GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN TURMERIC MUFFINS

---

It’s been almost exactly one year since I published a baking recipe — but I promise, my Gluten Free Pumpkin Turmeric Muffins are worth the wait! Believe it or not, I’ve never actually baked with pumpkin here at JustineCelina, although I have integrated it into seasonal breakfast bowls, smoothies and energy bites (what can I say — I love pumpkin!). And what’s not to love? Besides being incredibly delicious, it’s also brimming with along with loads of fiber, vitamins A, B6, C and E, thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6, folate, iron (great for us plant-based eaters!), magnesium, phosphorus riboflavin, potassium, copper and manganese. Coupled with the mega dose of healing, anti-inflammatory turmeric, fresh ginger and classic fall spices at play, these seasonal muffins also boast a wide array of health benefits and medicinal, healing qualities. I’ve mentioned many times previously that I believe you can treat yourself and nourish yourself at the same time — and these sweet n’ spicy seasonal muffins are the perfect example of that!

My Gluten Free Pumpkin Turmeric Muffins are free of dairy, gluten, refined sugar and oil — and a fantastic way to start your day while sneaking in tons of nutrition, even when you’re on the run! With the holidays just around the corner, these are incredibly busy times and I’m always looking for simple, nutritious options to help me stay on track with my health and fitness goals. Pumpkin puree (use a good quality store bought version, or snag my easy homemade recipe here), pure Canadian maple syrup, decadent coconut milk, freshly grated ginger and a kiss of pure vanilla combine with warming fall spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and allspice to create a light and fluffy, plant based muffin to help you power through your day. Enjoy them at breakfast, as a mid-day snack, or as a lighter alternative to more calorie-laden pumpkin-based desserts. This deceptively ‘free from’ recipe and can be enjoyed by plant-baser eaters, people with food allergies and sensitivities and anyone that loves delicious seasonal baking!

---

GLUTEN FREE PUMPKIN TURMERIC MUFFINS

---

Do you make your own pumpkin puree? While I have an easy recipe in this post, for this particular recipe, I opted for store-bought. Hey — always full disclosure here! Either way, quality pumpkin puree provides the flavour base of these Gluten Free Pumpkin Turmeric Muffins — along with a host of other heath benefits including include improved heart and eye health, lower blood pressure and higher immunity against colds and disease. It’s true beauty food!

Turmeric-infused everything is particularly on-trend right now — but if you’ve never really worked with turmeric in your own kitchen, I think you’re going to enjoy it. While I enjoy both fresh turmeric (remember the time I juiced it in my Tropical Pineapple Turmeric Coolers?) as well as powdered turmeric (I often use it in curries), I’d never baked with it before developing this recipe. The flavour profile was actually inspired by a delicious latte I enjoyed at the Sunhouse Cafe in Jasper during our September long weekend visit — the warming, seasonal flavour of turmeric coupled with spicy teas and house-made nut milk was something I knew I wanted to replicate in my own kitchen — it just happened to come out in muffin form!

While there is a lot of turmeric in this recipe, it’s actually a very mild, earthy flavour that adds a beautiful hue, tons of extra nutrition and potent anti-oxidant properties to these plant-based pumpkin muffins. As always, if you don’t require this recipe to be gluten free, simply substitute the gluten free all purpose flour blend for regular all purpose flour and it bakes for exactly the same amount of time. Both recipes are equally delicious — so feel free to use whatever flour suits your dietary needs! However, if you’re going with the gluten free version, it’s important to use a pre-made gluten free flour blend that contains xanthan gum. You can find them at any major grocery store, but my favourite is the CO-OP Gold Pure All-Purpose Gluten Free Baking Mix (available in Canadian CO-OP stores). Now, let’s make some muffins, friends!

---

Ingredients

---

Yield: 12 muffins

WET

• 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (check out this post for my homemade recipe)
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk (it’s very important that you use full fat coconut milk since we’re not using any oil! I’ve linked my favourite one here — it’s 85% coconut extract with just a small amount of water — those are the only 2 ingredients. I also purchase it at Superstore!)
• 1 1/2 cups 100% pure Canadian maple syrup
• 2 tsp fresh ginger
• 2 large free range eggs
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

DRY

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose gluten free baking mix (make sure it includes xanthan gum!)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp turmeric
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt

GARNISH

• 1/8 cup pepitas

---

Instructions

---

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

2. For a rustic, homemade look, cut parchment paper into squares to use as pan liners for your muffins. Alternatively, you can use pre-made muffin liners or grease each pan lightly with coconut oil.

3. Add all wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Whisk until combined.

4. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

5. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, stirring to combine thoroughly.

6. Press the parchment paper into each pan before pouring the batter overtop, distributing equally between each muffin.

7. Sprinkle pepitas ontop of each muffin to add that gourmet flair.

8. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the centre of the muffin mostly clean.

9. Allow the muffins to cool for 5 minutes in the pan before removing from that pan and transferring to a wire rack to cool.

10. Once partially cooled, serve immediately. I love them fresh out of the oven with vegan butter!

Note: My Gluten Free Pumpkin Turmeric Muffins keep for up to a week refrigerated and also freeze very well.

---

---

MORE COZY, PLANT BASED BAKING

---

Gluten Free Spiced Sweet Potato Bread

Plant Based Pumpkin Pie Energy Bites (these are actually not baked — but they taste just like pumpkin pie!)

Allergy Free Aloha Banana Bread

Decadent Dark Chocolate Banana Bread

For a summary all my favourite seasonal recipes, check out my 20+ Favourite Fall Recipes roundup!

---

When it comes to baking, do you prefer muffin or bread recipes? I’ve favoured breads in the past, but love the portability and portion control of muffins (although I ate 2 tonight while I edited the photos for this post!). If you prefer muffins, I’d be happy to explore more muffin recipes in the future! Developing baking recipes used to me quite difficult for me, but now that I have a solid library of I recipes to use as a base, it’s actually really fun. I’m still working on egg-less baking for my vegan readers but can’t quite seem to nail it. I did try this recipe with different vegan egg substitutes twice, but the texture wasn’t as nice. That said, if you’re vegan you can try a flax ‘egg’ in this recipe — I simply preferred the texture of the egg-based version.

Did you try my Gluten Free Pumpkin Turmeric Muffins? If you did, please let me know! Leave me a comment, or tag me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. You can use the hashtag #justinecelinarecipes in your recreations so I can find them — I love scrolling through the feed and seeing what you guys make! I also have a Pinterest board for my recipes if you’re looking for more plant based culinary inspiration. Thanks for stopping by today, friends!

---

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored, and contains my genuine thoughts, ideas and recommendations. JustineCelina uses affiliate and referral links, which allow me to receive a small commission when you make a purchase through one of my links. Thank you for supporting the brands and businesses that support JustineCelina!