Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins (Moist & Fluffy)

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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.

A close up of two almond flour pumpkin muffins showing the soft inner and outer textures of the muffins.

While these almond flour pumpkin muffins are most popular during the fall pumpkin season, they get visitors year round. They make a great freezer-friendly treat for meal prep, easy breakfasts, and take-along snacks for school or work.

Pumpkin lovers might enjoy pairing this recipe with a cup of coffee and my Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer.

If you love pumpkin baking, try my Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread, Gluten-Free Vegan Pumpkin Pie, or browse all my gluten-free pumpkin recipes.

You might also enjoy more gluten-free muffin recipes like gluten-free blueberry muffins, gluten-free chocolate chip muffins, or gluten-free chocolate muffins.

For more almond flour recipes, check out my Vegan Gluten-Free Chocolate Cake or Gluten-Free Apple Coffee Cake.

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How to make it (with photos)
📖 Recipe
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
More Pumpkin Baking Recipes
💬 Comments

A muffin pan full of freshly baked almond flour pumpkin muffins.

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.

How to make almond flour pumpkin muffins in four 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.

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📖 Recipe

Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins

Jamie

Soft Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins made with pumpkin puree, warm spices, and maple syrup. These moist, fluffy muffins come together in one bowl and bake up perfectly tender.

5 from 27 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 35

Course Baking

Cuisine American

Servings muffins

Calories 236 kcal

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.

Notes

If the butter or coconut oil is too hot, it will prematurely cook the egg. Make sure it's melted and not too warm when you add it to the mix.

Storage: 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.

Pumpkin puree consistency: If your pumpkin puree is thick, these muffins will cook on the faster side. And if your pumpkin puree is thinner, they will take a bit longer. Be careful to not overcook them. If using a thick pumpkin puree, watch them closely after 16 minutes.

Paleo: Use the variation with coconut oil and tapioca starch.

Egg-Free: 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.

Vegan: Use the egg-free sub above and either vegan butter or coconut oil.

Nutrition

Calories: 236kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 5gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 207mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 2901IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 61mgIron: 1mg

Keyword almond flour pumpkin muffins, paleo pumpkin muffins

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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.

Three freshly baked almond flour pumpkin muffins.

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.

How do you store leftover almond flour pumpkin muffins?

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.

What does pumpkin do in baking?

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.

Is canned pumpkin the same as pumpkin puree?

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.

What type of pumpkin for pumpkin puree?

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

What can I substitute for pumpkin spice?

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.

More Pumpkin Baking Recipes

Looking for more pumpkin baking recipes? Check these out:

Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins