These mini almond flour pumpkin muffins are low in carbs, pleasantly moist, and wonderfully flavorful. Not only are they a delicious component to your Autumn breakfast routine, but they also make for an excellent anytime snack. Incorporating our nut-based granola into both the batter and the topping ensures a satisfying crunch and a bold, warmly spiced burst of flavor in every bite.
Why You’ll Love It
Poppable- These mini muffins are perfect for snacking but can also make a great low carb breakfast. Their small size also makes them easy to grab on the go and excellent for packing into a lunchbox.
Seasonally inspired- Not only is this pumpkin muffin recipe seasoned with pumpkin spice, but it also uses pure pumpkin puree in the batter for a bolder taste. Though these warm, comforting flavors can be enjoyed all year long, they’re particularly enjoyable on crisp Fall mornings when the season especially calls for them.
Family Friendly- For families sticking to a gluten free diet, it can be challenging to find store-bought treats that aren’t loaded with additives and artificial ingredients. These muffins use simple, straightforward ingredients so that you can feel great feeding them to your family. You know exactly what goes into them and can confidently align these gluten free pumpkin muffins with your family’s eating style.
Pure pumpkin puree vs. Pumpkin pie mix
Pumpkin puree is simply cooked and pureed pumpkin. You can find it canned in the baking section of most grocery stores or make it at home using fresh pumpkins. If you do take the store-bought route, be sure to check that the only ingredient listed on the label is “pumpkin.”
Pumpkin pie mix, however, is made using spices and sugar. It’s designed to be easily placed in desserts like pumpkin pie, so it’s a higher carb ingredient that might not fit your lifestyle.
Pumpkin puree is ideal for this and other low carb recipes because it has a pure flavor and is versatile enough to be sweetened and flavored to your liking.
Ingredients
NuTrail Granola- Our delicious and crunchy granola is added to the batter and on top of these muffins for an amazing crunch. This recipe uses Honey Nut, but Cinnamon Pecan Nut would also taste great.
Almond flour- Blanched finely ground almond flour is the ideal base for this recipe. Not only is it gluten-free, but it also has a nutty taste that adds an earthy tone. This flavor goes well with pumpkin and other low carb desserts like our almond flour banana cake.
Sweetener- A low carb sweetener balances the savory pumpkin flavor in these mini muffins. This recipe was developed using brown erythritol, which has ingredients that mimic the depth of flavor and caramelization of brown sugar. It’s the perfect low carb sweetener for this recipe because it complements the warmth of the pumpkin spice flavor.
Baking powder- Baking powder helps these muffins rise. It also gives them a light, fluffy bite.
Butter- The buttery base in these muffins adds moisture and a rich flavor. It also helps them to bake up with a tender crumb.
Pumpkin Puree- Pure pumpkin puree gives these muffins an incredibly seasonal flavor. It also adds moisture to the batter and ensures that the mini muffins do not dry out.
Eggs- Eggs help in lifting the batter, binding the ingredients and adding moisture. This recipe uses large eggs.
Spices- A mixture of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice highlights the pumpkin and enhances the overall warm spiced flavor profile. Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice.
Vanilla- Vanilla extract helps highlight the spices in the recipe and provides a light background taste which uplifts the other ingredients.
Does pumpkin have carbs?
Yes, pumpkin does have carbs. There are 19 grams of carbs in 1 cup of pumpkin puree. This recipe uses 1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree, which adds 4.75 grams of carbs to the entire muffin recipe.
How do you keep pumpkin muffins moist while baking?
It can be easy to overbake pumpkin muffins, especially when they’re small. Overbaking muffins can make them taste dry and crumbly, making for an unpleasant meal. Since ovens can have temperature variations, it’s always a good idea to keep a close eye on your baked goods, especially when approaching the end of their cooking time.
Check your muffins’ doneness by inserting a clean toothpick into the center of a few of them. Pulling the muffins out when only a few crumbs remain on the toothpick is a great way to ensure that they won’t bake for too long. Because of the residual heat, your muffins will actually continue to cook as they cool. This is called carry-over cooking.
If you allow muffins, or any baked good, to bake until the toothpick test comes out completely clean, they will likely overbake and become dry during the carryover cooking.
Tips and Substitutions
- Don’t overfill the cups: You want your muffins to bake up with beautiful domes, but you don’t want them to overflow. Fill your muffin cups about 3/4 of the way to account for the rise that will occur once they’re in the oven.
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Allow the muffins to cool completely: You might be tempted to dig right into your freshly baked pumpkin muffins, but you must resist the urge! With most desserts using low carb flours, it’s very important to allow them to cool completely before handing them. If you try to take the muffins out of the tin before it’s cooled, they will almost certainly break, leaving you with a crumbly mess.
- Mix by hand: Using a stand mixer or hand mixer isn’t necessary for these simple muffins. These tools can quickly lead to overmixing, which will cause an overly dense end result. These muffins come together quickly with just a little whisking. Gently mixing by hand also helps them retain their moisture.
- Customize the flavor: You can get really creative with this recipe. Try folding 1/4 cup of low carb chocolate chips into the batter at the end to add a touch of indulgence. You can also top the muffins with our cacao nut granola for a chocolatey crunch in every bite!
Mini Pumpkin Muffins
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Yield: 24 mini muffins, 3 per serving
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups blanched, super fine almond flour
1/4 cup brown erythritol
1/2 cup NuTrail Honey Nut Granola, divided
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a mini muffin tin with cooking spray or aluminum liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, erythritol, 1/4 cup of NuTrail Granola, baking powder, and salt until combined.
3. Whisk in the butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and vanilla. Mix until combined and only a few lumps remain. The batter will be thick and scoopable.
4. Spoon about 1 tablespoon into each well of the muffin tin. Sprinkle the remaining NuTrail granola evenly on the muffin tops. Bake the muffins for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops begin to turn light brown. Let them cool for at least 15 minutes before removing from the tin to avoid crumbling. Store leftovers in a sealed freezer bag or airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days for the best flavor.
