Pumpkin Muffins | Healthy + Paleo

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. 

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!

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;)

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.

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.

Print Recipe

4.43 from 26 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. 

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time35 mins

Total Time45 mins

Servings: 12 servings

Calories: 156kcal

Author: Dani Spies

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

Course: breads + muffins, BREAKFAST, DIET

Cuisine: American, gluten free, kids, low carb + keto, vegetarian