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.
Julie says
For the first time (in my unimaginative mind) I know what love tastes like!). I made these the other night and they are now in my short list of favorite desserts. Well, ok, there are many I like but few follow my preferred criteria (doesn’t require a lot of ingredients, time, or talent). It’s rare, but if I have unlimited time and resources, I have a much broader field to choose from. As it is, these will be in my every few weeks rotation. Thank you!
Now, my only question is: I baked the muffins in my counter top convection oven at 325F for 26 minutes and the finished product (though wonderful) stuck to the cupcake liners terribly). I’m thinking that I need to pull them after 22 minutes, maybe sooner. Would you have any advice?
Carolyn says
Hi Julie, so glad you liked them. So I have a tabletop convection oven too and here’s the deal…it cooks faster and hotter than a regular oven a lot of the time. So you should be dropping that temp to 300F. Also, the real trick is to use silicone or parchment paper liners with ALL low carb muffins, that way they really don’t stick. These are my fave parchment paper liners: http://amzn.to/2eaas7A
But I also just bought these silicon ones and am liking them a lot. http://amzn.to/2dXZy20
juliendbq says
Thanks, Carolyn! I’m baking these again tonight and will lower the heat, as you suggested. I have often considered the parchment AND the silicon liners, but get tripped up in the reviews (they were a good product, but now they’ve changed them … some like them, others were so disappointed, etc.). I’d hoped to buy them locally so I could return them if I didn’t like them, but I will need to order them on line. By the way, … Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!
Stephanie KL says
These muffins are delicious but before I eat too many of them, I was wondering if you had the total nutritional breakdown for them other than what you originally provided.
Molly says
These are INCREDIBLE. So easy, so good! I think these are the best baked good I’ve made with almond flour so far and I just used the flour I had- Trader Joe’s almond meal. They were great!! Thanks so much for this recipe!
Beth says
I have to agree. I made these last night and they are in fact the best baked good I’ve ever made wtih almond flour too! This one is a keeper!
Michelle says
Hi Carolyn, I made these yesterday, and they are fabulous!! As much as I LOVE chocolate, I prefer pecan pie without chocolate. How would you recommend altering the recipe if I omitted the chocolate? Thanks for all your wonderful recipes – it makes staying on low-carb so much easier!!
Carolyn says
You really wouldn’t need to change a thing, just leave out the chips.
Michelle says
Thanks, I will try it!! BTW, didn’t mean to post the same question twice…
Michelle says
Hi Carolyn, I made these yesterday, and they are fabulous!! As much as I LOVE chocolate, I prefer pecan pie without chocolate. How would you recommend altering the recipe if I omitted the chocolate? Thanks for all your wonderful recipes – it makes staying on low-carb so much easier!! 🙂
J says
I made these this weekend and must say that although they are delicious, they are nothing like a muffin. I would call them a cookie in a muffin cup. Tasty, but not what I expected.
Susan says
I brought some of these with me when I traveled over Thanksgiving – they had been frozen from a batch I made a few weeks ago, but tasted perfect! They helped me avoid pie and other treats without feeling like I was being left out. So I managed to make it through Thanksgiving enjoying good food, and still managed to lose a pound! Yippee!
Carolyn says
Wonderful!
Laura F. says
Made these for the first time this morning and they are so so delicious! I’ve been missing pecan pie do these totally what I needed! Mine didn’t come out as tall as your picture but I love them! Will be making lots more to keep in freezer and pull out as I want!!
Sylvia Stoltzfus says
Wow. The first low carb muffins I’ve tried in a long time and am very happy with the results! I made mine a tad sweeter but otherwise went pretty much by the recipe. Thank you!
Carolyn says
Glad you liked them!
Peggy Cihocki says
These are 100% awesome. Made them today and biting into them was just biting into pecan pie–without the carbs. I wondered about the lack of baking powder, but didn’t miss it at all in the finished product. I will be making these again–soon. Like Thursday to take to my Swing dance class.
Theresa says
Thank you Carolyn! This was the best low carb dessert I have tried to date. I followed the directions except 1 tbsp sugar free pancake syrup instead of the molasses (I figured it was lower in carbs and I might be able to use that for some low carb pancakes).
Anyway – I’m taking these on a business trip tomorrow but I had to sample one straight from the oven. I put a dab of softened butter on top. SO excellent! I also find myself completely satisfied with just 1 so that will help me keep the carbs in check.
I have virtually no creativity in the kitchen but will happily follow directions.Thanks for creating such great recipes! It means so much to stay on track with your weight loss goals and love the things you are eating. You help make that possible.
Carolyn says
So glad you like them!
Susan says
I haven’t been able to find 90% cacao chocolate – any suggestions for where I could find it, or suggestions for alternatives? Would 100% cacao work? Thanks!
Peggy Cihocki says
Susan, Lindt makes 90% chocolate bars. You can get them at World Market, for one. Maybe on line as well. That’s what I used today. So good.
Nicole says
You ARE an evil mastermind! These are criminally delicious. I made them as minis for portion control and ended up eating three. Thanks for that! 🙂
I think they’d be good topped with the cream cheese frosting from your crockpot carrot cake, but I don’t know that they’ll last long enough to find out.
I used chopped Lily’s milk chocolate and replaced the molasses with VitaFiber and I found the sweetness level just perfect, but I like things sweet.
Pam Staul says
I gave half away. I had better freeze them next time. Oh yes indeed…there WILL be a next time. Hubs just week and a half into low carb….thought they weren’t legal and I was joking…. I’m not generally much for sweets…but I can’t trust myself around these. Thank you so much for recipes that never fail to make their mark…and make myself and my clients smile at the thought of cheating…and then look up the next great recipe on your site.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Pam!
Vicky says
I made these and they were delicious. I used Lily’s chocolate chips and I use Yacon syrup in place of the molasses. Mine were not gooey in the center as some other people described- perhaps I overcooked them a little bit? I had more of a classic muffin crumb, so I didn’t get the “pecan pie” feeling- more of a light chocolate chip blondie. As some other folks said, they are quite sweet. Next time I will reduce sweetener just a tad. They do harden after sitting out for a day- nothing 15 seconds in the microwave doesn’t correct. Nevertheless, really yummy. Thanks, Carolyn.
Carolyn says
I’ve never used Yacon syrup so I don’t know if that would have made the difference at all.
Mama Owl says
I know this is an older post… hoping you still check it. I have lots of questions?!?!?!?! Do you think this recipe would half well… I know the math works, I am just wondering about the end result? Or, do these freeze well? Do you think it would work with raw almonds or does it have to be blanched? Thanks! 🙂
Carolyn says
Yes, you can halve the recipe. And yes, they freeze well. The almond flour is the finer stuff from Honeyville, but it would be okay with raw ground almonds too, as long as you can grind them finely enough.
Susan Pelter says
Hey there — these muffins are a staple at our house and they keep beautifully in the freezer! I reheat them in the toaster oven with a square of 70-+% chocolate on top and they are delish. The only tweak I make to this recipe is add a little more salt; mine always seem to need just a scoche more.
Mama Owl says
Awesome! Can I ask at what temp and for how long you reheat them? I know if I make a full batch they will eat them all, so it is good to know that I can freeze them before they get a chance! 🙂
Susan Pelter says
Usually around 300 – 350 degrees; I set it for 10 minutes but check after five. The chocolate on top is actually helpful for this — by the time it melts, the muffin is usually thawed and warmed 😉 I make a double batch, keep a few out and freeze the rest.
Keryn says
I made these tonight and they are delicious, I use 1/2 cup of Just Like Sugar and 1/4 of Swerve.
Sandy says
Carolyn,
Made these muffins and they are delicious! However they stick to the paper muffin cup. How do you get yours to come out so perfect?
Carolyn says
You need the parchment paper liners. They make a world of difference…muffins practically fall right now of them.
Sandy says
Thanks for getting back so quickly! I will definitely buy those. I hate it when they stick to the sides. PS…… I love all your recipes! I am so happy I can make delicious desserts low carb.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Sandy. I can’t recommend the parchment paper cups enough. Nothing sticks to them, even cupcakes made with coconut flour (and those stick a lot!).
Vicki says
I’ve also had good luck with the silicone cupcake cups.
Mindy says
I made these this afternoon being in a hurry I accidentally put in 1 cup of swerve! I had to leave for the evening so I ate one while still super warm and I must say YUMMY!! When I got home they were a little on the hard side,the texture crumbly but still good. In wondering if 1. I cooked them too long(they didn’t seem done so they were probably in an extra 8 min.) 2. The extra 1/4 c. of swerve? Or maybe that is just the texture they are supposed to be. I was thinking they should have a softer,gooey inside. Regardless they are wonderful! Any thoughts?
Carolyn says
I think it’s the Swerve. It hardens up after being cooked and extra would just make it harder. They won’t be “gooey” but they should be softish. You may have cooked them a bit long too, but I really think it’s probably the extra sweetener re-crystallizing.
Mindy says
Carolyn, Thank you so much for the quick reply. It was my 1st bag of swerve and its like liquid gold to me since no one carries it around here and I waited a week for it to get here! (I was kicking myself) should they seem under done when I take them out of the oven? That’s how I do oatmeal cookies so they are chewy.
Shari says
Made these last night, I had to use an alternative sweetner, but they still were terrific. Have you frozen them, or refrigerated the leftovers. How long will they keep?
Carolyn says
Refrigerate for up to 5 days. I kept them on the counter for about 3.
Susan Pelter says
Living in Florida, we have to put our baked goods in the fridge or freezer after about 2 days because of the high humidity. I put these in the freezer and just re-heated in the toaster oven with a sprinkle of sea salt and a teensy square of dark chocolate on top; I bet the last ones were in there a month and they tasted just as fabulous as the first!
Carolyn says
Good to know! I’ve never frozen these ones, they don’t last long enough in my house 😉
Shari says
Thanks much for the feedback.