coconut flour is that you can’t over-mix it!)
Stir in the chocolate chips to the batter. The batter will be thicker than pancake batter but thinner than your typical muffin recipe.
Bake the Muffins
Evenly divide the batter into muffin liners. I found that a cookie scoop worked well for this task.
Because the batter is a bit runnier than in typical muffin recipes, it often took two scoops to fill the muffin liner.
About Silicone Muffin Liners
I like using silicone muffin liners for many reasons:
- They are sustainable – A one-time purchase of a 12-pack of cups can yield a lifetime of muffin (and cupcake!) baking.
- They’re effective – They release baked goods easily and cleanly. No need to alter cooking times either.
- They’re multipurpose – I often put my kids’ snacks in them for school lunches. I also use them at mealtimes for things like berries to keep foods separated on the plate.
- They’re easy to wash -While they are dishwasher safe, I prefer to give them a quick scrub in warm soapy water. The crumbs come right off!
Bake the Muffins
Bake for approximately 22-25 minutes, until tops and edges begin to turn a light golden brown. The muffin should spring back when you touch lightly on the top.
Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.
Ways to Use Extra Pumpkin
Don’t throw away the pumpkin you didn’t use. You can freeze it and use in recipes like:
How to Freeze Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
Freeze For Later:
Bake muffins as directed. Place muffins on baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Flash freeze the muffins long enough to harden them up. Once frozen, transfer them to freezer-safe bag or container.
Prepare From Frozen:
Let them thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator. You can also stick them in the microwave for a brief time to warm them up.
Read more here on how to freeze and store muffins.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Use dairy-free yogurt, like So Delicious brand. Use melted coconut oil in place of the butter. Use dairy-free chocolate chips, like Enjoy Life brand.
Yes! Muffins freeze and reheat beautifully. Place the cooked and cooled muffins in a gallon-sized freezer bag and seal tightly–squeezing out as much air as humanely possible.
Almond flour is a popular choice for substituting coconut flour. You can generally replace 1/2 cup of coconut flour with around 1 to 1 1/2 cups of almond flour. Start with the lower end of the range and adjust as needed. Almond flour has a different texture, so your final product might be slightly different.
More Gluten-Free Recipes You Might Like
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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
These fall-flavored muffins are high in fiber and protein, low in carbs, gluten-free and delicious, too! Try a batch and stick some in the freezer for another time.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.
- Grease your 12-cup muffin tin or use muffin cups.
- In a small bowl, mix together the coconut flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, maple syrup, butter, vanilla extract, and pumpkin.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir well to combine until no lumps remain and batter is thick. (The great thing about coconut flour is that you can’t over-mix it!)
- Stir in the chocolate chips to the batter. (Note: The batter will be thicker than pancake batter but thinner than peanut butter.)
- Divide the batter between the muffin cups evenly.
- Bake for approximately 22-25 minutes, until top and edges begin to turn a light golden brown. The muffin should spring back when you touch lightly on the top.
- Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before serving.
Freeze for Later: Bake muffins as directed. Let cool completely. Put muffins in freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Prepare From Frozen: Remove muffins from freezer and thaw overnight in the refrigerator or warm them in microwave.
Notes/Tips
- Dairy-Free Version: Use dairy-free yogurt, like So Delicious brand. Use melted coconut oil in place of the butter. Use dairy-free chocolate chips, like Enjoy Life brand.
- Freeze the leftover pumpkin puree for future use, like in any of our 10 Must-Try Pumpkin Recipes.
- The batter is a bit more runny than typical muffin batter. This is normal.
These are so moist and delicious!
I didn’t have plain yogurt, so substituted siur cream and used dark chocolate chips instead! Even my picky six year old loves them!
Hi Annette! I always use dark chocolate chips and have substituted sour cream for yogurt on many occasions. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review and let others know what worked for you!
My only concern is that they don’t look as smooth on top like yours did they came out rather bumpy I guess and I don’t know what I did wrong so that they don’t necessarily look like pretty muffins. They look tasty enough just not pretty and shaped well
My experience with GF muffins made with coconut flour is the same as yours–tasty (and healthier!) but not as pretty as a regular all purpose flour-type muffin. If you want muffins that look prettier, try using a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill) in our Pumpkin Chocolate Chips Muffins or Pumpkin Spice Muffins.
These were awesome. Very moist and light. The best coconut flour recipe I have tried yet!
Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. I haven’t tried very many coconut flour recipes myself yet, so I was initially nervous when I created this one. But, our family enjoyed it so much that I thought I’d share. Maybe it was a happy accident, but I’ll take it. 🙂
Hi Rachel! I just found you through your guest post on Kitchen Stewardship and loved it. This recipe looks like a good one to perhaps get my feet wet with coconut flour 🙂 I was wondering if you have ever made it in bread form? For some reason my family thinks it tastes better that way! I’m guessing I’d have to play with the baking temp and time? Let me know what you think
Hi Eliz,
So glad you stopped by! This was one of my first recipes using coconut flour myself, so I’m afraid I can’t offer too many suggestions for you just yet. However, I’ve found that Kelly over at Nourishing Home (www.thenourishinghome.com) understands and can explain the science behind baking with coconut flour. She’s also got some fantastic coconut flour recipes you might want to try. I’m sure if you asked her this question, she would know!
What’s a good sub for the kefir/yogurt? I have a friend I’m making frozen snacks/meals for after her baby’s born, but her family can’t do dairy (or wheat).
Great question. When our family has been dairy-free during different stretches, I found that plain almond milk was a good alternative in most recipes. You might also see if your health food store carries coconut yogurt, as that will provide a richer texture and pair nicely with the coconut flour flavor. Just double check that there is no lactose or dairy ingredients in it.
These look tasty. Save one for me when we visit.
Sorry, Mom, they were gone in just a few short days!