It’s autumn, Beauty! The leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and our favorite holidays are just around the corner. In other words, pumpkin season is here! It can be hard to keep away from traditional unhealthy options like pumpkin pie and pumpkin spice lattes, but today I’m going to show you how to make my pumpkin muffins recipe— a healthy, vegan alternative for every diet.
Not only are these pumpkin pie muffins vegan and gluten-free, but they are easy to make, and taste just like autumn! Craving these perfect pumpkin muffins yet? 🙂 Let’s get started!
Want to skip right to the recipe? Jump down here!
Pumpkin Perfection
When you think of pumpkins, you probably think about the bright orange ones that you use to carve jack-o-lanterns at Halloween.
This is only one of many kinds of pumpkins— there are actually more than 45 kinds of pumpkins! The many different kinds of pumpkins not only look cute and festive, but they’ve got so many health benefits. They’re delicious too. 🙂
Pumpkins are rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, potassium, and vitamin C. They are also rich in nutrients like beta-carotene, which your body converts into vitamin A. They’re a nutritious health choice for nourishing your skin and maintaining healthy eyes, plus they have lots of beneficial antioxidants.
Pumpkins are also a good source of folate, which is especially important for healthy conception and pregnant mamas-to-be! They’re also a great source of dietary fiber, which helps you stay full longer and boosts your digestion. And because pumpkins are also mostly water, they keep you hydrated as well!
Want to learn more about pumpkins? Check out my Ultimate Cheat Sheet On Everything Pumpkin!
Pumpkin Spice: Health Benefits of Warming Fall Spices
Adding pumpkin pies spice to healthy vegan pumpkin muffins transforms them into a delicious and tasty fall treat. The health benefits are a “latte” more than you might expect, certainly more than artificial overly sweet pumpkin spice lattes.
Pumpkin pie spice is a combination of yummy “warm” spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Each of these spices has some amazing health benefits, including enhanced digestion and balancing blood sugar. The best part is that everyone, including young kids, loves these delicious spices.
- Cinnamon: Cinnamon is rich in antioxidants to help your body fight free radicals that can harm your health. Cinnamon can also help your body regulate blood sugar production.
- Ginger: Ginger contains lots of iron, zinc, and potassium. It can also help relieve digestive problems and nausea.
- Nutmeg: Nutmeg is rich in B vitamins and minerals, as well as antioxidants. Like cinnamon, nutmeg may also help your body regulate blood sugar production.
- Allspice: Allspice is rich in compounds that have anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. It can also help you manage your blood sugar and help treat indigestion.
Gluten-Free Baking
These days there are so many great gluten-free flours and alternatives it makes baking much easier! In this recipe I’ve added guar gum, a vegan and gluten-free binding agent that helps create the same texture as gluten baked goods.
What is Guar Gum?
I know what you may be thinking, “Guar— what?!” You might be thinking that it sounds like some kind of band or candy, but guar gum is actually an ingredient used in a lot of foods.
Made from guar beans, guar gum is often used as a binding agent to help foods keep their shape and texture. These are especially important in baked goods like cakes and muffins.
Many of the most common binding agents in baked goods, like eggs and gelatin (which is made of animal hooves and bones— eek!), are not vegan or Beauty Detox friendly.
However, guar gum is a vegan and Beauty Detox friendly binding agent, and it may actually have some health benefits of its own!
Guar gum is high in fiber, which can help support your digestive system. It can also act as a prebiotic, helping the good bacteria in your gut flourish while keeping the number of bad bacteria to a minimum. [1]
Sweeter than Sugar: Natural Sweeteners to Use Instead of Granulated Sugar
Sweeteners like granulated sugar and brown sugar are commonplace in sweet treats like muffins, cakes and cookies. But they’re not as sweet on your body as they are on your taste buds!
It’s well-known that sugar is not good for you, and the average American consumes way too much of it.
Excess sugar exacerbates inflammation in your body, it can raise your blood pressure and it can wreak havoc on your pearly whites! And of course, excess sugar can contribute to weight gain.
But you may be thinking, is there such a thing as “healthy” sugar? Not all sugars are bad, Beauty. Natural sugar, like those that are in fruits, are an important part of our diet.
In Ayurveda, sweetness is one of the six key tastes that you need to balance all your doshas. The natural sugars you eat in fruit and unrefined grains can help balance your doshas and support your overall health.
However, processed or artificial sweeteners can contribute to all those awful health problems I mentioned earlier! So what can you use in the kitchen instead?
Here are some alternatives to granulated sugar that I use in my own recipes!
- Coconut sugar
- Coconut nectar
- Stevia
- Maple syrup
- Raw honey
Coconut Sugar vs. Coconut Nectar: What’s the Difference?
Coconut nectar is the sweet and yummy syrup that comes from the sap of coconut trees. It’s a liquid sweetener similar to maple syrup or agave. It’s also one of my preferred sweeteners when I cook!
Coconut sugar, on the other hand, is actually coconut nectar dehydrated into sugar granules. That’s the main difference between the two.
Coconut nectar has a lower glycemic index than agave, honey and cane sugar. It’s also rich in vital minerals and amino acids that your body needs to stay healthy.
Fall Into Festive Flavors
Autumn is the perfect season for pumpkin everything, and I think you’ll love these easy pumpkin muffins as much as I do. I’m sure your family and friends will love a healthy fall-flavored dessert option as well!
Sharing and connecting with others is part of our true nature, and a great way to do that is with these yummy pumpkin-y muffins, which are easy for everyone to enjoy when served at family brunches, or at midday picnics or get-togethers.
If you try this recipe, make sure to tag me on Instagram so I can see what you’ve made! If you love this recipe or know some pumpkin-loving fans who would too, please share it on Pinterest, because who doesn’t love a good pumpkin muffin? 🙂
In health and togetherness,
Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups Gluten-Free Flour Mixture
- 2 tbsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Guar Gum
- ½ cup Coconut Sugar
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- ¼ cup Coconut Oil (Melted)
- ¼ cup Coconut Nectar
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree (Canned pumpkin puree is fine)
- ¾ cup Almond Milk
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with 12 paper baking cups.
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In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients— the flour mix, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, guar gum, coconut sugar, and sea salt. Make a well in the middle.
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Add the coconut oil and coconut nectar to the well in the bowl, and stir to combine. Add the pumpkin puree and almond milk, and stir until the liquid is absorbed and the batter is smooth.
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Spoon the pumpkin muffin batter evenly into the paper cups, filling each about three-fourths full.
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Bake the muffins for 16 to 18 minutes, until they are a light golden brown and the tops bounce back when lightly touched with a finger. Let sit for at least 10 minutes on a rack before serving.
More Pumpkin Recipes for All Meals
Pumpkin isn’t just for lattes and baked goods! It’s an amazingly versatile and delicious ingredient in all kinds of recipes. Check out five other pumpkin recipes below to learn more about this amazing squash! (Yes Beauty, pumpkins are technically a squash, a gourd, and a fruit!)
- Pumpkin Beauty Soup
- Pumpkin Smoothie Bowl
- Spiced Pumpkin “Milkshake” Smoothie
- Vegan Pumpkin Quesadillas
- Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Curry
Citations
1. Mudgil, Deepak, et al. “Partially Hydrolyzed Guar Gum as a Potential Prebiotic Source.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, June 2018, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29414731/.
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