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Home » Recipes » Breakfast » Breads + Muffins » Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

Sep 20, 2019(updated August 23, 2022)

Paleo Pumpkin Muffins

4.16 from 58 votes
By Dani Spies
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pumpkin cranberry muffins for breakfast

These pumpkin cranberry muffins are light and tender treats full of warm spices. Festive and flavorful, they’re bursting with fresh cranberries in each bite. Pumpkin cranberry muffins make for a cozy breakfast, snack or dessert. 

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

Healthy muffins are always a hit in my house – some of our favorites include blueberry lemon muffins and chunky monkey muffins. During this time of year, I make a ton of these pumpkin muffins with cranberries. They’re the perfect blend of sweet and tart flavors! When fresh cranberries are in season, I bake with them almost every week. I just can’t get enough of that sweet-tart flavor combination.

You can also never go wrong with baked goods when they involve pumpkin. Some of my favorite pumpkin recipes include pumpkin oatmeal muffin cups and pumpkin breakfast cookies. These pumpkin cranberry muffins are great to have on hand for a fall snack, and they freeze well too, so make a double batch!

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins served on a white plate

Ingredients In Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

These muffins are made with wholesome ingredients and are low carb, gluten-free, paleo and absolutely delicious. They require just 1 bowl and about 30 minutes. The ingredients list is also really simple, with the basics being flour, maple syrup, eggs, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, coconut oil, and cranberries.

The flour used in this recipe is coconut flour. I’ve experimented with oat flour, whole wheat flour and almond flour before but this was my first try with coconut flour.

Coconut flour is gluten free, high in fiber and low in carbs making it a good match for many different types of diets (i.e. diabetics, low carb, gluten-free, etc).

Coconut flour is different than other flours in the sense that it is very dry and absorbs liquid like a sponge so don’t be surprised by the wet-dry ratio of ingredients when you peek at the recipe. There is a lot of liquid and very little flour, but rest assured that’s the way it’s suppose to be.

I am not attached to any one flour or technique when it comes to baking. Sometimes I go with oats, sometimes almond, sometimes wheat and now coconut adds to the list. It’s fun to try new things and I love sharing what I learn with you.

The coconut flour reminded me a little of almond flour in texture, but was a bit lighter and created a very light tasting muffin (which I liked). I also like that eating a muffin can be a non-carbo-sugar loaded experience. That works for me;)

two Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins stacked

How To Make Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

This recipe could not be easier and you’ll only need one bowl!

  • Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees.
  • Prepare a 12-count muffin pan with muffin cups or spray the pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  • Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, butter, vanilla extract, and maple syrup.
  • Add in coconut flour, sea salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice and stir until everything is well combined.
  • Gently fold in cranberries and any optional mix-ins you might be using.
  • Spoon batter evenly into a 12-count muffin tin.
  • Pop in the oven and bake for about 35 minutes. Enjoy!

Tips For Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins

  • Looking to lighten things up a bit? You can substitute unsweetened applesauce for half of the oil.
  • If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice in the house, you can use cinnamon with a pinch of ground ginger and nutmeg mixed in.
  • If you cannot get your hands on fresh cranberries, feel free to sub in frozen cranberries or leave them out completely. Using frozen cranberries may turn the batter a little bit pink, but the flavor will not be effected one bit.
  • You can either use paper muffin liners, or simply spray the muffin tin with cooking spray before spooning in the batter.
  • These muffins freeze beautifully – simply place them in a resealable bag then freeze for up to 3 months. You can either thaw your muffins at room temperature, or warm them up in the microwave when you’re ready to eat. This recipe makes 12 muffins, but can easily be doubled to make 24 muffins if you’re banking on having extras for the freezer.

Cranberry Muffin Variations

There are so many different ways to add new flavors to these muffins, here are a few of my favorites.

  • Chocolate Chips: Mix in 1/2 cup chocolate chips.
  • Nuts: Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts to the batter or top the muffins with a sprinkling of nuts before baking.
  • Apple: Stir in 1/2 to 1 finely chopped, peeled apple to the batter.
  • Coconut: Add 1/2 cup flaked coconut to the batter.
  • Cranberries: Feel free to leave out the cranberries all together.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins topped with chopped pecans

These pumpkin cranberry muffins are so festive and delicious. They’re perfect for a holiday brunch, or an everyday snack option. They’re even great to package up in cute boxes to give to friends, family and teachers for a welcome fall treat. Once you try these muffins, you’ll be as hooked as we are!

More Sweet Fall Treats To Enjoy:

  • Mini Pumpkin Pies
  • Dark Chocolate Coconut + Cranberry Bark
  • Low Carb Ginger Cookies

I’d love to know if you make this (or any) recipe! Tag @clean_and_delicious on Instagram and be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy, delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins in a muffin tin

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins
Print Recipe
4.16 from 58 votes

Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins

These pumpkin cranberry muffins are light and tender treats full of warm spices. Festive and flavorful, they're bursting with fresh cranberries in each bite. Pumpkin cranberry muffins make for a cozy breakfast, snack or dessert. 
Course: breads + muffins, BREAKFAST, DIET
Cuisine: American, gluten free, kids, low carb + keto, vegetarian
Author: Dani Spies
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time35 mins
Total Time45 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 156kcal

Ingredients

  • 6 eggs beaten
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin purée
  • 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 cup fresh cranberries

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, coconut oil, vanilla extract, and maple syrup.
  • Add in coconut flour, sea salt, baking soda, and pumpkin pie spice and stir until everything is well combined. Gently fold in cranberries.
  • Divide batter into a 12-count muffin tin that is either lined with muffin cups or sprayed with cooking spray. Pop in the oven and bake for 35 minutes. Enjoy.

Notes

I love serving these muffins toasted with a schmear of cream cheese on top.  It makes for a delicious breakfast along side a cup of coffee.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin | Calories: 156kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 64mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 915IU | Vitamin C: 0.5mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 0.8mg

Breads + Muffins, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly Lunches, Low Carb + Keto, Recipes, Vegetarian

About Dani Spies

Dani Spies is the founder and host of Clean & Delicious; a weekly cooking show on YouTube and a healthy eating blog that celebrates real, whole foods! She takes a holistic approach to health and wellness and is loved for her approachable, down to earth style both in and out of the kitchen.

Learn MoreWork With Me

Reader Interactions

pumpkin cranberry muffins for breakfast

Yum! I love this recipe.

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    If you loved this recipe please leave a comment and star rating below. Questions are also welcome. Cheers!

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    Comments

  1. Mary Folkins says

    March 1, 2013 at 7:03 am

    5 stars
    Hi Dani. Is it possible to have the ‘print friendly’ button only bring up the recipe instead of all the writeup that is in front of it? I just want to print the recipe, not the whole article as this usually ends up being more than one sheet and just has more info than I need. I end up copy and pasting to just get the recipe. It would just be so much easier if when I clicked the print friendly button that it just brought up the recipe to print.

    Reply
  2. Lydia says

    March 4, 2013 at 9:46 am

    5 stars
    What are your thoughts on chia seeds? Do you incorporate them in your diet? Can you do a write up here and/or on your Youtube as a 101? Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Janine N. says

    March 30, 2013 at 6:07 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Dani, instead of using maple syrup, could I use stevia instead? I can not have sugar in any form but I can use stevia in any form. Will it effect how the muffins come out?

    Reply
  4. Zebra Mama says

    July 26, 2013 at 11:35 pm

    5 stars
    Hi, Dani! In what proportion can I use oats instead of coconut flour? Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Deb R. says

    July 15, 2015 at 6:07 pm

    5 stars
    Hi Danl, Can the muffins be frozen? I’d love to make a full batch and freeze some for later. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dani says

      July 20, 2015 at 11:25 am

      5 stars
      Yes, Deb! You can definitely freeze these muffins.

      Reply
  6. Janice Harris says

    November 12, 2015 at 4:04 pm

    5 stars
    Could I substitute “flax eggs” for the eggs in this recipe?

    Reply
    • Dani says

      November 16, 2015 at 12:44 pm

      5 stars
      I’m not positive b/c I have ever tried, but my guess is that it would work.

      Reply
  7. JennyBakes says

    November 27, 2016 at 7:57 am

    5 stars
    I often take a “Paleo” recipe like this and make it even more lower sugar by using coconut sugar in place of maple syrup. Better than the chemicals.

    Reply
  8. Nese Hall says

    February 10, 2017 at 7:41 pm

    5 stars
    Hi, thank you so much for posting this recipe!! I made this gems last night and I couldn’t wait to leave my review 🙂 I made these exactly as the recipe states, well almost… I don’t have access to fresh cranberries so I used frozen and then I forgot to defrost the cranberries, and me being impatient, I used them frozen and the muffins still came out perfect.

    I’m a restaurant manager so I am always busy and when I get hungry around 2 or 3 PM I grab something quick so that I can eat it on the run, I needed something better so I went googling and this is what I found 🙂

    This was my first time using coconut flour so I am super excited and grateful!!

    Thank you,
    Nese

    Reply
    • Dani says

      February 12, 2017 at 4:17 pm

      5 stars
      So glad you enjoyed them!! I was in the restaurant industry for years so I get the need! Glad they worked for you.

      Reply
  9. Samantha says

    September 21, 2019 at 12:04 pm

    Is there an alternative to coconut flour?

    Reply
    • Dani says

      September 27, 2019 at 10:46 am

      Hi Samantha! I would need to experiment a bit first! Most flours can’t be subbed 1:1 with coconut flour, so it would require adjusting some of the other ingredients.

      Reply
  10. Alexia says

    September 28, 2019 at 11:42 am

    5 stars
    Hi Dani,

    I just made these and they are amazing!! I am from Belgium and I had never used pumpkin in a muffin recipe before. The result is amazing, I can’t wait to make them again. How long can I store them in an airtight container?

    Thanks again for always coming up with wonderful recipes !

    Reply
  11. Monica says

    September 30, 2019 at 12:17 pm

    Hi – you refer to butter, but looking through the list about 10 times I can’t find any other mention of butter. Am I missing something? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dani says

      October 3, 2019 at 6:05 am

      Sorry for the confusion. The butter should has said coconut oil. I corrected that!

      Reply
  12. Sherry says

    October 7, 2019 at 4:50 pm

    5 stars
    Came out awesome
    Thank u

    Reply
  13. Toni Spaulding says

    October 11, 2019 at 10:44 am

    Dani,
    I have a couple of questions on 2 recipes.
    On the Apple Oatmeal Muffins, can you use “instant oats” instead of the old fashioned rolled oats?
    On the Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins, can you use “dried cranberries” instead of fresh?
    Thank you in advance for your assistance. I love your recipes!!

    Reply
    • Dani says

      October 21, 2019 at 8:51 pm

      Yes for both of these questions Toni!! enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  14. Aylisa says

    November 2, 2019 at 9:53 am

    Hi Dani,
    I am in the middle of making your pumpkin cranberry muffins and I made a double batch. My batter is still super runny and liquid even though I used a cup of coconut flour. Is it okay to add more? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dani says

      November 2, 2019 at 12:15 pm

      Yes, you can add a little more! It doesn’t take much because the coconut flour is so absorbent.

      Reply
  15. Stephanie M says

    November 3, 2019 at 9:02 am

    Can’t wait to make these and would like to try with silicone mini muffin liners on a baking sheet. Do you have tips baking with silicone liners? I’ve never done so. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Dani says

      November 15, 2019 at 8:54 am

      Silicone liners should make things pretty easy. If I’m not mistaken, you don’t even have to grease them.

      Reply
  16. Emmaculate Gathinja says

    August 10, 2021 at 12:49 pm

    Hi Dani, can I use cassava flour if I don’t have coconut flour. Thanks

    Reply
    • Dani says

      October 12, 2021 at 9:59 am

      I haven’t tried it, but you’ll have to increase the amount of cassava flour. I don’t have the exact measurements. Let me know how it goes if you give it a try!

      Reply
  17. Elly says

    July 17, 2022 at 10:40 am

    5 stars
    We love these muffins! Thank you for this recipe. I’ve made them several times. But this time of the year, in our rural country town, I cannot find fresh or even frozen cranberries. What I did is soak dry cranberries in hot water. We are not on any kind of diet, so a little extra sugar is not a bother to us. Also, I found the bake time of 35 minutes dried them out a little bit, so I cut it down to 25 minutes. Probably because of the dried cranberries and not fresh. Can’t wait for fall to try these as the recipe specifies. Thanks again.

    Reply
    • Dani Spies says

      July 19, 2022 at 2:51 pm

      What a great idea! I love how you adapted the recipe to make it work for you!

      Reply

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