These pumpkin cassava flour cupcakes are Paleo friendly, dairy free, nut free and made with cassava flour. This is a moist cupcake recipe, slightly sweet and full of pumpkin flavor. If you're not already in the fall spirit, these healthy Paleo pumpkin cupcakes are sure to do the trick!
I don't know about you all, but pumpkin is one of my favorite fall flavors. Well, it's actually one of my favorite flavors when it comes to any baked good!
Knowing that, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I am kicking off September with this easy cassava flour cupcake recipe.
If you think cupcakes have to be unhealthy, think again. These Paleo pumpkin cupcakes are most definitely healthy!
Recipe Highlights
- grain free and gluten free - made with Otto's cassava flour
- Paleo friendly - no refined sugar, no vegetable oil, grain free & dairy free
- dairy free - made with olive oil and frosted with a coconut cream frosting
- healthy - lower in sugar than your average cupcake and made with real food ingredients
- fluffy and moist - basically a cupcake necessity!
This is why I love Paleo baking: you can create desserts that are healthy enough to share at the breakfast table!
And these aren't just healthy cupcakes, but they're also nut-free. I know some schools require nut free items since nut allergies are quite common these days. So, this is a great Paleo cupcake recipe without almond flour and that's perfectly acceptable for school functions.
Ingredients in Pumpkin Cassava Flour Cupcakes
Like I said, all of the ingredients in this cassava cupcake recipe are gluten free and Paleo friendly. Here's a list of what you need for the cupcakes:
- pumpkin puree
- eggs
- maple syrup
- olive oil
- vanilla
- apple cider vinegar
- cassava flour
- Paleo baking powder
- cinnamon
- salt
Only 10 simple ingredients are needed for these easy cassava cupcakes. They're dairy free, so made without butter. In addition, they are sweetened with maple syrup rather than refined white sugar or brown sugar. To lower the sugar content, feel free to substitute the maple syrup with a liquid, calorie-free sweetener such as THIS one.
The oil I used to make these cupcakes was olive oil. However, avocado oil would be a great alternative.
I recommend Otto's cassava flour...the BEST brand of cassava flour in my opinion. It's the only cassava flour I bake with because of it's superior quality and high standards.
How to Make Pumpkin Cupcakes from Scratch
These pumpkin cupcakes are made in one bowl, baked for 20 minutes, cooled and frosted.
First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Next, add all wet ingredients to a medium-sized mixing bowl. This includes the pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla and apple cider vinegar. Whisk the wet ingredients until smooth.
Then, add in the dry ingredients. This includes the cassava flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk until smooth.
Scoop batter into a lined muffin pan, making 9 cupcakes. (About ¼ cup batter per muffin slot.) Then, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Remove the cupcakes from the oven and cool to room temperature on a wire cooling rack.
Once the cupcakes are cooled, they can be frosted. (I recommend frosting just prior to serving.)
This recipe makes 9 cupcakes and they are best stored in the fridge after 24 hours.
Best Paleo Cupcake Toppings
Frosting
First off, cupcakes need frosting. I mean, that's basically what classifies a cupcake as a cupcake rather than a muffin.
My favorite type of low sugar, Paleo frosting is made with coconut cream, maple syrup, vanilla extract and a little tapioca flour (for texture purposes). That's the recipe that I used for these gluten free pumpkin cupcakes (see recipe card for full details).
I also have a few other frosting recipes that I frequently use and they can be found in the following blog posts:
- tigernut flour chocolate cake - great chocolate frosting recipe made from coconut cream
- Paleo vanilla cupcakes - vanilla frosting made from palm shortening
Natural Food Dyes
To add a bit of natural color to the frosting, try using superfood powders. Here are some easy ideas:
- pink: beet root powder
- yellow: turmeric root powder
- green: spirulina or matcha
- purple: maqui berry powder or acai powder
Decorations
Cupcakes can look pretty naked with just white frosting. Some great topping options include:
- naturally colored sprinkles
- a dusting of cinnamon or pumpkin spice
- fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries…)
- dried fruit (chopped mango, raisins, cranberries, blueberries…)
- freeze dried fruit (raspberries, strawberries, apples)
- chocolate chips
- chopped nuts or seeds
These cassava flour pumpkin cupcakes were decorated with organic cinnamon, bee pollen and pumpkin seeds
Do Pumpkin Cupcakes Need to be Refrigerated?
Store bough cupcakes, you know the ones you see at your local grocery store that are loaded with refined sugar and pumped full of hydrogenated oils? Yeah, those don't need to be refrigerated. They are engineered to be shelf-stable. But, they're also horrible for your health!
These paleo pumpkin cupcakes are not like that in the least. I recommend refrigerating them after 24 hours. They will last overnight in an air-tight container. But, after that, I recommend keeping them in the fridge so they don't spoil.
Also, I don't recommend frosting and decorating the cupcakes until they're ready to eat. If you use my homemade coconut cream frosting, it does not last long at room temperature (a few hours is fine). In the fridge, the frosting will harden - still tastes great but isn't ideal for serving.
This truly is the best Paleo pumpkin dessert recipe. Healthy enough to serve at the breakfast table, depending on what frosting you use, but also perfect for a satisfying dessert.
I'll definitely be making these again come October. They'll make a great Paleo Halloween cupcake!
More Paleo Pumpkin Recipes
Print
Pumpkin Cassava Flour Cupcakes (Paleo, Nut Free)
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 cupcakes 1x
Description
Paleo pumpkin cupcakes made with cassava flour and sweetened with maple syrup. Grain free, gluten free, dairy free and nut free!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ¼ cup olive oil (unrefined, extra virgin)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup + 2 Tbsp cassava flour (105g)*
- 2 tsp Paleo baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
Frosting
- 1 cup coconut cream**
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsp tapioca flour
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients.
- Add in dry ingredients, whisk.
- Scoop about ¼ cup batter per cupcake into a lined muffin pan (9 cupcakes).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Remove from oven and cool on cooling rack to room temperature before frosting.
Frosting
- Combine coconut cream, maple syrup and vanilla in a small mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth.
- Add in tapioca flour. Whisk until smooth.
- Place frosting in a plastic baggie and pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Notes
Cupcakes best stored in fridge. I recommend waiting to frost the cupcakes until just before they're served.
*For best results, use Otto's cassava flour and measure by weight (given in grams)
**Just the cream from a can of full fat coconut milk
Keywords: pumpkin cupcakes, cassava flour cupcakes, paleo cupcake recipe, nut free grain free cupcakes, pumpkin desserts, paleo dessert, grain free cupcakes
B says
Made these last night and used honey instead of maple syrup. Also, we ate them without the frosting, and they were SO good! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
★★★★★
Katie says
That's wonderful! Thank you so much for the review 🙂
Hope says
So moist and easy to make!
Lea says
The best! Appreciate your hard work. These were moist and yummy.
★★★★★
Katie says
THANK YOU! So glad you like them 🙂
Taylor says
This has become my staple recipe for cupcakes and muffins! So delicious! Thank you for creating this!
★★★★★
Katie says
Thank you so much! I appreciate your review - so glad you are a fan of the recipe 🙂
Vicki says
I just made these for my family. I needed a gluten free recipe and these are delicious. I added some chocolate chips which pushed it over the top. Then, I remembered that I had some cinnamon chips leftover from another recipe and should have used that...next time. Everyone really enjoyed these....thanks!
★★★★★
Katie says
Thank you for the review! So glad you all enjoyed them 🙂
Nat says
Do you think it would work without the eggs?
Katie says
Hi! I think the cupcake texture would be too gummy. But if you try then let me know 🙂
Justine says
Can I make these using flax eggs? Thank you!
Katie says
I don't think an egg replacement will work for this recipe. I think the cupcakes will turn out gummy. But if you give it a try then let me know!
Julie says
I tried it with flax egg and they are a little gummy, but still edible : ) Why do you recommed Otto's over other brands. I used Pamela's because it was more affordable. What's the difference?
Katie says
Cassava flour recipes are often gummy without eggs...unless the recipe is specifically formulated that way. I appreciate you sharing your baking results 🙂 I recommend Otto's because I've found it to bake the best - super fine and high quality. Some cassava flours are gritty and result in undesirable texture.
Martha says
These were amazing! Very fluffy. I used 1/2c plus 3Tb cassava flour. I have a scale and 1/2 plus the 2 that the recipe called for didn’t make 105 g and I didn’t want to keep going up with flour. I also used 2TB Mankato maple syrup and 2 TB regular Maple syrup to lessen the calories. I also replaced olive oil with light canola oil butter (less calories). Thank you for this yummy recipe. I’m new to cassava flour. I ate them without the frosting. Curious if I could replace the eggs with flax seed fake egg?
★★★★★
Martha says
I also used pumpkin spice instead of just cinnamon 😊
Katie says
Hi! So glad you liked them 🙂 Cassava flour doesn't often work well with egg substitutions unless the recipe was formulated without them. I don't recommend subbing the eggs. Also, just to note, canola oil isn't paleo (highly processed and high in omega 6). I'm glad the substitution worked, but don't recommend it on a paleo diet 😉
Kathryn says
These were SO easy and delicious! I didn’t do the frosting, they were perfect even without it—such great texture and pumpkin flavor and just lightly sweet. Thank you for this recipe, I’m hooked!
★★★★★
Katie says
Wonderful! So glad you like them 🙂 Thank you for leaving a review!
Sara says
Soooo happy I came across your recipe! Finally, a muffin that isn't gummy. These were delicious even without the frosting (though I can't wait to try one with it). I've got lots of pumpkin so they will definitely be made regularly...and next time I'll be careful NOT to accidentally double the salt. Thank again for the recipe!!
★★★★★
Katie says
Thank you Sara! I'm so glad you like the cupcakes 🙂 Thank you for sharing your cassava brand substitution too.
Sara says
I wanted to add that (by weight) my flour measurement came out to a hint over 3/4 cup cassava. Turned out beautifully though so I'll just go by weight from now on.
Sara says
Sorry, one more thing...I used Bob's Red Mill cassava flour.
★★★★★
ChicaChickpea says
Winner!! Great recipe, thank you! I replaced the maple syrup with Michele Butter Pecan Syrup and Light agave. Used Coconut Milk Reddi Whip instead of the frosting because I didn’t have the original ingredients. Soooo good!
★★★★★
Katie says
So glad you like them! Thank you for the review 🙂
Katie S says
Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing. I was struggling with trying to find a dessert for me(paleo) and my friend (nut, xylitol & stevia allergies) and this was a huge hit. The cake portion turned out amazing. I always like when cake isn’t too sweet.
I did have trouble with the icing. I used Mae Ploy coconut cream, doubled the tapioca flour & whipped for 10 mins. It still wasn’t a very thick consistency. Any advice?
★★★★★
Katie says
Hi Katie! I'm glad you liked the cupcakes. For the frosting, did you use just the cream from the can? If the cream hasn't separated from the milk, try refrigerating it overnight. You'll want to use just the solid part so that the frosting is thicker. The frosting is runnier than your typical store-bought. If you place the frosted cupcakes in the fridge the frosting will harden.