Healthy, paleo pumpkin muffins made with almond butter and pumpkin. No flour, no oil and no dairy, and 9 grams of protein in each muffin!
Fall is here and that means it’s time to break out the canned pumpkin (or made some pumpkin puree) and get baking! I have a ton of healthy pumpkin recipes here on EBF so it’s hard to say which is best, but when it comes to pumpkin muffins… these might be my favorite.
Ingredients For Paleo Pumpkin Muffins
almond butter – this is the base of these pumpkin muffins. Look for a brand with only 1-2 ingredients. Just almonds or just almonds and salt. You want it to have a drippy consistency rather than super thick.
pumpkin – you can use canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree. Just be sure you don’t accidentally buy pumpkin pie mix because that’s sweetened and not what we’re looking to use in this recipe.
eggs – these muffins don’t use flour so you need eggs to help the muffins rise and create the fluffy texture. Because there are quite a few eggs needed, I don’t recommend trying to replace these with an egg replacer. Try my vegan pumpkin muffins if you want an egg-free recipe.
honey – this is the only sweetener needed! You can use another liquid sweetener like maple syrup if desired.
pumpkin pie spice – this mixture is a combo of fall spices. You can make your own pumpkin pie spice using my recipe or use a store-bought blend.
vanilla, baking soda and sea salt – three baking essentials.
chocolate chips – I used Lily’s dark chocolate chips to keep these muffins lower in sugar, but you can use whatever chocolate chips you have on hand.
No Flour or Dairy Needed!
The exciting part about these muffins isn’t what’s in them, it’s what’s not in them! There’s no flour (not even coconut flour or almond flour), no oil or butter, no dairy and they only contain a small amount of added sugar from the honey and chocolate chips.
Like my healthy zucchini muffins, these muffins are made with almond butter as the base! Before developing these two recipes I had never baked muffins without flour so I was shocked that they they turned out looking and tasting like real muffins, not dense balls of pumpkin and almond butter. Hooray!
Blender Muffins = Less Dishes
Another bonus… these muffins come together in minutes and there’s no mixing bowls to clean because you blend the batter in your blender or food processor. I have to thank Averie of Averie Cooks for the blender muffin idea. She’s a genius!
Of course, if you don’t have a blender, no worries! You can totally mix all the ingredients together in a bowl!
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Muffins
These muffins have been taste-tested by several of our friends and everyone absolutely loves them. Not only are they easy to make (just mix everything together in your blender), but the texture and flavor is amazing.
Tips and Substitutions
Almond butter – you can replace this with another nut/seed butter. I recommend cashew butter or sunflower seed butter.
Eggs – as I mentioned above, I don’t recommend trying to replace these with an egg replacer. Try my vegan pumpkin muffins if you need an egg-free recipe.
Chocolate chips –feel free to swap these for another mix-in option like raisins, cranberries or chopped pecans.
They’re also a lovely afternoon snack to tide you – and your kiddos – over until dinner.
Storing Suggestions
Muffins are always best fresh, but you can totally store them for later. Once the muffins are done baking, remove from the muffin tin and let them cool completely on a wire rack. Place in an air-tight container and store at room temperature for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
Paleo Pumpkin Muffin FAQ
Are Pumpkin Muffins Healthy?
Most traditional pumpkin muffins are made with white flour and white sugar so while they’re fine in moderation I wouldn’t consider them healthy. These paleo pumpkin muffins are flourless and sweetened with only a small amount of honey. They also provide a good amount of fat and protein so they’ll actually keep you feeling full. They’re definitely healthier than most pumpkin muffins.
Can You Freeze Pumpkin Muffins?
Yes, like most baked goods pumpkin muffins can be stored in the freezer. Place in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
â…”cupchocolate chips, I used Lily's chocolate chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Prepare muffin tin by spraying well with cooking spray, or line the tins with paper or silicone liners. Set aside.
In your blender add all ingredients (except the chocolate chips) and blend on high-speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
Stir in chocolate chips by hand.
Fill each muffin cavity about 3/4 full with the muffin mixture.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean without any batter. (See below for cook time for mini muffins). Allow muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes or until they are firm enough and cool enough to handle.
Allow muffins to cool for 5-10 minutes or until they are firm enough and cool enough to handle. Remove from tin and let cool completely on a wire rack. Muffins are always best fresh, but these will keep airtight at room temperature for about 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 4 months.
So delicious! I was hesitant because I thought they may be a weird texture with no flour, but they were incredible and guilt free! Bonus – only one blender to wash 🙂 Will definitely be making again!
Woo! Pumped to hear these flourless pumpkin muffins were a success, Mallory! Thanks so much for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. It means so much to me!
I made these muffins yesterday and they are amazing! Weird thing though – they are green in color on the inside. I substituted sunflower seed butter for almond butter but otherwise followed the recipe. Anyone else have this happen? They taste good and I didn’t get sick after eating it – just strange.
Hey Shelly – That is common when it comes to baking with sunflower butter. The chlorogenic acid (chlorophyll) in sunflower seeds reacts with the baking soda/powder when baked, but it’s completely harmless and will taste just fine!
Say yes to these muffins! Made them on a whim because we were out of flour and wow I am so glad I did. Filling and not too sweet. My very choosy nephew gobbled up 2 and was asking for more!
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So delicious! I was hesitant because I thought they may be a weird texture with no flour, but they were incredible and guilt free! Bonus – only one blender to wash 🙂 Will definitely be making again!
Woo! Pumped to hear these flourless pumpkin muffins were a success, Mallory! Thanks so much for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. It means so much to me!
I made these muffins yesterday and they are amazing! Weird thing though – they are green in color on the inside. I substituted sunflower seed butter for almond butter but otherwise followed the recipe. Anyone else have this happen? They taste good and I didn’t get sick after eating it – just strange.
Hey Shelly – That is common when it comes to baking with sunflower butter. The chlorogenic acid (chlorophyll) in sunflower seeds reacts with the baking soda/powder when baked, but it’s completely harmless and will taste just fine!
Say yes to these muffins! Made them on a whim because we were out of flour and wow I am so glad I did. Filling and not too sweet. My very choosy nephew gobbled up 2 and was asking for more!
Ah yay! So happy to hear these muffins were a hit, Gwyn! Thanks so much for trying them out and coming back to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
I baked these muffins yesterday and they were so delicious. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Woo!! So happy these muffins were a hit, Elizabeth! Thank so much for the review and star rating :).
Wow, yum. Super recommend. These are absolutely delicious!!! Texture, taste and SMELL!