Bringing you muffins today. Have you been looking for a simple, fluffy, good breakfast muffin? I'm thoroughly convinced this is the muffin you've been waiting for!
This was initially one of those "created on a whim" recipes, randomly inspired by some leftover pumpkin puree... and some other things I had on hand, but it turned out so good I'm sharing it with you before the actual recipe I was working on because I know these muffins will make your life a lot more cozy.
I must admit I don't make muffins often enough. Not because I don't love them (is there anyone who doesn't love a good muffin?!), but simply because between all the cake, cookies, ice cream, my fruity / cake-filled breakfasts, smoothies, chocolate, crepes, pancakes, and my love for trying out my blogging friends' recipes too on top of my own... there's just simply not a whole lotta room in my typical day for muffins... or is there? That may all have to change now since I've tasted these. They're like the ultimate can't-stop-eating it kind of a muffin! Life changing. Dreamy...
I'm a little obsessed with how fluffy these turned out. Can't tell you how many dense as a rock or overly-moist muffins I've tasted over the last few years... Well, friends, these are definitely not rock muffins, mush muffins, dry muffins, tasteless muffins... In fact, I don't think anyone in the world will believe you if you tell them these are made without eggs, gluten, oil, butter, sugar, etc. You've got my personal pledge on that one!
I used raisins to sweeten mine up + more pumpkin seeds for extra crunch. These add-ins really completed the muffins for me. If you're not a fan of raisins, try chopped dates, dried figs, or cranberries, mmm... chocolate chips would be amazing... Swap out the pumpkin seeds for some chopped pecans... Possibilities!
Also, try swapping out 2 tablespoon rice flour for 2 tablespoon teff flour for a multi-grain muffin (I had no idea how much a touch of teff resembles multi-grain baked goods until I tried a batch of these with some. Fascinating discovery :) I did prefer them with all rice flour personally, but just sharing in case you missed your fill of multi-grain goodies and want to give that variation a go. Otherwise, rice flour is your friend for these.
By the way. This recipe only makes 8 muffins. Nice tall muffins with a huge muffin top. The trick is to fill them all the way to the top and more -- just keep carefully topping each muffin until you run out of batter to get the nice mushroom shape. If you prefer smaller muffins, you can get 12 normal sized small muffins out of this recipe instead, but come on, how fun do these cute muffin tops look?! :) 8 it is for me!
PrintPumpkin Molasses Breakfast Muffins
Fluffy gluten-free pumpkin breakfast muffins with optional dried fruit and nut add-ins. Dairy-free and so simple to whip up.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 large muffins or 12 smaller ones
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Dessert
Ingredients
Dry:
- 1½ cups gluten-free quick oats (+ a bit more for sprinkling on top)
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
- ¼ cup brown rice flour
- 1½ tsp baking powder (gluten-free!)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice (see notes for alternative)
- dash of salt
Wet:
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ¾ cup maple syrup (or agave, coconut nectar, brown rice syrup, etc.)
- ½ cup light coconut milk (the kind that comes in a can -- stir it well first)
- 1 tbsp blackstrap molasses (preferably unsulphured)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar)
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Add-Ins:
- 1 cup raisins (or cranberries, chopped dates, chocolate chips, etc.)
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds (or chopped pecans) + more for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Oil a 12-cup muffin pan (just 8 of the cups if making 8) and set aside (or use liners or a good non-stick pan instead of oiling).
- Process all dry ingredients into a flour in a food processor. Add in wet ingredients and process to combine. Add in your add-ins and pulse a few times to mix them in.
- Spoon batter into 8 muffin cups, topping it up until you run out of batter (unless you're doing smaller muffins, in which case divide evenly between the 12 cups). Sprinkle with extra pumpkin seeds & oats.
- Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 1 hour (if making 12 smaller muffins, the baking time will decrease, so keep an eye out and test with a skewer until it comes out try to see if they're done). Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Enjoy!
Notes
*If you don't have pumpkin spice, just use the following: ½ teaspoon more cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cloves and ⅛ teaspoon allspice.
Deniz says
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them 😍 Audrey would you happen to have the gram measurements by any chance (or at least for the dry ingredients)? I’d be so so glad if you do 🙏🏻 Thanks 🙏🏻
The Real Person!
Hi Deniz. No, I'm sorry, but I don't have the gram measurements unfortunately I just measure most things with measuring cups. You can probably google the equivalents though, although it adds steps to the process.
Heather says
Could I use oat flour instead? If so how would I substitute it, I wonder?
The Real Person!
Hi Heather. Do you mean substitute oat flour for the quick oats, or for the rice flour, or for all "flour" here?
Melissa says
Hi Audrey,
I wanted to make these for a church meeting. I don’t have quick oats. Will rolled oats work.
The Real Person!
Hey Melissa. I think it might be worth running out to grab quick oats if it's an option. They are processed much finer and make for a better texture in these muffins.
Melissa says
Thank you for your advice. I will do it and make them next Sunday for church. Have a blessed day.
The Real Person!
I hope everyone enjoys them! :)
Karen says
The batter is delish, though I'm saving the muffins for company tomorrow so I can't comment on the finished muffins yet! Two things: The batter makes 12 large muffins. (Filled to the brim regular muffin tins.) And it doesn't take an hour to bake the muffins. That seemed like a crazy long time to bake muffins, so I checked them in 22 minutes (thank goodness!) and they were fully done. Didn't anyone else run into these issues? I followed the recipe exactly!
The Real Person!
Hi Karen, that's really interesting feedback. Thank you for sharing. I wonder how come you ended up with so much batter. That's the first time I'm hearing that feedback. But I suppose more muffins is not a big problem to have on hand :)
I have heard in the past on a few other recipes crazy baking time variations like this. I suppose with people living all over the world, using a myriad of different ovens and ingredient brands it's possible that baking time varies, though I find it surprising to have such a big variance to be honest. There's one particular recipe I have in mind here as an example, which is this chocolate cake: https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/duncan-hines-style-chocolate-cake-gluten-free-vegan-refined-sugar-free/ -- it's the opposite in the case of that cake. It bakes for me (and many others who made this recipe) in 25 minutes, but there's some feedback that it took people over 1 hour. I'm at a loss to explain it. All I can say is it's good to keep an eye out while things bake and test for done-ness when you feel like it looks ready when you make a recipe for the first time, because evidently it can vary sometimes. Which I'm glad you've done! :) I hope you enjoy them.
Shosh yehezkely says
Like it very much
The Real Person!
Glad you enjoyed these, Shosh! Thanks for the feedback.
Susan says
This looks really good. Is there anyway to reduce the amount of sugar (maple syrup) called for withput ruining them?
The Real Person!
Hi Susan. I haven't tried it with less syrup personally, so not 100% sure. You can try substituting a sugar-free syrup for some of it -- I think that will work well. Otherwise you can try reducing the maple syrup and adding more coconut milk and see how that goes. If you give it a try, would love to hear how they turned out for you!
Margaret Spence says
So deliciously yummy.
The Real Person!
So glad you enjoyed these, Margaret!
Jyoti Rao says
Soooooo....I made a batch of this and they are super delicious but they are very very sweet (I used chopped dates....and these dates that had just arrived from Saudi Arabia, they are like pure sugar) Should have adjusted the quantity :(
I still have some batter left - any suggestions on what to add to that batter to make the next batch a little less sweet?!?! TIA!!!
The Real Person!
Hi Jyoti. I'm guessing the dates made them a lot sweeter (I usually go with raisins, which have a slight tartness to them), so yeah, you can always adjust the quantity and just use a bit less. You can also skip the added dried fruit and just add some chopped nuts, like pecans or walnuts, or pumpkin seeds, etc.
Paula says
Excellent recipe. I have made these twice. I put in choc chips since my 3 yr old granddaughter doen't like seed or nuts. With that being said I also cut back on the maple syrup to 1/2 cup
The Real Person!
Hi Paula, chocolate chips sound wonderful in these. Thanks for sharing and for the lovely feedback :)
Kaye Holmes says
Fabulous recipe thank you, my husband and & I love them warmed up with some coconut yoghurt.
The Real Person!
Hi Kaye. Thanks for sharing and for the 5-star rating :) I'm so glad you're enjoying these.
Serena says
These muffins look AMAZING. I can't do oats though. :/ What do you think I could substitute? Rice flour? Buckwheat flour? A combination thereof?
The Real Person!
Hi Serena, this particular recipe works best with oats for texture. I did do a version of these without oats (though admittedly I prefer the texture of the oaty ones): https://www.unconventionalbaker.com/fluffy-cranberry-chocolate-chip-pumpkin-spice-muffins-gluten-free-dairy-free-eggless-oil-free-refined-sugar-free/
Cat says
Hi Audrey, thanks for all your awesome recipes! Can I use regular gluten free oats instead of the quick oats, or will it change the texture? Also, will subbing white rice flour for brown rice flour change the texture? I'm going for as light and fluffy as can be, thanks so much!
Cat says
Update: I used regular quick oats, subbed out the brown rice flour with half white rice flour and half teff flour, added fresh ginger, used the liquid from part of canned coconut cream that had gone a bit sour in the fridge, it reminded me of buttermilk, I used my own honey nut squash puree, added a bit more salt and used pecans instead of pumpkins seeds, I ended up getting 9 muffins and they were delicious! You really can't tell the difference with this and regular flour muffins. Thanks for a genius recipe.
The Real Person!
Hi Cat. I'm so sorry for the delayed reply, but I'm so happy you figured these muffins out on your own anyhow :) Thanks for sharing what worked for you. I think quick oats give these a fluffier texture than regular oats, and I think brown rice and white rice flour can be used interchangeably. Thanks for sharing what worked for you.
Diane Varney says
Made these today and am very happy with how they turned out. I live at 6,200 ft. so I cut the baking powder and soda in half. I used sweet potato instead of pumpkin since that's what I had. Next time I'll use cranberries. I used 2 t of my own chai spice blend and it was perfect. They are not crumbly at all, which is the big problem I've been having with gf, dairy and egg-free muffin recipes. Thank you!
The Real Person!
Hi Diane, I know what you mean. I love these muffins for the same reason -- the texture is my favorite part. I think it's the combination of the softened quick oats with the rice flour and starch that make them nice and springy. Thank you for sharing your adjustments btw -- they sound great.
Rebekah says
Can I sub full fat coconut milk for the light?
The Real Person!
Hi Rebehak, yes, it should work fine with light milk as well. Enjoy :)
Adelle says
I have to thank you for this amazing recipe, I've made it over and over for my family with all different flavor combinations subbing different ingredients for whatever appeals at the time and they are always a hit! Thanks for continually inspiring us with incredible food.
The Real Person!
Thank you, Adelle! I'm so happy this recipe works. It's still one of my favorites :)
If you ever have a chance, it would be lovely if you shared some of the different flavors / ingredient swaps you tried -- I'm sure others looking for inspiration would appreciate it!
suz says
audrey, thank you so much for this recipe. i just made it & they are blissfully wonderful! i used a little less maple suryp (added some xylitol), used coconut cream (usually used for coffee creamer i guess) & put the batter in my big 6 muffin tin (used to use it for english muffins). wow, they are soo good!!
The Real Person!
Aw, so happy to hear you like it, Suz! And I loved hearing about the things you changed -- really helpful when people ask "will it work with this or that" :) Thank you for the feedback!
Donna, Avi and Mimi, a mom and two beautiful daughters. says
Audrey, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful recipe with the world. We all need more love and muffins! My experience was delightful, I did use Bobs Red Mill Blue Label Baking flour and omitted the others, increased it to 2 1/2 cups. I also zested a whole orange and added roasted flax seeds. I blinked, and these babies were gone! A huge hit either way I made them. I give these a 100%! A ***** for sure.
The Real Person!
Thank you so much for the awesome feedback, Donna. And I'm so glad to know these worked with Bob's Mill -- I'm sure others will find it helpful too. Glad everyone enjoyed them :)
Christina says
Delish! Easy to make and so good! Baking time was 40 minutes using paper muffin cups in a non stick 12 count muffin tin. I added raisins that I plumped up in water first and pecan pieces.
The Real Person!
Sounds so good with raisins and pecans -- so happy you like these, Christina! :)
Liana says
These have become a staple for me. Make a batch and keep in the freezer for those big work days. Absolutely delish!!!
Thank you so much for sharing x
The Real Person!
I'm so glad you're enjoying these, Liana! They are my absolute favorite as well mainly because they come together so easy and taste so good for the simple amount of ingredients and effort involved -- yay for easy delicious things :)
Lisa says
Just made these and OMG! They are incredible! I cannot believe how good they are and they are vegan and gluten free wow!!! This recipe will be getting a lot of use this fall.
The Real Person!
I'm so happy you love these as much as I do, Lisa! They are seriously my favorite fall snack. And funny because it's such a basic recipe you could easily look right past it and never know muffins could be so simple to make...
Thank you so much for the feedback :)
Lindsey says
Audrey, these muffins look so amazingly fluffy!!! I can't wait to try this recipe! And love the molasses in there, yum!
The Real Person!
Thank you, Lindsey! Molasses and pumpkin are such a good pairing.
The vegan 8 says
I need to try these Audrey!! I've seen Natalie talk about them so much, haha! I love pumpkin and I love molasses and I have all of the ingredients, just need to do it! They look incredible!
The Real Person!
Glad they caught your eye -- Natalie has been a great muffin cheerleader :D These are really good though -- hope you get to try them out sometime. I've been making them batch after batch the last few weeks.
Elizabeth says
Hi, these look amazing! My daughter is also sensitive to oats, so I'm wondering if I could sub the pats for something? Buckwheat or millet maybe? Ground or whole? Thank you so very much!
The Real Person!
Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you very much! Gosh, oat sensitivities are so prevalent, aren't they? I actually just started being able to have oats again after many years so I started sharing a few recipes with them here and there -- they're definitely an easy grain to work with, but I can totally relate and try not to overwhelm the blog with my current oaty joy :) because I know many people visiting can't do oats either. I usually also have oat-alternatives up my sleeves. In this particular recipe I thought oats were the best because they gave these muffins a fluffy springy texture I haven't been able to achieve with another grain just yet and also because with oats you can get away without using gums / binders..
I can recommend a few things to try though:
1. I have this older pumpkin recipe on the blog that's oat-free you might like to just go with instead (it's in cake form, but makes wonderful muffins).
2. I have this (similar) pumpkin bread recipe that's oat-free that you can use to make muffins.
3. You can try this existing muffins recipe, but with a standard gf mix -- something like 1 1/2 cup rice flour + 6 tbsp tapioca or potato starch + 1/2 tsp guar gum or xantham gum. I haven't tested this in this recipe, so it would be experimental on your part :)
4. Pamela's artisan flour mix is an unbelievable commercial flour blend that pretty much never failed me before when used as a substitution for other flours. You can give it a go in this in place of the oats, rice, and starch.
I hope something from these options will work (and I'd love to hear how you go with it if you modify the recipe), and if not, I'll be sure to post more muffin recipes in the future and will definitely have an oat-free version in mind.
Dani @ Dani California Cooks says
These are GORGEOUS. I am such a sucker for a muffin that has seeds or oats on top :)
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Dani -- me too :) And ones that have that streussel-looking topping!
Anjali says
Anything to sub for the tapioca and brown rice flour? I don't have those but want to try today! I don't need it to be Gf. Thanks Audrey!
The Real Person!
Hey Anjali :) Yay for muffins!
Regular flour for rice would work (or quinoa flour, millet flour, etc.). Arrowroot, potato starch, or corn starch would all work in place of tapioca. Hope you've got some of these on hand to try :)
Kyra @ Vie De La Vegan says
It's been a long time since I've had muffins for breakfast but you've convinced me I need to make some! They make the perfect quick breakfast. I love the idea of adding teff too!
The Real Person!
I'm the same -- I think these muffins convinced me to love breakfast muffins more though :)
Lucie says
Yum! I can't wait to try these! Rock hard muffins are the worst, I've had way too many of those :D the molasses addition sounds like a great complement to the pumpkin!
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Lucie -- enjoy them! Molasses and pumpkin are such an amazing combo <3
Heather | Cook It Up Paleo says
How amazingly delicious do these look??! Your photos are so pretty too!!
The Real Person!
Aw, thanks Heather! I haven't been to your blog in a while -- must catch up :) Thanks for stopping by!
Heather@TheSoulfulSpoon says
These look SO good! I love pumpkin everything, and I especially love the sweeteners you used here as natural options:)
The Real Person!
Thanks Heather!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Ah, see and muffins are something I bake often!
But o I love molasses. Now I don't use it much since I don't like to cook with sugar, but I do love that tell-tale taste!
The Real Person!
I make a special exception for molasses because it's so nutrient rich ...and of course tastes pretty darn amazing too ;) and it's only a tbsp but it add so much flavor!
Sarah C says
These sound like my kind of muffins. They do look fluffy!
The Real Person!
The fluffiest, Sarah! :) I'm not sure how it worked out that way, but these are the fluffiest muffins I've ever had.
Natalie | Feasting on Fruit says
There is ALWAYS room in my day for muffins!! In fact I just finished off a batch yesterday, so now there is a muffin shaped hole in my day. The description of all the things these muffins are not cracked me up :D The rocks and mush muffins, I have totally had all those varieties too...not something I want to revisit hahaha! I love the substantial muffin top and the raisins, I'm gonna have to make these <3
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Natalie! I'm so glad you shared the photo of them on IG -- can't wait to share it :) Your muffins turned out amazing. And yes, I've sadly had a taste of a few too many rocky mush buns in the shape of a muffin in the past too. Glad I landed on this combo -- I see many possibilities ahead :)
genevieve @ gratitude & greens says
Audrey!!! These pumpkin muffins. Oh my gosh. I wish I had some brown rice flour on me so I could whip up a batch before I go to work <3
The Real Person!
Thanks so much, Genevieve! <3 They are definitely a good take-with-you kind of snack.
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
These are fluffy, moist ant full of pumpkin, aka the muffin of my dreams!
The Real Person!
Thanks Bethany! They are definitely all those things :)