These paleo pumpkin muffins with cinnamon streusel are everything I love about fall baking! Moist, sweetly spiced pumpkin muffins are topped with the perfect streusel plus an optional maple icing! They’re a kid favorite and happen to be gluten-free, grain free, and have a tested dairy free option.
Let the fall baking obsession begin! As if I could hold back any longer – I mean it’s August 27 and it also happens to be the Monday before the Saturday that is Sept 1.
So, what I’m saying is that it’s almost fall and I’m more than ready to break out the pumpkin and go to town on some muffins – these paleo pumpkin muffins with a gloriously sweet/spiced cinnamon streusel.
And, because it’s the first pumpkin recipe of the season for me (and because I’ve been a little icing-happy lately) I even drizzled them with a gooey sweet maple icing – optional, of course, if you want to keep them less sweet. I will say the muffins are sweet enough even without the icing – I just couldn’t help myself though!
The muffin recipe itself is loosely based on my simple paleo pumpkin bread, which has been a favorite among readers for a couple of years.
I used a combination of 3 flours – blanched almond, arrowroot (tapioca can be used too) and just a bit of coconut flour.
Although using 3 flours can seem like a lot/obnoxious/annoying/unnecessary, I find that most of my favorite baking recipes use a combination in order to get great texture and rise, and make them more like traditional white-flour muffins. You can shop the exact flours I use below the recipe – I buy everything on Amazon.
Ah yes – there’s that icing again! In order to achieve a light colored icing, I used organic confectioner sugar – which is not paleo.
However, if you have a food processor, you can easily make your own powdered sugar with either maple sugar or coconut sugar – which makes icing the same way traditional powdered sugar does! If you want to make your own but also want it lighter in color, I recommend using maple sugar.
Using coconut sugar will be delicious, but the icing itself will be brown. To be honest, I only used the white stuff for the photos – my personal preference would be to make my own with maple sugar.
As for the streusel topping, you also have a couple of options in terms of ingredients. If you include grass-fed butter in your diet, that will be the best option to use for the streusel.
If not, you can use COLD ghee or coconut oil. Coconut oil will give the topping a finer crumb, and it will be softer than when using butter.
Whether you’re making these paleo pumpkin muffins for an easy snack or serving them to a crowd at brunch, I’m sure you and anyone who tries one will fall in love at first bite!
They’re moist but not mushy, not too dense, have tons of pumpkin spice flavor and just the right amount of sweetness.
Let’s get our aprons on (I’m totally clumsy) and our ovens preheated and let’s get get ready to make gluten free, grain free and paleo muffin magic. In a fall baking paradise! Too much? I know, pumpkin season just gets me way too excited – let’s go!
Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel {GF, DF}
Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup organic coconut milk full fat
- 1/3 cup organic coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot
- 1 Tbsp coconut flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch fine grain sea salt
Streusel:
- 2/3 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/3 cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup grass fed butter or ghee or coconut oil, solid and chilled
Maple icing**(optional)
- 1/2 cup organic powdered sugar or make your own with maple sugar*
- 2 tsp pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp coconut milk or unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Prepare the streusel first:
- In a medium bowl, use a pastry blender or fork to combine the cold butter or ghee (or coconut oil) with the almond flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice and sea salt. Blend until a crumbly mixture forms, then refrigerate until ready to use.
Muffins:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with 12 parchment liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, maple syrup, coconut milk, and vanilla, until very smooth and well combined
- In a separate bowl, blend the 3 flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice until well combined, then stir this into the wet mixture, beating by hand until smooth and well combined.
- Fill the liners 3/4 of the way with batter (it will make enough for 12-14 depending on how high you fill them)
- Top each muffin generously with the chilled streusel, then bake in the preheated oven for 22 minutes or until they rise and a toothpick inserted near the center of one comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- If making the icing, stir together all ingredients in a small bowl until very smooth. You might need more or less sugar to get a “drizzle” consistency. Drizzle icing over completely cooled muffins before serving. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*To make your owned paleo powdered sugar, blend maple sugar or coconut sugar in a food processor until you achieve a powdery consistency/texture.
**This will make more than what you need
Nutrition
Shop Products and Ingredients:
Want More Paleo Pumpkin Baking Recipes? Try One of These!
Paleo Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate Chips {Nut Free}
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Paleo + Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cinnamon Frosting
Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Skillet Cookie with Salted Caramel
Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting The Paleo Running Momma!
Does the nutritional info include the icing or no?
Hi, love your site and all recipes. Just have to say all of the ads you have are bordering on super annoying. We all understand this is an income source but there are adds literally every 1″. Hard to read your content and see recipe between it all.
OMG I can’t wait to make these when I’m done with Whole 30! 🙂
(I’m only on Day 1) Oy vey!
Not annoying to use 3 different flours when you get that PERFECT texture!! 🙂
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Love the ode to yummy fall baking in this post! I’m right there with you! These muffins look delicious.
What is the texture supposed to be like? I was expecting more of a tradtional white flour texture based on the article. what I got was more pudding like. I feel like these didn’t bake they set.
If that’s not how they are supposed to be then I am trying to figure out where I went wrong.
I had to leave them in the oven for almost 40 minutes to get them past the pudding phase. Paleo stuff just takes way longer because of the nut flower.
is the nutrition info for all the muffins or one? I’m making them now and they smell delicious! I also subbed out some coconut flour for monkfruit.
For 1, enjoy!
This looks soooooo good. Making these today! If I don’t have a muffin pan, can I make it in an 8×8 cake pan, and just increase the baking time a bit?
These are so delicious! I did not make the icing the first time because I guess I got to eager and by mistake added maple syrup to the streusel and figured that was enough of it. So I will not do that the next time and there will definitely be a next time! So good!
I made this, and it is a winning recipe! I will definitely be making these again. Five ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!!!
Went Vegetarian Paleo GF when diagnosed with Lymes and had a hankering for pumpkin spice muffins. These were delicious! After browsing for the “perfect” recipe, this one tickled my tastebuds and I was NOT disappointed. I had no tapioca or coconut flour so used 1/4 c + 1 tbsp of arrowroot instead. Also, did not use the 1/3 c sugar and instead used 1/4 c maple syrup. Thank Paleo Mama for the recipe that satisfied my craving! LOL
Folks at my CrossFit gym loved these! Thanks for making me a rock star! 🙂
I found the glaze drizzle a bit challenging to get right… but that’s not the recipes fault! 😀
Glad you all enjoyed!
What is your advice for making ahead? I’d like to bake/prep then bring these for a weekend trip, to be served for breakfast one morning. Can I make everything ahead or should some steps be saved for day-of? Any tips for transporting or storing them before serving? Thanks!
I would probably make them and store them in the refrigerator before bringing. The topping will be crumbly so you’ll want to cover them and try not to have them bounce around too much.
I made these as written with grass fed butter in the crumble and they were delicious! The muffins themselves aren’t too sweet, so the amount of crumble and glaze can really help swing them sweeter for the kids and less sweet for me!
Did you use canned coconut milk or carton coconut milk? I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Recently returned from vacation and had to try these Paleo Pumpkin Muffins especially with the cooler weather indicative of anything pumpkin. They were excellent. Thank you! Would have made more than 12 if I could have stopped ‘tasting’ the batter. lol
Would you kindly include tips for storage for recipes such as these. Not certain if they should be refrigerated or just stored on the counter top lightly covered for a few days. Thanks, Michele
Just took these out of the oven and let cool for 10 minutes as directed. I couldn’t wait to try them. These are delicious!! I didn’t use icing; they are perfect without! You will love this recipe!
These look amazing… I’m wondering if you think replacing the3 eggs with “flax eggs” would work?
I was wondering the same thing, did you try this?
These look amazing -I’ll have to make them as a treat for my office!
The muffins turned out well, very tasty. The streusel not so much. I used butter but not the same as the one you mentioned in the ingredients. I would definitely do them again but without the topping.
These do look el perfecto, however, in Australia we literally can not buy pureed pumpkin in a tin. Its not a thing here to put pumpkin into sweet baking, so is there a simple or traditional way to puree a pumpkin? These look delicious, I’d love to make them for my birthday next week xx
You can roast the pumpkin as you would any squash and then mash 🙂
I made these muffins and while they were delicious the streusel melted and the grass fed butter pooled at the bottom. I made sure to keep the streusel cold in the fridge before using. Any suggestions? I’d love to try again but get the streusel crispy and the muffin a tad less “soggy”. Tastes so good though!
Using a higher oven temp can sometimes help with that, I haven’t had that issue with these muffins but sometimes with others. Using a bit less butter might help too.
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I made these without changes to the recipe and they turned out both tasty and beautifully textured. I was happy to find they were still in perfect condition the next day (covered at room temperature). I’m so happy to have found a paleo pumpkin muffin my family loves.
Nice recipe but I have to agree with other visitors that there are WAY too many ads! Really, REALLY annoying. I’m *this* close to just leaving your website and never returning. I’m spending more time closing the ads than reading your content! Shame as you seem to have interesting recipes.
I made these for my extended family this Christmas. Everyone loved them and no one knew they were grain free!
To make these more whole-30-Esque (whole 30 ingredients but I known you can’t bake “treats” technically on it) I replaced all sugar with food processed dates and threw a banana in there too. I loved them!
I’ve made there three times this week. They are incredible.
That’s awesome! Thrilled you love them 🙂
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These turned out amazing!! Smell and taste so delicious and were quite easy to make, cant wait to try out some more of your recipes!
Amazing!! Super moist and delicious!
Amazing!! Super moist and delicious!!
Have you tried coconut oil for the streusel part? I did ghee last night and I must say it didn’t taste that great nor turn out very well. I wanted to avoid using butter.
I used coconut oil in streusel. Everyone loved them.
My roommate’s favorite muffins, and I can’t disagree. Thank you for the lovely recipe!
The muffins tasted foods d streusel turned out nice but the muffin isn’t “cake like” it seems like it’s not baked! I’m new to this Paleo life style so I’m not sure if this is how it’s supposed to taste or if I need to be baking longer! The tooth pick came out clean after 20 min
Husband said these were as good as muffins from a professional bakery (made streusel but not the icing). Thank you so much! Flawless paleo recipes are hard to find.
These are really good, although definitely not overly sweet. I did make them without the icing. The streusel was great and if I made these again, I would try to layer the streusel in the middle of the muffin and then again on top to add some extra sweetness to the batter. Over all I would make them again! My nephew who has to be dairy free loved them and kept saying “mmm mmm” every time he ate them. 🙂
The pumpkin muffins were a smash hit at the house. My wife just started a paleo diet. I saw this recipe and tried it. This is the first time that I have really liked a recipe that uses almond flour. Usually I find almond flour recipes have a grainy texture.
Thank you
Wow, just wow! These muffins are incredible and making this entire transition from summer to fall a whole lot easier!
OH MY WORD! I have tried several of your recipes and they’ve all been wonderful! I made these today and even my non-Paleo family loved them!
Have you had any luck with egg substitutions in these muffins? I tried 1/2 banana and 2-1/4c unsweetened applesauce, but the muffins were a gooey mess. Smelled wonderful, but couldn’t eat them.
These are so incredibly good. I never comment on recipes/posts, but I had to with this one. Thank you!
This is probably the best pumpkin muffin I’ve ever had! Paleo or not! Thank you so much for this delish recipe:-)
This recipe is delicious! My family loved it, and I plan on making it again and again. Thank you for this recipe!
So happy you all enjoyed it!
Are the measurements the same if I changed it into keto ingredients? Replace the sugar. Please let me know. This looks so good and I want to make it this upcoming holiday!
Delicious! The texture is like a mix between a muffin and pumpkin pie. I will definitely make these again 🙂
Soooo yummy! i baked for 26 minutes and they came out perfectly light with a little moisture in the center. I didn’t make the icing. It would probably be good but make it very sweet.
I am allergic or highly sensitive to most nuts. I’ve heard that tigernut flour is a good substitute for almond flour. Have you ever tried baking with it? I’d love to try your baked goods, but nuts are a no-go for me.
As someone new to eating gluten free I find a lot of recipes to be bland or grainy. I absolutely loved this recipe!! Flavorful and moist. I will be making these again
These were delicious! They are definitely a “treat” and would be approved by all types of eaters. I would make them for special occasions – otherwise I just eat them too fast for myself! We did not make the maple syrup and it was plenty sweet without it for me, but others may like it if you prefer a sweeter muffin.
Hmmm did anyone else feel 1 tsp of baking soda was too much? Not sure why but they tasted awful — as if there was too much baking soda.
So delicious! Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Followed recipe exactly and they turned out perfect!
I left a comment above but forgot to rate it!
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I made these today. It is incredibly good. Soft and moist. No one will know they are grain-free and dairy-free! Also, may I highly recommend to not omit the icing on top. It makes a difference! Thank you for your recipe. It’s a keeper!
These turned out amazing! I weighed out and sifted my dry ingredients. I used fresh pumpkin and a coconut/almond milk blend. Skipped the streusel and icing for my test batch, but I will definitely try those when I make them again! The texture is light and soft, just perfection. I don’t think they will last through the day…
Muffins are always a big favorite, even better if it is healthy! I’ll prepare it with my boys 🙂 Thanks for the recipe!
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I loved the muffins! They were definitely delicious!
These did not turn out well. Partially my fault that I used room temperature ghee. Because of the way canned coconut milk settles, it is very hard to make the coconut milk solids blend well in the batter and these came out very runny and oily.
You can’t rate a recipe 1 star if you didn’t follow the instructions! These turned out great. The butter (or whatever you use for the streusel) needs to be cold. Put your can of coconut milk in warm water to help combine the water and cream easier. The only thing I changed was baking for 5 minutes longer and I’m glad I did.
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I don’t understand the streusel – says to use the almond flour, but then you say you all 3 flours for the dry ingredient mix. Are you using a portion of the almond flour for the streusel?
The flour for the streusel recipe is separate from the flour in the rest of the batter. You use 3/4 cup flour in the streusel recipe ( although this made too much streusel in my opinion ) and 1 3/4 cup almond flour with the tapioca flour & coconut flour for the muffin batter.
I would use 2/3 cup almond flour, 2-3 T coconut sugar and 3T cold butter with the spices for the streusel next time.
Ok these are insanely delicious. I just made a few changes – used monkfruit sweetner in the batter instead of coconut sugar and only used 3 T instead of the 1/3 cup. But I did add 1T of coconut oil to the recipe.
Did use the coconut sugar in the streusel recipe.
Next time I will cut down the streusel measurements because it made too much – even with putting 1T of streusel on each muffin.
Love the combination of grain free flours!
Hey. I really want to use your recipes. Unfortunately, I use my mobile device in the kitchen to look up recipes while Im cooking/baking. Your site contains so many ads on your site that the webpage literally crashes every time I open a recipe. I had to whip out my laptop to write this comment. Even on a computer, the website is bogged down by ads and videos. I’ve resorted to taking screen shots of the ingredients. So with all of that said, while I have been able to make a few of your recipes and I do absolutely love them, I will be finding another paleo chef/baker to follow. It’s just not worth the frustration of swimming through the blocks of text, ads and pictures to get to the damn recipe.
Paleo pumpkin muffins were phenomenal, taste was perfect and looked like made in a high end bakery! Your recipes are the best, got us through isolation for COVID and my friends request the banana scones every week, so I buy your cookbook and send them a gift. Have you ever tried peach scones, or are they too juicy?
This is truly a great and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing it! My daughter really love this cake!
This recipe was so so delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Is there a flour alternative in place of almond flour that would work well in these muffins? I am allergic to almonds and have been having a hard time finding yummy paleo recipes without almond flour and I am not sure how to substitute other flours in it’s place!
My son, who is three, devoured these—the whole family loved them! Thanks for all of your amazing recipes.
Such an amazing fall recipe 🙂 Definitely a nice change up from the constant pumpkin. Turned the recipe into a cake and it turned out great!
I am just starting out Paleo and these don’t make me miss flour at all!