These paleo pumpkin muffins are soft, moist and perfectly spiced with a cinnamon streusel topping and optional maple icing! Gluten-free and grain-free.
*Recipe Update: I originally published these pumpkin muffins several years ago and recently retested and updated the recipe to improve the texture and flavor. The new version eliminates coconut flour and uses an updated almond flour and tapioca flour base for a softer, more tender muffin.
These Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel are soft, moist, perfectly spiced and topped with the best buttery cinnamon crumble! Made with almond flour, pumpkin puree and maple sugar, they’re gluten-free, grain-free and naturally sweetened, with an easy dairy-free option. Add the optional maple icing for the ultimate fall muffin!
There’s nothing better than a freshly baked pumpkin muffin once fall baking season begins, especially when there’s plenty of cinnamon streusel involved.
These pumpkin streusel muffins have been a favorite for years, and I updated the recipe to make the texture even better. The muffin batter now uses a simple combination of blanched almond flour and tapioca flour with no coconut flour, giving the muffins a soft, tender crumb that’s moist without being heavy or gummy.
The pumpkin spice flavor is bold, maple sugar gives them a rich caramel-like sweetness, and the crumbly cinnamon streusel makes every bite feel like something you’d pick up from a bakery.
And if you really want to take them over the top, finish them with the optional maple icing!
Why You’ll Love These Paleo Pumpkin Muffins
These muffins have everything I want in a fall baking recipe! They’re packed with pumpkin and warm spices but still light and tender, and the crunchy-sweet cinnamon topping is the perfect contrast to the soft muffin underneath.
They’re also:
- Soft, moist and fluffy without being dense
- Made with real pumpkin puree
- Packed with pumpkin spice and cinnamon flavor
- Made with almond flour and tapioca flour with no coconut flour
- Gluten-free and grain-free
- Naturally sweetened with maple sugar
- Easy to make dairy-free
- Perfect for breakfast, brunch, snacks or fall dessert
- Freezer friendly
- Even better with an optional maple icing
Ingredients You Need for Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Pumpkin Puree
Make sure you use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin gives these muffins their moisture, color and classic fall flavor.
Maple Sugar
Maple sugar adds sweetness while also giving the muffins a deeper maple-caramel flavor that works perfectly with pumpkin and cinnamon.
I especially love the flavor of maple sugar here, so I use a generous 3/4 cup in the muffin batter.
Refined Coconut Oil
Refined coconut oil adds richness and creates a more tender muffin crumb without adding coconut flavor.
Make sure the melted coconut oil is slightly cooled before whisking it with the eggs.
Blanched Almond Flour
Use fine blanched almond flour, not almond meal. Almond flour forms the base of these paleo pumpkin muffins and gives them their moist, tender texture.
Tapioca Flour or Arrowroot
Tapioca flour lightens the almond flour and gives the muffins better structure and bounce.
Arrowroot flour can be used in the same amount if that’s what you have.
Pumpkin Pie Spice and Cinnamon
A full tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice plus extra cinnamon makes these muffins especially flavorful.
The streusel gets another dose of cinnamon for lots of warm fall spice in every bite.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda
Using both gives these almond flour pumpkin muffins a better rise and lighter texture.
If you follow a strict paleo diet, choose a grain-free baking powder.
How to Make Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining a standard 12-cup muffin pan with parchment liners.
I like to make the streusel first so it has time to chill while the muffin batter comes together.
Combine the almond flour, maple sugar, cinnamon, optional pumpkin pie spice and sea salt. Cut in the cold butter, ghee or solid coconut oil until you have moist crumbs with some larger pieces throughout.
You don’t want the streusel to look completely sandy. Those larger crumbs are what give you the best bakery-style topping.
Place the streusel in the refrigerator while you make the muffins.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin puree, maple sugar, melted coconut oil and vanilla until smooth.
In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until completely combined.
The finished batter will be thick and scoopable, but it shouldn’t feel dry or stiff.
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin liners. The batter should come close to the top of the liners while still leaving enough space for the streusel.
Generously crumble the cold cinnamon streusel over each muffin and lightly press a few of the larger pieces into the batter.
Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until the muffin tops are set and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Cool the muffins in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
Don’t Skip the Cinnamon Streusel!
The cinnamon streusel is what really sets these apart from basic pumpkin muffins.
For the best texture, make sure your butter, ghee or coconut oil is cold before you mix the topping. You want to see actual crumbs rather than one smooth mixture.
I prefer grass-fed butter when dairy isn’t an issue because it gives the streusel the richest flavor and the crispest crumb.
Ghee works beautifully as well.
For completely dairy-free pumpkin muffins, use solid refined coconut oil. The topping will be slightly softer and finer but still delicious.
Optional Maple Icing
These pumpkin muffins are sweet and flavorful enough to enjoy without icing, but a little maple drizzle makes them extra special!
Whisk powdered sugar with maple syrup and just enough almond milk to create a drizzle consistency.
Wait until the muffins are mostly cooled before adding the icing. It will set after about 15 minutes.
Paleo note: Conventional powdered sugar isn’t strictly paleo. To keep the icing paleo-friendly, you can make powdered sugar from maple sugar by blending it until very fine. The color will be darker than traditional white icing, but the maple flavor is delicious.
You can also simply leave the icing off.
Tips for the Best Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
Always measure your almond flour carefully and use a fine blanched almond flour for the best texture.
Don’t substitute coconut flour for the almond flour. Coconut flour absorbs dramatically more moisture and won’t work as a 1:1 substitution in this recipe.
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature so the melted coconut oil doesn’t solidify when the ingredients are mixed together.
Don’t overmix the muffin batter once you add the dry ingredients. Stir just until everything is combined.
Fill the muffin cups fairly high. The batter should be close to the top while still leaving room for plenty of streusel.
And make sure you don’t overbake them. Almond flour baked goods continue to set as they cool, so remove the muffins once a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Can I Make These Pumpkin Muffins Dairy-Free?
Yes! The muffin batter itself is dairy-free.
For the streusel, simply replace the grass-fed butter or ghee with solid refined coconut oil.
Use almond milk or another dairy-free milk in the optional maple icing.
Can I Substitute Arrowroot for Tapioca Flour?
Yes. Arrowroot flour and tapioca flour can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
Both help lighten the almond flour and give the muffins a softer texture.
Can I Use Coconut Sugar Instead of Maple Sugar?
You can substitute coconut sugar in the same amount, although the flavor and color will be slightly different.
I prefer maple sugar in these muffins because its flavor is especially good with pumpkin, cinnamon and the maple icing.
How to Store Pumpkin Muffins
Once completely cooled, store the muffins loosely covered at room temperature for the first day.
For longer storage, keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about 4–5 days.
I like to bring refrigerated muffins back to room temperature before serving, or warm one briefly so the crumb softens again.
Can You Freeze Pumpkin Muffins?
Yes! These muffins freeze very well.
Allow them to cool completely, then wrap them tightly and place them in a freezer-safe container or bag.
Freeze for up to about 2-3 months.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
For the best appearance, if you’re planning to freeze them, I recommend freezing them without the maple icing and adding it after thawing.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
If you love fall baking as much as I do, try my:
Paleo Pumpkin Donuts with Maple Icing
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
And if you’re looking for even more ideas, check out my collection of Paleo Pumpkin Recipes for Fall!
I hope you’re ready for pumpkin season because these muffins are the perfect place to start! Grab your pumpkin, cinnamon and maple sugar and let’s bake!
Paleo Pumpkin Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel
Ingredients
Pumpkin Muffin Batter:
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup maple sugar
- 1/4 cup refined coconut oil melted and slightly cooled
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour or arrowroot
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
Cinnamon streusel topping:
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup maple sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice optional
- Pinch sea salt
- 3 tablespoons grass-fed butter or ghee, cold, cubed. For dairy-free: solid refined coconut oil
Optional maple icing:
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 2-3 teaspoons almond milk or milk of your choice
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with parchment liners.
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Make the streusel first. Combine almond flour, maple sugar, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Cut in the cold butter/ghee/coconut oil until you have distinct moist crumbs rather than a fine sandy mixture. Refrigerate while you make the batter.
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Whisk the eggs, pumpkin, maple sugar, coconut oil and vanilla until smooth.
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In another bowl, whisk the almond flour, tapioca, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and salt.
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Stir the dry ingredients into the wet just until completely combined. The batter should be thick and scoopable but not stiff.
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Divide evenly among 12 muffin cups, the batter should be near the top but leaving room for the streusel topping.
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Crumble the streusel generously over each muffin, lightly pressing a few of the larger crumbs into the batter so they stay attached.
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Bake for 22–25 minutes, or until the tops are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
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Cool about 10 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack.
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Once the muffins are mostly cooled, whisk together the icing, if using, and drizzle as desired over the muffin tops. The icing will set after about 15 minutes. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
For dairy-free muffins: Use cold, solid refined coconut oil in the streusel instead of butter or ghee and dairy-free milk in the icing.
Powdered sugar: Traditional powdered sugar isn't paleo. If you prefer a strictly paleo-friendly maple icing, finely blend maple sugar until it reaches a powdered consistency. The icing will have a darker color.
Tapioca/arrowroot: Either tapioca flour or arrowroot flour works well in the same amount.
Pumpkin: Be sure to use pure pumpkin purée rather than pumpkin pie filling.
Storage: Store loosely covered at room temperature for the first day, then transfer to an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Freezing: Freeze cooled muffins tightly wrapped for up to 2-3 months. For the best results, freeze without icing and add the icing after thawing.
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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!
My absolute FAVORITE recipe!! So, so yummy!!
Perfect consistency! The texture of the muffin is perfect and the streusel sticks on top so well. Great flavor 🙂
These are the BEST muffins! I made a dozen two nights ago and there are only 2 left. My husband loves them, and that’s a win for me!!!