Made from wholesome ingredients like nuts, seeds, coconut, and eggs, these low carb Pumpkin Spice Muffins for breakfast keep me full for hours. They’re gluten-free & dairy-free deliciousness!
I am ready for Fall, and although I am not one to jump on the pumpkin bandwagon, I do have a few pumpkin recipes I’d like to share, starting with this low carb pumpkin spice muffin for breakfast. And can we talk about muffins for a minute? I love muffins. I have always loved muffins, but I’m not always a fan of low carb muffins.
Perhaps I’m easing into a mid-life crisis or just a mid-life dissatisfaction. I love the low carb, gluten-free recipes I make, but I yearn to make them a little better. And one to buck convention, I am feeling the need to do things differently than everyone else. It’s who I am. My mother always said that I had to “learn things the hard way”. And the phrase, “You can’t tell her anything,” often comes to mind these days. It’s so true.
I am in love with these healthy pumpkin spice breakfast muffins!
I am in love with these healthy pumpkin spice breakfast muffins!
I worked on several batches of these pumpkin spice muffins before I was happy. The muffins are not light and fluffy but rather more substantial in texture. I think they make the perfect low carb breakfast muffin. Full of fiber, seeds and nuts, they keep me full for hours. I enjoy them warmed in the microwave and slathered in butter, and my kids have been taking them to school as snacks. Not only do they taste great, but they are a little bigger than traditional low carb muffins and look nice, too.
I will be experimenting more with oat fiber and psyllium fiber over this next year to see if I can make some texture and size improvements to some of our low carb, gluten-free staples. Let me know how you feel about using either of these ingredients in baked goods.
Okay, it’s breakfast time and I’m grabbing the last of these low carb pumpkin spice breakfast muffins!
These Low Carb Pumpkin Spice Muffins For Breakfast are 6 net carbs each
[Disclosure: This recipe contains affiliate links.]
Healthy Low Carb Pumpkin Spice Muffins for Breakfast
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups Almond Flour (200 g)
- 1 cup Dried Shredded Coconut, roughly chopped, (100 g)
- 1/3 cup Coconut Flour (35 g)
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds, roughly chopped,( 45 g)
- 1/3 cup pumpkin kernels, roughly chopped,( 40 g)
- 1/2 cup erythritol (120 g)
- 2 tablespoons psyllium husk powder (20 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2.5 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (2.5 g)
Spice mix
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Wet Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 3/4 cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree (170 g)
- 3/4 cup full fat coconut milk from a can (1.77 ml / 235 g)
- 1 tablespoon vinegar (15 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon stevia glycerite (2.5 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon maple extract (2.5 g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and move the rack to the lower third of the oven.
- Liberally spray a 12 hole muffin pan with baking spray.
- Measure the nuts and coconut and either give them a rough chop with a knife or pulse them a few times in a food processor or coffee grinder, and place them into a large mixing bowl.
- Measure and add all of the dry ingredients, plus the spices, to the large bowl and whisk together until completely blended.
- In a smaller bowl, add all of the wet ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly, scraping the bowl to get everything incorporated. Let the mix sit in the bowl for five minutes.
- Distribute the batter evenly into each muffin cup making sure to pile it into the center of the cup like a mountain. If the batter is not touching the sides or bottom in places, that's okay, it will fill in as it bakes.
- Place the pumpkin spice muffins into the oven and turn the oven up to 400 degrees for 8 minutes. Then, turn the oven back down to 350 and bake for about 30 minutes more - until the muffins are browned and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Notes
Nutrition
I see in your Strawberry Muffins you call for fresh baking powder. I am not sure what that is. Does it mean a fresh container of baking powder or is it something else. These recipes sound delicious and so will be busy trying them out.
Hi Jean. The strawberry muffin recipe calls for regular baking powder, but someone mentioned that their muffins did not rise much, so I added to be sure that your baking powder was fresh vs sitting around in the cabinet for a year. That’s all. I hope this helps. And, yes. I love these pumpkin spice muffins. They are very filling and taste great. -Kim
Hi low carb maven! What I live about this recipe, is that the muffins actually have a true “bread-like” texture. So much keto baking all tastes the same to me. Question: can the coconut be substituted with something else? I find them a little more coconut favoured than pumpkin.
Hi Phyllis. I’m glad you are happy with the texture of these muffins. I suggest subbing the coconut milk with 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup water and/or adding some Pumpkin Spice Extract instead of omitting the coconut. The coconut absorbs some of the liquid and adds to the overall texture. I found some Pumpkin Spice extract on Amazon and use it in both coffee and desserts. I think you will be happy with the additional flavor it adds. Let me know if this helps or if I can help you tweak this recipe further for your tastes. -Kim
I’m so happy to have found this recipe! And I had almost all of the ingredients already, so made my first batch yesterday. I did change a few things:
– I didn’t have the seeds/kernels, so used a mix of hemp hearts, chia seeds, and roughly chopped pecans.
– I added a splash of vanilla
– I didn’t have erythritol, so used xylitol and monk fruit (I’m sure the flavour is the same, though)
– I used a little more stevia as I like my muffins to be sweeter
– I used 2 1/2 tbs cinnamon and 1 tbs ground ginger, and also added a sprinkle of nutmeg
– Since I used some chia seeds, I used a whole cup of pumpkin for the extra moisture content
Oh my goodness, they are SO good!!
I made these a couple of weeks ago and had some friends over. One of them is on a Keto WOE, so I shared these with her (and the others that were over) and she really like them. Thanks again for recipes that I don’t have to worry will be good! :-)
Hola, gracias por compartir sus recetas, muy buenas!
De nada, mi amigo! -Kim
HI Kim,
This recipe sounds so good. I love everything you make. I do not like cocoanut and was wondering if I could exclude it and the seeds. I don’t have any and no car to go get any. I will get some next time I get to the groc.
Could I replace the seeds with. Nuts. I have all kinds of nuts. I’m sorry to ask to alter any of your recipes.
Thank you
Hi Patti. Sure, you could replace the coconut with nuts. I don’t mind helping with substitutions. Are you okay with coconut flour? The coconut flour helps with the texture and bigger yield. You may be able to sub with 1/4 cup oat fiber. Anything beyond that is completely changing the recipe chemistry and I can only vouch for the recipe as written. Have a nice day. -Kim
Outstanding!! I made a double batch, thankfully, as this muffin recipe was a hit. I will definitely be making this one again. Well done!
These muffins look delicious. I’ll be making them tomorrow. I have been Keto for 7 months now and use oat fibre and psyllium husk fibre in a number of recipes. Oat fibre does have a few carbs (i.e. 1 tsp has 3 g carbs and 3 g of fibre so that works out to 0 net carbs). Works for me!
Enjoy the muffins, Teri. I like them very much. -Kim
These are amazing….I have tried serveral of your recipes and have enjoyed all of them….thank-you …looking forward to making more.
Fantastic, Donna. I’m so glad you are finding some recipes that you like. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment and rate the recipe. Have a great week. -Kim
Hello Kim! I can’t wait to try it!! Thankyou for your recipe!
But i couldnt find pumkin puree in my town…! Could you tell me what can i sub for the pumpkin puree please?
Hi Mel. Wow, I never stopped to think that someone couldn’t get canned pureed pumpkin. Hmmmm. I wonder if you have any other orange pumpkins in the stores that you can use – butternut, Kabocha, acorn, delicata? If not, then I bet you could use zucchini or yellow (summer) squash. I haven’t tried it because this recipe was made specifically for pumpkin, but it may work. Incidentally, I do have a zucchini bread recipe that can be made into muffins and a chocolate zucchini muffin recipe, too. I hope these ideas spark your creativity. -Kim
I can’t use psyllium husks. Would like to know other options to use in it’s place please.
Hi Linda. This recipe relies on the psyllium husks to provide bulk and fiber for a hearty satisfying muffin. How To This And That has a similar recipe, based on my recipe, that does not use psyllium husks. Perhaps that is a recipe better suited to you? I hope this helps. -Kim
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Wondering if heavy whipping cream would work in place of full fat coconut milk?
Yes, Susan. You can use heavy cream. Coconut milk is thinner and has less fat than heavy cream so you could even thin is by a quarter if you want to. Enjoy the recipe. -Kim
I just made these very special muffins this morning. I’m taking muffins to our Ladies church retreat tomorrow and wanted a low carb and gluten free option since I have a Keto way of eating lifestyle. This is a wonderful muffin that rivals a regular fully loaded muffin. Better if you ask me. A couple of comments: I did do a 1 to 1 replacement of the full fat coconut milk for heavy whipping cream. Worked just fine and tastes heavenly. I used pumpkin spice mix but I added a bit more, and also added a bit more cinnamon. Next time I think I’ll add even more – just depends on how much spice flavor you like! I think it’s also worth mentioning that most low carb baking recipes don’t rise too much. So I did really pile the batter up above the the rim of the paper baking cups. The muffins came out lovely with a nice tall mound! I baked 8 minutes at the 400 degree mentioned, then I turned the oven down to 350 and baked for 27 minutes (my oven temperature is pretty accurate too). The tops were nice and golden and would have started to burn if I had cooked any longer. Recipe requires quite a bit of measuring, but it’s a very simple recipe. Measure, combine, and bake! Thank you so much Kim!
I’m glad you like the muffins, Susan. Most people see the list of ingredients and SCRAM! Thank you for taking a chance. Enjoy your Ladies retreat. -Kim
Do you know the carb count for this recipe?
Jennifer, they are 12 total carbs each or 6 net carbs each. They have a lot of fiber from the nut flour and psyllium fiber. They are very filling and delicious. -Kim
Forgot the rating. 5 stars!
Thank you, Paula!
I made these this morning with pumpkin puree from a baked pie pumpkin. These completely exceeded my expectations! The best LCHF muffin recipe I have found. Thanks you so much!
Yay! I’m so glad you like this recipe. It has a lot of ingredients, so it gets passed over and never gets the attention it deserves. Thank you for giving it a try. I have some homemade pumpkin puree and will have to try it in this recipe like you did. Thank you for taking the time to come back, Paula and leaving such a nice comment and rating. Have a great week! -Kim
Hi Kim, this recipe looks great! I’ve recently moved though and can’t find my muffin tins. Any suggestions on turning it into a loaf? I would imagine it would need to bake longer, but not sure if the same temperature shift would apply. Any thoughts? Thanks!
Hmm. That a great question Liaren. I have not made this in a while so I can’t remember what the muffin batter was like. You could try it in a loaf. I would keep the baking temp the same. I really have no idea how long it would take. I’m sorry. Maybe I should go buy some pumpkin and try it out. So sorry I couldn’t be of any help tonight. -Kim
Hi I have read somewhere else that you can use ground golden flax for the psyllium husk powder-have you ever tried this or recommend it? Thanks-I am a fan of your recipes!
Hi Julie. I have not tried a 1:1 sub of flax meal for psyllium husk powder. You can try, but I don’t know how it will effect the recipe. Thanks for the nice comment. Have a nice day. -Kim
These are the best muffins I have made. So light and very tasty.
Thank you for the recipe.
I’m so glad you like the muffins, Jennifer. They are a great breakfast option. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Have a great weekend. -Kim
Hi Kim. First of all, thanks so much for this blog and the amazing recipes! You are a truly talented chef!
I am writing because you asked for feedback on oat flour and psyllium husks.
I am LCHF, so I will use psyllium husks but not oat flour or protien powder.
In general: What can I sub for protein powder in recipes?
Also, I’d love to use apple cider or regular vinegar in recipes.
Thanks again!!!
Hi Lynn, thanks for weighing in! I do not like using oat flour either, but I do use oat FIBER which is a different. It has a very high fiber content and can also push those total carbs up if too much is used. I think using vinegar as a helper for low carb baking is great – our baked goods sometimes need the extra oomph, right? You can always use 1-2 tablespoons more coconut flour to sub for protein powder in recipes. Most recpes only call for about 1/3 a cup. If a recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons or less, you can just leave it out, but know that the texture of the product may be different. Protein powder adds some structure to low carb baked goods. Gluten is a protein in regular flour that provides stretch and the protein powder sorta-kinda replicates it to some degree. Thanks so much for leaving your comment and for the nice compliments. Have a wonderful day! -Kim
Somehow i missed this last fall. I definitely need to try it, though! It looks great! I cook with psyllium husk a lot. But not oat fiber, because it’s a grain, and I don’t eat grains.
Hi Elaine. These muffins are super good. Thanks so much for weighing-in on the oat fiber. Enjoy the muffins! -Kim
So many amazing ingredients in one little muffin! Can’t wait to try them. I’ve never heard of mace before, at least not the spice haha!
Hello, Vicky. I hope you like them. Mace is the yellow covering on the nutmeg and is commonly used in pumpkin pie spice. You could totally sub pumpkin pie spice for the seasonings if you like. Thanks for the laugh! -Kim
Ah, good to know! Thanks so much for clearing that up :)
Anytime! :)
these look great – and filling – wonder if I can just cut the baking time and make them into Mini-muffins – to freeze as little “sweet” treats! I guess I would have to adjust the baking time…then they would also to less in carbs per mini!
Hi, Sandy. Thanks. I was thinking about the same thing last night. I would only bake them at 400 for three minutes then back to 350 for the rest of the time. It makes a nice sized muffin so I bet it would make lot of mini muffins. Let me know if you do it and how it turns out. Have a nice day! -Kim
Hi, can I know if I can omit the vinegar. Actually what is the function of vinegar here?
Hi Annie. The vinegar helps activate the leavening for more lift. You can use lemon juice if you want. -Kim