These moist gluten-free pumpkin muffins are loaded with chocolate chips…and even better? They freeze well; you can make a double batch! If you want that perfect muffin to make this fall, you need to try my easy recipe!
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It may be a little early, but I can’t resist sharing my newest gluten-free pumpkin muffin recipe with you. One of the best things about these pumpkin muffins is they are light and fluffy. I don’t like dense muffins, and I worked really hard to give you all of my tips and tricks so your muffins stay light and fluffy!
These muffins are so good, and you will never believe they have a lot of pumpkin puree in them!! These gluten free, dairy-free pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are really easy to make! If you want a couple more stellar pumpkin recipes, try this Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bundt Cake or this Gluten-Free Pumpkin Caramel Loaf.
These easy pumpkin muffins make a delicious snack and are healthy enough for a grab-and-go breakfast. Here are my kids’ favorite gluten-free muffin recipes.
Allergen Information:
These homemade pumpkin muffins are gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free. This recipe does call for almond flour. If want a nut-free option, substitute 1/4 additional gluten free flour blend instead of the almond flour.
If you love baked pumpkin recipes as much as we do, you will want to check out my yummy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes!
First, let’s talk about pumpkin puree. I used canned organic pumpkin to make this muffin recipe. You can also use a non-organic pumpkin puree, but ensure it doesn’t have pumpkin spice. It is very easy to make your own pumpkin puree.
How To Roast A Pumpkin:
- Cut a pumpkin in half.
- Scoop out the seeds and brush olive oil on the pumpkin flesh.
- Roast the pumpkin skin in a baking pan for 40 minutes at 375º F until the pumpkin is soft.
- You will want to scoop out the cooked pumpkin and add it to a blender to make your puree. Add a little water so that your puree is very smooth. If the pumpkin puree is too thick, it will prevent these muffins from getting light and fluffy.
If you love pumpkin as much as my family, you will also want to try these Gluten Free Chocolate Pumpkin Swirled Muffins!
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten Free Flour – I tested this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work; I have not tested other flours, and I can not guarantee the recipe will work if you use other mixes.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add one teaspoon.
- Almond Flour—I highly suggest using almond flour instead of almond meal. Almond meal is coarser and will make your muffins grainy. I like to use Anthony’s Almond Flour because it is batch tested to ensure it is gluten free.
- Yogurt – Not in the picture, but I used dairy-free yogurt by Silk. There are several good brands. If you do not have to be dairy-free, use any regular brand.
- Pure Vanilla Extract—I am not a fan of imitation vanilla, so if you can, try to use pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.
- Coconut Oil – I love the added flavor of coconut oil, but you can use any light oil in this recipe.
- Pumpkin Puree – See all of my notes above. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
If you need more tips, be sure to check out my Gluten Free Muffins Troubleshooting Guide. If you wonder which gluten free flour blend to use for gluten free muffins, I tested four easy-to-find gluten-free flour blends to find out.
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Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350º F. Add your dry ingredients to a large
Step 2: Add your wet ingredients to a smaller bowl. Whisk together your wet ingredients.
Step 3: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and add the chocolate chips.
🔑 Sandi says: Do not use a stand mixer to make muffins. Overmixing leads to very dense muffins!
Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour; if it is too thick, add more liquids.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.
Step 4: Put parchment paper muffin liners into a muffin tin. I like to use these parchment paper liners so my muffins don’t stick. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full with pumpkin muffin batter. Optional: sprinkle some coarse sugar on top of each muffin.
Step 5: Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350º F. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into a muffin. If the muffins are done baking, the toothpick will come out clean. If you see batter or crumbs, bake the muffins a few minutes longer.
Step 6: Remove the gluten-free pumpkin muffins and allow them to cool on a cooling rack.
Mix-In Ideas:
I love varying the mix-ins in this recipe. Feel free to try some of these ideas:
- White chocolate chips
- Pecans or walnuts
- Heath candy bits
- Butterscotch chips
Frequently Asked Questions:
The main reason your pumpkins turned out dense is you over-mixed your batter. Try to mix the batter until it is just barely mixed. Do not use a standing mixer.
If you love those dome-topped muffins, you can do this easily! If you want your muffins to have a domed style top, bake at 425º F for the first 5 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350º F.
Store these muffins in an airtight container. I always recommend freezing the muffins if you don’t eat them in a day or two. Gluten-free tends to spoil quickly. These muffins freeze really well. I just put the cooled muffins in a freezer-safe zipper bag. Thaw in the microwave oven for 30 seconds.
More Gluten-Free Pumpkin Recipes:
- Iced Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cookies
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin 7 Layer Bars
- Flaky Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Fluffy Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree * see note
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ cup almond flour * see note
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum-free
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- dash salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup vanilla yogurt dairy-free or regular
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup coconut oil melted or any light oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup chocolate chips Use Enjoy Life if you want these to be dairy free.
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. See the notes below if you want a dome-style muffin top.
- In a large mixing bowl, add all dry ingredients and whisk to blend.
- In a medium bowl, add all wet ingredients and whisk to blend.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix gently. Do not overmix this batter or they will not be as fluffy. Do not use a stand mixer because it will overmix the batter, leaving you with dense muffins.
- Put parchment paper muffin liners into a muffin tin. Fill each muffin paper 3/4 to the top with the batter.
- Bake for 25 minutes until done.
- Remove from the oven and put the muffins onto a cooling rack.
Video
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan Gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 3/4 teaspoon.
- I highly suggest using almond flour and not almond meal. Almond meal is more coarse and will make your muffins grainy.
- To make this recipe nut-free, omit the 1/2 cup of almond flour and substitute an additional 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend.
- If you want your muffins to have a domed style top, bake at 425º F for the first 5 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350º F.
- These muffins will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
How to roast a pumpkin:
You can use canned pumpkin puree as I did, or you can roast your own pumpkin- Cut a pumpkin in half.
- Scoop out the seeds and brush olive oil on the pumpkin flesh.
- Roast the pumpkin skin side down in a baking pan at 375º F for 40 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
- To make your puree, you will want to scoop out the cooked pumpkin and add it to a blender. Add a little water so that your puree is very smooth. If the pumpkin puree is too thick, it will prevent these muffins from getting light and fluffy.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I have a question… Wondering about the dimensions of your pan. Length, width, number of cavities, _volume of cavities_. I’m trying to figure out how to scale the recipe for a novelty pan I recently bought (There was only one there at winners and it cost a bit.). It looks like it will make something in between mini and regular muffins. I don’t want to have too much batter left over or have to cook in too many batches…although I could put the rest in some mini loaf pans and do the rest that way, but there are always cook time calculations involved. Any information would be helpful.
Thank you
PS. I subscribe due to a wheat allergy and am now having to avoid dairy also…so these recipes are very helpful especially when I am substituting ingredients in other recipes that are not so friendly…or rather…are more fiendly to my health.
Hi. I use the Wilton Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick Cupcake Pan It is a 12-Cup muffin tin. I hope this helps.
Could you use sour cream instead of yogurt?
Hi Grace, I haven’t tried that. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Do you use regular yogurt or Greek? Thank you.
Hi Diane, I used regular yogurt, but I suspect Greek will also work well.
These were fantastic! I topped mine with chopped walnuts and butterscotch chips.
Oooh, the walnuts and butterscotch chips sound delicious with this!
These were delicious! Light and fluffy as advertised however; they stuck to the paper liners.
I am so glad you loved them April. This happens often and it is why I love using parchment paper muffin liners when I bake. If you haven’t tried them, they are available on Amazon and in many grocery stores.
I am curious if your gluten free flour blend contains xanthum gum. I thought it was necessary in GF baking. The muffins look delicious–can’t wait to try the recipe!
Hi Karen, My mix does have xanthan gum. If yours doesn’t, please add 1 teaspoon. Thank you 🙂
These look yummy. As is often the case for those who can’t tolerate gluten, I can’t do dairy either. Any suggestions on a replacement for the yogurt?
Hi Colleen, I highly recommend you try Dream Plant-Based Yogurts. They are available with either almond milk or coconut milk and these taste really great. They can be used easily in this recipe. Take care, Sandi