Amazing Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins: 1 Whole-Grain Recipe (with Vegan Option) for the Whole Family!

Gluten free pumpkin spice muffins are amazing. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest we rename autumn “Pumpkin-Fall.” And if you’re anything like me and want delicious pumpkin-flavored treats year-round, we can also rename Winter, “Snowy Pumpkins” and Spring, “Blooming Pumpkins.” What about Summer, you ask? I want to hear what you think we should call it. “Hot and Sweaty Pumpkins” doesn’t sound quite right.

That aside, I’ve been craving warm breakfast foods lately. Plus, I want to boost my immune system this time of year–especially since I spend most of my week traveling to various schools with their wide variety of kiddos and alllll they bring into it. Perhaps most importantly, I want a breakfast that tastes good while still starting my day off right health-wise.

I made a checklist of what I want in the morning. Here’s what I was looking for:

• Protein
• Whole grain
• Lots of good vitamins and minerals
• Nothing artificial
• Allergy-friendly
• Fiber
• Easy to make
• Refrigerator-friendly
• Freezer-friendly
• Portable
• Gluten-free (necessary for me; optional for you)
• And of course, YUMMY!

I found everything I was looking for in these pumpkin spice muffins!

Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins for Breakfast (or Anytime)!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Use two bowls: one for your wet ingredients and the other for your dry ingredients. One bowl should be large enough to hold all the ingredients when you combine them. I like this one (afflinks) since I can put a lid on it if I need to take a baking break.

Bowl #1

Dry Ingredients. Combine the following:

• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups quick oats (gluten-free if necessary–I like these and buy them in bulk). Note that these gluten free pumpkin muffins would work just fine with wheat and several other types of flour if you’re not sensitive to gluten like we are.
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Bowl #2

Wet ingredients. Combine the following:

• 1 cup pumpkin purée *OR* 2 medium-sized bananas, smashed with a fork until smooth (no need for the bananas to be overripe like in many recipes; this will be sweet either way)
• 1/3 cup blackstrap molasses; this is another item I buy in bulk since I use it in so many recipes and it stores well for a long time
• 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy (or dairy) milk; I love using this hemp milk in it. If you use non-dairy milk, choose one that tastes good when baked.
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the contents of the two bowls. Mix just until combined. Get your muffin pan, and then for the easiest cleanup, use a large spoon to fill baking cups fairly full. These muffins won’t rise much. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

And then eat until your heart’s content, no matter the pumpkin season! These gluten free pumpkin spice muffins stay good in the fridge for a couple days or a couple of months in the freezer.

Do these gluten free pumpkin spice muffins make your mouth water, or what?

If you like them and/or are looking for something similar to try (at least as far as the health profile goes — the flavor is quite different) — you will undoubtedly enjoy our gluten free zucchini bread. They, too, work well as muffins and are SO good. We don’t hesitate to eat them for breakfast to start our days off right!