Vibrant fall produce stars in these gluten free persimmon muffins. Tender, flavorful, and studded with walnuts, you'll love making the most of this unique fruit.
When fall hits, the persimmons are literally falling off the trees in my California neighborhood. They're so beautiful I use them as decorations, then make them into persimmon jam and a persimmon puree that's perfect stirred into gluten free persimmon cake and these persimmon muffins! Easily gluten free, they come together in minutes and are nutty, cinnamon-y, and lightly sweet.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Cozy and full of fall flavors. Warm spices like cinnamon and ginger add a touch of autumnal goodness to these muffins.
- A great way to use persimmons. This recipe is best made while persimmons are in season to take advantage of their unique color and flavor. So grab a bunch from your tree or a neighbor and get to it.
- Not your ordinary muffin. Using persimmons adds a little something special to a basic batch of muffins! You won't find these in every coffee shop.
Ingredient Notes
Scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Gluten free flour - I used my homemade gluten free flour blend to make these muffins, and you can use any gluten free all-purpose flour blend of your choice by weight.
- Salt - I use fine sea salt and table salt works, too!
- Baking powder - Check to make sure this is fresh so that the muffins rise properly.
- Spices - A blend of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
- Oil - I use vegetable oil. Use another neutral oil like avocado oil if you wish.
- Brown sugar - Light or dark brown sugar is fine.
- Eggs - Large eggs at room temperature will easily blend into the batter.
- Persimmon puree - If you've already used my method to make persimmon puree, you're ready to go! I've also detailed how to make it lower down.
- Walnuts - These are optional and add a bit of crunch.
Variations
- Pumpkin muffins - Use this base recipe and swap pumpkin puree for the persimmon.
- Applesauce muffins - Try applesauce in place of the persimmon puree.
- Chocolate chip muffins - Add 1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips!
- Nut-free - Just leave out the walnuts.
- Vegan - Use flax eggs for the eggs or another egg substitute to turn this recipe vegan.
Want a sliceable version of persimmon muffins? My gluten free persimmon bread is also a winner.
What Are Persimmons?
Persimmons are a fall fruit known for their brilliant orange color and apple-like shape. They originated in China but now are grown around the world. If you're a Californiana, you'll probably be very familiar with this fruit, which is available from October-January!
Persimmons can be eaten fresh, cooked, baked, or turned into a puree (persimmon pulp) that's great in baking recipes like these muffins. Fuyu persimmons (shown above) can be eaten while still firm while the more oblong Hachiya persimmons should be very ripe and soft, otherwise they taste bitter. Persimmons have a light honey flavor.
How to Make Persimmon Muffins
Here's an overview in photos of how easy it is to make these fall-forward muffins:
- Make the dry mix: Whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Combine wet ingredients: Separately, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, and eggs. Gently stir persimmon puree in.
- Combine: Add the wet mixture into the dry mix, then fold in the walnuts.
- Add to pan: Divide the batter equally between the wells of a greased muffin tin.
- Bake: Now bake the muffins in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes, then cool in the pan.
Baking Tip: Don't Over Bake
Check the muffins at 18 minutes and pull them from the oven if they seem done. Because gluten free muffins can have a tendency to be dry, you do NOT want to let them sit too long in the oven's heat.
Persimmon Muffins Tips
- Add chopped persimmons - In addition to the puree, you can bump up the persimmon flavor by peeling a persimmon, dicing it, and folding it into the batter.
- Use ripe persimmons - When you make the persimmon puree, make sure that the persimmons are ripe. I've included a lot of tips in the article linked above for persimmon puree.
- To make persimmon puree - If you don't want to click, here's how to easily make persimmon puree: Wash and peel 3-4 persimmons, and cut off the tops. Chop them up and put them in a food processor, then puree until smooth. Measure out 1 cup of puree to use in this recipe.
- Grease the pan - Make sure you grease the pan very well so that the muffins release easily.
- Rest the batter - As always, let the gluten free batter sit while the oven heats (or up to 20 minutes) to hydrate. This will result in moister, more tender muffins.
Proper Storage
- Counter - Store persimmon muffins in an airtight container or resealable bag at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Fridge - Keep the muffins in an airtight bag or container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Freezer - Place the cooled muffins in a freezer-safe bag and store them in the fridge for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before eating.
More Gluten Free Muffin Recipes
If you tried my persimmon muffins or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments below! And I always appreciate a star rating if you loved it ❤️
Gluten Free Persimmon Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups gluten free flour (320 grams)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup pureed persimmon
- 1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, and eggs. Gently stir persimmon puree into the wet ingredients, then fold the wet mixture into the dry mix. Mix just until just combined. Fold in the walnuts if using.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners or spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Using a ¼ cup measure, divide the batter evenly between the muffins cups.
- Rest the batter while the oven heats, then bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes until a tester inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool the muffins in the tin on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn them out to cool completely.
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