These gluten free cinnamon muffins with their nutty streusel topping make a wonderful breakfast, snack or dessert. These muffins are packed with amazing flavor from cinnamon, vanilla, brown sugar and walnuts! They're extra delicious with a pat of butter on top and a steaming cup of coffee on the side.
I usually try to make my baked goods as healthy as possible, so I'll add some flax seeds or trim down the sugar content. But these muffins are a bit of a different story. They're not terribly unhealthy - not like a gluten free croissant or a soft sugar cookie, but they are definitely a treat that’ll have you treasuring every bite. The taste is amazing, and so is the smell of them baking. Really, everything about them is amazing. If you start now, you can have a warm batch of muffins ready soon!
Looking for more gluten free muffins? Check out these zucchini muffins, these apple muffins, and these almond flour banana muffins.
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Why this recipe is the best!
These muffins are a little too easy to snack on, so just prepare yourself to not have many left over! They have the most wonderful, tender texture that every muffin should have. Here are a few more things you'll love about these muffins:
- These muffins only need 15 minutes of prep time.
- This recipe is customizable, so you can use another type of nuts or omit them.
- 12 delicious muffins will be ready to be enjoyed in about an hour.
- These muffins contain no gluten, no dairy, and very little salt.
Ingredients & substitutions
- Gluten free flour mix - This gluten free flour mix was tested in this recipe. Other mixes may work but haven't been tested.
- Granulated sugar - The sugar can be substituted with Swerve sweetener.
- Baking powder - There is no substitute for the baking powder.
- Xanthan gum - The xanthan gum can be substituted with flax seeds, chia seeds, or guar gum.
- Cinnamon - There is no substitute for the cinnamon.
- Salt - The salt can be reduced or omitted if you are following a low salt diet.
- Vegetable oil - Melted butter may be swapped with the vegetable oil but the muffins may not rise as high.
- Vanilla extract - There is no substitute for the vanilla extract.
- Eggs - The eggs can be substituted with flax eggs, chia eggs, or JUST egg.
- Almond milk - The almond milk can be substituted with another plant milk, such as oat milk.
- Brown sugar - The brown sugar can be substituted with Swerve sweetener (brown variety).
- Walnuts - The walnuts can be omitted or replaced with the nuts of your choice.
Measurements for each ingredient, along with instructions for making the muffins are in the recipe card below.
How to replace eggs with flax seeds or chia seeds
Flax seeds and chia seeds both make good egg substitutes. To make the equivalent of one egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax and 3 tablespoons of water until the mixture is thick and slurry-like. Or, if using chia seeds, mix 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with ⅓ cup of water and let it sit for 15 minutes before using. Remember to make the equivalent of 2 eggs for this recipe!
Gluten Free Cinnamon Muffins step by step
Step 1: Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray and set aside. Whisk the gluten free flour mix, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
Step 2: In a small bowl, mix the oil, vanilla and eggs.
Step 3: Add the milk and mix again.
Step 4: Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients all at once.
Step 5: Stir until the mixture comes together, about 30 seconds.
Step 6: Use a soup ladle to portion the batter into each cup. Fill each cup halfway, then top off each cup with the remaining batter. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes.
Baking & serving
Step 7: While the batter rests, mix the topping ingredients in a small bowl. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Step 8: Top each muffin with a generous spoonful of topping. Bake for 17-20 minutes, and check for doneness at 17 minutes. Cool the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from the pan to cool completely. Enjoy them while fresh!
💭Pro tips for making these muffins
1. Use room temperature ingredients
A good rule of thumb for any recipe is to let all the ingredients come to room temperature before starting. This ensures that everything will combine easily and thoroughly.
2. Use a ladle to fill the pan
This muffin batter is quite thin, so I've found it's best to use a soup ladle to transfer the batter from the bowl to the cups of the muffin tin. This is the least messy method!
3. Rest the batter in the pan
Make sure you let the batter rest after you've portioned it into the muffin tin. Let it rest for the full 30 minutes so the muffins will rise correctly while they bake.
4. Remove extra topping from the pan right away
After the muffins come out of the oven, immediately remove any topping that has melted onto the pan. If it is left too long it will harden and stick to the pan, and who wants to have a more annoying clean-up time than necessary?
5. Helpful tools
Here are a few tools that will help you make these muffins:
- Muffin tin
- Soup ladle
Gluten Free Cinnamon Muffins FAQs
These muffins store well in a sealed plastic bag at room temperature. They stay soft and tender for several days in a bag!
Yes! If you want the muffins to last longer, put them in a sealed plastic bag and store them in the freezer. When you want to have a muffin, simply defrost it in the microwave and enjoy.
It depends on whether you want to be a premade mix, or make your own. I make my own and it's super easy! You can learn how to make my gluten free flour mix here.
Other muffin recipes you may like!
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Recipe
Tender Gluten Free Cinnamon Muffins (Dairy Free)
Ingredients
For muffins:
- 260 grams gluten free flour mix about 2 cups
- 150 grams granulated sugar about ¾ cup
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup almond milk
For topping:
- 50 grams brown sugar about ¼ cup
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
- 2 Tablespoons gluten free flour mix
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Prepare a 12 cup muffin tin by spraying each cup with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the gluten free flour mix, granulated sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until combined.
- In a small bowl, mix together the oil, vanilla and eggs. Add the milk and mix again.
- Make a well in the center of the large bowl of dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients, all at once. Stir for 30 seconds, until mixture comes together.
- Using a soup ladle, portion muffin batter into each cup, filling each cup halfway, then using the rest of the batter to top off each cup.
- Let the batter sit in the pan for 30 minutes.
- Make the topping by combining the topping ingredients in a small bowl.
- Toward the end of the rest time, preheat oven to 350F.
- Top each muffin with a heaping spoonful of topping.
- Bake for 17-20 minutes, checking for doneness at the 17 minute mark.
- Remove from the oven and immediately use the tines of a fork to loosen and remove any topping that has melted onto the pan.
- Let the pan cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove muffins from the pan to cool completely.
Notes
- Recipe was tested with this flour mix. Other mixes may or may not work.
- Swerve sweetener may be used in place of the sugar.
- Flax seed, chia seed or guar gum would make good substitutes for the xanthan gum.
- Melted butter may be used for the vegetable oil but the muffins may not rise as high.
- Instead of the eggs, flax eggs, chia eggs or JUST egg may be used.
- The walnuts may be omitted or replaced with another nut.
- Let the muffin batter rest after it's been portioned into the pan.
- Immediately remove any topping that has melted onto the muffin tin, otherwise it will stick to the pan making clean up more difficult.
- Muffins store well at room temperature in a sealed plastic bag. For longer storage, freeze in a sealed plastic bag and defrost in the microwave.
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