These soft and fluffy Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins are made with pumpkin puree, almond flour, and maple syrup. This easy recipe uses one-bowl and is gluten-free. It takes about 30 minutes from start to finish. Make them with or without chocolate chips! Either way, they are well-loved by kids and adults.
While these almond flour pumpkin muffins are most popular during the Fall pumpkin season, it also gets many visitors year round! They make a great freezable treat for meal prep, meal trains, new moms, easy breakfasts, and take-along snacks for school or work lunches.
Pumpkin lovers will also enjoy this Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte and Homemade Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer to go along with these muffins.
For more almond flour pumpkin recipes, check out my Crustless Pumpkin Pie and Paleo Pumpkin Donuts. My similar Flourless Pumpkin Pancakes are made with almond butter instead of almond flour.
For more gluten-free pumpkin recipes, check out my Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with streusel topping, Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Donut Holes, Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Spice Whipped Cream, and Pumpkin Chia Pudding.
For more almond flour recipes, check out my Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake, Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake, and Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake.
Let's dive in!
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How to make it (with photos)
You'll love this recipe because it's so easy to throw together in just one bowl! The almond flour adds extra moisture and structure and it uses maple syrup for sweetness.
Ingredient Notes + Substitutions
You need these 9 simple ingredients to make almond flour pumpkin muffins.
Almond Flour
Used blanched almond flour for a soft and fluffy texture. Blanched almond flour refers to flour where the almond skins have been removed before the almonds are ground. I've been using Anthony's brand and really like it!
Almond meal is almond flour ground with the skins on and can cause muffins to have a heartier, nuttier flavor and texture. I haven't tried this recipe with almond meal, so I cannot guarantee that it will work out.
Tapioca Starch
Tapioca starch gives a fluffier texture to almond flour muffins. It is similar in texture to gluten-free all purpose flour or regular all purpose flour, and either one can be substituted 1-to-1 for tapioca starch. It is also sometimes called tapioca flour.
Pumpkin Puree
Choose pure canned pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, since the filling has other additives. I've had success making this recipe with many different pumpkin puree brands.
Organic pumpkin purees are often more watery in texture and you may need to increase the baking time by a few minutes. Libby's brand is thick and works nicely with this recipe. You can also make these almond flour pumpkin muffins with homemade pumpkin puree.
More Ingredient Notes
- Butter - This recipe was originally written with coconut oil, but I think the pumpkin muffins are a bit more flavorful with butter. For a dairy-free and vegan substitute, use dairy-free butter or coconut oil.
- Eggs - To make this recipe egg-free and vegan, replace each egg with 1 rounded tablespoon of flour, gluten-free flour, or potato starch and 3 tablespoons of water. Whisk the flour or starch in with the dry ingredients and add the water with the wet ingredients.
- Maple syrup - Pure maple syrup adds a beautiful flavor and makes these muffins refined-sugar-free. You can also replace half the maple syrup with an equal amount of brown sugar if you like. Honey works well as a substitute for maple syrup.
- Pumpkin pie spice - Your favorite pumpkin pie spice blend will work. Or use my Homemade Pumpkin Spice Recipe. It's a blend of ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.
You also need baking soda and salt to make this recipe.
See the recipe card for full ingredients and quantities.
Variations
Try these easy variations for almond flour pumpkin muffins that fit your needs.
Paleo
To make these almond flour pumpkin muffins paleo, use the variation with tapioca starch and coconut oil.
Vegan
Use vegan butter or coconut oil and replace the 2 eggs with 2 tablespoons of potato starch or cornstarch and 6 tablespoons of water. Add the starch to the dry ingredients and whisk in. Add the water when you add the wet ingredients.
Nut-Free
While almond flour is an essential part of this recipe, my Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins and Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread recipes use all purpose gluten-free flour as a base and can be turned into muffins.
Mix-Ins
Chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chopped dark chocolate, or semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips make excellent mix-ins for this recipe! Add them to the batter incrementally until you get your desired amount. The baking time stays the same.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Learn how to make almond flour pumpkin muffins in 4 easy steps.
- Dry Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and lightly grease one 12-cup muffin pan (muffin liners work well too). To a large bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca starch, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together .
- Wet Ingredients: To the whisked dry ingredients, add the butter or coconut oil, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and eggs. Mix together until smooth and well combined.
- Muffin Pan: Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin pan until each muffin cup is about ¾ full. This recipe makes 11-12 muffins.
- Bake: Bake for 18-25 minutes or until the pumpkin muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Allow these almond flour pumpkin muffins to cool for 10 minutes before gently removing them from the pan and placing on a wire rack to cool.
Expert Tips
Make amazing almond flour pumpkin muffins on the first try with these expert tips.
Use a thick pumpkin puree.
A thick pumpkin puree helps these muffins hold their structure and keep round tops. I like Libby's brand for my pumpkin baking and found it to be the thickest. Check out this post on best pumpkin puree brands for other alternatives.
Don't overfill the muffin cups.
Without gluten or a similar binder, any spillage of batter over the top will spread horizontally instead of creating a high top. While many of my muffin recipes have high round tops, it's simply not possible with this flour combination.
Hot butter or coconut oil can prematurely cook the egg.
Use soft or melted but not hot butter or coconut oil for this recipe. Allow it to cool before adding it to the batter if it seems very warm
Make chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, or a mix of half with and half without chocolate chips.
These almond flour pumpkin muffins are delicious with or without chocolate chips. To make a split batch, spoon half of the batter without chocolate chips into the muffin cups. Then add chocolate chips to the rest of the batter and bake them at the same time.
Recipe FAQs
Here I answered some frequently asked questions about this almond flour pumpkin muffins recipe. Don't see your question? Leave it in the comments at the end of this post and I'll answer within two business days.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months. To defrost, simply let the pumpkin muffin warm to room temperature. Alternatively, microwave from frozen for 30 seconds or less and increase as needed.
In baking, pumpkin creates a light and moist texture. Pumpkin is sometimes used as a substitute for oil or butter for a lower fat muffin. By itself, the addition of pumpkin has a subtle flavor. However, it is usually accompanied by pumpkin pie spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.
Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing. Both refer to pumpkin that has been steamed and then pureed. There are no additional ingredients. If a recipe calls for pumpkin puree, choose a can of pure pumpkin puree and be careful of ones labeled "Pumpkin Pie Filling" since they usually have additional ingredients.
If making pumpkin puree from scratch, be sure to use a pumpkin labeled Sugar Pumpkin or Pie Pumpkin. These pumpkins are smaller than the traditional carving pumpkins, which can be bitter by comparison
You can substitute a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice for pumpkin spice. Use this Homemade Pumpkin Spice Recipe for approximately 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice.
Related gluten-free pumpkin recipes to consider...
Looking for more gluten-free pumpkin recipes like these almond flour pumpkin muffins? Check these out:
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📖 Recipe
Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour (156 grams)
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons tapioca starch , all purpose flour, or gluten-free flour (87 grams)
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter , vegan butter, or coconut oil, soft or melted but not hot (120 ml)
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree (175 ml)
- ½ cup maple syrup (120 ml)
- 2 eggs
Instructions
- Dry Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 C) and lightly grease one 12-cup muffin pan. To a large mixing bowl, add the almond flour, tapioca starch, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together .
- Wet Ingredients: To the whisked dry ingredients, add the butter or coconut oil, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and eggs. Mix together until smooth and well combined.
- Muffin Pan: Evenly distribute the batter into the muffin pan until each muffin cup is about ¾ full. This recipe makes 11-12 muffins.
- Bake: Bake for 18-25 minutes or until the pumpkin muffin tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Allow these almond flour pumpkin muffins to cool for 10 minutes before gently removing them from the pan.
Beverly says
These pumpkin muffins were delicious!!! Made them according to the recipe. Loved them.
Jamie says
I'm so glad you enjoyed them!
Jennifer says
Added chocolate chips and they were a hit! Love the healthy ingredients.
Greta says
Had to give these a try and they were a total hit with my toddler. Definitely fluffier than other almond flour pumpkin muffin recipes I’ve tried.
Tina says
My son said these were the best "cupcakes" he's ever had 😉 I kept them vegan by replacing the eggs with flax eggs: 2 Tbs of ground flax with 5 Tbs of warm water let it sit for 5 minutes. They just needed to bake a little longer. They're so delicious and healthy!
Jamie says
Thanks so much for sharing your tip to make them vegan Tina! I'm so glad your family enjoyed them.
Anna says
This is the recipe I’ve been making for years! So glad to see this blog really take off!
Felicity says
We’ve been trying to have less rice and rice flour based gluten-free goods so we loved that these pumpkin muffins are made with almond flour! The texture is great and they’re super flavorful.
Nana Jan says
My grandkids are loving these in their lunches. I make almond flour pumpkin muffins on the weekend and give them to my daughter for school lunches.