If you’re yet to master the art of gluten-free pie crust making, these pumpkin pie cupcakes are for you! Even if you have mastered the art of gluten-free pie crust making (tell me your secrets…) these cupcakes are amazingly delicious.
They are a cross between pumpkin pie and a cupcake. Skeptical? You’ll have to taste to believe it!
These gluten-free pumpkin pie cupcakes are perfect for gluten/dairy-free guests at Thanksgiving. Coconut milk replaces regular milk, but nobody will notice or taste the coconut. All they’ll taste is creamy, custardy, spiced pumpkin deliciousness.
These are so easy to make and can be made a day in advance, which is always a lifesaver at holiday gatherings. I didn’t think anything could ever compare to classic pumpkin pie, but these cupcakes are right up there with the best pumpkin desserts I’ve ever tasted.
Just a tip that the kind of cupcake liners you use for this recipe matters. I like using this kind because nothing sticks to them! (Update: Lately I’ve been using these silicone muffin liners and they work even better!)
Add them to your Thanksgiving (or weekday night) lineup and your guests, gluten-free or not, will thank you.
Gluten-Free Crustless Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes {Dairy-Free}
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Prep Time: 10 - Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time:
Yield:
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These cupcakes can be made a day in advance and refrigerated until serving, which makes them a great make-ahead dessert for holiday gatherings.Update: Lately I’ve been using these silicone muffin liners and they work the best of any I’ve found!
Ingredients
- 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
For Topping:
- Coconut milk whipped cream (I use So Delicious CocoWhip)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a muffin pan with paper liners (or silicone muffin liners). Generously spray the bottoms and sides of the liners with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and egg yolk, vanilla, and coconut milk until smooth.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour blend, pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to fully combine.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan. The cups will be fairly full. Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes.
- Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for 30 minutes. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving. Top with coconut milk or regular whipped cream. Enjoy!
Notes
Do not use boxed or refrigerated coconut milk in place of the canned coconut milk.
I make my own coconut milk whipped cream from canned coconut milk or use So Delicious CocoWhip that can be found in the freezer section of most health food stores.
You can also use Erin’s Grain-Free Flour Blend: 30% Almond Flour, 30% Buckwheat Flour, 30% Potato Starch, 10% Arrowroot Powder – More information here
Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
This post contains affiliate links.
Good Morning Erin,
My struggle is more with sugar and carbs than gluten – although I believe gluten-free is a much healthier way to eat so I attempt in incorporate more of these into our diets. But, I was wondering if the sugars in this recipe could be substituted with Stevia?
Blessings,
Jean
Hi Jean! I haven’t experimented with baking with Stevia. Sorry I can’t be of more help!
I made these with coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar and I used a stevia/sugar mix that I found at Ingles in place of the white sugar. I also sprinkled coconut sugar and cinnamon on top before baking – they were yummy!
These look amazing. And so perfect for fall too – i just love gluten free goods at the moment & think these would be ideal for me to make.
Thank you Thalia! Your blog is beautiful!
These look amazing!! So excited to just be finding your blog! Your cupcakes look so moist and delicious. Love how you used cocowhip for your “frosting”. Yum. Can’t wait to see more of your work.
Thank you!!
What is sprinkled on top of the whipped cream in the photo? Is that just pumpkin spice?
Yes it is just a little cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice!
I am dairy-free and soy-free at the moment, due to nursing my little one with MSPI (milk-soy protein intolerance). Thankfully, gluten doesn’t seem to be bothersome. Any idea if vanilla almond milk could be substituted for the coconut milk? And I’d probably just use regular flour since I can…
I don’t think vanilla almond milk would work here! Canned coconut milk works best because it doesn’t have additives that create a gummy texture like boxed milks. However, regular flour should work great! Good luck!
We can’t have coconut either due to an allergy. For sweet baked items I have found a that adding some protein powder to the almond milk works great when substituting for coconut milk, just base the flavor of protein powder on the item being made. For this recipe, I added 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder (you can use a non-dairy derived protein). Then I remembered I had some salted caramel protein powder and decided more protein would not hurt, so I added a scoop of it as well. I made these for my son’t school lunch treat and used monkfruit instead of the granulated sugar (I still used the regular brown sugar). For the flour I used Bob’s 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend. They came out great. These were so good I am going to try another batch with all monkfruit to get the sugar count down lower.
if by chance I don’t have all purpose gluten free flour is there another gluten free flour I can use? (coconut, tapioca, or arrowroot or almond)
Thank you
Nicole
Hi Nicole! I haven’t tried this so I can’t say for sure. If you have the ingredients for it you could mix up my blend. It works great in this!
Could I use all the sugars as coconut palm sugar? Low glycemic for those of us who have to watch our blood sugar & carbs.
How many mini muffins does this make?
Hi there. These sound great. Do you think regular milk would work?
Hi Erin-
Do you think using a 2% lactose free milk would work? If so, would it taste as good? Thank you so much
Hi Merry! I think it might be better to use something like 1/2 and 1/2 or cream in place of the coconut milk. Coconut milk is pretty creamy and I’m not sure 2% would work the same. I haven’t tried to so I can’t say for sure!
Hi!
I was wondering if I could make this in Bundt pan? Would the cake consistency work spread out over such a large area? And do you know the baking times? Thanks!!
I don’t think it would work that way! Sorry about that.
When your recipe asks for coconut milk in the can, are you talking about the full fat coconut milk? If so, I presume stir before measuring!? Thanks for your help!
Hi Debbie! Yes as I’m sure you know canned coconut milk gets separated – especially this time of year when it’s cold. I like to put the can in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes and shake to get everything mixed evenly. You could also empty it all out into a bowl and microwave for a few seconds then stir. You just want it all to be liquid and even when you measure. I hope this helps! 🙂
If I don’t care about it being gluten free can I use regular flour with the same measurements?
Yes I think that should work!
Made these delicious treats for 3 separate thanksgivings (friendsgivings) They are totally delicious!!
That is so great! I’m glad you like them!
Hi Erin,
These look wonderful. Can I use your gf flour blend in place of flour in regular recipes too?? And I’d so, are the measurements the same? Thanks, Kim
Hi Kim! It really depends on the recipe. If you have something specific in mind that you’re wondering about you can email me and I can tell you how I would adapt it! Regular recipes can’t always be adapted swapping in a gluten-free flour blend because gluten-free flours don’t absorb as much fat and just behave differently sometimes. Wish it was as simple as that though!
Hi Erin,
These look delicious! Do you think sweetened condensed milk would work in place of the cocunut milk?
Hi Aimee! I don’t think that would work here because they would turn out too sweet. I would recommend evaporated milk instead!
Thank you! Thank you! Erin!
Two of my children and myself are severely allergic to gluten and we are also sensitive to dairy. I have always been a baker and I was devastated when we were diagnosed. I have been looking for any great tasting recipes and most were not good until I found yours! My kids love these so much and ask for them all the time. Thank you again!
Renee
I’m so happy to hear this! I totally relate to this because I’ve always loved to cook/bake but am severely allergic to gluten and sensitive to dairy as well! So glad the recipes have been helpful.
I made the cupcakes but not the frosting (got lazy and used cool whip haha) but these cupcakes are AMAZING. it’s exactly like the filling of a pumpkin pie! So good!!!
Any way to make this without eggs? Thanks!
Hello: I see there is absolutely no fat/oil in this recipe. No issue with the muffins pulling away from muffin papers? I often find this an issue with many muffin recipes where they stick to the muffin cups.
Just pulled my first batch out of the oven, the batter tasted delicious & they smell delicious. Curious if there is any remedy to these falling after coming out of the oven?
I only have canned sweetened condensed coconut milk.. No idea if that’s a good substitute for canned coconut milk.. Just took them out of the oven (to gets crossed)
Canned sweetened condensed coconut milk will most likely make these overly sweet as it will add a lot of sugar. Sorry about that! I hope they were delicious anyway.
I’m looking to make these for my son’s preschool class. Are these regular sized cupcakes or mini cupcakes? I would love to make them mini!
These are regular size! I would try using a silicone mini muffin pan (with no liners) to make these mini. I worry if they are smaller they would stick to cupcake liners. Or you could try spraying the liners with cooking spray before filling. Let me know if you try it!
Would these be fine to make the night before and keep in the fridge until ready to serve? Leaving the whip cream off until serving?
Also, how many regular size muffins does this make!
I made these the night before and they are okay! They make about 14-16
Hi! This recipe looks amazing! We are 100% vegan and therefore do not use eggs-any suggestions for an egg alternative (flax egg, chia egg, avocado)? We are hoping to make these for Thanksgiving. Thank You!
Am I missing how many this recipe yields!? If I Ann will someone please let me know! Thanks!! ♡
My batch made 15.
I was needing to know myself if someone knows please let us know! Thanks!
I made these today and the middle turned out still gooey and they are sticking to the sides of the muffing paper. What did I do wrong?
They also fell in the middle. 🙁
Same here!
Hey, I’m making these for a family member that allergic to milk! What should she consistency be of the batter?
Should these be refrigerated until they are served? How long can they stay out?
Yes – preferably refrigerate them until they are served. They can stay out for about an hour or so.
I love this idea!! Thanks for sharing. We may whip these up later today. 🙂
Easy to make and quite tasty. My non-gluten free family loved them.
These are AMAZING! If you try to take off the wrapper before they cool it can stick. Once cooled they come out perfect! I’ve loved making these a few years in a row now.
★★★★★
LOVE these. So easy to make and are finding their way to our Thanksgiving dinner feast! My daughter was just diagnosed Celiac this summer, and we want to make sure she is safe and happy and still gets the joy of Autumn smells and comfort food at Thanksgiving!
The only thing I did differently than the recipe is I “Magic Bullet”ed the dry ingredients together before adding them to the wet to avoid any graininess or lumpiness that you mentioned (and I took the lazy route and just used King Artur 1-to-1 GF flour, rather than a flour blend).
Seriously wonderful and a hit so far with all gluten-eating and non-gluten eating taste-testers… added a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon… YUM!!! THANK YOU!! Wonderful! A MUST HAVE on my Gluten Free/Dairy Free Dinner table!!!
★★★★★
King Arthur Flour 1-to-1 is such a great option for these! I’m so glad they turned out and your daughter enjoyed them. Thanks for the comment 🙂
They smell amazing but I’m worried they’re undercooked as they were gooey on the outside when I tried peeling the liner off. Did anyone else experience this or are they meant to be this way? Thank you!
I’ve found this recipe (and most gluten-free baked goods!) do better with a high-quality cupcake liner. I like these cupcake liners best! If you use those liners and let the cupcakes cool completely before peeling that should help.
Great recipe! I have celiac disease as well and these cupcakes are ….AMAZING. So moist unlike most other gluten free desserts. I’ll definitely be making these for my family this Thanksgiving! Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for the comment! So glad they are worthy of your Thanksgiving dinner!
Do you ever post the nutrition for your recipes?
Do you have nutrional value for recipe. Thanks
I often use this site to get info for recipes: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Has anyone tried this with almond milk?
I could not find the frozen coconut whipped cream but I found reddiwhip that is made with coconut milk, would that taste the same? I am going to make tmrw and if it would throw off the taste I will go to other stores to look for the frozen kind.
It’s just for the topping so if you like the taste of the reddiwhip that will work great!
Any suggestions for substitute for the coconut milk?!
Question…After I took them out of the oven, I let them sit for awhile before trying. They taste just like a pumpkin pie in the center. The sides and the top cooked similar to a cupcake but the inside was soft like a pie. I’m curious if it’s supposed to be like this? I’m not sure why the center wouldn’t cook but the rest of it did. I did replace regular sugar with coconut palm sugar so maybe that did it?
That’s how mine came out too & they fell so I cooked em 5 mins longer than reccomended. I used regular flour & when I opened my coconut milk I realized it had separated. I’m not sure if the flour & coconut milk separating contributed or not but I tried following the recipe to a T
I’m wondering the same thing as the last commenter! Of course it’s the night before Thanksgiving and I’m sure I have no idea if im about to serve my relatives undercooked cupcakes.
These are soooo good! I just served up a batch at a family thanksgiving dinner and no one knew they were gluten and dairy free. I substituted stevia/cane sugar blend for the granulated sugar (note: you need to cut sugar in half because stevia is naturally sweeter). I’m making a second batch now to have treats for myself for the week. This is a must try recipe!
★★★★★
Thanks Jill! So glad they were a hit and that those substitutions worked! 🙂
★★★★★
I made these for Thanksgiving and they tasted wonderful! However, they were very dense and not cakey looking like your photos. A toothpick inserted at the 25-minute mark came out uncleanly, so I gave them another 5 minutes which seemed to do the trick. Within a minute of two of removing them from the oven, they all fell in the middle. It is hard to tell from your photos whether yours have done the same thing because of the whipped cream dollop on top! Can you give a definitive answer as to whether these cupcakes should be falling in the middle when cooling? I see others have asked the same question.
★★★★★
Yes they tend to fall in the middle when I make them too! This happens less when I use silicone baking liners for some reason. Nothing a dollap of whipped cream won’t fix!
Just a question as I prepare to make these next weekend… do I have to use muffin cups at all? Will a non-stick muffin tin suffice? And if I use paper is it going to be awful??
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