Even though it’s currently 83 degrees here in Pittsburgh right now, as soon as September hit, my mind went into full-blown FALL mode and didn’t look back. (Though I admit, I kind of just tolerate summer because I know Fall comes next.) And not only does Fall bring with it the typical colors, harvests, and flavors, but it also ushers in a big dose of nostalgia for me. Especially surrounding Fall baking! Every time I smell cinnamon and sweet spices, they take me back to the warm, cozy, and tantalizing smells coming from my mom’s kitchen after long days at school.
Sometimes those Fall spices were simply from the Yankee candles my mom would light when the weather got cool and crisp. But, on special days, I’d come into the kitchen and smell pumpkin and cinnamon and knew that I was in for a real treat. My mom’s pumpkin spice muffins were something I could never get enough of! She would bake them in this old cast iron muffin tin where the muffin cups were actually shaped like dinosaurs! (What little kid wouldn’t love that, right?!) Naturally, we just referred to them as “Dino Muffins,” and still do to this day.
This month, I was really craving some good old Dino Muffins, but unfortunately, the recipe is packed with flour, eggs, butter, and whole host of ingredients I can’t have while on the AIP/Paleo diet. I knew it was time to be creative and come up with my own version of those dinosaur-shaped pumpkin treats. So, today’s Paleo Pumpkin Spice Muffins are egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and grain-free, yet they taste EXACTLY like my mom’s pumpkin muffins. (The only thing they lack is the dinosaur shape! ;)) Get ready for a new Fall favorite that will hopefully induce loads of nostalgia for your families when they smell these muffins baking this season and in the years to come!
Before you start baking, check out this new, awesome flour I used to make my Paleo Pumpkin Spice Muffins. It’s called tigernut flour and it’s actually NOT made from nuts (or tigers!)! Tigernuts are tubers and contain prebiotic fiber. When they’re ground up, they make a flour that can be used in Paleo baking.
I’d heard of tigernut flour before, but hadn’t ever made anything with it until I grabbed a bag on Amazon this month. It turns out, it’s a great alternative flour for baked goods and treats, with it’s slightly nutty flavor. It’s not a cup-for-cup substitute for regular flour, but with a little tapioca or arrowroot starch, it’s perfect for these muffins!
While tigernut flour is pricey, it’s actually cheaper than the more popular cassava flour. I’m also going to go out on a limb to say that you might be able to make my Paleo Pumpkin Spice Muffins using a combination of coconut flour and tapioca starches. However, I haven’t had a chance to try that myself yet. If I create a coconut flour version, I’ll add that variation in the notes. For now, though, I encourage you to be adventurous and give tigernut flour a try! One bag should last you quite awhile!
Another thing I should note is that I went for quantity when I was baking these. I squeezed out 10 muffins with this recipe, but for larger muffins, stick with 8 or 9 muffins. They don’t rise a ton due to no eggs, so that’s why mine look a little small in the photos. Despite being petite, they still pack a huge punch of Fall flavor! The pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger really come through and the raisins add a nice sweetness to the muffins. Feel free to omit the raisins if you’re not a fan, or if you can tolerate nuts, try some chopped pecans or walnuts in this recipe.
My Paleo Pumpkin Spice Muffins are super easy to make – no gelatin eggs required here! The pumpkin and coconut oil make for great egg replacers in this recipe. I should also note that these muffins are vegan, too!
Kick off your Fall baking with something healthy and delicious like these Paleo Pumpkin Spice Muffins! They make for a tasty breakfast, healthy after-school snack, or guilt-free dessert! I only wish they lasted longer in my house. As I write this, already know I’ll be baking up another batch ASAP. So, enjoy the first of my Fall recipes and here’s to the upcoming season full of fun festivals, gorgeous changing leaves, and pumpkin spice everything! 🙂
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- ¾ cup tigernut flour
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup raisins (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl, mix wet ingredients together.
- Mix dry ingredients, except raisins, in a small bowl.
- Pour dry ingredients into wet and mix until incorporated.
- Stir in raisins and scoop batter into a greased muffin tin or muffin cups.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool before removing from muffin tin.
**This post contains affiliate links to which I may receive a small commission if an item is purchased. This in no way changes my opinions on the products reviewed, as I only use items I am passionate about! For more info, read my full disclosure.**
Never heard of tigernut flour! Maybe I need to give it a try cause I’ve really been craving something paleo pumpkin spice lately haha!
It’s a relatively new flour to the Paleo baking scene, but I’m a fan! I think you’ll enjoy it, too! 🙂 Happy baking!
We used cassava flour and tapioca flour and it turned out gelatinous. How could i use the cassava flour instead? Is there a trick? We are new to AIP baking and aip in general.
Hi Angela!
I’m sorry these didn’t turn out for you with a cassava flour substitution. I have difficulties baking with cassava flour on the AIP diet, too, so you’re not alone! Tapioca and cassava come from the same root and can at times be interchanged for each other. So being used together in this recipe, it makes sense that they would be gummy. I personally haven’t tried my recipe with cassava flour so I can’t advise on how to make them turn out better. The tigernut flour is really the key here! Your next best bet would probably be a combination of coconut flour and arrowroot or tapioca starch, but again, haven’t tried it yet! If I experiment with the ratios and get a good result, I’ll be sure to let you know! 🙂 Thanks!!
Made them – awesome! I cheated though and went paleo by adding 1 egg which added some volume. Absolutely yummy!
That’s great, Michele! And so good to know that adding an egg works well! Thanks for trying them and sharing your results! So glad you enjoyed them!
My family rating on this recipe got the highest rating which is “to die for!”
I’d love to make this as a cake – how would I alter the ingredients to make a round cake?
Thank you, Priscilla! Glad to hear they were a hit! I’ve never attempted this as a cake, so no guarantees it’ll work, but I’d say just try putting the batter in an 8″ or 9″ cake pan and see what happens! You could also try making 1 1/2 times the original recipe so that you’d have more batter to fill the pan. It might take longer to bake as a cake, so check it at 25-30 minutes with a toothpick and give it extra time if necessary. Hope it works out for you!
wondered if you could use arrowroot instead of tapioca flour? I’m new to this and have arrowroot on hand but not tapioca.
Hi Bonnie,
Sure, go ahead and try it with the arrowroot! I personally haven’t tried it in this recipe but they usually can be swapped for each other. It might change the texture slightly but I think it should still work. Hope they turn out well for you!
Hi, I followed this to the t, doubling for 12 large muffins. It turned out still doughy in the center. So I baked wayyy longer than it said and it still kept coming doughy in the center. Never did get it right. Any advice?
Sorry to hear that, Jeannie. I’m not sure what could have happened unless we’re using different brands of the flours. Some readers have accidentally added 1 entire can of pumpkin instead of just 1 cup, but if you didn’t do that, then I’m not sure why they wouldn’t bake. I’ve never had that problem so I’m not sure what else to tell you!
I just made these to hopefully find a fix for my fall pumpkin cravings while doing AIP and they are amazing!!! Thank you for this recipe!
So thrilled to hear that, Mallory! Thank you for the compliments! Happy Fall! 🙂
Is there any way I could reduce the maple syrup. I’m dying to try these but can’t have sugar. The most I could do would be 1 tbsp or my symptoms act up.
Hi Jo,
Hmmm, well I’ve personally never made these with anything other than the maple syrup, but you could maybe try subbing in applesauce and a few drops of stevia to try to get some sweetness in them. I can’t vouch for the results, though. Hope something works out for you!
Substituting 3/4 cup tigernut flour for 3/4 coconut flour DOES NOT WORK. The inside of the muffin didn’t cook thoroughly. It is very pumpkiny. I would have used way less canned pumpkin than stated on the recipe
I’m not surprised it didn’t work for you… Coconut flour and tigernut flour aren’t interchangeable, unfortunately, at least in my experience! I’ve heard that almond flour can be used in place of tigernut flour but it’s not AIP, so I haven’t tried it in this recipe. Thanks for sharing your results so that others will know not to attempt that substitution. 🙂
These were soooooooo good! Very pumkiny!! We did substitute the tigernut flour with coconut flour, cassava flour, and arrowroot flour/starch and used the 30 minute option. In a double batch we substituted the tigernut flour with 1 cup coconut, 1/4 cassava and 1/4 arrowroot. ***We still used the tapioca the recipe calls for*** The texture was PERFECT for a muffin. Plenty of structure and perfectly moist. We did add an AIP streusel on top, as well, but it would have been perfect without it. Thank you so much for this recipe! It brought so much joy to me this morning!!!
Kristina, that’s wonderful!! So glad they turned out well for you, and great to know those substitutions work!
Perfect option for anyone without tigernut flour on hand. Thanks so much for sharing! ☺️
I make these muffins almost every week! I cut the maple syrup in half as I’m sensitive to sugar, and always double the batch as they come out best that way. Bake them for 65 min. at the recommended 350 degrees for a double batch. They freeze well. Great recipe!
That’s wonderful, Susan! Thanks so much for sharing your methods! Glad to hear they’re a staple in your home! 🙂
SO yummy, tastes like cold pumpkin pie when I take one out of the freezer about 20 minutes. Loved this in coconut yogurt bowls with berries:)
Thanks, Cassandra! So glad you enjoyed it! And what a great way to eat them- I’ll have to try that myself! 🙂
These are so delicious and easy to make!! I like a lot of spices, so I also added a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice. Instead of maple syrup, I substituted a little stevia and a half tablespoon of unsweetened applesauce. (Full tablespoon was too much.) I prefer to make mini muffins, so it’s easier to just eat a little at a time. This is my fave fall recipe now!!
Thanks so much, Sally! I’m thrilled you loved the muffins! 🙂 Thank you for sharing your modifications, too!
These are so good! I have made this recipe about 4-5 times now. I double the recipe (because they’re so tasty and then it uses the full can of pumpkin purée) and it makes 12 full sized muffins. The first time I made them my husband forgot to take them out if the oven and left them to bake an additional 20-30 mins and they were still really good. The second time I made them they were more if a custard consistency so now I intentionally bake them longer as I like the muffin texture. Thanks so much Joanna for sharing this recipe with us! This is one recipe that gets me through the days when AIP feels so limiting. Even non AIP people enjoy them!
Hi Abbey,
That’s great! Thanks so much for sharing your baking experiences and I’m so thrilled to hear these have been a hit for you. I love that we can find tasty recipes to not feel deprived on AIP! Glad this is one of them! 🙂
Thank you for sharing such a delicious recipe! We make these 2-3 times a week. My daughter can’t have any of the spices so we leave those out and they’re still delicious! Thinking I may try this with butternut squash instead of pumpkin.
You’re so welcome, Karina! I’m so happy you’re enjoying them! Glad to know they’re tasty even without the spices! And I think they should work fine with butternut squash, too! Great idea!