Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

This gluten-free pumpkin muffin recipe is easy to make! Just mix the batter, spoon it into a muffin tin, and bake. The brown sugar and pumpkin spice combination makes sweet and perfectly spiced muffins. They come out moist and tender every time.

For a long time, I didn’t think I needed a recipe for gluten-free pumpkin muffins. After all, I’ve got a great recipe for gluten-free pumpkin bread. But just like gluten-free banana bread is different than gluten-free banana muffins, pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins are two separate treats. They aren’t as sweet or as rich. And like most gluten-free muffins, they’re really easy to make.

Ingredients.

Here’s what you’ll need to make a batch of these muffins!

• Gluten-Free Flour. The recipe was developed with Bob’s Red Mill’s 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Using a different flour will change the results.
• Pumpkin Puree. Canned pumpkin (also called pumpkin puree) brings moisture and flavor. Be sure to use pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
• Pumpkin Spice. For the classic “pumpkin” flavor, use pumpkin pie spice. This blend of spices usually contains cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. If you don’t keep pumpkin spice in the house, I’ve included a recipe for it below.
• Brown Sugar. Adds sweetness and flavor. You can use either light or dark brown sugar. Both work great! If you use dark brown sugar, the muffins bake a little darker and have a slightly stronger molasses flavor.
• Oil or Melted Butter. Oil or melted butter makes these muffins rich and tender. Butter adds a classic buttery flavor. 
• Eggs. Two eggs help give the muffins a nice cakey texture.
• Baking Powder and Baking Soda. Using both baking powder and baking soda helps the muffins to rise and brown beautifully.
• Salt. A little bit of salt enhances the flavors. Muffins made without salt tend to taste flat. Table salt is best for baking because the texture is fine and it easily mixes into the batter.

How to Make Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins.

This batter is as simple as whisk, mix, and stir!

1. Whisk the dry ingredients together. This helps evenly distribute the baking powder, baking soda, and salt throughout the gluten-free flour. 
2. In another bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. 
3. Add the gluten-free flour. Stir until the batter is smooth. 
4. After mixing, scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula to clear any flour that might be clinging to the bowl.

5. Line your muffin pan with paper liners or spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Fill each muffin cup about ⅔ full. If the cups are too full, they can overflow as they bake and stick to the pan.
6. Bake until the muffins are golden brown. A pan takes about 20 minutes to bake. Let the muffins cool for about five minutes in the pan. Then remove and place on a wire rack to cool completely. A rack allows steam to escape quickly from the muffins. When the steam gets caught between the muffin and pan, the bottom of the muffin can get soggy.

Tips and Tricks

• Preheat your oven. Muffins placed in a cold oven can turn out dense and heavy. Full-size ovens take about 15 minutes to preheat. I usually turn mine on and then measure my ingredients. This way, the oven is at the right temperature after I’ve made the batter.
• Add your favorites. Stir chocolate cups, nuts, or dried fruit into the batter before baking.
• Let the batter rest. After mixing, cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes. This gives the gluten-free flour time to absorb the liquid ingredients. Making the muffins tall and tender.
• Sprinkle on some sugar. Top the muffins with a little coarse sugar before baking. This not only makes them pretty, it adds a little sweetness and crunch. 
• Check for doneness. To test if they’re baked, insert a cake tester into the center of one of the muffins or gently press down on the top of the muffin. Look for it to spring back to the touch. If it feels damp or squishy, it’s not done.

How to Store and Freeze Leftovers

These muffins are very moist and remain fresh for about three to four days when stored covered on the counter.

If you need to store the muffins longer than that, it’s best to freeze them. After the muffins are completely cool, place them into a freezer bag or container. They keep well in the freezer for up to three months.

4.86 from 7 votes

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Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins

These gluten-free pumpkin muffins are soft, sweet, and nicely spiced. This one-bowl recipe is so easy to make. (Gluten-free/dairy-free.)

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 12 muffins

Calories 140 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups gluten-free baking flour, see note 1 (9 ounces; 260 grams)
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice, see note 2
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 (15 ounce) can pure pumpkin puree
• ¾ cup lightly packed dark brown sugar (5 ½ ounces; 55 grams)
• 2 large eggs (about 4 ounces; 113 grams)
• ½ cup oil or 1 stick butter, melted and slightly cooled (4 ounces; 113 grams)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk together the gluten-free flour, pumpkin spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

3. Mix together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, eggs, and oil in a large bowl. Add the gluten-free flour mixture. Stir until a batter forms. Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Mix any flour that’s clinging to the bottom of the bowl into the batter.

   Optional: cover the bowl and chill the batter for 30 minutes. This gives the gluten-free flour a chance to absorb the liquid ingredients.

4. Fill prepared muffin cups about ⅔ full.

5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Store, wrapped, on the counter for up to three days or freeze for up to three months.

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Gluten-Free Flour.

This recipe was developed with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Use a gluten-free flour that contains xanthan or guar gum. If your blend does not contain xanthan or guar gum, whisk ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum into the flour before using. 

Note 2: Homemade Pumpkin Spice.

To make your own pumpkin pie spice, whisk together

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon.
1 teaspoon ground ginger.
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice.