How to make homemade muffins, bakery style and gluten free! A few simple tips for making super soft, fluffy and delicious muffins baked to pure perfection using gluten free flours.
Of all the recipes I make, I have found homemade muffins to be one of my favorites. Talk about healthy! Talk about cheap! And talk about delicious! You can totally get that bakery style muffin right from your own kitchen with a few simple tips, and gluten free too. Once you have the base down, my healthy chocolate chip muffins and moist oatmeal blueberry muffins show where it can go.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 20 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 muffins
- ⚡ Calories: 206kcal per muffin
- 🥣 Ingredients: 9 for the batter plus a 5 ingredient streusel topping
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Soft vanilla crumb from the almond flour with a cinnamon pecan streusel crunch
- ✋ Difficulty: One bowl for dry, a well for the wet, and the one rule is do not over-mix
Quick Answer
Mix 1 cup gluten free flour, ¾ cup almond flour, ⅓ cup coconut sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt, then make a well in the dry ingredients and add 1 egg, ¼ cup avocado oil, and ¾ cup coconut milk mixed with ½ cup boiling water. Stir just until moist and do not over-mix, or the muffins turn tough. Scoop ¼ to ⅓ cup of batter per cup into a sprayed muffin pan, top with a streusel of gluten free flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, butter and chopped pecans, and bake at a 400 degree F preheat for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Makes 12 muffins at 206 calories each.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why These Muffins Work
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Muffin Pan Sizes and Bake Times
- How to Make Homemade Muffins
- Expert Tips
- Easy Muffin Recipes to Make Next
- Homemade Muffin FAQs
- More Healthy Breakfast Bakes
- Make The Best Bakery-Style Homemade Muffins (Gluten-Free and Healthy!)
Seriously, these homemade muffins are just like the superb fluffy ones you buy at the local grocery store for $1.00 or Starbucks for even more than $1.00! Making homemade muffins and cupcakes is so easy and the options are endless!
When thinking of a delicious homemade muffin we often think of a pure fluffy moist pastry that is anything but healthy. But add a few natural "nutty" ingredients and it, my friend, is your new best friend! For a perfect gluten free pastry recipe all you need is a bit of tapioca flour or nut flour to add the perfect amount of moisture and "fluff".
Why These Muffins Work
Click to see why these bake up fluffy
- Almond flour is the moisture secret. This basic recipe combines 1 cup of gluten free flour with ¾ cup of almond flour, and the natural oils from almonds make gluten free flour less dry in bread recipes.
- The well method keeps the mixing gentle. Mix the dry ingredients together, make a well in them, then add the wet ingredients to the well so everything combines in as few strokes as possible.
- Under-mixing is the fluff rule. If the batter is overly mixed it can produce hard tough muffins. And nobody likes a hard tough muffin, right?
- The freshest ingredients earn their keep. Do not skimp on the name brand extracts, and use the purest form of everything.
- Avocado oil instead of vegetable oil. I do not like adding vegetable oils to baked goods and favor avocado oil, which handles heat well during baking.
- The right pan gives the best even bake. They say an artist is as good as his tools, and a nonstick pan that releases cleanly was such an ah-ha moment for me.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- No more buying expensive $1.50 to $7 muffins at the store and coming home with only 4! You can make a whole pan of 12 muffins for super inexpensive.
- They are all delicious and healthy for an on-the-go breakfast or snack.
- YOU CONTROL the ingredients. Not some manufacturer whose ingredient list you can not even pronounce.
- So many fantastic options! Turn a basic muffin recipe into so many flavors simply by adding nuts, dried or fresh fruit, cheese, chocolate chips, marshmallows and more.
- Busy mornings are so much better with muffins ready to go for the entire family, like my apple cinnamon muffins and savory frittata muffins.
Key Ingredients
- Gluten free flour and almond flour meal - the 1 cup to ¾ cup pairing that gives the bakery crumb. My gluten-free flour and starch guide covers swaps.
- Coconut sugar - ⅓ cup in the batter and 3 tablespoons in the streusel, or brown sugar for the topping.
- Egg and baking powder - the lift.
- Coconut milk plus boiling water - ¾ cup milk with ½ cup boiling water loosens the batter so it stays light.
- Avocado oil - the baking fat I reach for instead of vegetable oil.
- Streusel topping - gluten free flour, coconut sugar, cinnamon, room temperature butter and chopped pecans.
See recipe card for quantities.
Muffin Pan Sizes and Bake Times
Ever wanted to alter a muffin recipe or bread loaf into mini pans, standard pans or jumbo size? Here are the variations of cooking temperatures and times to use, then bake this basic recipe in your preferred pan.
- Mini pan: 10 to 12 minutes at 400 degrees F
- Standard 12 muffin pan: 18 to 22 minutes at 350 degrees F
- Jumbo pan: 30 minutes at 350 degrees F
- Muffin tops: 8 to 10 minutes at 400 degrees F
Make sure you have the right pan... seriously! If you are like me and want, need... LOVE! a nonstick, easy-to-clean, BPA-FREE pan, then try this out! I use mine daily and it is a blessing. All I do is rinse lightly then toss it on the top rack of the dishwasher. Easy-peasy-dreamy and clean!
How to Make Homemade Muffins
1Make the streusel. In a small bowl mix 3 tablespoons of gluten free flour, 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans. Cut in 2 tablespoons of butter or vegan butter until the mixture becomes coarse and crumbly. Set aside.
2Preheat and prep. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
3Mix dry, then wet in a well. In a medium bowl combine the gluten free flour, almond flour, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the dry ingredients, then add the egg, avocado oil, and the milk and water mixture to it. Stir just until moist. Do not over-mix. Fold in any extras like pecans or chocolate chips here.
4Scoop and top. Scoop ¼ to ⅓ cup of the batter into each muffin cup and top with the streusel topping.
5Bake. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown, cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes, then move to a wire rack for another 5 to 10 minutes.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Mix the dry ingredients together first, and keep the wet additions to the well so nothing gets overworked.
- Do not over stir the muffin batter. It can make the muffins tough and hard.
- Use the BEST and FRESHEST ingredients. Do not skimp on the name brand extracts, and use the purest form of everything.
- Use the best muffin pan for the best even bake, nonstick and easy to clean.
- Watch the clock by pan size. Minis run 10 to 12 minutes at 400 degrees F while jumbos need a full 30 at 350 degrees F.
- Measuring as you go? My ounces in a cup and teaspoons in a tablespoon charts settle the cups and spoons.
Easy Muffin Recipes to Make Next
So here's the scoop: we (me mainly) love muffins, can't you tell already? I have simplified the basic muffin recipe into this one, and all you need to do is add your favorite flavors to the base.
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins: You will be fooled that these are gluten and dairy free! Kid friendly and a household favorite for sure.
- Moist Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins: A perfectly healthy breakfast treat!
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins: A super easy and healthy muffin recipe that is packed with veggies, and you would never know, it is just that delicious.
- Frittata Muffins: Muffin pan recipes do not have to just be sweet! Delicious on-the-go breakfast, snacks or dinner.
- Flourless Chocolate Muffins: Fiber-packed gluten free oats make these muffins super fluffed up without any flour.
There is also a muffin and cupcake tin recipe e-book ready for you to print and keep on hand in the kitchen.
Homemade Muffin FAQs
The batter was over-mixed. Stir just until the dry ingredients are moist, and use the well method so everything combines in as few strokes as possible.
Almond flour. This recipe pairs 1 cup of gluten free flour with ¾ cup of almond flour meal, and the natural oils from almonds keep gluten free baking from drying out. The ½ cup of boiling water in the batter helps too.
Scoop ¼ to ⅓ cup of batter into each cup of a standard 12 muffin pan, then top with the streusel.
Minis take 10 to 12 minutes at 400 degrees F, a standard pan takes 18 to 22 minutes at 350, jumbos take 30 minutes at 350, and muffin tops take 8 to 10 minutes at 400.
Yes, that is the point of it. Add nuts, dried or fresh fruit, cheese, chocolate chips, marshmallows and more to the basic batter.
I favor avocado oil over vegetable oil in baked goods. It handles heat well during baking.
More Healthy Breakfast Bakes
More to bake next: Healthy Chocolate Chip Muffins, Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins, Banana Nut Mini Muffins, Sunbutter Cookies and Healthy Baked Oatmeal. I hope you enjoy these homemade muffins! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Make The Best Bakery-Style Homemade Muffins (Gluten-Free and Healthy!)
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Ingredients
- 1 cup gluten free flour
- ¾ cup almond flour meal
- ⅓ cup coconut sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
- ¾ cup coconut milk
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- ½ cup boiling water
Streusel Topping
- 3 Tablespoons gluten free flour
- 3 Tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons butter room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans
Instructions
- In an small bowl mix streusel topping ingredients: 3 tablespoons of gluten free flour, 3 tablespoons of coconut sugar, ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of chopped pecans. Cut in 2 tablespoons of butter or vegan butter until the mixture until it becomes course and crumbly. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium bowl combine gluten free flour, almond flour, coconut sugar, baking powder and salt and set aside. Make a well in the center of the wet ingredients and add the egg, avocado oil, and milk and water mixture. Stir jut until moist. But do not over mix. Add 1 cup of pecans or fold in any extra flavors like 1-cup blueberries, or cranberries, or cheese, or 2 Tablespoons of poppy-seeds.
- Scoop ¼ cup - ⅓ cup of the batter mixtures into muffin pan. Top with the streusel topping and bake.
- Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown and cool in the muffin cups for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack for cooking 5-10 minutes.
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