Gluten Free Cherry Crumble Muffins (Dairy Free)

These Gluten Free Cherry Crumble Muffins converted me from a cherry hater into a cherry lover. Soft gluten free muffins are bursting with fresh, sweet cherries, and topped with a golden crumble. Plus, they're made completely without gluten, dairy, or refined sugar. 

If you've been around long enough, you know I love a good crumble topping, so I had to elevate basic cherry muffins with a crumble topping. These muffins are so deliciously sweet and moist that cherry season demands you make them!

Why You'll Love These Gluten Free Cherry Muffins

• They are allergy friendly. Made with whole food ingredients, these muffins are completely gluten free, dairy free, soy free, corn free, and nut free.
• They are refined sugar free. This gluten free muffin recipe calls for maple syrup, not white sugar. With the use of sweet, fresh cherries we only need a little bit of maple syrup since the cherries add natural sweetness. That's one of the reasons I love baking with fruit.
• Golden crumble topping. We're elevating boring cherry muffins with a sweet, golden crumb.
• Cherries are filled with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. This can help fight inflammation, support heart health, and improve cellular damage. Talk about a double duty baked good!
• Help with sleep. Did you know that cherries are a natural food source for melatonin, a brain compound that helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle? That means these muffins are the best dessert or evening snack since they're sure to help you sleep 😉

Gluten Free Cherry Crumble Muffin Ingredients

• Gluten free flour: be sure to use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum for best results.
• Tigernut flour: this is a nut free flour alternative to almond flour, but you can certainly use almond flour instead!
• Olive oil: using olive oil lends to a light and tender crumb in these muffins.
• Maple syrup: the unrefined sweetener used for these gluten free cherry muffins, just be sure to stick to pure maple syrup.
• Eggs: you'll need 2 large eggs.
• Yogurt: yogurt adds moisture and is especially helpful in gluten free baked goods which can dry out easily. I stick to a dairy-free yogurt, but you can certainly use dairy-full if you tolerate it.
• Coconut sugar: the unrefined sweetener used in the crumble topping.
• Coconut oil: used to hold the crumble topping together.
• Baking powder, salt, vanilla extract: stick to a corn and aluminum free baking powder and pure vanilla extract.
• Cherries: fresh cherries work best in this recipe (just don't forget to pit them!), but you can also use frozen cherries.

How to Make Gluten Free Cherry Crumble Muffins

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners.
2. Mix together the ingredients for the crumble topping and set aside.
3. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Beat together all of the wet ingredients in a large bowl on medium speed.
5. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, there should be a few streaks of flour left.
6. Fold in the chopped cherries.
7. Scoop the muffin batter into the muffin tin. Crumble the topping evenly over the top of each muffin, pressing down slightly so it sticks to the batter.
8. Bake for 20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Alternatively, you can bake these muffins 425F for 5 minutes then drop the temperature to 350F and bake for another 15 minutes for super domed, bakery style muffins.

Substitutions and Variations

• Flours: opt for almond flour if tolerated and easier to access than tigernut flour.
• Olive oil: melted butter or coconut oil should also work in this recipe.
• Yogurt: I opt for a coconut yogurt, but if you can have dairy, try using Greek Yogurt. You could also sub the yogurt for full fat coconut milk.
• Frozen cherries: ​don't want to deal with pitting cherries? Use frozen (no need to thaw) tossed well in flour. You may need to increase baking time by 3-5 minutes since frozen cherries give off more liquid.
• Variations: there are so many variations you can make to amp up these fresh cherry muffins. Fold in sliced almonds or chocolate chips (dark chocolate chips would be amazing, but white chocolate or milk would also work) to the batter. You could even add crushed almonds to the crumble topping or add a little bit of almond extract to the batter. Try drizzling melted chocolate on top once they are cooked and cooled.

Baking Tips

• Don't over mix the batter. When mixing the dry ingredients into the wet, mix until you have a few streaks of flour left. That will get fully incorporated once the cherries are folded in. Over mixing gluten free baked goods can result in a gummy or dry texture.
• Toss cherries in flour. Always toss your cherries in 1 tablespoon of flour before folding into the batter. This prevents them from sinking to the bottom of the muffin.
• Use silicone liners. I like to use silicone muffin liners for easy removal and an environmentally reusable option.
• Don't over-fill the liners. Fill to about ¾ full for standard muffins. If you over-fill they'll spread rather than dome.
• Let cool completely. This is especially important for gluten free muffins which need time to set after baking.
• Want big, bakery style muffins? To achieve giant muffins, line every other hole in the muffin pan. Bake the muffins for 5 minutes at 425F then drop the temperature to 350F for 12-15 minutes, until the muffins are done. This will help you achieve big, rounded muffins on top!

​Storage

Store leftover muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 5. I do suggest storing these in the fridge in general as they are quite moist and will get very soft quickly due to the juices of the cherries. Bring to room temperature or microwave for 10-20 seconds before serving for warm, gooey muffins!

These muffins also freeze well. Freeze in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature.

FAQ

If you try these muffins, be sure to leave a rating and review! Tag me on social media too.