Strawberry Muffins (Paleo, Gluten Free)

Love strawberries? These fantastically simple paleo strawberry muffins are packed with sweet and juicy strawberries—and they’re gluten-free and grain-free, too!

Strawberry muffins on a marble countertop next to sliced strawberries. A red banner at the bottom says paleo, grain-free, and gluten-free.

These strawberry muffins are supercharged with strawberry flavor because the batter is infused with both freeze-dried strawberries and diced fresh strawberries! I was hoping that the freeze-dried strawberries would result in a bright pink-colored crumb once baked, but no dice. But it’s not a big deal because I prefer flavor over flash any day—and these muffins are crazy delicious.

Someone pouring powdered freeze dried strawberries from a small food processor to a large silver bowl.

Ingredients

Here’s what to gather to make these berrylicious muffins!

Freeze dried strawberries
Fresh strawberries
Almond flour
Cassava flour (I use Otto’s cassava flour)
Ground cinnamon
Baking soda
Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Ghee or coconut oil, softened
Maple sugar or coconut sugar
Eggs
Almond, cashew, or coconut milk
Lemon zest and lemon juice
Vanilla extract

Can you substitute any of the ingredients?

As I’ve told you in the past, I’m not a paleo baking expert, so I have no idea if you can use an egg substitute or use another flour in place of almond or cassava flour recommended in this recipe. I haven’t tried these muffins with a keto sweetener, but I bet Swerve or allulose would work.

You can definitely substitute other fresh, seasonal fruit (e.g., blueberries, raspberries, diced peaches, etc.) in place of the strawberries and the muffins will taste amazing. If you must, you can also leave out the freeze dried strawberries, but the muffins won’t have as much concentrated strawberry flavor.

Please let me know in the comments section below if you have success with any ingredient substitutions!

Aren’t these just strawberry cupcakes?

Uh, kinda. For this recipe, you cream the ghee and maple sugar together in a mixer, before adding in the dry ingredients—similar to how you make cupcakes. However, I call these treats muffins because I don’t slather frosting on top, and the sweetness level is closer to that of a muffin. In all honesty, I don’t care if you call them strawberry cupcakes or muffins—just make them already!

How to keep the strawberries from sinking to the bottom

One of the most annoying things about baking fruit-filled muffins is that the fresh fruit normally pools at the bottom of the muffin, creating a soggy mess. Although many recipes claim that coating the fruit in a little flour will keep them suspended in the batter, it just doesn’t work!

The only tried-and-true secret is to spoon some fruit-free batter at the bottom of the muffin liner before adding the fruit-filled batter on top. Don’t believe me? Stella Parks explains why this method works in this helpful article.

How do you store these strawberry muffins?

The best way to store leftovers muffins is to freeze them in a sealed container for up to four months or refrigerate them for up to four days. You can heat them up straight from the freezer by microwaving them for about 40 seconds or until they’re heated through. Alternatively, you can thaw the frozen muffins in the refrigerator overnight and then pop them in a toaster oven at 300°F or 150°C for 5 minutes or until they’re heated through.

Here’s how to make these strawberry muffins!

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 175°C with the rack in the middle position. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment muffin liners.

A hand is placing a parchment muffin liner into a muffin tin.

Dump the freeze dried strawberries into a small food processor or blender.

A smiling woman is pouring a package of freeze dried strawberries into a small food processor.

Blitz the freeze dried strawberries until they transform into a fine powder.

An overhead shot of an open food processor with powdered freeze dried strawberries inside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the strawberry powder, almond flour, cassava flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.

An overhead shot of someone in a gray apron mixing the pink colored dry ingredients in a large silver bowl.

Plop the softened ghee and maple sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if you’re using a hand mixer).

Someone in a gray apron is pouring a small bowl of maple sugar into the silver bowl of a red stand mixer.

Use the paddle attachment to blend the mixture on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until it’s fluffy and lighter in color.

The ghee and maple sugar have been whipped until it is cream colored and fluffy.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, milk, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla.

Someone in a gray apron is adding a spoonful of vanilla extract into a red Kitchenaid stand mixer.

Beat the mixture on medium speed for 30 seconds or until combined. Don’t worry if the batter isn’t smooth yet—you’ll keep mixing it shortly!

A smiling Asian woman is blending strawberry muffin batter in a red KitchenAid stand mixer.

Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed, scraping down the sides as needed.

Pouring the pink colored dry ingredients for strawberry muffins into a stand mixer.

It should take only a minute or so until the batter is ready.

An overhead shot of the strawberry muffin batter in a stand mixer.

Scoop a small spoonful of batter into the bottom of each lined muffin well.

Someone adding a small scoopful of pink batter to the lined muffin pan.

Use a small spatula to evenly smooth out this bottom layer of batter.

A hand is using a small black spatula to smooth out the pink strawberry muffin batter in the parchment lined muffin pan.

Fold the diced strawberries into the remaining batter.

An overhead shot of someone folding in diced fresh strawberries into the pink muffin batter with a red spatula.

Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter into the muffin pan.

Adding scoops of strawberry muffin batter to a muffin tin that already has some batter on the bottom of the liners.

Pop the pan into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, rotating the pan 180° at the midway point.

Someone is rotating a muffin pan filled with strawberry muffins at the halfway point of baking.

The muffins are ready when they’re golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

A muffin pan filled with golden brown strawberry muffins in an open oven.

Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Two hands are transferring fresh baked gluten free paleo strawberry muffins onto a metal cooling rack.

Grab one for breakfast or as a sweet treat!

Paleo strawberry muffins on a marble countertop surrounded by sliced strawberries.

Want to bake up another berry-filled paleo treat? Make my Berry Snack Cake!

Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013) and Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017)!

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Close up shot of paleo strawberry muffins on a metal cooling rack.

Strawberry Muffins (Paleo, Gluten Free)

Love strawberries? These fantastically simple paleo strawberry muffins are packed with sweet and juicy strawberries—and they’re gluten-free and grain-free, too!

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten-free, grain-free, low carb, nom nom paleo, nomnompaleo, paleo

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Servings

Calories 226kcal

Author Michelle Tam

Ingredients

34 grams freeze dried strawberries 34 grams = 1 package
1¼ cups finely ground almond flour
½ cup cassava flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ cup ghee softened (coconut oil also works)
⅔ cup maple sugar or coconut sugar
2 large eggs
⅓ cup almond milk or cashew milk or coconut milk
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups diced strawberries

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 175°C with the rack in the middle position. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment muffin liners.
Dump the freeze dried strawberries into a small food processor or blender. Blitz the freeze dried strawberries until they transform into a fine powder.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the strawberry powder, almond flour, cassava flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set it aside.
Plop the softened ghee and maple sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl if you’re using a hand mixer). Use the paddle attachment to blend the mixture on medium-high speed for 2 to 3 minutes or until it’s fluffy and lighter in color.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the eggs, milk, lemon zest and juice, and vanilla. Beat the mixture on medium speed for 30 seconds or until combined. Don’t worry if the batter isn’t smooth yet—you’ll keep mixing it shortly!
Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed, scraping down the sides as needed. It should take only a minute or so until the batter is ready.
Scoop a small spoonful of batter into the bottom of each lined muffin well. Use a small spatula to evenly smooth out this bottom layer of batter.
Fold the diced strawberries into the remaining batter.
Use an ice cream scoop to divide the batter into the muffin pan.
Pop the pan into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, rotating the pan 180° at the midway point. The muffins are ready when they’re golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Transfer the muffins to a cooling rack to cool completely.