Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins are soft, cozy, and packed with warm spices, making them an easy go-to for fall breakfasts and afternoon snacks. If you love pumpkin baking, they have the same comforting feel as these Banana and Pumpkin Muffins but with a fully gluten-free twist.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins At A Glance
- ⏰ Total Time: 50 minutes (30 min prep + 20 min bake)
- 🧁 Servings: 12 muffins
- 🍂 Cuisine Type: American / Fall Baking / Breakfast
- 🎃 Flavor Profile: Soft and moist with pumpkin puree, warm spices, and a lightly sweet, cozy flavor
- 📋 Dietary Info: Gluten-free
- ❄️ Storage Notes: Store at room temperature for up to 5 days or refrigerate for up to 10 days; freeze for up to 1 month
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: These muffins are easy to make, freezer-friendly, and perfect for breakfast, snacking, or adding chocolate chips and walnuts for extra texture
Save And Summarize This Recipe
These pumpkin muffins are a great way to lean into pumpkin season without making something overly complicated or overly sweet. If you love baking with pumpkin, they fit right in with other cozy seasonal favorites like your pumpkin spiced pancakes, iced pumpkin spiced latte, or even your pumpkin dip when you are building out a full fall recipe lineup.
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They also work beautifully as part of a homemade breakfast or snack rotation, especially if you like having baked goods ready to go during the week. Recipes like Pistachio Muffins, Zucchini Muffins, and Banana Chocolate Chip Bread have that same easy, grab-and-go appeal and make a nice addition to any muffin-loving household.
Key Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this pumpkin muffin recipe:
- Pumpkin puree: Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, for the most reliable texture and flavor. During testing, the canned puree gave the muffins a softer crumb and more consistent bake than homemade pumpkin tends to.
- Gluten-free flour + almond flour: The combination of gluten-free all-purpose flour and almond flour helps keep these muffins tender instead of dry or crumbly. I found that the almond flour added just enough softness and richness, which is especially helpful in gluten-free baking.
- Chocolate chips and walnuts: These are optional, but they add great texture and make the muffins feel a little more bakery-style. If you love pumpkin and chocolate together, they give the same cozy feel as these Chocolate Chip Pistachio Cookies.
See the recipe card for quantities.
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Variations
- Nuts: I used walnuts but this is completely optional. You could easily swap pecans for walnuts if you prefer; however, the savory flavor of walnuts will taste a bit better with the pumpkin.
- Dairy-Free: Use a plant-based vegan butter instead of regular butter. Coconut oil, melted, would work but the butter has much more flavor.
- Egg Free: Make flax eggs or use Bob's Red Mill egg substitute.
How To Make Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins: Step-By-Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with the exact ingredients are in the printable recipe card:
Batter
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350℉ and fill a muffin pan with 12 paper liners. In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, avocado oil, brown sugar, and granulated white sugar using a whisk or electric mixer. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
Step 3: Slowly add in the dry ingredients until you reach a smooth batter. Add in the chocolate chips and walnuts if using.
Step 4: Fill the liners ¾ of the way full using a cookie scoop.
Topping
Step 5: Combine the flour, sugar, spices, and butter in a bowl using either a fork or your fingers.
Step 6: Using a spoon, sprinkle the tops of the muffin batter with the topping.
Step 7: Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick placed in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
Step 8: Let cool on a rack and then store.
Gwen's Pro Tip
This is a fairly thick batter, so use a large cookie or ice cream scoop to make filling the liners easier. The recipe makes exactly 12 muffins so as long as all the muffins are evenly filled, they should all bake the exact same.
Pro Tip For Measuring Gluten-Free Flour
It is important to use a measuring cup made for dry ingredients to measure gluten-free flour.
I always measure gluten-free flour with the "spoon & level" method. I use a large spoon to scoop the flour into the measuring cup. Then I use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
Please do not scoop the flour out of the bag with your measuring cup. If you do, you could end up with more flour than is called for in the recipe.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins FAQ's
It could be that your ingredients are too cold. Conversely, you also do not want your ingredients to be too hot. Let your eggs sit on the countertop for an hour before you make these pumpkin muffins.
Most gluten-free flours need more liquid than regular wheat flours. By using oil, pumpkin, and eggs in this recipe we achieve lightness and a delicious crumb and we make sure that the ingredients are fully incorporated.
No. The ratio of ingredients to flour will be wrong and your muffins will be dense.
If You Want It More Fall Recipes
Let me know your thoughts on these Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins by leaving a star rating below or by sharing it on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Thank you!
Gwen
Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
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Ingredients
Batter
- 1 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour with xanthan gum
- ¼ cup blanched almond flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup avocado oil
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup chocolate chips optional
- ½ cup walnuts toasted, optional
Topping
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter slightly melted
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
Batter
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with paper liners. Combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Mix together the pumpkin puree, avocado oil, and both the brown sugar and white sugar in a large bowl. Whisk, or use an electric mixer, to combine.
- Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients until you reach a smooth batter.
- Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Fill the liners ¾ of the way full using a cookie scoop. This recipe makes exactly 12 muffins.
Topping
- Combine the flour, sugar, and spices in a bowl.
- Add the butter and using either a fork or your fingers combine until the topping resembles a course mixture.
- Using a spoon, add the topping to the top of the muffins.
- Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
Gwen Wolken says
These are so soft and tender! You will love them.