These paleo pear muffins are one of the best almond flour muffin recipes I have ever made! These pear muffins are also grain-free, refined sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free. These muffins are light, fluffy, and surprisingly good…and nobody will know they are grain-free.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: This easy, homemade paleo muffin recipe uses a few simple ingredients.
One of my New Year’s resolutions for my blog is to offer more grain-free and paleo recipes on the blog. Many people who can’t eat gluten have reactions to other grains and feel “stuck” when it comes to baking options.
Back in 2015, when I originally created this muffin recipe, it took several rounds of testing to get it just right. Coconut flour is like a sponge, and it needs a significant amount of liquid compared to using gluten-free flour blends. This muffin recipe makes a good base for a grain-free muffin, and you can swap the pears for any fruit.
I feel like pears are underused in baking. Ripe pears are as delicious as apples. If you feel the same way, check out these Gluten-Free Pear Recipes!
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Almond Flour – Use almond flour instead of almond meal. Almond meal is coarser and will make your muffins grainy. I like to use Anthony’s Almond Flour.
- Coconut Flour – A little goes a long way because it absorbs so much liquid.
- Coconut Oil – You could also use vegan butter or another light oil.
- Coconut Sugar – Use golden or brown coconut sugar. If you are not paleo, you can substitute brown sugar.
- Flaxseed Meal – Use ground flaxseed meal and not whole flaxseeds. If you have whole seeds on hand, grind them in a food processor.
- Eggs – Use large eggs.
- Non-Dairy Milk – I used almond milk to test this recipe, but other non-dairy milks and regular milk also work.
Muffin Mix-In Ideas:
- Blueberries, raspberries, and other berries.
- Apples (go for tart varieties like Granny Smith and Fuji)
- Nuts
- Raisins
- Cranberries, especially around the holidays!
Tips For Baking With Almond Flour
Baking with almond flour adds a great protein boost to your baked goods and helps balance the sugars for a lower glycemic treat. Almond flour can come as almond meal (coarser) or as flour (best for baking!).
Almond flour doesn’t absorb as much liquid as other flours, so you don’t need as much. In this recipe, I combine it with coconut flour to help balance it and add more structure.
I highly recommend finding this Almond Flour if you have a local Costco. This almond flour is by far my favorite to bake with, and it’s much less expensive than other brands. It is superfine ground, so baked goods aren’t gritty. And even better, it is certified.
Tips For Baking With Coconut Flour
You will love using coconut flour in your homemade muffin recipes. I used this coconut flour. This brand is good because it is certified gluten free and comes in a resealable bag.
Store your coconut flour in the refrigerator after opening the bag to prevent it from going rancid. Coconut flour absorbs a TON of liquid. When baking with coconut flour, it is very important to note that you need to use much more liquid than with a gluten-free flour blend.
Baking with coconut flour gives baked goods a different texture than you may be used to. Note that these muffins are softer than when you use a gluten free flour blend.
Items baked with coconut flour do not hold together strongly because they don’t contain Xanthan gum, which acts as a glue in gluten free baking. I include the Xanthan Gum in this recipe, so these muffins will hold up well.
How to Make Almond Flour Pear Muffins (Step-By-Step)
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Step 1: Add the dry ingredients to a large bowl and whisk them together. Add the wet ingredients to a smaller bowl.
I recommend using either the spoon or the leveling method to measure your gluten-free flour.
Spoon Method: You can also use a spoon to fill the measuring cup. Use a knife to level along the top to remove the extra flour. Leveling Method: Fill the measuring scoop with flour, but do not pack it. Use a knife to scrape along the top to remove the extra flour.
Step 2: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix until the batter is just barely mixed. Let the batter sit in the
Step 3: As I mentioned earlier, coconut flour needs a lot of moisture, so if your batter isn’t the same consistency as in the photo above, it is completely okay to add more liquid.
Step 4: Add the muffin batter to a paper-lined muffin tin. I highly recommend using parchment paper muffin papers because they are non-stick.
Step 5: Bake your paleo muffins for 35 to 40 minutes at 350º F.
You will know your muffins are finished baking with a simple test. To test if your muffins are done baking, insert a toothpick into one of the muffins. If it comes up with no crumbs or batter, your muffins are ready!
For more tips, read my Gluten-Free Muffin Troubleshooting Guide. I also discuss my Favorite Tools for Making Muffins.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can use either sugar for this recipe.
Some people can’t have coconut oil. I would recommend using avocado oil or canola oil.
These pear muffins will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an air-tight container or up to 4 months in the freezer. To thaw the frozen muffins, just place them on a counter for 15 minutes until they are at room temperature. You can also microwave frozen muffins for 35 seconds to thaw.
I like to use ripe Bosc pears. Bosc pears are sweet and a little firmer than other varieties of pear. You can use any type of pear; Anjou pears are also great! Their honey-sweet flavor adds another dimension to these muffins. You can also bake with Forelle, Bartlett, Anjou, or Comice pears.
More Gluten-Free Muffin Recipes:
I have so many great muffin recipes for you to try. Here are some of my favorites:
- Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins
- Gluten-Free Oatmeal Muffins
- Light & Fluffy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
- Easy Gluten-Free Carrot Muffins
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!
Paleo Pear Muffins
Equipment
- muffin pam
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour * see note
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
- 3 tablespoons coconut flour * see note
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon baking powder aluminum free
- dash of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ cup melted coconut oil * see note
- 1 cup non-dairy milk * see note
- 1 pear
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Chop 1 pear into bite-sized pieces. You do not have to peel the pears.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup almond flour, 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal, 3 tablespoons coconut flour, 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and dash of sea salt. Whisk to blend the ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, add 1/2 cup coconut sugar, 1/2 cup melted coconut oil, 2 large eggs, 1 cup non-dairy milk, and chopped pears and mix into a muffin batter. Coconut flour absorbs a lot of liquid, so if you need to add more liquid, this is fine to do.
- Line a muffin tin with parchment paper muffin liners.
- Pour the batter into the muffin cups, almost to the top. These muffins don't rise a lot.
- Bake the muffins for 35-40 minutes until done.
- To test to see if the muffins have finished baking, insert a toothpick into the middle of a muffin. If the toothpick comes out clean, they are finished baking. If you see crumbs or batter, the muffins must be baked longer.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Allow the muffins to sit in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then gently remove them onto a cooling rack.
Notes
- Note that coconut flour absorbs a LOT more moisture than regular gluten free flour. You may need to add a little more liquid in if you find your brand of coconut flour makes your batter too thick!
- Baking with almond flour adds a great protein boost to your baked goods and helps balance out the sugars for a lower glycemic treat. Almond flour can come as an almond meal (more coarse) or as flour (best for baking!) Almond flour doesn’t absorb as much liquid as many flours, so you don’t need to use as much flour. In this recipe, I combine this with coconut flour to help balance it out and give more structure.
- These muffins will keep fresh for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Feel free to use any fruit you have on hand to make these grain-free muffins.
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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.
Note this post was updated from an older January 2015 post with more detailed information.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
I loved the flavour of these muffins, but i cooked mine for an hour and they were still really moist inside, almost like porridge. Any ideas what happened? I followed the recipe except for the xantan gum, which I substituted with physsilum husk.
I broke them up, sprinkled with roasted almonds and topped with wiped cream, it made for a delicious desert, but I would really like for them to be more muffiny next time. I would really appreciate any tip you could give.
Hi Kristel, I am glad you liked these muffins, but I am puzzled at the long cook time. Could you please tell me which brands of coconut flour and milk you used? I haven’t had this happen so I just want to double check…sometimes canned milks can do this, especially coconut.
I had this same issue! I used Bobs Red Mill for almond flour, coconut flour, & xanthan gum.I was going to use less almond milk next time to see if that helped. They are delicious though!
I also had this problem unfortunately :s
Hi, I don’t use Xanthan Gum – is it necessary in this recipe or is there something I could use instead?
Thanks
Hi Rochelle, I would say to try guar gum instead? If you can’t use gums, I am not sure. The coconut flour doesn’t hold together very well without something
I do as well Kristen. The protein makes them a great snack for the kids as well.
Thank you Elena 🙂