Soft, fluffy, and moist gluten free pumpkin muffins. These gluten free muffins are packed with spices and have a hint of orange flavor. Having these muffins for breakfast is one of my favorite things to do.
The Science Behind the Ingredients
- Gluten-Free Flour Mix: To make these gluten free pumpkin muffins, the flours needed are white rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch, and brown rice flour. These gluten-free flours combined will provide the gluten-free flour mix required for this recipe to succeed. The ratio of each flour was well studied and developed to achieve a muffin with a moist crumb and chewy texture. When buying rice flour, I highly suggest purchasing superfine ones.
- Flavor: The flavor of this pumpkin muffin is bought to life using cinnamon, clove, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Moreover, I added a little bit of orange zest that compliments the flavor of the pumpkin very well. I highly recommend the addition of orange zest to these gluten free pumpkin muffins!
- Texture: Muffins are known for their moist crumbs, chewy texture, and round top. This recipe delivers on all three. The brown sugar used in this recipe makes the muffins moist, while the tapioca flour provides the muffins with chewiness. In addition, muffins are usually denser than cupcakes, and to achieve that, the batter is not overmixed, and minimum air is beaten into it.
Rise: Muffins are known to be big and tall. Achieving a good rise is difficult in gluten-free baking. Therefore, the use of both baking soda and baking powder will help achieve a good rise. The eggs will also work to provide the muffins with structure and help with the leavening.
The Process of Making Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
The process of making these gluten free pumpkin muffins is simple and easy. These muffins can literally be done in half an hour. Here is how simple it is to make these muffins.
- Mix the dry ingredients: You want to start by mixing the flours, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and salt together. Make sure to whisk the ingredients well
- Mix the wet ingredients: Using a separate bowl, add the oil, milk, white sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, and orange zest. Using a whisk combine the ingredients until they are well incorporated.
- Creating the muffin batter: Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Using a spatula, gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. The folding technique minimizes the amount of air that gets incorporated into the batter. It helps achieve a dense muffin.
- Time to Bake: Align a muffin tin with cupcake liners. Then fill each liner all the way through with pumpkin muffin batter. Filling the liners to the top helps achieve the big and tall muffin look we want. Meanwhile, to prevent the batter from overflowing, bake the muffins at 200°C (395°F) for the first 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 180°C (356 °F) and bake for another 7-10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the muffin comes out clean.
Dairy-free Option
The beauty of these gluten free pumpkin muffins is that you can easily make them dairy-free. Instead of using full-fat milk to make these muffins, you can substitute it with your choice of non-dairy milk.
Check Other Muffin Recipes!
Video Tutorial
Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 110 grams of White Rice Flour (Sifted)
- 44 grams of Tapioca Flour (Sifted)
- 22 grams of Corn Starch (Sifted)
- 44 grams of Brown Rice Flour (Sifted)
- ¾ teaspoon of Xanthan Gum
- 1 teaspoon of Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon of Baking Powder
- 2 teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of Ground Clove
- ¼ teaspoon of Ground Ginger
- ¼ teaspoon of Ground Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon of Salt
- 120 ml of Vegetable Oil
- 60 ml of Full Fat Milk
- 150 grams of Granulated White Sugar
- 50 grams of Brown Sugar
- 340 grams of Pumpkin Puree
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 teaspoon of Orange Zest
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (approx 395 °F).
- Add the white rice flour, tapioca flour, corset, starch, brown rice flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, baking powder, and all the ground spices in a bowl. Whisk the ingredients together to combine.
- In a separate bowl, add the vegetable oil, granulated white sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, and orange zest. Whisk the ingredients until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients in step 1 to the wet ingredients in step two and gently fold the two together using a spatula. Keep folding until the muffin batter has formed. Ensure that you don’t overmix the batter.
- Align a muffin tin with cupcake liners, and fill each liner with pumpkin muffin batter to the top.
- Bake the muffins for 10 minutes at 200°C (395°F), then bake them for another 7-10 minutes at 180°C (356 °F) or until a toothpick inserted at the center of the muffins comes out clean.
Notes
- Baking Tips: When combining the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, try not to overmix the batter. Overmixing the muffin batter will yield dense and thick muffins.
- Dairy-Free Option: To make this gluten-free pumpkin muffin dairy-free, substitute the full-fat milk with non-dairy milk such as almond milk or coconut milk.
- Freezing and Storage: The baked muffin can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to five days. Before serving, bring the muffin back to room temperature or heat it for 20 seconds in the microwave. Moreover, you can wrap each baked muffin with plastic wrap and store them in a sealed bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Melanie says
My friend came for brunch and I made these as she is sensitive to gluten and it was such a hit! So delicious!
Tammy says
Love the GF mix you made here. These muffins look SO good! Moist and soft...what a gorgeous deep color too. I wish I could reach into my screen and grab one right now!
Leslie says
So much to love about this pumpkin muffin recipe! I absolutely ADORE that these are gluten-free! Great recipe for all!
Veronika says
I just made these muffins and they are so delicious! It was very easy to follow the recipe and they came out perfect!
Linda says
Love these muffins and rice flour make a big difference!
Elaine says
I thought I had the best pumpkin muffin recipe ever... until I saw yours! Fantastic result and very easy-to-follow instructions!
Freya says
These look and sound so good! I’m thrilled that you’ve made a wholesome gluten free muffin recipe, can’t wait to try it!
Lindsay says
This recipe is PERFECT! I have a GF friend in the hospital with her baby right now, and I'm making these to take to her so she'll have some sustenance while they wait for healing. Thank you for this recipe!
Kristina says
These are delicious pumpkin muffins! I also need dairy free, so my only change was using vanilla almond milk. Came out perfect!
Andrea White says
Love that these are gluten-free! So delicious, fluffy, and flavorful!
Kathryn says
These gluten-free pumpkin muffins are so moist, easy to make and I love the orange zest! I loved these as a morning snack!
Marta says
Excellent fall recipe to share. Excellent flavors, texture, and easy to make.
Bernice says
Wow! These muffins are stunning...just look at that beautiful colour and fluffy texture. I bet your house smells amazing when you bake them too.
shelby says
The texture on these muffins looks like perfection! I'm looking forward to enjoying one with my afternoon tea!