These almond flour muffins are soft, gluten free muffins made with blanched almond flour, a little coconut flour, three eggs, almond milk, and maple syrup or erythritol. You mix them by hand in about 10 minutes, bake them for 18 to 22 minutes at 350°F, and get 12 standard muffins.
The small amount of coconut flour is what keeps them from turning dense or oily. Make them with maple syrup or honey for a gluten free breakfast muffin, or with erythritol when you want them low carb.
Following a special diet?
Every recipe on this site can be converted to gluten-free, vegan, dairy-free, keto, nut-free or egg-free with adjusted ratios so nothing falls flat.
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- Yield: 12 standard muffins, one 12 cup muffin tin
- Time: 10 minutes to mix, 18 to 22 minutes in the oven, about 30 minutes total
- Oven: 350°F (175°C)
- Flour ratio: 2 cups blanched almond flour to ¼ cup coconut flour, 8 to 1
- Sweetener: ⅓ cup maple syrup or honey, or ¼ cup erythritol for low carb
- Keeps: 3 days on the counter, 1 week in the fridge, 2 months in the freezer
Why a Quarter Cup of Coconut Flour Matters
Almond flour has no gluten and a lot of natural fat. On its own it bakes into a muffin that is moist but heavy, and sometimes a little greasy at the bottom. Coconut flour is the opposite. It drinks up liquid, several times more than almond flour does.
So ¼ cup of it is enough to soak up the extra moisture and give the crumb some spring. No gums, no starches. Do not be tempted to add more. Even a couple of extra tablespoons of coconut flour will make the batter stiff and the muffins dry.
Spoon the almond flour into the cup and level it off instead of scooping straight from the bag. Packed almond flour is the most common reason these come out dry. If you liked the balance in my almond flour pancakes, it is the same idea: nut flour needs the liquid measured carefully.
Blanched Almond Flour or Almond Meal for Muffins?
Use superfine blanched almond flour. It is made from almonds with the skins removed and is ground very fine, so it gives an even, cake-like crumb and pale golden tops.
Almond meal is ground with the skins on and is coarser. It works, but the muffins come out darker, more rustic, and a bit denser, with flecks of skin through the crumb. If almond meal is all you have, expect a heavier muffin and check them at 18 minutes. The same flour choice matters in my almond flour cookies and almond flour banana bread.
Maple Syrup, Honey or Erythritol?
All three work. They just give you different muffins.
- ⅓ cup maple syrup: my favorite for flavor. Gluten free and refined sugar free, but not low carb.
- ⅓ cup honey: same amount, a bit sweeter, and the tops brown faster, so start checking at 18 minutes.
- ¼ cup erythritol: the low carb, no sugar version. Because you lose the liquid from the syrup, add 1 extra tablespoon of almond milk so the batter stays scoopable.
Almond flour already tastes slightly sweet and nutty, so keep the sweetener where it is. More syrup makes the centers wet and heavy without making the muffins taste much better. A granular monk fruit sweetener can stand in for erythritol at the same ¼ cup.
Mixing the Batter by Hand
Take the eggs out about 30 minutes ahead. This matters more than it sounds. Cold eggs make melted coconut oil firm up into small white flecks, and those flecks melt in the oven and leave oily pockets.
Whisk the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in one bowl until no clumps remain. In a second bowl, beat the 3 eggs until smooth, then whisk in the sweetener, almond milk, vanilla, and the coconut oil or butter. The fat should feel warm, not hot, when you pour it in.
Pour the wet into the dry and stir with a spatula until you no longer see dry flour. The batter will be thick and scoopable, closer to a soft cookie dough than a pourable cake batter. Let it sit for 2 minutes while you line the tin. The coconut flour keeps absorbing liquid and the batter firms up a little. A whisk and two bowls are all you need.
Filling the Tin and Testing for Doneness
Use a cookie scoop to fill each of the 12 cups about three quarters full. Even portions bake evenly, which matters here because there is not much margin between done and dry.
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes. Almond flour browns faster than wheat flour, so a golden top does not mean a done center. Push a toothpick into the middle of one muffin: it should come out clean or with a dry crumb, and the top should spring back when you press it. If the tops are brown before 18 minutes, lay a piece of foil loosely over the tin and keep going.
Let them cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then move them to a rack. They are fragile while hot and firm up as they cool, just like my chickpea muffins.
Why Did My Almond Flour Muffins Sink or Turn Out Wet?
- Sunken centers: almost always underbaked, or the oven door was opened in the first 12 minutes. Bake until the toothpick is clean, not just until the tops color.
- Wet or gummy middle: pulled too early, or too much syrup. Measure the ⅓ cup exactly and give them the full time.
- Greasy bottoms or oily spots: the coconut oil was too hot or the eggs were cold. Both fixes are in the mixing step above.
- Dry and crumbly: the almond flour was packed into the cup, or they baked past 22 minutes. Spoon and level next time.
- Stuck to the liners: almond flour muffins cling to thin paper. Use parchment liners or grease the tin well, and peel only once they are completely cool.
Blueberry, Lemon and Chocolate Chip Versions
Add ½ teaspoon cinnamon for warmth, or ½ teaspoon lemon zest for something brighter. For blueberry muffins, fold in ¼ cup fresh blueberries at the very end. Toss them in a spoonful of the dry mix first so they do not sink. For chocolate chip almond flour muffins, fold in ⅓ cup dark chocolate chips, or sugar free chips if you are making the erythritol version.
Keeping Them Soft on the Counter, in the Fridge and Frozen
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week. For longer, freeze them in a zip-top bag for up to 2 months. Thaw on the counter, or warm one in the microwave for about 15 seconds.
They stay soft after freezing, which is why I bake a batch for weekday breakfasts alongside my quinoa protein muffins. Split one and spread it with almond butter, or serve it with Greek yogurt and berries. For dessert, a spoonful of coconut whipped cream and fruit is lovely.
Can You Make Them Without Coconut Flour, Dairy or Nuts?
Can I leave out the coconut flour?
Not without changing the batter. Coconut flour absorbs far more liquid than almond flour, so swapping it cup for cup with more almond flour gives a wetter, flatter muffin. Keep the ¼ cup. It is the one ingredient this batter cannot do without.
Are these almond flour muffins dairy free?
Yes, when you use coconut oil instead of butter. Unsweetened almond milk is already in the recipe.
Are they keto or low carb?
The erythritol version is low carb. The maple syrup or honey version is gluten free and grain free, but the ⅓ cup of syrup adds too much sugar for keto.
Can I make them nut free?
No. Almond flour is the base of the recipe. For a nut free gluten free bake, try my coconut flour pancakes instead.
Pin this recipe so the ratio is handy the next time you open a bag of almond flour. If you change the sweetener or add-ins, tell me in the comments how it went.
Fluffy Almond Flour Muffins (Gluten-Free & Low-Carb)
These almond flour muffins are soft, gluten free muffins made with blanched almond flour, a little coconut flour, eggs, almond milk, and maple syrup or erythritol. The recipe makes 12 standard muffins in about 30 minutes: 10 minutes to mix by hand and 18 to 22 minutes at 350°F. A quarter cup of coconut flour soaks up the extra moisture, so the crumb is tender and springy instead of dense or oily. Bake them as grab-and-go breakfast muffins, a lunchbox snack, or a base for blueberry, lemon or chocolate chip almond flour muffins. For low carb, no sugar muffins, use 1/4 cup erythritol in place of the syrup. They keep 3 days on the counter, 1 week in the fridge and 2 months frozen.
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/3 cup maple syrup or honey (or 1/4 cup erythritol for low-carb version)
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil or butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or lemon zest
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup with oil or butter.
- MIX THE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined and no clumps remain.
- COMBINE THE WET INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until smooth. Add the maple syrup or chosen sweetener, almond milk, melted coconut oil or butter, and vanilla extract. Whisk until the mixture is fully combined.
- COMBINE WET AND DRY MIXTURES: Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients. Stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix; the batter should be thick but scoopable.
- FILL THE MUFFIN TIN: Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups, filling each about three-quarters full to allow room for rising.
- BAKE THE MUFFINS: Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- COOL BEFORE SERVING: Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Muffins will firm up as they cool.
Notes
Use room temperature eggs; cold eggs make melted coconut oil set into small lumps that leave oily spots. Spoon and level the almond flour instead of packing it, or the muffins turn dry. Do not add extra coconut flour; it absorbs far more liquid than almond flour. If you use 1/4 cup erythritol instead of maple syrup or honey, add 1 extra tablespoon almond milk. Almond flour browns early, so test the center with a toothpick at 18 minutes and tent with foil if the tops darken. Store airtight for 3 days at room temperature, 1 week in the fridge, or freeze up to 2 months.
Nutrition Information
Yield
12Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 351Total Fat 28gSaturated Fat 7gUnsaturated Fat 21gCholesterol 47mgSodium 183mgCarbohydrates 17gFiber 6gSugar 7gProtein 11g
