Orange Gingerbread Muffins (Lectin-Free, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free)

These orange gingerbread muffins made with teff flour and tigernut flour are the perfect cold-weather treat. They smell and taste like holidays, and are soft, light, and super easy to make.

If you need a warm, comforting, and grounding treat that is also lectin-free, gluten-free, and sugar-free, you must try these orange gingerbread muffins. You won’t be disappointed.

The dry mix: lectin-free and gluten-free

For these orange gingerbread muffins, I chose a combination of lectin-free and gluten-free flours I love: teff and tigernut, with a little bit of tapioca for improved texture.

The inspiration for the base was another one of my favorite muffin recipes: Green Banana Teff Muffins.

For more information on teff, please check this article:

• All About Teff, the Ancient Grain Gaining Popularity

The wet mix

Green (unripe) bananas, pasture-raised eggs, and extra virgin olive oil make these muffins super moist and fluffy. You just have to combine them in a blender until soft and creamy.

The quantities in this recipe make 12 full-size muffins, but I usually make only half the portion.

The gingerbread spices

Everyone has their own combination of gingerbread spice, but I loved this one I made (for 12 muffins): 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg.

Add vanilla powder (or essence or vanilla seeds directly from a pod), and zest from three organic oranges for even more flavor (alternatively, you can use pure orange extract).

To me, the most exciting flavor coming through is the cloves. If you like it a little bit more spicy, you can add some extra ginger. Or use whatever spice mix you love the most, like a pumpkin pie spice mix.

This is also a great option: Holiday Warming Spice Blend

How to make orange gingerbread muffins

These muffins are so easy to make.

• Preheat the oven to 350F and line a muffin pan with muffin paper liners.
• Blend the wet ingredients and the spices in a blender until smooth and creamy.
• Combine the dry ingredients in a big mixing bowl.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients bowl and combine with a spatula without overmixing.
• Add the chopped pecans and fold them into the batter.
• Fill the muffin cups with batter as high as the liner to fill all 12 muffin liners. Top with the rest of the pecan nuts.
• Bake for 35 minutes. They will be golden brown and no longer soft to touch. If you are unsure if they are done, do the toothpick test: a toothpick inserted in a muffin should come out clean.
• Take the muffins out, and let them cool down for about 10 minutes before removing them from the pan.
• When ready, arrange them on a serving platter and dust them with inulin powder.
• They can be frozen.

Gingerbread muffins with licorice powder

And one more surprise ingredient: licorice root powder. If you don’t have some around and want to make these muffins right now, go ahead, they’ll still be good, but you will have to try with licorice powder. It’s such a great, versatile spice to have in your pantry.

If you think you don’t like licorice because you don’t like licorice candy, I’m here to tell you it is not the same thing. The natural powder (which is just finely ground licorice root) will add a subtle flavor to your dishes. Plus, it’s naturally sweet.

Licorice root is a powerful gut health support, and you will find it in many supplements and tea. In fact, Dr. Steven Gundry’s Total Restore formula for gut health is made with licorice root.

The sweetness

As with most of my ‘sweet treats’, these orange gingerbread muffins might not be sweet enough for you. I have re-educated my palate for at least five years, so now my taste buds and brain only require a very small amount of sweetness.

As taste is so subjective, and we don’t know what other people’s sensitivity to the sweet taste is, imagine that for me, tasting a classic gingerbread is a shock to my system. 😅

I added four tablespoons of inulin powder, but you can use any plant paradox-approved sweetener you like. Monk fruit will work well and is even sweeter than inulin.

Add one or two extra tablespoons of monk fruit if you want a slightly sweeter version of these muffins.

Use more inulin powder or another powdered sweetener to dust the muffins. They look prettier this way.

Here you find my sugar-free journey: How I Quit Sugar 5 Years Ago, and I Still Eat the Cake.

More muffin recipes

• Healthy Sweet Potato Muffins (No Added Sugar, Gluten-Free)
• Protein-Packed Egg Muffins (Quick and Healthy Breakfast)
• Breakfast Sweet Potato Muffins (Sugar-Free)
• Green Banana Teff Muffins
• Lectin-Free Orange Cranberry Muffins
• Ginger and Turmeric Sweet Potato Muffins
• Grain Free Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Enjoy! And let me know if you make my orange gingerbread muffins. If you have any questions or feedback, please leave a comment.

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