Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

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.

Say hello to a gluten free recipe that is delicious and turning into a kid-favorite around our house!

Even my health-food-resistant husband admitted such.

Beyond the delightful slightly coconutty taste and moist texture of these gluten free pumpkin muffins, there are some other key reasons to start making this recipe on a regular basis.

Why Gluten Free Muffins?

I’m becoming more and more convinced that we eat waaaay too much of the same thing.

I know, I know. Michael Pollan actually said that first. Or maybe he was just heard by the masses first. Pollan’s point is that when we’re eating processed foods, all we’re eating is corn and more corn and more corn. But, I’m not just talking about processed foods. I think even families like ours who are trying to eat a real food diet consume too much of the same thing–namely wheat.

I’ve been wondering why it is that we’ve got skyrocketing numbers of children and adults alike with gluten allergies and intolerances now. I’m no expert, but could the gluten problems today be because we consume far too much wheat? Maybe our bodies aren’t made to tolerate it in the mass quantities that we consume it.  My own family’s diet is certainly focused around gluten-rich foods, whether it’s bread, pasta, pumpkin pancakes, pizza dough, or a baked good.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not tossing good old whole wheat out the window. I think there is nutritional value to be found there. But, because I’m convinced we need wider variety in our diet, I’ve been experimenting with baking with different types of flours lately.

Why I Love Coconut Flour

Coconut flour is my newest obsession. It’s

• High in fiber
• High in protein
• Low in carbohydrates
• Gluten-free

I was skeptical that it would bake up nicely, but it worked wonderfully in this gluten free pumpkin muffin recipe I devised.

Although slightly denser than a regular muffin, it still had a nice texture and great flavor.

Sticker Shock Warning

Perhaps I should warn you. 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 and 1/2 cups.

How to Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins

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 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.

Evenly divide the batter into muffin cups. 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.

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.

Don’t throw away the pumpkin you didn’t use. You can freeze it and use in recipes like:

• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Pumpkin French Toast
• Chocolate Baked Oatmeal