Flourless Chickpea Pumpkin Muffins made gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free are a lovely fall treat. Warmly-spiced and studded with chocolate chips, these bean-infused muffins are a marvel among baked goods! 😉
A full autumn experience wrapped into one delicious pumpkin muffin that happens to be made out of beans?! What more could we possibly need?
If you tried my Chickpea Banana Muffins, you’re already familiar with the concept behind these Chickpea Pumpkin Muffins.
We use garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas) instead of flour to create the fluffiest, moistest, tastiest pumpkin muffins. A shake of pumpkin pie spice and some chocolate chips make these muffins completely irresistible!
Grain-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free and gluten-free, these flourless muffins require 10 basic ingredients and a blender!
Love the idea of whipping up a tasty bean treat in a blender? Have a look at my Double Chocolate Vegan Black Bean Cookies, Flourless Black Bean Banana Bread, Dark Chocolate Chickpea Brownies, and 6-Ingredient Peanut Butter Chickpea Cookies. As well!
The recipe for these chickpea pumpkin muffins is for a small batch, resulting in just 6 muffins. If you’d like to have a full dozen on hand, simply double the recipe!
Let’s chat about the ingredients. You’re going to love this!
Ingredients for Flourless Chickpea Pumpkin Muffins:
Garbanzo Beans (aka chickpeas): The base of the chickpea banana muffins! Garbanzo beans take the place of flour in this recipe – you’ll need 1 can of garbanzo beans.
Be sure to drain the liquid from the can first and give them a rinse. It’s okay if there is a small amount of liquid still on the beans but it’s best to pat them dry with a paper towel if you can.
Pumpkin Puree: The pumpkin portion of the muffins, we use a little canned pumpkin puree. This gives the muffins that squash flavor that makes you feel all those fall vibes.
Because these muffins don’t require a full can of pureed pumpkin, you can whip up one of my other pumpkin recipes on this site to finish off the can!
Eggs: Eggs help fluff up the muffins and hold them together.
Coconut Sugar (or Cane Sugar): The sweetener portion of the muffins! Coconut sugar is lower on the glycemic index than regular sugar and is also less refined than regular sugar. I use a small amount of sweetener in these muffins because I also add chocolate chips. If you’re skipping the chocolate chips, increase the amount of sugar to ⅔ to ¾ cup.
If you don’t have coconut sugar on hand, you can use granulated cane sugar or brown sugar. For a low-carb, sugar-free pumpkin muffin, use your favorite sugar-free granulated sweetener.
Baking Powder, Baking Soda & Cider Vinegar: The leavening agents in the muffins! The combination of baking powder, baking soda, and vinegar helps leaven the muffins. If you don’t have cider vinegar, use lemon juice, lime juice, rice vinegar or any type of edible acidic fluid.
Sea Salt: The flavor enhancer! Sea salt makes the muffins taste sweeter without having to add more sugar. It also gives the muffins a rich, well-rounded flavor.
Chocolate Chips: That chocolatey goo portion of these pumpkin muffins! To keep the muffins dairy-free, use dairy-free chocolate chips. To make the muffins sugar-free, use sugar-free chocolate chips in addition to the sugar-free sweetener. Chocolate chips are optional, but always recommended.
Optional Add Ins: You can add ½ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans if you enjoy nut-infused muffins.
How to Make Flourless Chickpea Pumpkin Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tray with 6 muffin papers (or spray with cooking oil).
Drain the chickpeas into a colander, rinse them with water, and give them a shake to remove any excess liquid.
Transfer the beans to a blender (or food processor), along with the rest of the ingredients for the muffins except for the chocolate chips. Blend until completely smooth.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Fill the muffin papers up ¾ of the way with muffin batter and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if desired.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the muffins are golden-brown around the edges and test clean.
Allow muffins to cool completely before peeling off the muffin papers to eat.
How to Store Pumpkin Muffins:
Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Any longer than 7 days, transfer the muffins to a zip lock bag and freeze them.
That’s it! Put these bean-filled wonders on repeat, and don’t forget to make a double batch 😉
More Healthy Pumpkin Treats:
- Paleo Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bars
- Spiced Apple Pumpkin Bread with Streusel Topping
- Flourless Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
- Healthy Paleo Pumpkin Cake
Beans + Pumpkin + Chocolate and away we go!
Flourless Chickpea Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a muffin tray with 6 muffin papers (or spray with cooking oil).
- Drain the chickpeas into a colander and give them a shake to remove any excess liquid.
- Transfer the beans to a blender (or food processor), along with the rest of the ingredients for the muffins except for the chocolate chips. Blend until completely smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Fill the muffin papers up ¾ of the way with muffin batter and sprinkle with additional chocolate chips if desired.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the muffins are golden-brown around the edges and test clean.
- Allow muffins to cool completely before peeling off the muffin papers to eat.
Nutrition
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I really wanted these muffins to work for me, because – BEANS! So healthy, right? I used 1/4 cup maple syrup (instead of 1/2 cup granulated) since maple is sweeter than sugar. Maybe this is what made them too wet? Also, I brushed my non-stick pans with a little oil, which I thought might crisp up the bottom, but no…. too much of the muffin stuck wetly to the bottom and bottom sides of the pan, even tho they toothpick tested done. They are pretty dense and flat muffins. I had batter for 10. If I did this again, I would use half a can of chickpeas/beans and half all-purpose GF flour. Maybe if I had followed the recipe exactly, they would be 4-star.
Hi there! Thank you for the feedback! I’m betting the swap of the solid for a liquid contributed to the result. Some flour would definitely results in more of a classic muffin texture. I generally make recipes with beans flourless knowing some people want to stick with all whole foods. Let me know if you try the muffins again using your changes 🙂
These were AMAZING!!! Could you replace the sugar with Maple Syrup?
I have found baking with chickpeas to be a great flour replacement. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Hi Vicki! I haven’t tried the recipe yet with pure maple syrup instead of sugar, but my first instinct is you may need to add some flour to offset the addition of liquid. If it were me, I would try 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup and add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of gluten-free all-purpose flour (or regular all-purpose flour). Let me know how it turns out!
Just an fyi, though you could be aware, I’m just making sure…you can look for Garbanzo flour, which is just ground dried chickpeas, to use in recipes that need to be drier. might be good to add with the maple syrup if going that route, maple syrup sounds wonderful for this recipe, can’t wait to try.
These muffins are wonderful! I skipped the chocolate chips, but lightly sugared the oiled muffin tins and the muffin tops before baking. Maybe my muffin tins are old and smaller, but this recipe made 12 for me. Sweet, moist, and tasty. Thank you for this recipe!
My pleasure, Sharla! Thanks so much for sharing your experience 🙂
These are fantastic! So moist and the texture is so close to a normal muffin! Easy to make and indulgent. I LOVE these. I added raisons on top if mine!
I’m so thrilled you enjoy them, Ariel! Thank you for the sweet comment! xoxox