Paleo Gingerbread Muffins (gluten-free, dairy-free)

These Paleo Gingerbread Muffins are the perfect winter treat!

They’re light, fluffy and moist, full of warm spices and the earthy tang of molasses.

They’re easy to make and not too sweet – great with breakfast or for a snack, maybe with a cup of tea or coffee.

Plus these healthy gingerbread muffins are also gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free!

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Paleo Gingerbread Muffins

As soon as Thanksgiving is over, I want all things gingerbread.

I love the warm spices, the slightly spicy kick of ginger and the deep, dark flavor of molasses.

And these Paleo Gingerbread Muffins have all of that going for them.

They somehow end up being light and fluffy but also moist – the perfect combination.

And they have both the fragrant, almost floral fresh ginger and the huskier ground ginger to get the full ginger experience.

Since they’re made with ingredients like ground almonds, eggs, ginger and honey, they won’t weigh you down or give you a sugar crash.

I love these dark, moody little muffins just as they are, but if you want to dress them up a bit, I show you how to make Paleo powdered sugar to dust over the top (but you can also use regular powdered sugar).

What you need for Paleo Gingerbread Muffins

Ingredients (clicks the links for recommended brands):

• almond flour
• fine sea salt
• baking soda
• eggs
• honey
• unsulphured molasses
• fresh ginger
• ground ginger
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• cloves
• coconut sugar (if dusting with powdered sugar)
• arrowroot or tapioca flour (if dusting with powdered sugar)

Equipment:

• a muffin pan
• muffin cups for lining the tin
• 2 mixing bowls
• a whisk
• a spatula
• a microplane grater/zester
• measuring spoons (these are my favorite because they fit inside spice jars!)
• measuring cups
• a measuring glass
• a cooling rack
• a food processor or high-speed blender (if dusting with powdered sugar)
• a fine mesh sieve (if dusting with powdered sugar)

How to make Paleo Gingerbread Muffins

First, heat the oven to 350°.

Line a muffin tin with the muffin cups.

Peel the fresh ginger with a spoon (yes, really! It’s great for peeling ginger) and grate the ginger so you have 1 tablespoon (you’ll need about a 2-3″ piece of ginger).

In one large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, molasses and honey.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until fully combined.

Stir in the fresh ginger.

Pour a scant 1/4 cup of the batter into each muffin cup. You should get 8 muffins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan 180° halfway through cooking time.

You want a toothpick to come out mostly clean and the top to look completely dry.

Let the muffin tin cool on a wire rack until the muffins are completely cool.

If making the powdered sugar, add the sugar and arrowroot or tapioca to a food processor or high powered blender. Blend until the mixture has been ground down to the texture of powdered sugar.

(Hat tip to Back Porch Paleo for this tip: cover your appliance with a towel while you blend, otherwise the powder will seep through and cover your counter.)

Add the powdered sugar to a fine mesh sieve and dust over the top of the cooled muffins.

Make ahead instructions

These almond flour gingerbread muffins will keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, put in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Substitutions and variations

1. You can use either all fresh ginger or all ground ginger. Just double the amount (so 2 teaspoons ground or 2 tablespoons fresh).
2. No molasses? Use the darkest pure maple syrup you can find. It won’t have quite the same flavor but it’ll be close and still be delicious.
3. No honey? Again, use maple syrup. The sweetness of the honey balances the bitterness of the molasses. Maple syrup won’t be quite as sweet but they’ll still be good.
4. You can also make this into a gingerbread loaf: line a 9×5″ loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Pour the batter in, smooth the top and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.

Other Paleo baked goods and Christmas treats:

1. Paleo Gingerbread Loaf
2. Paleo Gingerbread Pancakes
3. Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
4. Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake with Kahlua Whipped Cream
5. Mini Rosemary Rum Pecan Pies
6. Olive Oil Apple Bread

Print Recipe

5 from 6 votes

Paleo Gingerbread Muffins (gluten-free, dairy-free)

The Paleo Gingerbread Muffins are light, fluffy and moist, full of warm spices and molasses. Since they're lightly sweetened, they're perfect with breakfast or for a snack. Plus they're gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free!

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time22 mins

Total Time32 mins

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: paleo christmas recipe, paleo gingerbread, paleo muffin

Servings: 8 muffins

Author: Don Baiocchi

Ingredients

• 2-3" fresh ginger
• 2 cups superfine blanched almond flour
• 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• ¼ cup honey
• ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
• ½ cup coconut sugar (optional, for topping)
• ½ tablespoon arrowroot or tapioca flour (optional, for topping)

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350°. Line a muffin tin with 8 paper liners.
• Use a spoon to peel the fresh ginger. Grate the ginger until you have 1 tablespoon.
• In a large bowl, whisk the almond flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cloves.
• In a measuring glass, add the honey and molasses. Add the eggs and whisk until blended. (Or pour the liquids into a bowl, add the eggs and ginger and whisk until blended).
• Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir in the 1 tablespoon fresh ginger. Add a scant ¼ cup scoops to the muffin liners.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, rotating the pan 180° halfway through, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean and the tops are completely dry. Set the tin on a wire rack to cool completely.
• If making the powdered sugar, add the coconut sugar and arrowroot or tapioca to a food processor or high-speed blender. Cover it with a towel so the powder doesn't go everywhere and blitz until the consistency of powdered sugar. Add some to a fine mesh sieve and dust over the cooled muffins. Save any extra for another use.

Notes

Make ahead instructions

These muffins will keep covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can also wrap each one individually in plastic wrap, put in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.

Substitutions and variations

1. You can use either all fresh ginger or all ground ginger. Just double the amount (so 2 tablespoons of either one).
2. No molasses? Use the darkest pure maple syrup you can find. It won't have quite the same flavor but it'll be close and still be delicious.
3. No honey? Again, use maple syrup. The sweetness of the honey balances the bitterness of the molasses. Maple syrup won't be quite as sweet but they'll still be good.
4. You can also make this into a gingerbread loaf: line a 9x5" loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the sides. Pour the batter in, smooth the top and bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.

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