Easy Low Carb Pumpkin Muffins [No Added Sugar!]
Looking for an easy low carb pumpkin muffin recipe that contains no added sugar and can be made in under 30 minutes? Then this recipe is exactly what you need! Sugar-free, gluten-free, and blood sugar-friendly, these muffins are everything a pumpkin-lover could ever want!
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Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy low carb recipe that takes just 30 minutes.
- No added sugar!
- The perfect snack that tastes just like fall and can easily be taken with you when you’re on the go.
- Diabetes friendly – with just 14 grams net carbs and 5 grams of fiber.
- Pumpkin is not just delicious, it also has some serious health benefits!
What you’ll need
- Coconut flour: This gluten-free flour substitute is nutrient dense and packed with fiber. Coconut flour is low on the glycemic index, so it won’t spike your blood sugar in the way that regular flour will.
- Erythritol: As a dietitian, erythritol is one of my favorite sugar substitutes. It’s low-calorie, diabetes-friendly, and doesn’t cause any digestive troubles. If you prefer, you can also use low and no-calorie sweeteners such as allulose in this recipe as an alternative.
- Cinnamon: This spice is made of everything nice! Not only does it add a delicious kick to any recipe, it also has some anti-diabetic effects and helps lower cholesterol levels.
- Pumpkin puree: The star of this recipe is pumpkin, which is nutrient dense and packed with health benefits. Using canned pumpkin puree not only keeps this recipe quick and easy, but it also gives the muffins their perfectly moist texture.
- Almond butter: Instead of adding oils or butter, which can quickly increase the calorie content of any recipe, I opt for almond butter. This swap adds in more than healthy fats: you also get protein, fiber, phytochemicals, vitamins, and minerals. Be sure to opt for a jar with no added sugars or extra oils.
How to make this recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, erythritol, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- To a blender, add sliced bananas, eggs, almond butter, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. Blend for about one minute, then pour the mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients.
- Mix together until well combined, then fold the sugar-free chocolate chips into the batter.
- Using an ice cream scoop, divide the batter equally in the muffin tin into each of the 12 cupcake liners.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, until the muffins look golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Place the muffins onto a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes.
- Enjoy!
FAQs
The short answer is… yes! Pumpkin is low in calories and is packed with beneficial nutrients that are connected to many health benefits, including: boosting immunity, improving digestive health, eye health, skin health, heart health, helping with sleep, and even weight loss.
As long as you use an airtight container, you have a few options. If your family can’t keep their hands off of them and you know they won’t last very long in your household, you can keep them on the counter for a few days or in the fridge for a week. These low-carb muffins are also freezer-friendly, so go ahead and make a few batches to last you through the Fall and Winter seasons!
Why this recipe works for people with diabetes
Each of my low-carb pumpkin muffins has just one-third the sugar content of your run-of-the-mill store bought pumpkin muffin… With only 5 grams of added sugars, this recipe is a great choice for people with diabetes who want to partake in fall flavors without all the sugar.
These muffins are packed with fiber and strike the perfect balance between carbs, fat, and protein, making them less likely to spike your blood sugar.
Since fiber is indigestible, you can go ahead and knock the grams of fiber off of the total carb count to get just 14 grams of net carbs. Being this relatively low in net carbs makes one of these muffins an excellent choice for a snack (or a dessert) for any person with diabetes.
The ingredients used in this recipe also help to support lower blood sugar:
- Pumpkin has a very low glycemic load, meaning that it has a small impact on blood sugar when eaten in normal portions. On top of that, some of the nutrients in pumpkin can help improve insulin sensitivity, increase insulin production, and lower blood sugar.
- Coconut flour provides a good source of fiber, which helps keep your blood glucose levels in check.
- Erythritol is a low-calorie and sugar-free sugar substitute that does not impact blood sugar levels. This sweetener is the perfect choice for people with diabetes.
- Cinnamon is one of my top foods for lowering blood sugar. This spice helps with decreasing fasting blood sugar, reduces post-meal blood sugar, and helps to improve insulin sensitivity.
- Almond butter has the perfect balance of healthy fats, fiber, and protein to offset the carbs in this recipe, making them digest more slowly so your blood sugar stays balanced.
Low carb pumpkin muffins
Equipment
- A muffin pan
- Cupcake liners
- A medium bowl
- A blender
- An ice cream scoop
Ingredients
- ½ cup coconut flour
- 2 tbsp erythritol (monk fruit sweetener)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 bananas, sliced
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup almond butter
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350degrees F. Line the muffin pan with cupcake liners and keep it ready.
- In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients; coconut flour, erythritol, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Keep it aside.
- To a blender; add sliced bananas, eggs, almond butter, pumpkin puree and vanilla extract. Blend for a minute and pour the liquid mixture over the flour. Mix the wet and dry until well combined. Fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
- With the help of an ice cream scoop, divide the batter equally into 12 muffins and bake them for 20-22minutes until the muffins look golden on top and the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool down for 10 minutes by placing the muffins on a wire rack and serve them later.
Notes
- Storage:
- Store in an airtight container. Can be left on the counter for a few days, in the fridge for a week, or in the freezer for a few months.
- Topping ideas:
- If you like chocolate, melt some chocolate chips to make a chocolate sauce to spread on top.
- Try whipping low-fat cream cheese with a touch of vanilla extract and erythritol to make your own cream cheese frosting!
- Substitutions:
- I haven’t tested this recipe with flour substitutions, so be sure to look up the proper measurements if you don’t want to use coconut flour.
- Want more variety? Try swapping the chocolate chips with your favorite nuts or pumpkin seeds.
- No almond butter? No problem. Any nut butter should work in place of almond butter.
