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 (113.5 g) butter, well softened
- ¾ cup (136.5 g) Swerve Brown
- 1 tbsp liquid allulose
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) caramel extract, or vanilla extract
- 1 cup (105 g) almond flour
- ¼ tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1 cup (99 g) pecans, coursely chopped
- ⅓ cup (60 g) 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Hi, Just wondering since the molasses is optional is it included in the nutritional information for the muffins?? Thank you for great low carb recipes!!
It is…I always include anything I use in the nutritionals.
Thanks Carolyn!
Wow! These are really delicious and this recipe is a keeper! However, they are nothing like pecan pie. What they are is…chocolate chip cookies! I would call them “chocolate chip cookie muffins”! Texture and taste are spot-on. Will definitely be making these again!
Been trying a lot of low carb recipes lately and I have to say this one is the absolute BEST for a treat. You’d swear you were eating something right out of a bakery. I actually feel a little naughty eating itl Great recipe. But then again, all your recipes are winners!
I substituted the molasses for 3 tbsp of Sugar Free Maple Syrup. I think it made them pop! Thanks.
These look fantastic! I was just wondering if the sweetener could be substituted with Stevia, Truvia Baking Blend, or Born Sweet Zing? I have all of those but no Swerve. I can get it around here, but just hate to go by another sweetener! Lol
Sure, just make sure you figure out how much of your sweetener equals sugar. Swerve measures like sugar.
I made these the other day and I have to agree, one of the best LCHF muffins I have made! Absolutely delicious. Made them in my silicone muffin pan and they just popped out! Rented a beach house this fall for an all girls 40th HS Reunion, and will be making a couple of batches of these little gems to bring along! None of my friends eat this way, so it will be interesting to get their opinions.
Quick question, do you think that by adding a tsp or two of baking powder they will rise a bit more and have more of the texture of a true muffins? Not that these are not perfect as they are, just wondering? Thanks and love all your recipes, you have made going LCHF so much more tasty!
It’s worth a try!
These are amazing! Mine had to bake a little longer. I don’t know if I baked them long enough, but the end result had nearly the same consistency as regular pecan pie, and I thought that was perfect. Fantastic recipe!!
That’s exactly how they are supposed to be!
I’ve made many of your recipes but I just made this one for the first time today. These are wonderful!! I used sugar free chocolate chips and only used 1/3 cup of swerve but that’s all I changed. These are definitely a keeper! For me, I find some low carb muffins just don’t have enough flavor or are dry. These are awesome! Thank you!!
So glad you liked them!
These are my husband’s VERY favorite low carb breakfast treat. He is always sure to let me know when we run out. I’ve been making them for about a year now. I use silicone baking cups and I end up with a dozen. Recently I started adding about 1/2 tablespoon of baking powder because I don’t like such a dense muffin. And I always go pretty heavy on the molasses.
I just tonight made the chocolate pecan muffins tonight and they failed on me twice. I didn’t hvee Swerve on hand so I used Xylo Sweet instead. The first time I made them I baked them in my new silicone muffin tin and they did not ever set up. I even baked them longer. They were very greasy on the bottom. So I threw the batch in the garbage but was determined to try a second time. This time I baked them in parchment cups placed in a metal muffin tin. Same thing happened again. They were very greasy on the bottom of the parchment cup liner. Do you have any idea why they aren’t turning out. I used Almond Flour, butter, 2 lrg eggs, Lilly Chocolate Chips, pecans, molasses. The recipe calls for 1/2 CUP of butter. Is that correct? In your video it doesn’t look like a full stick of butter so I began to wonder if it was suppose to be 1/2 STICK rather than 1/2 CUP? Otherwise I have to guess that it’s due to the sweetener. I want so badly to make these for a coffee I’m having, but it’s getting pretty expensive to have them not to turn out. Can you please help me out?
It is absolutely half a cup. Keep in mind these are not meant to be muffin-y but more dense and like the filling of a pecan pie. That said, they should set up. They are supposed to be greasy, though…this is a low carb, HIGH FAT diet. 🙂 So it sounds like it must be the sweetener. What brand of almond flour are you using? If it’s almond MEAL (more coarse) that may also be a bit of an issue. I’d suggest, if you don’t want them that greasy, adding 2 tbsp of coconut flour to your batter.
Hi – do you have any good recipes that are low carb AND low fat?? thanks
I have a very few (meringues, hot chocolate gummies, a few veggie recipes) but as I am on a low carb high fat diet, that is not my priority.
I just made these and they DID NOT turn out. Butter & eggs would not cream together. I have tried twice. I’m sick that I’ve wasted the ingredients, not once but twice. Did you mix the flowed mixture into the butter/egg mixture with a spoon or with an electric mixer. Mine ended up having butter floating on top of the muffins and really never baked like a muffin would. I was planning on taking them to a “all girls” Christmas overnight. I am so very disappointed. I hope I can figure out what I did wrong, particularly if they turned out for you. Any suggestions?????
Sounds to me like you didn’t let your butter soften and you used cold eggs. They won’t mix together if you do that, the butter will just lump up. But please understand that this is not meant to be a cake-like muffin. It is very dense and more like the filling of a pecan pie. So that’s why they are named as such.
I did use room temperature eggs and I did use softened butter.
And yes, I mix the flour mixture in with an electric mixer.
What kind of molasses do you use?
Blackstrap.
Just made these and they were great! Loved using the parchment paper cupcake liners, clean up was a breeze.
I love these! I made them this past weekend and added a little bit of Banana emulsion- they were fantastic!
Hi again, Carolyn! I’m just dropping by to tell you about my experience yesterday. I had a friend over for coffee, chat and prayer. I offered her a pecan pie muffin and bragged on this recipe (it’s flavor, simplicity of ingredients and ease of baking). Taking things a step further, I decided to show her just how east this recipe is by throwing a batch to together, right then and there … made a believer out of her! Also, I found some individual silicone cupcake liners in our local Kitchen Unlimited store. Once cooled, the muffins popped right out of them! Now, they not only taste wonderful, but look cute too! Added bonus: the fluted cupcake liners were super easy to clean!
I am delighted to hear that. And I now have some of those silicone liners too and really love them.