Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins (Dairy free too!) + VIDEO

Tender pumpkin muffins full of warm spices will have you dreaming of autumn days. With or without chocolate chips this fall delight might be so amazing you’ll find yourself eating it all year long. This pumpkin muffin recipe is free of: wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, peanuts, tree nuts and sesame.

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WHY THESE GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN MUFFINS ROCK

I love these pumpkin muffins because they only require one bowl! No need for a separate bowl for the wet and the dry. 

A lot of  muffin recipes only use 1.5 cups of pumpkin puree, leaving you with wasted pumpkin puree in the can. This one will use up the entire thing! No leftovers.

You can make these muffins by hand, or in a stand mixer.

Some pumpkin muffins are bland, but these have just the right level of pumpkin pie spice that brings out those yummy cinnamon and nutmeg flavors you’re desiring.

HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE DAIRY FREE PUMPKIN  MUFFINS

Thankfully, these are also naturally dairy free muffins too allowing even more people with dietary restrictions to enjoy them! The fat in these muffins comes from oil to help keep them light and the crumb not heavy. Some muffins have butter in them, but not these!

The only thing that could make them non dairy-free would be if you use chocolate chips that have milk in them (most do). So, if you need dairy-free chocolate chips, I would recommend Enjoy Life if you want ones made in a dedicated facility and are vegan too. If you’re more loose with your definition of dairy free, you can use Kirkland Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips because their ingredient list and label do not have any dairy ingredients in them, but they don’t have a dedicated facility or cross contamination certification.

CAN THESE GLUTEN-FREE MUFFINS BE EGG FREE TOO?

To make these pumpkin muffins egg free, I highly recommend using flax eggs. You’ll mix 3 Tablespoons of ground flax with 7.5 Tablespoons of water and let it sit for a few minutes before adding it to the recipe.

I have not tried it with other brands of egg replacers, so if you cannot have flax, you can experiment. If you find one that works, please comment below to help future readers.

Also–if you make these muffins egg free, they will then be gluten-free vegan pumpkin muffins (again–following the note about chocolate chips in the previous section).

WHAT IS PUMPKIN PUREE?

Pumpkin puree is literally pumpkin mashed up. It comes in an aluminum can in the baking isle. It is different from pumpkin filling that has spices and sugar added to it. You will only want to use PUMPKIN PUREE (any brand you feel safe with) for this recipe.

WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED?

For these gluten-free dairy free pumpkin muffins you’ll need:

• WET INGREDIENTS:
  • 1/3 cup canola oil (or other neutral oil of choice)
  • 3 eggs
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 3/4 cups brown sugar
  • 15 oz can pumpkin puree
  • 1 tsp vanilla
• DRY INGREDIENTS:
  • 2 and 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 and ¾ cup all purpose gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan
  • Optional: chocolate chips or spiced glaze

WHAT GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR TO USE

Instead of having to buy individual grains and make your own blend, I recommend using an all purpose gluten-free blend. It takes multiple grains to mimic regular wheat flour. 

I developed this recipe using Walmart’s Great Value All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour. I think blends for muffins do best when they’re mostly rice flour, potato starch and tapioca starch. It’s fine to have some sorghum too, and you definitely want xanthan gum included.

Another one that would probably work well would be King Arthur’s Measure for Measure. 

Note: that if you do stray and use another gluten-free brand, I cannot guarantee results as they all have different grains and ratios.

ARE THESE PUMPKIN MUFFINS ALLERGY FRIENDLY?

Yes, these muffins are free of 8 of the top 9 allergens. These muffins are free of: wheat, gluten, dairy, soy, fish, shellfish, peanut, tree nut and sesame.

Please note that because everyone sees certain brands as “safe” due to their comfort zone with manufacturing processes and cross contamination risks you need to decide which products you use. Always read the label and if in doubt call the company directly. What may feel safe for one allergy family may not feel safe for another. Some people are fine with “manufactured in” statements and some only want dedicated facilities.

MUFFIN BAKING TIPS

To make your muffins look like they came out of a bakery follow these few tips:

• Mix the wet ingredients first. 
• Then, add the dry ingredients, finishing with the flour last. Mix until combined. You don’t have to worry about overmixing as much since there is no gluten that will be developed.
• Grease your muffin tin with your favorite non-stick spray if you’re not using liners (I never bother), or grease the muffin liners if you’re using them too just to ensure no sticking and wasting of that yummy muffin.
• If using chocolate chips, don’t just use them inside, but sprinkle a few on top to make them look extra pretty. I like to bang the pan on the counter to make sure the batter is flat, the chocolate chips settle in and the tops are flat before baking so there’s no jagged edges.
• Let the muffins rest in the warm pan on the counter after baking for five minutes to ensure the middles finish cooking.
• Use an aluminum high quality baking pan. I find dark pans tend to be thinner and burn the bottoms of your muffins more easily.

DO I HAVE OTHER PUMPKIN RECIPES?

I ADORE pumpkin, so here are some other fun ways to use this sought after flavor. You can make my gluten free vegan pumpkin spiced muffins with glaze,  gluten free vegan pumpkin cake, vegan baked pumpkin oatmeal, gluten free vegan pumpkin crumble pie, allergy friendly pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, no bake pumpkin mousse pie, or my top-8-free spiced pumpkin scones.

DO I HAVE OTHER GLUTEN-FREE MUFFIN RECIPES?

Yes, of course I do since muffins are basically cake for breakfast. There’s too many to list. Here is a post with all of my allergy friendly muffins in one spot. But, I’ll point out a few of my favorites: gluten free banana muffins, gluten free blueberry muffins, oatmeal muffins, cinnamon applesauce muffins, cinnaswirl muffins and gluten free vegan double chocolate banana muffins.

DO I HAVE OTHER BREAKFAST IDEAS?

I do, I have all sorts of gluten-free pancakes, egg-free frittata cups, breakfast tacos, bacon breakfast potatoes and even 150+ allergy-friendly breakfast ideas.

DO I HAVE A VIDEO SHOWING HOW TO MAKE THESE?

Yes I have a video tutorial showing how to make the pumpkin muffins gluten-free. They’re easy and you’ll see from start to finish how approachable this recipe is. The video should auto populate, but if it doesn’t, it’s at the bottom of the recipe card. If that fails, you can go to my YouTube channel.

DON’T FORGET TO PIN IT, SO YOU DON’T LOSE IT. WHILE YOU’RE THERE, BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY OTHER GLUTEN-FREE PINS.