Almond Flour Pumpkin Cupcakes (or Muffins)

These almond flour pumpkin cupcakes are so moist that they almost melt in your mouth. The pumpkin flavors are strong and the frosting is just the “icing on top” of this already delicious recipe. You’ll see I had a little fun spicing it up for Halloween with my chocolate cobweb decoration. This recipe is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill and contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.

Fall is all about pumpkin, and I’m getting you (and me) in the fall spirit with today’s awesome new pumpkin recipe, which you can enjoy now and year-round.

I also know so many of you love to bake with almond flour (and so do I), and I’m a bit overdue for adding a new almond flour recipe to the mix.

Today, however, the wait is over. I’ve got a mighty tasty almond flour recipe ready for you.

About that Almond Flour

Before we talk about the delicious almond flour pumpkin muffin recipe, I want to share a bit more about almond flour, and how it works in baked goods. You can read my article, Can You Use Almond Flour in Place of Regular Flour? for more information on how to best work with almond flour.

Almond flour has only a slightly nutty flavor, so it won’t taste overtly like almonds, and the flour offers so much moisture and texture to baked goods.

Further, almond flour adds nutrient-density to your baked goods. Almonds contain vitamin E, protein, fiber, and healthy fats all while being low in carbohydrates and, of course, naturally gluten free.

Please note that you cannot swap almond flour as a 1:1 swap for wheat flour; however, as a general rule of thumb, you may be able to replace wheat flour with almond flour minus 25 percent.

For example, if your recipe calls for 1 cup of wheat flour, use 3/4 cup of almond flour instead. Your best bet, however, is to work from a well-tested, tried-and-true almond flour recipe like the one I share below.

Ingredients Needed

To make these moist, melt-in-your-mouth gluten-free pumpkin cupcakes, which can also work as muffins, you’ll need a few ingredients.

Almond Flour: First and foremost, you’ll need to get Bob’s Red Mill super fine ground almond flour. While I highly recommend using this exact flour for your recipe, if you’re using a different almond flour, make sure it’s blanched and ground to a fine meal, both which make it ideal for baking.

What I love about Bob’s Red Mill almond flour is that it’s processed, packaged, and tested in a dedicated gluten-free facility. It’s also made without GMOs, and is suitable for use by those on a kosher, paleo and/or keto-friendly diet.

Pumpkin Puree: You’ll also need pumpkin puree to make this recipe. Please look for pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix. There is a difference.

Spices: You’ll also need a few in-season spices, including ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves.

Baking Essentials: You’ll also need the following pantry staples to make this recipe: Cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, oil, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla extract.

How to Make Pumpkin Muffins

You’ll find working with almond flour is quite easy, and that the flour quickly soaks up all the ingredients to form a smooth batter.

Step #1: Whisk together the Bob’s Red Mill almond flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt in a large bowl and set it aside.

Step #2: In a second bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Step #3: Incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well, by hand, until a smooth batter forms.

Step #4: Spoon the cupcake batter into a prepared muffin tin lined with cupcake liners. Fill each about 3/4 of the way full. You’ll have enough batter to make 12 muffins.

Step #5: Bake the cupcakes in a 350º F oven for 18-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Start checking your muffins at 18 minutes and watch them closely as oven temperatures can vary.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool a few minutes in the pan before placing them on a wire rack to continue cooling.

Here is what they look like right out of the oven. Aren’t they pretty?!?

Substitutions

Here are a few commonly asked questions about substitutions and swaps:

No Cornstarch: If you don’t have nor eat cornstarch, you can use arrowroot starch instead.

Make It Dairy Free: The muffins, as is, are already dairy free, however, the frosting and chocolate cobwebs, which I’ll show you how to make next, are not. You can make the frosting dairy free by using vegan butter instead of regular butter, and a dairy-free milk alternative. You can also use dairy-free chocolate to make the cobwebs pictured below.

Egg-Free: I have not tested this recipe with egg substitutes.

Now For the Frosting

Once your cupcakes are cool, it’s time to commence frosting!

To make the frosting, add the softened butter into a bowl attached to your mixer, and beat the butter until smooth and creamy.

Add the salt and vanilla, and continue to beat the mixture until all the ingredients are well combined.

Slowly add the powdered sugar, one half of cup at a time, until smooth, then add 1-2 tablespoons of milk (or milk alternative) until you reach the desired consistency. It should be creamy and hold together well, but not too runny. Add more or less powdered sugar or milk until the frosting is of desired consistency.

Now for the fun part, pipe the frosting on the muffins / cupcakes into your desired look. I used a 1M (open star) tip to frost these pretty muffins.

The frosting adds sweetness and fun to these cupcakes. As you can see when I cut into the cupcakes, the inside cake is moist and soft, which is consistent for baked goods baked with almond flour. Are you drooling yet?

A Halloween Twist

I love making these muffins in the fall, and sometimes I even make them for Halloween.

If you want to turn these pumpkin muffins into a Halloween-themed pumpkin cupcakes, you can make these fun chocolate cobwebs for garnish.

To make these fun chocolate cobweb garnishes, melt ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips over a double boiler or in your microwave in 30 second increments. You want the chocolate smooth and creamy. Do not overheat it.

Place the melted chocolate in a piping bag and pipe cobweb designs on a piece of wax paper or parchment paper. Allow the cobwebs to harden completely in the refrigerator or freezer, and then place them on your muffins just before serving.

The chocolate cobwebs dress up the pumpkin cupcakes, giving them a spooky-yet-elegant vibe.

More Recipes

If you love this gluten-free pumpkin cupcake recipe, be sure to check out these other fun recipes:

Spooky Gluten-Free Brownies: These double chocolate brownies are perfect, and they can be decorated for Halloween, too.

Apple Pie Almond Flour Muffins: Love baking with almond flour? This recipe has been trending on my blog for a long while, and it’s mighty tasty if I say so myself!

Chocolate Cupcakes with Raspberry Buttercream: This is a no-fail chocolate cupcake recipe that is perfect any time of the year.