Gluten Free Dairy Free Pumpkin-Based Muffins
Muffins made from pumpkin puree and almond flour
Equipment
- Muffin pan
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 2 cups Pumpkin puree (approx 1 15-16 oz can) Can substitute other autumn squashes, or sweet potato puree
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup maple syrup Can substitute sugar or honey (see notes)
- 1/2 cup avocado oil Can substitute for other oil
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
See notes on flavor variations
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350ºF (177ºC)
- Combine the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, vanilla extra, eggs, and oil in a bowl and mix until smooth (an electric mixer is ideal, but you can also do this with a high-powered blender or by hand).
- In a separate large bowl, sift in the almond flour. Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt, any spices if using (see notes), then stir with a whisk until well mixed.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until well incorporated. It should be slightly clumpy, but you should not see any dry ingredients separated from the wet. Fold in your additional mix-ins if using (see notes).
- Grease a muffin tray with oil and an oil brush. Scoop the batter and evenly distribute between the 12 cups (you can tap the tray on the counter a few times to help the batter settle into its cups). Add a little flair if you want (i topped mine with a few chocolate chips for decoration). Place the muffin tray in the oven and bake for ~40-45 minutes.
- Take the muffin tray out of the oven and use a skewer to test for done-ness (stick the skewer in one of the muffins. When you remove it, it should come out clean with no wet batter sticking to it. If there's batter, it means the muffin is not fully cooked inside. Place it back in the oven for another 5-10 minutes and then test again)
- Let the muffin tray cool on the counter for ~10 minutes, then gently remove the muffins and rest on a wire rack to fully cool to room temperature before storing.
- You can eat these while they're still warm, or store them in the fridge for a few days. These muffins also store well in the freezer. Just pop one in the microwave or toaster oven when you want to eat and they'll be warm and melty (if you used chocolate chips) like you first baked them.
Notes
This basic muffin recipe can be flavored with your favorite spice blends. You can also try mixing in toppings such as berries, raisins, walnut pieces or chocolate chips!
You can also mix in some additives to make this more nutritious, such as flax seeds. Just make sure to reduce the amount of almond flour to accommodate the added bulk.
This recipe can also be converted into a cake! Just pour the batter into a greased cake pan instead of a muffin sheet and adjust the baking time (should take about 5-10 min longer).
If starting from roasted pumpkin or squash,, make sure to add water when making the pureé so you can have a smooth consistency.
If substituting the maple syrup with sugar, add 1/2 cup of water to compensate for less liquid.
If substituting with honey, reduce to 1/4 cup and add 1/4 cup water to compensate for less liquid.
If using a sweeter squash like kabocha squash, reduce sweetener by half.