Walnut Coffee Muffin Tops (Sugar Free)
With walnuts, espresso powder, and monk fruit sweetener, these easy, 10-ingredient, sugar-free Walnut Coffee Muffin Tops are a portable breakfast or snack.
These Walnut Coffee Muffin Tops are a small-batch, sugar-free treat made with walnuts, espresso powder, and monk fruit sweetener. You need just 10 ingredients, one bowl, and one spoon, and you can have 4 big, nutty muffin tops ready in under 30 minutes.
These Walnut Coffee Muffin Tops are:
- Refined sugar-free. No added sugar, sweetened with monk fruit.
- Dairy-free. Made with oil and almond milk, so no butter or milk.
- Small batch. The recipe makes 4 muffin tops.
- Easy. One bowl, one spoon, and no muffin top pan.
- Make-ahead friendly. They keep for about 4 days on the counter and 7–9 days in the fridge.
What Are Muffin Tops, Anyway?
Muffin tops are simply the tops of muffins, without the bottoms. They are slightly crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, and they make an easy, portable breakfast or snack. These come together in one bowl and bake on a regular baking tray.
I am not a huge fan of muffins as a whole. However, I find the tops of muffins irresistible. The bottoms? Soggy, and I’ll pass. So, I make muffin tops (or MTs, as I like to call them), and this is my coffee-and-walnut version.
This combination was inspired by Nigella Lawson’s coffee walnut cake, which was the technical bake in the first episode of The 2026 Great British Bake Off. After that episode, I was so inspired!
Coffee and walnut is a classic pairing. The roasty espresso balances the earthy walnuts deliciously. So, I decided to feature this combo in some muffin tops. I added in my own spin using almond milk and monk fruit sweetener in place of milk and sugar, making these muffin tops dairy-free and refined sugar-free.
What Are the Ingredients Needed to Make These Walnut Coffee Muffin Tops?
You will need the following 10 ingredients:
- Walnuts. These are ground up in a blender to make a walnut flour.
- All-purpose flour. It holds everything together.
- Salt. Just a pinch brings out the coffee and walnut flavors.
- Baking powder. This helps the muffin tops rise.
- Espresso powder. Instant espresso powder dissolves right into the batter for a good hit of coffee flavor. Use espresso powder, not coffee grounds.
- Monk fruit sweetener. This is what keeps these sugar-free. Brands vary in sweetness, so check your package.
- Egg. It binds the batter.
- Vegetable oil. It keeps the muffin tops moist and dairy-free.
- Almond milk. Just a tablespoon brings the batter together. I recommend unsweetened to keep them sugar-free.
- Vanilla extract. Pure vanilla rounds out the coffee and walnut flavors.
Do You Need a Muffin Top Pan to Make These Walnut Coffee Muffin Tops?
Nope. I am trying my best not to accumulate too many kitchen gadgets, so I use a regular baking tray lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.
How Do You Make These Walnut Coffee Muffin Tops?
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a bowl, mix together the walnuts, flour, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and monk fruit sweetener.
- Add the wet ingredients. Add the egg, oil, almond milk, and vanilla, and mix well. The batter should be thick, almost like cookie dough.
- Shape. Spoon the batter onto the lined baking tray. I like to add one spoonful and shape it so it is round, then add another spoonful on top of that. Divide the batter into 4 mounds.
- Top. Add a walnut on top of each or sprinkle walnut pieces onto each mound.
- Bake for 18 minutes at 375°F.
- Cool. Let them cool for a couple of minutes, so they release easily off the Silpat.
- Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
(The full recipe card is below.)
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A Few Notes
- The batter is supposed to be thick. Think cookie dough, not muffin batter. Don’t thin it out. If your batter is too thick, add a tablespoon of all-purpose flour to firm it up.
- Shape them the way you want them to look. Because the batter is so thick, what you shape is pretty much what you get.
- Be patient after baking. Give them a couple of minutes on the tray so they lift off the Silpat without sticking.
- Check your sweetener. Monk fruit sweeteners vary by brand, so taste the batter and read the label.
How to Serve Walnut Coffee Muffin Tops
Serve them warm or at room temperature, with a hot cup of coffee. To warm them up, toast them ever so lightly in a toaster oven. The microwave works if you are short on time, though it makes them softer.
How to Store Walnut Coffee Muffin Tops
Store them in an airtight container for about 4 days on the kitchen counter, or about 7–9 days in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. A baking tray lined with a Silpat or parchment paper works fine.
4 large muffin tops.
Yes, instant coffee can be used instead. As it is milder in flavor, use 2 1/2 or 3 teaspoons of instant coffee.
Yes. Wrap them in plastic and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, let them come to room temperature on the countertop. Then, bake them at 350 for 5-10 minutes to heat through.
Yes, this recipe can be doubled or tripled to meal prep a batch of these muffin tops.
More Muffin Top Recipes
If you like muffin tops, I wrote a little cookbook called Muffin Top Mania with 51 of them. You can read more about it here. And here are a few more from the blog:
- Easy Espresso Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops
- Oat Date Muffin Tops
- Double Chocolate Muffin Tops
- Easy Brown Butter Rye Chocolate Chip Muffin Tops
- Purple Sweet Potato Muffin Tops
If you make these walnut coffee muffin tops, please let me know in the comments below what you think of them, or tag your creation on social media with @savoryspin.
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp espresso powder (or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee)
- 1/3 cup monk fruit sweetener
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp almond milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Add the walnuts to a blender or food processor and blend until they are a rough, flour-like texture. It's ok if there are a few small chunks, as they add texture.
- In a bowl, mix together the walnuts, flour, salt, baking powder, espresso powder, and monk fruit sweetener.
- Add the egg, oil, almond milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients, and mix well. The batter should be thick, almost like cookie dough.
- Spoon the batter onto a Silpat-lined baking tray. I like to add one spoonful and shape it so it is round, then add another spoonful on top of that. Divide the batter into 4 mounds.
- Place a walnut on top of each muffin top or sprinkle walnut pieces onto each mound.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes at 375°F. I use a gas oven. Oven temperatures vary, so make sure to take a peek at them around the 18-minute mark.
- Let them cool for a couple of minutes, so they release easily from the Silpat.
- Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
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