Pumpkin muffins don’t need wheat flour or a sugar-heavy batter to come out moist. This version combines pumpkin puree with almond and coconut flour, then adds sweetened cream cheese to each muffin before the pan goes into the oven.
The recipe from Green and Keto uses ¾ cup of pumpkin puree across 12 muffins, along with butter, eggs, vanilla, pumpkin spice, and erythritol. Instead of relying on one low-carb flour, it combines 1½ cups of almond flour with ½ cup of coconut flour.
That combination matters because the two flours handle moisture in different ways. Almond flour provides most of the base, while coconut flour absorbs liquid from the eggs and pumpkin puree. Four teaspoons of baking powder help the dense batter rise as it bakes.
The cream cheese isn’t added as frosting after the muffins cool. Each portion of pumpkin batter gets a spoonful of sweetened cream cheese before baking, then the two are swirled together with a knife or toothpick.
Cream Cheese Goes Into the Muffins Before Baking
The filling starts with an 8-ounce package of softened cream cheese mixed with 1 tablespoon of granulated erythritol sweetener.
After the pumpkin batter is divided among the muffin cups, a generous tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture goes into each one. A butter knife or toothpick is then pulled through the cream cheese and pumpkin batter to create the swirl.
This puts cream cheese through the top and center of the muffin rather than adding a separate layer of frosting. Once baked, the pumpkin mixture sets around the softer cream cheese sections.
Pumpkin Puree Provides More Than Pumpkin Flavor
The recipe calls for ¾ cup of pumpkin puree, and either canned or fresh puree can be used. Canned pumpkin provides a consistent texture without the extra step of cooking and pureeing fresh pumpkin.
Pumpkin also brings moisture to a batter made with coconut flour, an ingredient that absorbs far more liquid than conventional wheat flour. Eggs and softened butter provide additional fat and moisture, while the pumpkin puree becomes part of the structure of the finished muffin.
One distinction matters when shopping for the ingredient: plain pumpkin puree is what the recipe calls for, rather than a prepared pumpkin pie filling containing its own sugar and seasonings.
Five Spices Can Replace Store-Bought Pumpkin Pie Spice
Pumpkin pie spice provides most of the seasoning, but a store-bought blend isn’t necessary. The recipe provides a five-spice combination that makes 1 tablespoon.
Mix 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon with ½ teaspoon each of ground ginger and nutmeg, then add ¼ teaspoon each of ground allspice and cloves. The muffin batter itself uses 2 teaspoons of the finished blend.
That leaves the amount of each spice under your control and provides an alternative when pumpkin pie spice isn’t already in the pantry.
Test the Pumpkin Batter Instead of the Cream Cheese
The muffins bake at 350°F for about 20 to 25 minutes. Checking them with a toothpick requires a little more care because the center contains cream cheese.
Push the toothpick into a section of pumpkin muffin rather than through the cream cheese swirl. Melted cream cheese can cling to the toothpick and make a finished muffin appear underbaked.
Once cooled, the muffins can be kept in the refrigerator because of their cream cheese filling. They can also be wrapped or placed in a freezer bag and frozen, turning one 12-muffin batch into breakfasts or snacks that don’t all need to be eaten within a few days.
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