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Grain-Free Healthy Pumpkin Muffins and Bread

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Healthy-Pumpkin-Muffins
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Grain-Free Healthy Pumpkin Muffins and Bread

 Ahh, fall… the glorious season of apples, pumpkins, changing leaves, and cooler weather (finally!). I definitely get in on the fall pumpkin craze and start making pumpkin spice everything this time of year. This coconut flour healthy pumpkin muffins (and bread) recipe is the perfect way to ring in the season.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins (and Bread!)

Unlike most baked goods, these delicious muffins are a great low-sugar snack or breakfast. Instead of refined sugar or brown sugar, they use natural sweeteners, like honey, stevia, or maple syrup. They’re also packed with plenty of protein, fiber, and healthy fats. Slather some grass-fed butter on the top and they make the perfect yummy fall breakfast.

Perfect Paleo Pumpkin Bread

If this is your first time baking grain-free bread, expect a denser bread or muffin. They’re still moist with a soft texture and all the warm flavors of pumpkin spice (with just the right touch of sweetness).

Instead of all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, or even whole wheat flour, these muffins rely on coconut flour. I use this a lot to bake with in my grain-free recipes. Whole grains are often a staple in healthier muffin recipes, but it’s not something our family eats much of.

Since coconut flour can vary, if your batter ends up way too thick, then add a little bit of milk to thin it. Some muffin recipes replace the butter or coconut oil with applesauce. I haven’t personally tried it here, but let me know if you do!

Pure Pumpkin Flavor

You can use homemade pumpkin puree or a can of pumpkin for these. They’re delish either way! Just be sure to not get the can of pumpkin pie filling at the store instead of pure pumpkin. While the filling already has added spices, it also has lots of added refined sugar.

Even though pumpkin has become a staple in fall cooking it’s worth having all year round. Pumpkin is high in vitamin A (the beta-carotene version), vitamin C, and potassium. There’s nothing quite like biting into some warm pumpkin bread or muffins!

The healthy pumpkin muffins are delicious by themselves or with a little melted butter or coconut oil. This recipe also freezes well once baked if you prefer to batch cook.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffin Variations

  • Add in some dark chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried cranberries to the batter.

  • Top with a dollop of raw milk or coconut whipped cream.

  • If you eat dairy, you can pour half of the batter into an 8×8 pan, add slices of cream cheese, and then add the rest of the batter.

  • We also mix it up and use a similar coconut flour base recipe to make grain-free banana bread or apple cinnamon muffins.

Need an egg-free version? Try making the muffins with flax eggs, made with ground flaxseed and water mixed together. Here’s how to substitute eggs in recipes like cupcakes, muffins, and more.

If you are looking for a grain-free, low-carb, and sugar-free bread for breakfast or dessert … try this recipe! It just might become a new favorite.

Healthy-Pumpkin-Muffins

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

Simple gluten-free, dairy-free, and grain-free pumpkin muffins made with coconut flour, warm spices, and pumpkin for a healthy and nutritious breakfast. Can also be made as healthy pumpkin bread.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Calories 139kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

12 muffins (or 1 loaf)

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Lightly grease muffin tins (or use paper muffin liners) or an 8×8 baking dish with coconut oil or olive oil. A regular loaf pan doesn't work well.
  • Put all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix with an immersion blender or strong whisk until smooth and well incorporated. If the batter is too thick, add a little coconut milk, almond milk, or water to thin, but don’t let it get runny at all.
  • Scoop into greased muffin cups with a ¼ cup measure or pour into a greased 8×8 baking dish. 
  • Bake for 13-18 minutes for a muffin pan or 20-25 minutes for bread. Cook until lightly browned and set in the middle (a toothpick inserted in the middle should come out clean).

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 muffins)
Calories 139 Calories from Fat 68
% Daily Value*
Fat 7.6g12%
Saturated Fat 5.8g36%
Cholesterol 68mg23%
Sodium 131mg6%
Carbohydrates 14.6g5%
Fiber 4.7g20%
Sugar 6.7g7%
Protein 3.9g8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Optional: Finely grind almonds or pecans and mix with butter or coconut oil to make a crumble topping.
Store the healthy pumpkin muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Like this recipe? Check out my cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!

What’s your favorite way to eat pumpkin? What mix-ins do you like adding to your muffins? Leave a comment and let me know!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

165 responses to “Grain-Free Healthy Pumpkin Muffins and Bread”

  1. Christy M Avatar

    I’m sitting with 2 impatient little boys waiting for these to cook. Put them in the muffin tins, and 25 mins later, they are still mushy. Not moist, mushy… What did I do wrong ? :'(

  2. Melissa Dohotariu Avatar
    Melissa Dohotariu

    Hi! I made these today but for some reason they had a baking soda taste to it almost. I followed the recipe to a T. Used one teaspoon of baking soda. Do you have any idea why it came out this way? Thanks!

  3. Jaclyn Avatar

    5 stars
    These were super good! I did 1/4c each coconut flour and tapioca floor instead of 1/2c coconut flour, I tried with pumpkin and then Hannah yams… Love it

  4. Vaness Avatar

    I have powdered stevia, instead of liquid. Does anyone know how much powdered stevia I should use, to equal the few drops of stevia, this recipe calls for? Thank you!

  5. Sondy Avatar

    Next time I’ll skip the baking soda and beat the eggs separately, then fold them into the rest of the mix to give some aeration. Is there enough acid in this recipe to counteract the baking soda taste? I’m at 2,400 feet.

  6. Sondy Avatar

    I baked this yesterday with fresh butternut squash steamed in our electric pressure cooker. Used about a 1/4 cup of maple syrup to sweeten it. Baked it in an 8″x8″ glass pan. Great color, texture, very moist, but at 1 tsp of baking soda it tastes like… baking soda. Huh? I’ve been baking grain-free for years, so this was rather unexpected. I’m still eating it, but I have a high tolerance for “weird” tastes. I wouldn’t share this with others, though!

    1. Sarah Avatar

      The baking soda is meant to help counteract the honey. I used half honey and half maple syrup, so I only used 1/2 tsp. baking soda. If you’re using all maple syrup, I’m not sure what the appropriate quantity would be – maybe 1/4 tsp.? – but a shift should help the muffins. (Just earlier this week I accidentally substituted baking soda for baking powder in a traditional cake, and it ruined it – I know just what you mean about the taste!)

      And we enjoyed the muffins – I put a few chocolate chips on top, and the kids (2 and 5), my husband, and I all enjoyed them. Not too sweet, a little eggy, and not strongly pumpkin (maybe I’ll add more next time!), but good and satisfying. Thanks!

    2. Kristie Avatar

      5 stars
      I made these with 1/4 c maple syrup instead of honey. I tasted the batter, and it tasted like baking soda. I added 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, and they came out great.

  7. Jen Avatar

    Hi Katie,

    As I am very new to cooking I am wondering if these need to be refrigerated after baking.

    Thanks so much! I love your site.

    Best,
    Jen

    1. Morgan Avatar

      I was wondering the same thing! I left them on the counter overnight…they seemed fine this morning, but I can never tell! lol

  8. Leanna Avatar

    This was absolutely the worst thing I have ever tasted. Worse than it not being edible and not wanting to share it with friends or family is all the money I wasted on making it. It is awful and I almost never comment on things like this. Did the person that created this actually taste it? What a waste.
    The disgusting taste is still in my mouth.

    1. Linda Shaw Avatar
      Linda Shaw

      4 stars
      I believe that there is a certain health factor at play here. Some of us are on restricted diets and your rude comments not only are painful to the blogger who is trying to offer alternative food diets for us and others but also to those of us who are reminded of our dietary differences.

      If you were looking for a more traditional sugar coated, flour laden recipe you are at the wrong place. If you are seriously.. and I mean seriously looking to change your diet.. and pain from eating the wrong foods is a powerful motivator, then you need to rethink your comments.

      I simply cannot eat the type of food that you must crave. I thought that the recipe was balanced and tasty. I’m thinking you might need to surf off to another island where food is not so healthy and much more addicting. This is not the place for you.

  9. Linda Avatar

    Hi. I tried these because I need to change my diet and drop my glycemic levels. The family loved it and I took one to my older mother who loved them as well. So today I made another batch and added a handful of Chocolate Chips… I love pumpkin and chocolate. .. not too much.
    Thanks for the recipes.

    Linda

  10. Cyndi Avatar

    Just made this pumpkin bread – super delicious, but not super sweet (which we just prefer), so we simply drizzled with honey. It was delicious and filling!! So excited about this! Planning make and freeze for after our baby is born in December, hopefully a good quick breakfast since it has so much protein!
    Also, didn’t notice the “don’t use a loaf pan” warning. Baked it, and it wouldn’t set up in the middle.
    But this recipe is basically idiot proof – I scooped the rawish parts into a wide pan in a thin layer and rebaked for 7 minutes. It came out perfectly!!
    My picky toddler loves it too! Success!!!! 🙂 thanks Kate!

  11. Lisa Buckentin Avatar
    Lisa Buckentin

    5 stars
    Just made them! used coconut sugar and baked for 18 minutes. Ohhhh so good! topped with a little butter, coconut sugar. Soooo….. Moist and Satisfying!! maybe….paleo cream cheese frosting orrrr butter,ground nuts,coconut sugar as a crumble! But…the muffins were great!

  12. Ivy Avatar

    5 stars
    yum, i put one big chocolate chip on top of each one, 4 year old loved them, and had fun helping to make them, thank you for a great recipe.

  13. Julia Avatar

    I’ve read that heating honey (as in baking/cooking) is a bad idea as it develops into a kind of poison. Honey needs to stay raw to be healthy, it shouldn’t be used in cooking/when heated. You can find a lot written about this in writings from Ayurveda.

  14. Jessica Avatar

    5 stars
    These were wonderful! I did not have pumpkin pie spice but I added in about 2 Tablespoons of Cinnamon, about a teaspoon of nutmeg, and a dash of cloves. I also used less honey and added in a little stevia. My kids and I both love them! I am going to have to hide some for my husband and brother-in-law so they can have some when they get home from work!

    1. Kim Avatar

      I could not find liquid stevia extract, but bought “zing” which is a stevia sweetener. The label says 1/4 tsp sweetener = 2 tsp of sugar. So I’m wondering how much to use for this recipe?? TYIA!

  15. sharli sh Avatar
    sharli sh

    Hi katie
    love, love, love your site 🙂
    Do you perhaps have a recipe for bread made with almond or coconut flour?
    My 3 year old’s fav thing in the world is bread and I really wanna get him off flour as it causes tummy issues… will really appreciate any suggestions.
    Thanks!

  16. Allison Avatar

    5 stars
    I’ve made this bread twice now. SO good! I threw in some mini chocolate chips, and a pinch of nutmeg. Came out great!

  17. Nicole Avatar

    For the coconut oil do you measure it when it is solid at room temperature or when it is a liquid?

  18. Ellie Avatar

    5 stars
    This is THE BEST GF pumpkin bread I have EVER made! I added a mashed banana and cooked it a little less than recommended for the bread and it was literally perfect. I have already made two batches in the last week. This will forever be in my repertoire for healthy sweets!

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