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.
Cheryl Eggen says
Carolyn, I sub’d half Allulose & half Bocha Sweet since I’m really sensative to the cooling effect of Erythritol (Swerve). These turned out to be deliciously surprising, and really did taste like good pecan pie! Hubby & I enjoyed them immensely. So yummy and really easy to make. I appreciate the ability to change the number of total servings in your recipe too. 6 muffins were just the right amount for us!
Kim says
Made these yesterday, they are amazing.
Kasren says
No baking soda? I added a little because I thought you might have intended to add some. I’ve never made muffins without some kind of leavening agent…??
Carolyn says
No, they are not meant to rise, they are meant to be like the filling from pecan pie.
Mary says
Carolyn your recipes never disappoint. This really tastes like pecan pie, in my opinion. Looking forward to trying your coffee cake muffin. I never have whey protein. Any substitutions for that.
Elaine and MacNeil says
My husband and I are addicted to these delicious muffins! It has taken unbelievable determination not to eat more than one a day – usually with a decaf coffee after dinner. I find an aftertaste with Swerve so have been using zylitol (Canada) and it seems to present no taste or texture issues. Quick question, though – should they be refrigerated after baking?
Carolyn says
If you’re going to eat them within 5 days or so, no refrigeration needed (but if you life in a humid climate, you might want to).
Wanda Daniel says
I made these today and they are wonderful! They are going into my “Favorites” file for regular use. Thank you!
Teresa says
I made these today! We love them! Very easy to make and so delicious ~
Deanna says
I just made these today, but I think I messed up somewhere. When I removed them from the pan, they completely fell apart, into crumbles. Not one held its shape. ???? I did leave my butter and eggs out, but I’m thinking the butter wasn’t room temp enough?? Because when I mixed it with the egg, it didn’t cream. It was lumpy and goopy. So, it’s either that or I baked them too long, that made them fall apart. Do you have any advice? I just can’t figure out what it was.
Carolyn says
Did you happen to use a different sweetener? And it definitely should “cream” properly.
karen m bratton says
I had this happen too. I used yacon sryup instead of molasses. Would that cause the goopy mess instead of creamy
Carolyn says
Were your eggs at room temp too? Whenever my butter clumps up, it’s because my eggs were still cold.
Marla says
Carolyn I can never get my butter and eggs to “cream” nicely. Even when leaving things out and doing at room temp. It happens in the winter and summer. Is it that I’m just not mixing them long enough? I keep trying, eventually I will figure out why this is happening.
Carolyn says
It might be not mixing enough, not sure. What sweetener are you using? For this recipe, you want to cream the butter with the sweetener for a minute or two, then add the eggs one at a time. The butter may clump a bit after the addition of the eggs but as long at they aren’t super cold, it will all smooth out again as you add the dry ingredients.
Jael Adams says
Wow! I just made these and they really do taste like Pecan Pie, they even have a slight Pecan Pie texture to them. Thank you!
beth says
Has anyone tried coconut flour in place of the almond? I am allergic to almonds. I know there are plenty of sub lists but I was hoping for an experienced baker to answer.
Carolyn says
It would not work in this recipe. Can you get a hold of some pecan meal/flour instead?
J chan says
Would rice flour work
Carolyn says
Nope! I don’t use it and it’s very different from almond flour so no. Won’t work in this recipe.
Christine says
These are fabulous!! What a rich treat! With the ingredients I used I got these down to 2g net carbs. I used Blue Diamond flour, Nature’s Eats pecan pieces and also I used Lyle’s Black Treacle instead of molasses which technically you don’t need as much of, but I went ahead and used the full 1T which only adds 9g carbs, but next time I think I’ll reduce it just a bit, could probably get by with half (or maybe not, because these were perfection!). I found in the last several minutes it’s best to keep an eye on them because they can go from not quite set to perfect very quickly… I took them out when a toothpick came out wet with just a tiny amount of crumb, and after completely cooling, the texture is insane, and even has that nice thin “crust” on the top like pecan pie does. I’m just mad I didn’t try this one sooner! They come together in no time. Thank you so much for all you do to help us stay the course with healthy and satisfying treats!!!
Shari says
Made these over the weekend (from your Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen cookbook), and kicking myself for not doubling–or tripling–the batch!! These may be the best keto muffin I’ve ever had–bar none. Simple ingredients, great flavor. My husband, who is only partially keto, loved them, too, so that’s a huge plus. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Everything we’ve made from your book and your website has turned out great. You’ve turned into my go-to for keto/LC dishes. 🙂
Carolyn says
So glad to hear it!
Shawna says
Any way to lower the fat content??
Carolyn says
I am sure there is but fat is good and important on keto.
Jewel says
These are fantastic. I used to make a wickedly unhealthy chocolate pecan pie. This reminds me of it without the guilt. I can’t believe I can eat food like this! Thank you, Carolyn!
Sonja says
I was looking for something I could make and use while i travel for a quick meal or snack! I made these muffins earlier today, I had all the ingredients too!! I loved them so much! I made 8 instead of the 12 so mine are a little bigger! Perfect for snacks and a meal too.
Carolyn says
They really are great for traveling. Enjoy!
Amy says
I can’t wait to make these muffins!
Julie Blanner says
Love this! Chocolate and pecan is a great combination. Can’t wait to make this.
Toni says
These were so good! My kids devoured them in no time!
Kimberly says
So good and the molasses adds a nice touch!
Kellie H. says
BEST muffins ever! So easy and turn out perfect every time.