The very BEST recipe for soft, spiced gluten-free pumpkin muffins! They bake up tall and fluffy and are perfect for cool fall mornings.
Looking to make a delicious gluten-free pumpkin baked good? I tested this recipe 5+ times to get it just right. We continue to make it year after year!
When the weather gets cooler, there’s no better treat than a soft, spiced pumpkin muffin. Whether you enjoy these gluten-free pumpkin muffins for breakfast or dessert, they’re sure to become your new favorite recipe.
I tested this recipe many times to get it just right. I’ve included all my tips and tricks for perfect pumpkin muffins in this blog post!
These gluten-free muffins are not too sweet or overly moist. They have the perfect amount of spiced cinnamon flavor and a nice light texture.
Table of Contents
For more tested and perfected gluten-free muffin recipes, try these gluten-free apple muffins, gluten-free banana muffins, gluten-free blueberry and gluten-free chocolate chip muffins.
If you are like me when fall rolls around you are adding pumpkin spice to just about every treat out there. It’s my favorite time of year for baking!
For more gluten-free pumpkin recipes, try these gluten-free pumpkin chocolate chip bread, gluten-free pumpkin donuts, gluten-free pumpkin cookies this gluten-free pumpkin pie!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients for these muffins.
- Gluten-Free Flour: I recommend using a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour that contains xanthan gum. The type of flour you use can greatly effect how the muffins turn out. For best results, this is my favorite brand of gluten free all purpose flour.
- Almond Flour: I love adding a little almond flour to my gluten-free baked goods! It adds moisture and richness to the batter. I recommend blanched almond flour rather than almond meal,
- Baking Soda & Baking Powder: Using both helps the muffins to rise up nice a fluffy.
- Spices: A blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Brown Sugar & White Sugar: A combination of the two makes the perfect texture/flavor.
- Pumpkin: Be sure to use 100% pure canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Large eggs: Eggs are key to getting the right soft, fluffy texture of these muffins. I don’t recommend using flax eggs. For an egg substitute, I would opt for something like Bob’s Red Mill egg replacer.
- Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil will work! I also like to use coconut oil.
- Lemon Juice: Helps activate the baking soda/powder and gives the muffins a little extra rise.
You also might like this gluten-free pumpkin bread.
Gluten-Free Muffin Tip: Adding a little lemon juice helps activate the baking soda/powder and gives the muffins a little extra rise.
How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
STEP ONE: Mix the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
STEP TWO: Combine the wet/dry.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined.
- If you’re adding chocolate chips, fold them in when the batter is just about mixed to avoid over-mixing.
STEP THREE: Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan.
- This recipe makes 18 muffins. I have a smaller 6 cup muffin pan in addition to my standard 12-cup pan to make this recipe.
- Good quality paper liners prevents the muffins from sticking. I like these ones!
STEP FOUR: Bake!
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the muffins spring back when touched on top. Cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Storing/Freezing Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
Like most gluten-free baked goods, these delicious muffins are the best the day they are made. The can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
To freeze, let the muffins cool completely before transferring to a freezer bag or sealed container for further storage. Frozen muffins will keep for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQs
You can easily make these gluten-free pumpkin muffins nut-free. Use another 1/4 cup gluten-free 1:1 baking flour in place of the almond flour.
Yes! You can easily use 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices.
Sugar is a key ingredient for the correct texture and structure of these muffins. Some reviewers have used coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar with good results. I haven’t experimented with many other sugar substitutes but it you do, leave me a comment below to help others!
Yes! In fact it’s one of my favorite ways to make this recipe! You can bake the gluten-free pumpkin muffins in a mini muffin pan. They’re perfect for parties and snacks. Just reduce the bake time to 15-20 minutes.
More Gluten-Free Recipes
If you love these gluten free pumpkin muffins as much as we do leave me a comment/rating below. I’d also be happy to help with any questions. Happy Baking!
The Best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free 1:1 baking flour
- 1/4 cup almond flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 15oz can pure pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Optional:
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips I prefer mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place 12 paper liners into each well of your standard size muffin baking pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a rubber spatula until just combined and no dry streaks remain. If adding any chocolate chips, fold them in when the batter is just about mixed to avoid over-mixing.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the muffins spring back when touched on top.
- Let cool for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use a high-quality 1:1 gluten-free baking flour as well as a little almond flour for great texture and flavor.
- A good quality paper liner prevents the muffins from sticking. I like these ones!
- Gluten-free muffins typically take longer to bake than regular muffins. Just until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs is perfect.
I found the chocolate overpowered the pumpkin to the point that I couldn’t taste it at all. For the next batch I substituted 1/2 cup chopped pecans for the chocolate chips and thought the flavor was much better. Other than that I think it’s an excellent recipe. Like one of your other posters, I also found that the flavor and texture improved after freezing. Have already tried your orange-cranberry bread, which I love, and will be working my way through your other recipes. Thanks so much for your hard work bringing these to the gluten-free population.
I just made your zucchini muffins which calls for refrigerating the batter and starting with a higher temp to get a good rise. Would those tips be applicable here?
Yum! I made these (no chocolate chips) and the pumpkin bread (with chocolate chips) as written and both were delicious! Muffins were perfectly baked in exactly 25 mins. Thank you for the awesome recipes!
Great to know the recipe worked well as pumpkin bread as well! Thanks for the comment.
I want to add fresh cranberries. Will that affect the baking? Thank you! Annie
Adding fresh cranberries sounds delicious! The baking time should be about the same. You might have to add 5 minutes or so on to the bake time.
Oh heavens! I made these exactly as directed in the recipe for the muffin part but added a cream cheese centre… 1 brick of cream cheese + 1/4 cup sugar & 1 egg… piped into the centre’s of each muffin before baking and topped with a streusel and pumpkin seeds! Chefs kiss, so delicious.
That cream cheese center sounds so delicious! I’m going to have to try that myself. Thanks for sharing the fun idea!
In Australia we don’t have canned pumpkin. How much would one have to cook up to make 15oz can equivalent?
It depends on the size of the pumpkin but I’m pretty sure 1 pumpkin pie pumpkin would work. You can bake it then measure 15oz of the cooked pumpkin. Let me know if you try it!
Have you tried the silicone muffin pans? Would I need to put paper cups in those to bake my muffins in
These muffins will bake up great in a silicone muffin pan! No need to use liners, but I always like to grease the silicone muffin pan with a little cooking spray just to be sure they’ll come out.
I have now made your blueberry muffins, cranberry orange muffins, chocolate chip muffins, apple muffins and your basic muffin recipe with raspberries, oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips/cranberries and raisins. Each and every recipe was easy to make and very tasty. No one could tell they were gluten and dairy free. (I used oat yogurt and earth balance). I will be making your vanilla cake tomorrow for my granddaughter’s 9th birthday. I will be adding raspberries at her request.
Thank you from Vancouver Island, Canada, for all of these amazing recipes. My grandchildren love all the new treats that G’ma is making (with your help).
I’m so honored you like the recipes! You grandchildren are lucky to have you! Thanks for the comment 🙂
These are so good. Thank you. I did some changes. I added a scoop of fiber to them, used Swerve brown sugar (low glycemic) and unsweetened coconut flakes..Freezing them now so I dont eat all of them at once.
Great to know they worked well with Swerve! I’m glad you enjoyed them 🙂
I don’t have muffin pans. Could I make this in a square pan as pumpkin bars?
I think that should work! Or you could try this recipe for pumpkin bars: https://meaningfuleats.com/gluten-free-pumpkin-bars/
Excellent taste and texture. I added the mini chocolate chips as suggested. Smells so good while baking! I will make these again.
These were delicious, and even improved after freezing! I’m literally devouring all of your quick-bread recipes as I work my way through your quickbread archive. What a blessing your recipes are! May God bless you for sharing the fruits of your labor freely!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins! Glad you’re enjoying the recipes 🙂
I don’t have lemons, can I use lime?
Yes that will work! You can’t taste the lemon or lime – it just tenderizes the crumb. You could also use apple cider vinegar!