Or, just take a giant bite of muffin, and use big hand gestures combined with a series of MMMMMs to indicate that your mouth is too full for tongue twisters. I like this plan. These almond flour pumpkin muffins are made with pure pumpkin puree, naturally sweetened with maple syrup, and contain no butter and no oil. Even though these muffins are butter free and oil free, they’re still melt-in-your-mouth moist. In fact, these are some of the most tender, healthy muffins I’ve ever baked! Like my Paleo Pumpkin Bread (which is also made with almond flour), the muffins have a fantastic, uniquely moist texture and crumb. It’s a product of the almond flour itself. Almond flour is made solely from ground almonds. The healthy fats, combined with the moisture of the pumpkin puree, keeps the pumpkin muffins moist, without the need of adding any additional fat or liquid. In addition to the delicate, deliciously moist texture, these healthy pumpkin muffins are also deeply spiced. Pumpkin on its own is actually quite bland. Taste a little bite of it from the can next time you are baking, and you’ll see what I mean. (Also, please don’t be mad at me if you do try it and find it less than palatable—I did warn you.) Many of the cozy flavors we associate with pumpkin recipes, whether it’s this Pumpkin Granola, this classic Healthy Pumpkin Bread, or these Pumpkin Snickerdoodles are thanks to the pumpkin spices, usually some combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and allspice. These almond flour pumpkin muffins do not skimp in the pumpkin spice arena. Just like with these Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, every bite will wrap you up like the extra-thick, cozy plaid scarf that’s waiting in the back of your closet for the first chilly fall day. Because they are made with almond flour, these pumpkin muffins are low carb, gluten free, and they qualify as Paleo pumpkin muffins too. Although I don’t follow these diets specifically, I still adore baking with almond flour. It’s tasty, filling, and contains a myriad of health benefits.
How to Bake the Best Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
Once you take the plunge and buy almond flour, which is readily available at most grocery stores and online here, it opens all kinds of new recipes to you! I’ve also linked to a few of my other favorite almond flour recipes below, so you’ll have plenty of things to do with it. You can also make your own almond flour from whole almonds (see directions below). Once you have the almond flour in hand, this recipe is easy breezy!
The Ingredients
Almond Flour. Almond flour is made of ground almonds. That’s it! I like to use super fine almond flour (which is made of almonds that are blanched with the skins removed), but you can use flour where the almonds still have the skins on (often called almond meal), if you like. The muffins will be more rustic in appearance and texture, but still delicious. Pure Pumpkin. While its not very tasty on its own, pumpkin SHINES when mixed with spices! The pumpkin helps make these muffins incredibly moist without using any oil. Spices! The secret to the warmth and flavor behind these delicious little muffins. Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg will perfectly complement the pumpkin flavor. Eggs. The eggs are needed to bind the bread and help it rise. If you are looking for a pumpkin bread with no eggs, I recommend skipping this recipe and baking this Vegan Pumpkin Bread recipe or these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins instead. (If you need your pumpkin bread to be gluten free AND vegan, use a 1:1 GF baking blend like this one in either of those two vegan pumpkin recipes.) Pure Maple Syrup. In order to make these naturally sweetened, I used maple syrup in place of refined sugar. If you have not tried pairing pumpkin with maple syrup, you’re in for a real treat! Note: do not use imitation maple syrup. It does not taste the same or perform the same in baking as pure (real) maple syrup. Mix-ins! I am a sucker for chocolate and pumpkin together, so I make my almond flour pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips. Toasted nuts such as pecans or walnuts, dried cranberries, or pumpkin seeds are all scrumptious too.
Dietary Note: If you need Paleo pumpkin muffins, be sure to use Paleo-compliant chocolate chips (same with dairy free pumpkin muffins) or swap the chocolate for a different mix-in.
The Directions
Why Bake with Almond Flour?
I promise, it really is worth adding almond flour to your pantry. Here’s why.
Almond flour is rich in Vitamin E and magnesium.* Almond flour is better for blood sugar levels than conventional flour. It’s high in healthy fats and fiber, but low in carbs. With a low glycemic index, it slowly releases sugar into your blood for long-term, sustained energy.* It’s naturally gluten free and grain free. It’s packed with Omega-3s and healthy fats. Almond flour yields DELISH baked items with incredible flavor!
If you’ve never baked with almond flour, the texture of these muffins may surprise you. The muffins are super moist, almost to the point of seeming dense, but that is because they are not springy the way traditional wheat flour based muffins are. By no means are they tough or heavy. Almond flour recipes like this one are unique and definitely worth experiencing, especially given all of the health benefits of almond flour mentioned above. IMPORTANT NOTE: Store almond flour in your refrigerator or freezer. Because of its high fat content, it can go rancid more easily (just like nuts). Keeping it chilly will prolong its life considerably.
What to Substitute for Almond Flour
If you’re planning to bake almond flour pumpkin muffins, my best advice is: use almond flour! That said, you can also make this recipe with a different ground tree nut flour, such as hazelnut flour or cashew flour. Almond flour cannot substituted with wheat flour, oat flour, or coconut flour. These flours each have very different protein and fat contents, weigh different amounts, and more. They absorb moisture differently, rise differently, and will behave completely differently in baked goods. If you’d like to use a different flour for baking a special pumpkin treat, I recommend trying one of these healthy pumpkin recipes that is already suited to the type of flour you’d like to use.
How to Make Almond Flour
If you have almonds and a food processor, you can make almond flour right at home!
To make homemade almond flour, place blanched, slivered almonds in a food processor and pulse them until you have a fine powder (it will look similar to flour). You’ll want to use 1 1/2 cups of slivered almonds to make the 1 1/2 cups flour needed for this recipe. To be safe, make sure you measure the almond flour before baking. You may also want to process the almonds in two batches to ensure they blend evenly. Don’t over blend, or you’ll end up with almond butter, instead of almond flour.
More Almond Flour Recipes
Buy a bag of almond flour? Here are a few of my favorite recipes that use it!
Almond Flour Banana Bread Almond Flour Bread Almond Flour Cookies Vegan Pumpkin Pie Paleo Pumpkin Bread Vegan Apple Crisp
Storing Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
I recommend storing these muffins in the refrigerator. Because they are so moist, they fair better when kept cool.
To Refrigerate. Store in an airtight container lined with paper towels for up to 5 days. To Freeze. Let your muffins come to room temperature, then place them in a freezer-safe airtight storage container for up to 2 months. Thaw them overnight in the refrigerator. My favorite way to freeze them is to wrap them individually and thaw them one at a time (or two at a time) as I need a yummy treat. To Reheat. Place your thawed muffin on a plate, and heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds until warmed through.
Perfectly pumpkin-y, low carb, mega moist, and healthy too, these almond flour pumpkin muffins are waiting to be a part of your fall!
Recommended Tools to Make Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
12 cup muffin tin. I love all of the bakeware from this brand. Paper liners. Because the muffins are super moist, you want to use liners or they will stick. These reusable silicone liners work well too. Scoop. My favorite way to perfectly portion muffins. A scoop also will give you the best “dome” tops.
*Health benefits of almond flour mentioned in this article were sourced from Healthline and are meant to be for general information, not any kind of specific medical advice. For specific dietary needs, I always recommend contacting your doctor or seeking professional advice.
