Flourless Paleo Cashew Butter Muffins | Gluten Free Grain Free 3 Ingredient Muffins
Easy 3 Ingredient Flourless Sugar Free & Grain Free Mini Muffins – Healthy Paleo Cashew Butter Muffins without Flour!
These Paleo cashew butter muffins are totally flourless, sugarless, grain free—and made with just THREE ingredients! Homemade healthy snacks don’t get much easier than this. And, despite this being a grain free FLOURLESS muffins recipe, they’re unbelievably fluffy.
For your 3 ingredient muffins batter, all you need is cashew butter, eggs, and baking powder! They’re seriously THAT clean and easy. And, those wholesome ingredients pack each of these nut butter muffins with plenty of nutritious fats and protein.
Then, I like to mix in some chopped cashews for a fun crunch and coconut shreds for natural sweetness and flavor. So I guess these cashew butter muffins are really 5 ingredient muffins…but those extra 2 ingredients are worth the added deliciousness for me! Of course, feel free to omit them, or swap them out for your favorite mix-ins.
Baked into mini muffin tins, they make for a light, fluffy, and satisfying bite, with a bread-y, savory flavor that’s so tasty and comforting. Or, if you’d prefer sweeter Paleo muffins instead, feel free add some optional sweetener to the batter like maple syrup or honey!
To Make this a True Paleo Muffins Recipe:
Even though these cashew butter muffins are sugarless, grain free, flourless, AND made with only 3 ingredients—I’d prefer to call them pretty much Paleo muffins to be safe. Because, depending on the person, what’s considered ‘Paleo’ or ‘not Paleo’ can vary a bit.So, I’ll show you how to make true 100% Paleo muffins with some simple substitutions/adjustments!
Of course, whether or not our Paleolithic ancestors baked and ate Paleo muffins probably isn’t much of a debate… But, if you are a muffin-eating Paleo dieter (wise choice, in my opinion) here are some things to consider:
Is Baking Power Paleo Approved?
The short answer: no, not most brands.
Baking powder is a leavening agent—meaning it’s the magical stuff that helps these cashew butter muffins to rise and fluff up! Typically, baking powder is a mixture of baking soda, cream of tartar, and cornstarch. And, depending on the brand, it’s common for commercial baking powders to contain other additives, like gluten or wheat containing ingredients and aluminum.
Because of this, the majority of baking powder options in grocery stores would be considered NOT Paleo. Some Paleo dieters out there are okay with a little baking powder on occasion. Others seek out some of the clean, Paleo approved baking powder options out there without those additives.
Instead, many Paleo baking recipes rely baking soda, which is sodium bicarbonate. Basically, baking soda is what’s already in baking powder—just without the cream of tartar, cornstarch, and questionable additives.
Even though they’re similar, their chemistry is different, so you can’t just swap one for the other in a recipe. But, here’s what you can do:
How to Make Homemade Paleo Baking Powder
You can make your own Paleo baking powder simply by combining 1 part baking soda with 2 parts cream of tartar—i.e. mix 1 tsp baking soda + 2 tsp cream of tartar, or ½ tsp baking soda + 1 tsp cream of tartar, etc.
Mix those to integrate, then scoop out ½ tsp of that homemade baking powder mixture to use in your cashew butter muffins batter!
How to Substitute for Baking Powder with Baking Soda
In terms of chemistry, sodium bicarbonate is basic and it needs an acidic element in order to activate. That’s why baking powder combines baking soda with cream of tartar, which is acidic. Or, you can replicate the effect in your Paleo cashew butter muffins by using baking soda with some acid, like apple cider vinegar or lemon juice!
Since baking soda is stronger than baking powder, you’ll need to use less soda than powder—about ¼ as much, or ¼ tsp soda to sub for 1 tsp powder. Then, it’s crucial to pair that baking soda with 2 parts acid—as in, ¼ tsp baking soda + ½ tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
So, for this cashew butter muffins recipe, you can try substituting for the ½ tsp baking powder with ⅛ tsp baking soda + ¼ tsp apple cider vinegar. (Or ¼ tsp lemon juice, if you’ve got a lemon cut open!)
Paleo Sweeteners – To Sweeten or Not to Sweeten?
The simplest version of this 3 ingredient nut butter muffins batter is just: nut butter + eggs + leavening agent. But, the trade-off with flourless sugar free muffins is they won’t taste sweet like the muffins most of us are used to. I think they’re plenty tasty—and if you’re a fan of more savory, fluffy, bakery-bread-like muffins, they’ll be right up your alley!
Or, if you prefer these nut butter muffins to be a sweet treat, you have the option to add a Paleo approved sweetener. It all depends on how you view sweeteners and how they fit into your Paleo lifestyle.
I know that for some, the Paleo diet means NO sugar at all, in any form. And that includes natural and unprocessed forms like honey and maple syrup, because ‘sugar is sugar.’ So, if that’s how you do Paleo, just follow the basic 3 ingredient muffins recipe without the optional sweetener!
On the other hand, some Paleo dieters are open to Paleo friendly sweeteners—meaning natural, raw, unprocessed. But, only when they’re consumed on occasion and in moderation.So, if this is you and sweet Paleo muffins are more your style, feel free to add a few tablespoons to your batter!
Is Honey Paleo? Is Maple Syrup Paleo?
The short answer: yes, in their purest forms (though some people disagree).
The average store-bought honey and maple syrup options are ultra-processed and highly refined—a.k.a. NOT Paleo. That processing and refining means they’re stripped of the nutrients that raw/pure varieties contain, and some brands may even contain sneaky additives.
Your best options for Paleo friendly sweeteners are a high-quality raw honey, or 100% pure maple syrup. These are the most natural, unrefined sweetener options, and the best-of-the-best will come from small farms and quality health food stores.
So, if you’d like these Paleo cashew butter muffins to be a sweeter treat, simply add 2 tablespoons of raw honey or pure maple syrup to your 3 ingredient batter!
*TIP: Some varieties of cashew butter are sweetened, so first check the ingredients before adding sweetener to the recipe!
How to Make 3 Ingredient Cashew Butter Muffins without Flour
Unlike most nut butter muffins and flourless muffins recipes out there, these Paleo cashew butter muffins are SO easy to make—you don’t even need a blender!
To start, preheat your oven to 350°F, grab a large bowl, and grab your mini muffin tin. This cashew butter muffins recipe will yield 12 mini muffins exactly, but feel free to double (or triple!) the recipe if you’d like to bake even more of these fun, fluffy bites!
In your bowl, whisk together the 3 ingredient muffins batter: cashew butter, eggs, and baking powder. (Or, homemade Paleo baking powder, a baking soda + apple cider vinegar substitute—whichever leavening agent you prefer to make your Paleo muffins with.)
And, if you’d like your cashew butter muffins to be sweet, now is also when you’d add that optional sweetener. About 2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup will do the trick! But, be sure to check the ingredients on your cashew butter first to see whether or not it’s sweetened.
Whisk that 3 ingredient muffins batter together until it’s nice and smooth!
Then, you can stir in your mix-ins. For this cashew butter muffins recipe, I chose chopped cashews and coconut shreds—I love the fun textures and sweet-and-salty flavors that they add! And, they give my Paleo muffins a nutritious boost of healthy fats and fiber.
But, you could really use any mix-ins that you like, so get creative!
Next, scoop your prepared cashew butter muffins batter into your sprayed/greased mini muffin tin. I like to use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop for easy portioning, but you could use a measuring spoon or regular spoon.
Remember, these Paleo muffins do contain a leavening agent, so they will rise! For that reason, it’s best to not fill your muffin tins up to the brim, but about ⅔ to ¾ full instead.
Finally, I like to sprinkle some coconut shreds on top as well before baking. Not necessary, but they sure look cute, and that coconut is so tasty after toasting in the oven!
Pop your cashew butter muffins into the preheated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes. They don’t need long to bake!
You’ll know they’re ready when they’re lightly golden, perfectly fluffy, and a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from the oven, and allow your Paleo mini muffins to cool in the tin for about 5-10 minutes before taking them out of the tin. Then, they’re ready to serve and enjoy immediately!
Or, remove from the tin and allow to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container. You can store these cashew butter muffins for about a week—if you can wait that long to devour them!
Other Healthy Snack Ideas, Paleo Snacks, and Travel Snacks for Kids
These flourless cashew butter muffins are a clean and nutritious Paleo snack option that’s so quick-and-easy to make. Plus, they’re perfect for summer travel snacks or road trip snacks because they don’t need to be refrigerated!
For more healthy on the go inspiration, there are TONS of other healthy travel snack ideas in my Healthy Road Trip Snacks video that I’ve shared below. And, I’ve also linked some of my favorite Paleo snacks and easy healthy snack recipes that you might enjoy!
Veggie Chips, Dips & Snacks
Healthy Travel Snacks & No Bake Bites
Low Carb & Paleo Sweet Treats
Healthy Road Trip Snacks | DIY Summer Snack Packs for Travel / Family Vacation!
Flourless Paleo Cashew Butter Muffins
Ingredients
3 Ingredient Cashew Butter Muffins Batter
- ¼ cup cashew butter
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp baking powder*
- optional, but recommended: 2 Tbsp sticky sweetener of choice (maple syrup, honey, agave etc.)
Mix-Ins
- 3 Tbsp coconut shreds, + some to sprinkle on top
- 3 Tbsp chopped cashews
- or mix-ins of choice!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In a bowl, combine cashew butter, eggs, and baking powder, along with optional sweetener if desired. Whisk together until smooth.
- Stir in coconut shreds and chopped cashews as mix-ins, or other mix-ins of choice.
- Distribute batter into mini muffin tin (I used a 1-Tbsp cookie scoop) and sprinkle additional coconut shreds on top.
- Bake 10-12 minutes, until tops look cooked and lightly golden. A toothpick should come out clean!
- Yields 12 mini muffins using a 1-Tbsp cookie scoop.
8 Comments on “Flourless Paleo Cashew Butter Muffins | Gluten Free Grain Free 3 Ingredient Muffins”
Are you serious?????? These are so easy yet so amazing! I added vanilla and cinnamon. This is the perfect base recipe to mix and match flavors. I was so skeptical but these are perfect! Thank you for the great recipe!
Hi Melanie! We’re so glad these 3-ingredient cashew butter muffins turned out well for you 🙂 They’re ridiculously easy but so tasty! Thank you for giving the recipe a try, and thank you for sharing the additions you made to the recipe so others can try them out as well. We appreciate you being here!
Didn’t know that muffins could be this easy! I was skeptical about them being paleo & having so few ingredients, but man they turned out awesome. Thanks!
3 ingredient paleo muffins sure does sound like a trick…but they ARE so tasty! Thanks for trying them out & sharing how it went with us 🙂
Excellent recipe! I made these using cashew pieces, but no coconut and I used my donut pan. A double batch made 7 donuts. Wow! Really light and fluffy. I was thinking of trying the batter out in my waffle pan next time.
Hi Beverly, so glad that you enjoyed this recipe, and great idea turning the batter into donuts!! Thanks so much for trying it out and making it your own 🙂 We’d LOVE to know how the batter turns out if you do try it in the waffle pan!
Hey mindOverMunch! Thanks for the recipe. Couple I substitute the cashew butter with sunflower butter? Do you think that it will work?
Thanks!
Hi Ira, of course we can’t say for sure since we haven’t tried the substitution ourselves, but sunflower seed butter should work alright! Some sunflower butter can be a bit more runny/liquid-y than others, so the texture might just be slightly different