The original Keto Pecan Pie Muffins – accept no substutites! Deliciously low carb, grain-free muffins that taste like pecan pie. They’re an easy and delicious keto breakfast or snack.
Let’s be very clear about one thing: This is the original recipe for keto pecan pie muffins.
There are a few copycats floating about now, and some of them are almost identical to my recipe. Hmmm, funny how that works.
But I originally published this recipe on October 5th, 2012 and at that time, it was the only recipe of its kind. No one else had ever thought to make low carb, sugar free pecan pie muffins.
This is the one and only, the original, and, in my humble opinion, still the best. Accept no substitutes!
If you love pecan pie as much as I do, be sure to check out my classic Keto Pecan Pie. It’s pure heaven.
Inspiration for sugar free pecan pie muffins
I frequently find recipe inspiration from blogger friends who aren’t low carb or keto. In this case, I spotted some pecan pie muffins on She Wears Many Hats and it was like a little bell went off in my brain. Ding ding ding!
Dense, gooey muffins that taste like pecan pie? Absolutely brilliant!
And so easy to make over to keto, too. They consist mostly of butter, brown sugar, eggs, and pecans, with minimal flour and no leavening agent.
All I had to do was swap the sugar for Swerve Brown and the flour for some almond flour, and then I threw in some sugar free chocolate chips, because yum!
Needless to say, these have been some of my favorite keto muffins for over 9 years.
How to make keto pecan pie muffins
This recipe is so easy, you’re going to want to make them every week. I do warn you, they are addictive and it can be hard to resist eating the whole batch.
Thankfully, they are freezer friendly so you can store them and dole them out one day at a time! Here are my best tips for getting it right.
- Softened butter. In this case, you want the butter to be very soft, but not melted, as it helps the sweetener mix in better.
- Brown sugar replacement. Swerve Brown is far and away the best choice, as it has the color and flavor of real brown sugar.
- A little allulose helps. For maximum gooeyness, a tablespoon of liquid allulose really helps. But it is optional so don’t worry if you don’t have any.
- Room temperature eggs. This is critical. Cold eggs will make your nicely creamed butter clump up and will create little holes in the muffins during baking.
- No baking powder! These muffins aren’t supposed to rise. They are meant to be dense and gooey like the middle of a pecan pie. Baking powder will make them cake-y.
- Plenty of chopped pecans. They wouldn’t be pecan pie muffins without them!
- Chocolate chips… or not? It’s up to you whether you want to add the sugar free chocolate chips. It does make them extra decadent.
- Don’t over-bake. The muffins should be just barely set, for that pecan pie consistency.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use a granular sweetener and 2 teaspoons of molasses or yacon syrup. This adds less than 1g of carbs to each muffin and will improve the color and flavor.
I haven’t tried it myself, but you should be able to do so. Fair warning that baked goods made entirely with allulose tend to darken on the exterior a lot more so it may be more difficult to tell when the muffins are done.
Please read the section on How to Make Keto Pecan Pie Muffins.
Sure, if you want to. They are delicious with and without.
I haven’t tried this myself but I imagine another solid fat like ghee or coconut oil would work. If using coconut oil, I suggest using the refined version so that the coconut flavor doesn’t overpower the muffins.
Storage information
These keto pecan pie muffins are pretty sturdy and great for meal planning and traveling. I’ve been known to stick them in a tupperware container in my suitcase and take them cross country!
They are fine on the counter in a container for up to 5 days, and in the fridge for up to 10 days. They can also be frozen for several months.
More delicious keto pecan recipes
- Pecan Lace Cookies
- Keto Pecan Turtles
- Pecan Pie Bars
- Keto Maple Pecan Scones
- Pecan Crescent Cookies
- Gooey Keto Praline Sauce
Chocolate Pecan Pie Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter well softened
- ¾ cup Swerve Brown
- 1 tablespoon liquid allulose
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ teaspoon caramel extract or vanilla extract
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pecans coursely chopped
- ⅓ cup sugar free chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F and line 12 muffins cups with silicone or parchment paper liners.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sweetener together until light and fluffy. Beat in the liquid allulose, if using.
- Add the eggs and caramel extract and beat until well combined, then beat in the almond flour and salt.
- Add the pecans and chocolate chips and fold in by hand.
- Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until just barely set. Let cool in the pan at least 20 minutes.
Annie says
I tried them today and they came out perfect! Absolutely delicious…. Thank you!
Hope says
Guests from Norway left this morning after four wonderful, action-packed days with us and I’m now relaxing with a well deserved Chocolate Pecan Pie Muffin and thinking about our next week of meals. Of course, Bacon Guacamole Cups have been on my mind, but I haven’t had time to make them… and then it hits like a bolt of lightening, Chocolate Pecan Pie Muffins- Bacon… ding, ding, ding! Oh yeah baby, time to get off the couch– and did I mention we have a freezer full of the most delicious bacon thanks to a little farming adventure we’re currently researching? Yeah, life is good!
Carolyn says
Oh yum, bacon in pecan pie muffins? Love that idea. We don’t have a freezer full, but we joined a meat CSA (all grassfed) and we have a couple of packages. Goody!
sarah max says
I have made a lot of your recipes and they are always delicious but these….can I say “cracktastic”?!?! OMG!!!
Carolyn says
They’re good, aren’t they! I hate to toot my own horn but yeah…
Felicia says
Thanks to you both. I used Honeyville erythritol, but have also used NOW brand in the past, I think I may like that one better. I will try maybe using a little less and powdering it because I really want to try this recipe again. Thanks!
Felicia says
Do you ever have a problem with your granulated erythritol crystalizing? I made this recipe a few months back and the taste was AMAZING straight out of the oven. It tasted like a chocolate chip cookie in muffin form. But once they sat (and I chilled them) they were inedible, hard like a rock, and even once I let them sit out again, they were gritty. I know it was from the erythritol. I wonder if I should just try powdering it or using less. I am wondering too because I know a lot of your recipes just call for the erythritol (not Swerve) and wondering if you have a problem with any of them? Muffins, cakes, etc? Thanks!
Carolyn says
Hi Felicia…almost all of my recipes use Swerve, although I also give the option for other erythritol because not everyone can get their hands on Swerve. I do not find I have the re-crystallization problem with Swerve, but depending on the manufacturer of the erythritol, you might have issues. Do you know what brand you used? Also, these are not great muffins for freezing or chilling because of their high butter/low flour content. I froze some because I had too many and I think the best way to get them back is to microwave them for 40 seconds or so.
Susan Pelter says
Felicia — I freeze these immediately the day after baking. When I’m ready for another one, I let it defrost on the counter for 5 minutes or so, then warm in the toaster oven on about 200 degrees with a square of 70% chocolate on top. The muffin gets all warm and nice, the chocolate melts, and it is just as good as a fresh one. I use Swerve and never have crystallization problems.
tatiana says
My hubby and I are new-ish to low carb and definitely new to low carb baking! I made these with Truvia, as that is what i had, (if you I were to use Truvia again I would cut it to half a cup as they were quite sweet) and they are insanely delicious! Gooey, sweet little nuggets of happiness! Thank you for all your work making these recipes!
Susan Pelter says
Finally got around to making these this morning, on a rare raw, gray day in N. Florida! They behaved a little oddly for me — the batter was more like scones than muffins — and the butter didn’t completely incorporate (I whisked instead of getting out the mixer), but they are madly delicious. Can’t wait to have another one!
Carolyn says
Hmmm, the batter should not be at all like scones. But hey, as long as they taste good!
Tammy says
I printed this out back in October and just made these today because of “snow day.” I had it all mixed up and ready to go in the pan when I realized there was no baking powder or soda for leavening…so I ran back to the computer and had to check if I made a mistake – nope…they are very tasty, although mine do no look as good as yours.
Thanks for another great recipe.
Melanie says
I’m planning on trying these out soon. Do the muffins need to be refrigerated once they’re cooled, or can they just be stored on the counter in an air-tight container?
Carolyn says
They are good in an airtight container for at least a few days! Refrigerate otherwise.
Vicki says
Thanks for your quick response! I’ll try letting the butter & eggs sit out longer, and beating the sweetener with butter first.
Vicki says
I began trying no wheat, low-carb, no sugar eating a month ago, but I always loved baking before, so I’m glad I stumbled upon your blog. Can you beat butter with the Swerve/erythritol the way I always creamed butter with sugar before, then beat in eggs one at a time while baking? I ask because I made this recipe the other day, and they tasted really good, but the butter & egg mixture never got smooth (it had lumps and globs). I wondered if I did something wrong?
Carolyn says
Hmmmm. It shouldn’t be that lumpy. The great thing about low carb baking that is also gluten free is that you don’t really need to worry about “over-mxing” like you do with flour, so you can really beat the heck out of things. But softened butter will lump up if you put cold eggs directly in it, so maybe try room temperature eggs. And yes, you can beat Swerve into the butter first. It doesn’t get quite as smooth and fluffy as butter with sugar but it’s close.
Karin says
Oh. My. Word! I made these over the weekend and they are TO DIE for. I did make them into 9 slightly larger muffins rather than 12, and had to bake for 35 minutes. Changes your carb counts from 3.3 to 4.4. They are truly DELICIOUS. Love your web site!
Karin says
I made them again, and again, and again… they are SO yummy!
Vanessa says
Made these last night and enjoyed one this morning with my coffee. SO GOOD! Even the hard to please hubby really likes them, he polished off two of them. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Carla says
I made these wonderful muffins today. They are scrumptious. They’re just decadent enough to make me feel guilty, even though I don’t have to. Thanks!
philis says
I was wondering if adding yogurt or sour cream would make it richer or better in some way? What do you think? Or does that amount of butter (which I love I mean Like A Lot) do the trick?
Thank you,
p
Carolyn says
I honestly wouldn’t add yogurt or sour cream to these. I think it would detract from the rich denseness of the muffin. They way they are, they really do resemble pecan pie. Just my opinion!
philis says
Then will try as is & thank you, Carolyn. I am not a muffin eater usually but these looked so moist!
Russell van Kraayenburg says
Now this is a great muffin idea! Yum!
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking says
Happy Anniversary Carolyn and Happy birthday to your little one 🙂
Your husband’s uncle sounds like a great guy to have around and these muffins make a great fall breakfast, or afternoon treat 🙂
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
Happy anniversary ♥ It brings me joy that you two got to spend some time together. Thank you to Dan!!
litehousepat says
These are a keeper!! And so easy to make.
Carolyn says
Aren’t they delicious???
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
Happy Anniversary! I love when my husband is my sous chef too. 🙂 Makes things so much easier! And pecan pie in muffin form? YUM!
Arhelia says
Happy Anniversary! I have these in the oven right now for tomorrow’s breakfast! I didn’t have molasses so I used coconut nectar, they smell wonderful already!