We caught our first cool fall breeze this week. Do you know what that means? It’s pumpkin muffin time.
I snapped some new photos of my favorite pumpkin muffin recipe as I satisfied my pumpkin craving. These pumpkin muffins are perfect for chilly fall mornings and afternoon snacks.
They’re healthier than most, since they’re made with whole wheat flour and oats, sweetened with real maple syrup or honey, and call for coconut oil or olive oil instead of butter. Believe it or not, this healthy pumpkin muffin recipe yields light and fluffy muffins.
These pumpkin muffins wouldn’t be complete without plenty of warming spices, including cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Most “pumpkin spice” flavor comes from the spice, not the pumpkin!
I love these muffins with a spread of almond butter, peanut butter or pecan butter on top. Nut butter adds some extra protein, which means that I’m not hungry before lunchtime. If you’re going pumpkin-crazy this time of year, enjoy your muffin with a homemade pumpkin chai latte.
These pumpkin treats have the magical power to convert “healthy muffin” skeptics into fans. Let’s make some!
The Best Pumpkin Muffins
Five reasons to love this pumpkin muffin recipe:
- These muffins are easy to make with basic ingredients. Only one bowl required!
- They’re made with 100% whole grains, yet they’re fluffy and delicious. No one will know the difference.
- They’re also naturally sweetened with maple syrup or honey, rather than loaded with refined sugar. The maple syrup (or honey) offers a touch of extra flavor, which I love.
- These muffins feature a few of your favorite warming spices so they taste like your favorite pumpkin latte.
- They freeze well for later, too. Just defrost individual muffins in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds, or until gently warmed through. You don’t want to overdo it.
Healthy Pumpkin Muffin Notes & Tips
Change it up. Add nuts, chocolate chips or chopped fruit cranberries or crystallized ginger. See recipe notes for details.
Simplify the recipe. Substitute 2 teaspoons store-bought pumpkin spice blend for the individual spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice). Or, if your spice drawer is empty, simply use 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and call it good.
Craving a sweet topping? Liz topped these muffins with my maple glaze from my pumpkin scones recipe, which sounds marvelous.
This muffin recipe is special diet-friendly. You can easily adjust this recipe to make it vegan, dairy free, egg free and/or gluten free. See the recipe notes for details.
Watch How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Baking Tips for Success
How to Measure Flour
How you measure your flour is important. Why? If you measure incorrectly, you could end up with up to 50 percent extra flour, which will make your muffins dense, dry and flavorless. Use the spoon and swoop method:
- Gently stir your flour to loosen any clumps.
- Spoon your flour into the measuring cup with a big spoon or a flour scoop. Do not scoop up the flour directly into the measuring cup.
- Level off the top of the cup with a knife. Repeat as necessary.
Use Baking Soda, Not Baking Powder
They are not the same thing. Both are leaveners that help your baked goods rise (baking powder contains some baking soda, but that’s a long story). For ideal results, always follow the recipe and measure carefully.
How to Stir Your Batter
This muffin batter is super simple to stir together by hand, and that’s how I recommend making these muffins. Why? Whipping your batter will make the flour’s gluten protein too strong, yielding tough muffins.
I know it can be tempting to use a stand mixer or hand mixer when it’s within reach. Please don’t! Follow the instructions below and you’ll end up with light, fluffy muffins.
More Pumpkin Treats & Fall Muffins
Craving more? You’re going to love these recipes:
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread (like these muffins, but in bread form)
- Pumpkin Pecan Scones with Maple Glaze
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Perfect Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Healthy Banana Muffins
- Healthy Apple Muffins
Please let me know how these pumpkin muffins turn out for you in the comments. I love hearing from you, and hope these pumpkin muffins become your new favorite.
P.s. That beautiful mug in the photos above and below? That’s handmade by my friend Margaret.
PrintHealthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Author: Cookie and Kate
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 23 mins
- Total Time: 33 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins 1x
- Category: Baked Good
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Easy, one bowl, healthier pumpkin muffins made with whole wheat grains and naturally sweetened! These pumpkin muffins are as light, fluffy and delicious as their coffee shop counterparts. Recipe yields 12 muffins.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil*
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- ¼ cup milk of choice (I used almond milk)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon ground allspice or cloves)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour**
- ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, plus more for sprinkling on top
- Optional: 2 teaspoons turbinado (raw) sugar for a sweet crunch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius). If necessary, grease all 12 cups of your muffin tin with butter or non-stick cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and didn’t require any grease).
- In a large bowl, beat the oil and maple syrup or honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs, and beat well. Add the pumpkin purée, milk, pumpkin spice blend, baking soda, vanilla extract and salt.
- Add the flour and oats to the bowl and mix with a large spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). If you’d like to add any additional mix-ins***, like nuts, chocolate or dried fruit, fold them in now.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with about a tablespoon of oats, followed by a light sprinkle of raw sugar and/or pumpkin spice blend if you’d like. Bake muffins for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.
- Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. These muffins are delicate until they cool down. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan.
- These muffins taste even better after they have rested for a couple of hours! They’ll keep at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. They keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months (just defrost individual muffins as needed).
Notes
Recipe adapted from my honey-sweetened pumpkin bread.
*Oil options: I love coconut oil here. I used unrefined coconut oil and can hardly taste it in the final product. Olive oil might lend an herbal note to the muffins, if you’re into that (I tested with California Olive Ranch’s “Everyday” variety and couldn’t even taste it). Vegetable oil has a neutral flavor but the average vegetable/canola oil is highly processed, so I recommend using cold-pressed sunflower oil or grapeseed oil if possible.
**Flour alternatives: White whole wheat flour works great, if you can find it. Whole wheat pastry flour yields extra light and fluffy muffins that are delicate until cooled. All-purpose flour and gluten-free all-purpose flour blends work as well.
**Change it up: You could really go crazy with add-ins here. After stirring in the flour and oats, gently fold in up to ¾ cup chocolate chips, chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts, and/or some chopped dried cranberries or crystallized ginger.
Serving suggestions: These muffins are great on their own, with a pat of butter, or spread with almond butter. They would also be fantastic with homemade pecan butter or coconut butter.
Make it egg free: Readers report that these muffins turn out well with flax eggs!
Make it vegan: Use maple syrup, flax eggs and non-dairy milk.
Make it dairy free: Simply use your non-dairy milk of choice.
Make it gluten free: Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose blend works well instead of the whole wheat flour. Or, use 2 ½ cups certified gluten-free oat flour instead.
Make it oat free: Simply omit the oats. No other changes necessary.
Make it lower in fat: I would argue that this bread contains a healthy amount of fat, but you can replace the oil with applesauce if you’re following a low-fat diet. Choosing olive oil instead of coconut oil will reduce the saturated fat content; total fat content will remain the same.
Update September 24, 2019: I removed white whole wheat flour as an option simply because I can’t find it in stores any more. I also upped the amount of spice from 1 ½ teaspoons to 2 teaspoons.
Janet
I just had my first few bites, and these are great. If I didn’t have morning sickness, I’m sure I’d be saying that they are wonderfully delicious, but sadly, the best anything can be with my nausea and wacky taste buds is great, and most things are terrible. Refined sugar makes me feel so sick now that I am pregnant, and it is not healthy for the little one or me anyway, so I was happy to find this recipe. Since my diet is so limited, I also liked the fact it has pumpkin, which has some great vitamins. I subbed a little honey for part of the maple syrup, but made no other changes. I let them cool about 15 minutes before trying a muffin. It did not fall apart or stick to the pan whatsoever, but I sprayed my pan. I am so excited to find this blog. So many recipes look amazing. Once my morning sickness subsides, and I can eat normally again, there are SOOO many recipes on here that I look forward to trying.
Kate
Hi Janet! I hope your morning sickness passes quickly so you can enjoy more recipes! So glad you found my blog.
Kim
I will be making these tonight. My daughter is allergic to cinnamon – would leaving that out take away from the recipe?
thanks,
Kate
Hi Kim, I think you could skip the cinnamon. It has plenty of other warming spices.
Joanne
I really had high hopes for these but I found the taste rather bland. I didn’t put nutmeg but I should have doubled or tripled the other spices. They were however light and not overly sweet which I do like in a muffin. I might make them again and tweek the spices.
Kate
Sorry you didn’t love these! Nutmeg is very strongly flavored, so that could explain it. They taste better the second day. :)
Adriana
I cooked the pumpkin puree with all the spices until hot and fragrant. Make sure your spices are fresh. They loose flavor if they sit in the shelf too long. It’s the trick to cooking Indian food I learned from my mother-in-law.
Kate
Thanks, Adriana!
Janet
Hello Kate!! I have a bunch of molasses on hand but no honey or maple syrup – do you think that would work for the sweetener? Hope you are doing great!!
Kate
Hey Janet! It’s great to hear from you! So sorry I didn’t see your question sooner. If you use molasses, you’ll probably end up with gingerbread-flavored pumpkin muffins, which might be awesome. Black-strap molasses is so rich that it would probably dominate the other flavors, so wouldn’t recommend using that unless you *really* love molasses.
R
I tried making these but I 26 minutes they were still raw in the middle of the temperature correct? Also my batter was WAY thicker than it looks in your photo. I double checked the ingredients. Any suggestions?
Kate
I’m sorry to hear you had trouble! I’m not sure what went wrong, especially since these muffins tend to turn out well for others. Wondering if maybe your leavener measurements were off or you grabbed baking powder instead of baking soda? I’m not sure that would explain it. I’m sorry!
R
Sorry I am reposting my comment. My phone autocorrect made several typos. Should have read: at 26 minutes they were still raw in the middle. Is the temperature correct?
Aubs
I’m planning to make these today… I’ve been looking for a vegan/gluten free/healthy pumpkin muffin and these look great! However, I’m wondering if anyone has cut the maple syrup/honey amount in half with success? (strict autoimmune diet and I can’t do too much sugar of any kind)
Kate
Hi Aubs! I’m not sure if anyone else has tried that but I think they would turn out great with less maple syrup, especially if you’re accustomed to less sweet treats.
Aubs
I actually went ahead and tried it out and it worked out! Just what I needed… A yummy, “safe” pumpkin muffin that made me feel normal again. I used gluten free all purpose baking flour, vegan chia eggs and just a little bit of maple syrup. They weren’t sweet at all (as expected) and next time I’m going to double the spices for more classic flavor. Oh yeah… I did have to bake them for a lot longer than 26 min though (around 45 min), probably because of my subs. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Thanks for getting back to me, Aubs!
Darlien
The BEST muffins…. I did not have honey and used applesauce instead.. also, I added walnuts and dark choc. chips..
Everyone loved them….
Kate
Thank you, Darlien!
Darlien
Thank You!!
Lynette
Would it be possible to use pumpkin pie spice to substitute for all the different spices and if so how much do you think I should use? Thanks!
Natalia
I made these last week and I just wanted to tell you that they are divine!!!. So moist and amazing!!!. I love how good they freeze and how convenient they are for breakfast. Perfect to pair them with a good cup of coffee. I added chocolate chips because life is better with chocolate chips and since I run out of oats I added buckwheat oats.
I was wondering how can I make these gluten free. Will coconut flour work?
thank you so much!!!
An avid reader from Barcelona who can’t wait to get her hands on your new cookbook!!!!
Kate
Hi Natalia! I’m so sorry for my delay. The cookbooks is slowing me down for you, but I can’t wait to share it with you! I’m not sure about coconut flour, since it absorbs so much moisture. I have heard that all-purpose gluten-free flour blends have worked well with these muffins (one reader specifically recommended Bob’s Red Mill brand).
Naomi
I just made these this morning. They were exactly what I was looking for. I needed something filling, healthy, and not chalk full of sugar. I did use 1/2 cup amaranth flour (as I had it on hand) instead of all 1 3/4 C flour. I also added an extra 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon. They were yummy, filling, and moist. I felt guilt free giving them to my 14months old with his eggs.
Kate
Thank you, Naomi!
Catherine
Our new favorite! I think this will be my 4th time making them this fall. They freeze great for lunches, and even my “reluctantly getting on the healthy eating bandwagon” husband thinks they’re sweet enough without any processed sugars!
Kate
Awesome! Thanks, Catherine!
Izzie
I made these fabulous muffins this afternoon for my 14 year old son to eat after school with hot chocolate. The weather just turned rainy and cold in New Mexico, and the leaves are blowing around the yard. This was the perfect complement to a blustery Autumn day.
Kate
Thank you, Izzie! Sounds lovely!
Tina
This recipe was amazing! I used whole wheat pastry flour, made flax eggs, and added a cup of cranberries, and the muffins turned out incredibly :) Best muffin recipe I’ve tried! (My other half said I could have doubled up on the cranberries so I will do that next time)
Thanks for this :)
FYI the stars are not working on my iPad but it’s a 5
Kate
Thank you so much, Tina!
Katie
Just made these with my daughter! We added two ripe mashed bananas, doubled the cinnamon because I loooovvvee cinnamon, and we didn’t have ginger so we omitted it! They are delicious, moist, and the house smells o so good. I cant wait to have one with my cup of coffee tomorrow morning!
Kate
Thank you, Katie!
Melanie
Also just made these with my daughter, but we used canned sweet potato instead of pumpkin…They are wonderful!
We did a vegan version using two flax eggs (a total of 4T ground flax plus 6T almond milk). I also used 1/2 tsp. each baking powder and baking soda, because I am very sensitive to the soda flavor. Oh, and oops, I didn’t read the tip first, and I actually measured the sweet potato in my cup for liquid ingredients. We made only nine, not ten.
I can’t believe how nicely they rose, and the texture is really good (we used stone ground whole wheat floor). They aren’t sweet at all, which is good for me, but I think I might sprinkle a little coarse sugar on top next time.
Love, love, love! Thanks for the recipe, I will be filing this away as my go-to pumpkin muffins.
Kate
Thanks, Melanie!
Hungry Kiwibird
Hello from New Zealand! So I have a ton of pumpkin I need to use up, and whilst trawling the net for something suitably pumpkinny I stumbled over your gorgeous-looking recipe! I’m dying to try it, but I’m not sure whether to make my pumpkin puree by roasting or boiling my pumpkin….. I guess what I’m asking is, does the canned puree you use tell you whether it’s roasted or not? Sorry if this is a silly question :)
Melanie
Hi, I just saw your comment while bookmarking this recipe….it does not specify on my can, but I don’t think it is roasted. Roasted pumpkin would have a little deeper of a flavor. It might be good in the recipe, though, as long as it isn’t too thick. The canned purees have a texture similar to mashed bananas. Or I might try steaming rather than boiling, to avoid too much moisture. Good luck. These were divine!
Hungry Kiwibird
Thank you very much Melanie! That’s very helpful to know, I think I’ll do what you suggest and steam rather than boil. …I can’t wait to try them. Really appreciate you getting back so quickly! Thanks again!
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. I’ve made pumpkin puree before by roasting it, actually! Here’s how I did it.
Kristen
Has anyone found that these sort of turn after a short period? Meaning the flavor changes and not for the better? I’ve made this twice now and both times, after less than a week, the flavor is awful. I don’t even know how to describe the flavor it takes on, maybe almost bitter. The only difference I had was using whole wheat white flour.
The second batch, I even froze half of them to keep longer. Three or four days out of the freezer, down to the last 2 and they’re suddenly rancid. I thought it was just me, but my daughter told me they were awful this morning.
Kate
Hi Kristen, it sounds like your muffins are going bad before you can finish them! These are really moist muffins that don’t contain any preservatives like store-bought muffins, so I wouldn’t leave them out at room temperature longer than two days. They’ll keep a little longer in the refrigerator. I freeze mine and defrost them individually as needed. They keep well for several months in the freezer!
Adriana
Couldn’t sleep and so I like to lull myself to sleep by cooking. Made pumpkin puree with the pumpkins I used to decorate my table.
These muffins were so tasty and fluffy. I did cook the pumpkin puree with all the spices before mixing it into the oil mix. I feel it adds flavour. Only until it’s nice and hot and it’s a nice way to melt the coconut oil.
Thank you! My family will love waking up to this delicious surprise!
Kate
Hope your family loved the muffins, Adriana!
April
This is my favorite pumpkin muffin recipe. I made these last year and just made them again today. I added mini semi sweet chocolate chips (1/2 c) and my daughter and I love them. I did mess up though and guess I was daydreaming while reading through the ingredients… I put 1 1/3 c whole wheat flour instead of 1 3/4 c… they still turned out awesome. Moist and melted in my mouth. I love using coconut oil instead of butter and maple syrup or honey instead of refined sugar!!! Also, whole wheat is the way to go!!! Thanks so much… much healthier and turned out really good. I’m keeping them in the fridge and reheating for quick easy breakfast in the a.m.
Kate
Thank you, April! So glad these turned out great for you!
margey
These are so good, not overly sweet. I put pecans in them. I’ll be making them again soon.
Kate
Thank you, Margey!
Sara Reid
I love these muffins! I made them with a fresh pie pumpkin…cooked it whole in the oven at 400 degrees for an hour, let it cool a bit, seeded it and scooped the pumpkin out for the recipe. It was delicious!
Kate
Awesome! Thank you, Sara.
Reya
I just made these muffins and I substituted the maple with honey and measured everything precisely. Came out tasting terrible. Way too much flour. All of the muffins taste just like flour and it was a complete waste of time and effort on my part. Now I have to clean up this whole mess and have terrible muffins. So disappointed with this recipe…
Kate
Reya, I’m disappointed to hear that you didn’t have good results with this recipe. I haven’t gotten other reports like yours, so I’m not sure what went wrong. I always use the spoon and swoop method to measure my flour. If you scoop it straight from the bag, you could end up with 50% more flour than I used. Could that explain it?
Reya
That might have been it. Not exactly sure what happened but I might just use less flour than directed. But how are these muffins supposed to taste when you don’t mess up? Like are they sweet or a bit bland? I am just wondering because I was disappointed with what I made and know I could do better.
Kate
Hi Reya, I’d try the spoon and swoop method. The muffins taste like pumpkin bread, if you’ve ever had that. They’re a little sweet and shouldn’t taste bland, or like flour!
Caressa
I stumbled upon your site yesterday and I’m so happy to have found you! All your recipes look great and I already made these muffins and the butternut squash pasta. Since I’m from the Netherlands, I never really thought about searching for recipes on foreign websites. But wow, this is a great blog; thank you!!
Caressa
Update: These muffins are to die for aaah!
Kate
Hi Caressa, thank you for saying hello! I’m so glad you found my site and enjoyed these muffins. Hooray!
Chelsea
Hello! May i know how to make the pumpkin puree? And is it okay if i leave out the salt?
LecClier Kelly
I just made these muffins and they are delicious! I was wondering if high altitude adjustments were necessary ( I live at 5500 feet) but they came out perfect with the recipe as written.
Kate
I’m glad to hear that! Thank you!
Laura Thompson
I feel sorry for people that don’t make this recipe. These muffins are AMAZING!!!! My 2 year old daughter loves them so much! We add in 1/3rd cup of raisins and 1/3 cup of chocolate chips and 1/3rd cup of ground flax seeds. Thanks so much for this recipe Kate,it’s a staple in my house
Thanks again from Vancouver Island
Kate
Thank you, Laura! Your intro made me smile. :)
Jennifer
Just made these and they are very good. Muffins can be heavy and dry when made with whole grains, but these were very moist with just the right amount of sweetness.
Kate
Thank you, Jennifer!
kiran
Made these yesterday … one of my kids who does *not* like pumpkin muffins said that these are the best pumpkin muffins that she’s ever had:). Score!
Erin
This recipe is so good. I love pumpkin bread and wanted a sugar free option. Been making these the past couples weeks and they’ve become a fan favorite. Thank you for sharing!
Kate
Thank you, Erin! :)
Chelsea
I found your recipe back in November (pumpkin season!!!) and have made them 6 or 7 times since because I love them so much. Thank you for sharing!
Kate
That is awesome! Thanks, Chelsea!
Sarah
I made a few substituations to make these healthier, and they turned out so well! I used 1/4 cup of maple syrup and then 1 mashed banana for the rest of the “sugar”. Then I substituted ground steal cut oats for the WW flour, and hemp seeds for the oats (didn’t sprinkle anything on top), making them higher in protein. The texture was still spot on. These are delicious, thank you for sharing!
Kate
Glad to hear it! Thanks, Sarah!
Jill
Hi, was your substitution of steel cut oats for the whole wheat flour a one-to-one ratio?
Sarah
**substitutions
Joy
I just want to say that these are by far the BEST pumpkin muffins I’ve ever had and made!! I am pumpkin obessed, I can admit it, I eat 2-3 large cans a pumpkin puree especially during the fall and winter, but pumpkin is a year round thing in our house. And I have tried MANY pumpkin muffin recipes and this is the BEST!
I do follow the base recipe but have to use gluten free flour, which I do half oat flour and half gluten free bisquick mix. I also have found that using Pumpkin Spiced creamer in place of the milk in any pumpkin muffin or bread recipe is amazing so I always do this. Finally I was ill and needing extra potassium so I substituted half of the milk(creamer) for orange juice and oh my!! With just a little orange juice added in these taste like the Starbucks Pumpkin Bread that I can no longer eat- BUT way better!!!!! So thank YOU SO veru much!!!! I am just about to make a doubled batch now and I can’t wait!!!
Kate
Thank you, Joy! So glad you enjoyed these. Hope you are feeling better!
Coco B
Hi there! Just found this recipe as I’m snowed in on the east coast in the blizzard of 2016! :-) I don’t have milk but have everything else. Can I still make this recipe? ? Will water work instead?
Michelle
Coco… My husband and son have dairy allergy… We used coconut milk, but I had considered using water. It should work just fine. 1/4 cup isn’t very much anyway.
Kate
Michelle is right, both are great options!
Michelle
Found this recipe while searching for a dairy-free muffin recipe. These were fantastic! When I discovered my canned pumpkin had been used, I simply cooked up a butternut squash ivhad on the counter and use 1 cup of that instead. Also used Quick Organic oats since that was also what I had on hand… They were fine as a substitute. We also upped the protein and lowered the glycemic index by adding 3 tablespoons of Great Lakes Collagen Hydrosolate to the wet ingredients. I love spice, so added a little extra… about double the cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and it was perfect. They came out nice and moist and I love that these are not sickeningly sweet! My kids devoured them, never suspecting there was hidden oatmeal and protein in them. With a diabetic, autistic (with texture sensitivities), and two people with Casein allergies in our household, it isn’t easy finding recipes that we all like and can all eat!! I plan to whip up another batch of these to freeze, and maybe try the banana muffins too!
Kate
Thank you, Michelle. So glad you all enjoyed the muffins!
Kirsten
I first made these last week and added mini chocolate chips. Big hit in my daughter’s lunch. Yesterday I made them again and doubled the batch as I knew they wouldn’t last long! I forgot the to add the add-ins I had planned but nobody noticed. Great recipe for this active family…thanks!
Kate
Thank you, Kirsten! I’m glad you all enjoyed the muffins.
Kristyn
I made these yesterday as a new lunch option for my kindergartner, and I am so happy with the results! Followed the recipe exactly, plus added a small handful of mini chocolate chips; the baking time listed in the recipe was also spot-on. My kids licked the bowl and mixing utensils clean of batter (yes, yes, raw eggs I know – it’s a risk we take to experience deliciousness). I admit, the muffins are less sweet than what I’m used to eating, but I’m really enjoying how it’s making my taste buds recalibrate what they define as ‘sweet’ (because, really, it’s not that these muffins aren’t sweet enough – it’s that everything else we’re used to eating is just way too sweet).
Kate
Thanks for letting me know, Kristyn! Glad you’re enjoying these. I like your attitude about the sweetness of the muffins! Sometimes, when I’m craving a little extra sweetness, I’ll add a sprinkle of raw sugar on top.
Cyndie
After seeing many recipes that would fall into the dessert category, I googled “healthy pumpkin muffins” and found this recipe. I really liked the way they came out. I used honey for the sweetener. Using my muffing tins I got 17 muffins and in my convection oven they took 15 minutes at 325 degrees. Thanks for the recipe!
Sj
Hi Kate, My family loves these. We did half honey half maple syrup for one batch and another with cacao (chocolate) and raisins! They’re awesome! So glad I found your site.
Sj
Maria
I added a tsp of ACV to the almond milk to create “buttermilk,” I replaced 3T of flour for cocoa and added 1/2C of chocolate chips…My daughter won’t miss cupcakes at school.Thanks for the recipe
Debra
As usual, my family loved this. I basically comb through your website anytime I cook now. Thanks Kate!
Rachel
Thank you for this recipe! My 1-yo son has an egg allergy but has been cleared to do a baked egg challenge. He loves pumpkin, and I’ve been scouring the internet for a dairy-free, naturally sweetened pumpkin muffin that has eggs and whole wheat flour. Perfect! I just made them tonight and hope I can keep my hands off them to save some for him in the morning, haha. Really great recipe. Thanks again!
Rachel
Forgot to add that I used carrot juice instead of milk…worked great!
Hadar
My picky, almost two-year-old son loved this “cake” I offered him for breakfast and dinner. Thank you!
If anyone is wondering, it tastes just fine with 25% less sugar and water instead of milk.
Jill
I just love these muffins! They never disappoint :) I had one lonely egg hanging out in my fridge, just begging to be baked into something wonderful. I have been craving these muffins,so i tried my best to”half” the recipe and they turned out heavenly! My puppy loved them too :)
Mindy
Katie,I love your healthy recipes! My kids do too. Can you tell me the nutritional value for the banana muffins/bread?
Thanks, Mindy
Samantha
This was a delicious recipe! I live in Canada and used Maple syrup from the trees in my backyard! Thanks for posting! :)
Amy
Thank you for this delicious recipe–it is my go-to recipe when it is snack day at my daughter’s school! The kids love them!
Denise Jenkins
Hi Kate, I’m looking forward to trying this recipe but wondered how many mL are in one can of pumpkin puree. I have a can and it’s 796 mL. Your recipe looks wonderful! I recently discovered your site and so happy I did, I made your banana bread and my family loved it!
Thanks, Denise
Becky
Mmm!!! I’ve made these muffins twice in as many weeks and they are delicious! So much more filling and tasty than the over-sweet muffins you buy at the bakery.
Jasmine
Made these tonight using spelt flour mmmmm so good! Thank you!
Emily
I found this recipe randomly when looking for things to do with my many sweet potatoes that I got from a farmer, and I know pumpkin and sweet potato can be used interchangeably so I fell in love with the idea of making it filled with oatmeal and maple syrup! They tasted delicious with the sweet potato mashed up instead, and I used regular flour instead of whole wheat since I did not have any. Great recipe, and I look forward to making it in the fall as well!
Jessica
I was so excited to make these muffins but really thought they would have more flavor…. Not very pumpkin spice flavored.
Awdur
I tripled the recipe (because that’s exactly two cans of pumpkin!), and made a few substitutions:
– I used only a cup of maple syrup instead of 1 1/2 cups; this was not sweet enough so I added a little more, plus some vegan chocolate chips.
-I made a flax egg with 6 tablespoons of ground flax, and 3/4 cup water
-I used gluten free all-purpose flour
-I used 1/2 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup canola oil (so it wouldn’t have too strong an olive flavor)
It turned out well and made 40 muffins!
Amy Simmons
Kate,
This recipe was fantastic! I switched it up a little bit by adding 1 Tbsp molasses to the batter and added pumpkin seeds on top. It makes the flavor a little richer and my son LOVED them. Getting healthy foods into a picky teenager is hard. I am happy to say we will be making this on again.
Next up – your carrot cake muffins!
Kinara
I made this muffin recipe today with a few modifications: I replaced the pumpkin with applesauce, replaced the spices with 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground cardamom, and placed two slices of fresh plum in the bottom of each muffin cup before filling with batter. They were FANTASTIC. Crisp, chewy edge and soft, not-too-sweet middle. Thanks for sharing a great, easy-to-substitute muffin base.
Sumayah
I made these for my family as a healthy treat, and they Loved it! It made the whole house smell heavenly and they tasted amazing!! Thanks for the recipe:)
Karoll Brosnan
My daughters and I have made many of your recipes and love them all but recently have started to watch our weight. I am looking forward to making this recipe (pumpkin muffins) but am looking for the nutritional content, specifically the calories and fat content. Is there a place on your site for this info? I couldn’t seem to find any,
Thanks, Karoll
Faith
Is it possible to make these gluten free without completely messing up the recipe?
Vanessa
Hi Kate!
I would really like to bake those delicious mouthwatering muffins!
But could you please tell me the measurements in gram? The online conversions have different results…
It would be a great help, if you can tell me at least the measurements from the flour!
Thanks a lot :)
Char Milliman
I look for recipes with coconut oil instead of butter and this one has fantastic flavor and texture! Thanks for sharing.
Katy Sutherland
Hi Kate,
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. I’m over in the UK and wondered if the oven temperatures stated are for fan assisted ovens or not?
Thank you!
Kate
Hi Katy, my oven doesn’t have a fan.
Mary
Can I use a can of just pumpkin not purée?
Kate
I used 1 cup of pumpkin puree from a can.
Tabitha Beaudin
I added 1/2 cup of mushed frozen blueberries and it turned out delicious. I also used Red mills 1 for 1 glutenfree flour and used rice milk instead of almond milk. They are the most moist gluten free muffins I have made yet. I will use this recipe again. Thank you.
Kate
Thank you for letting me know, Tabitha! Your muffins sound great!
Kirsty Deluca
Hi there,
How do I make pumpkin puree?
Kirst :)
Katherine
I have made this recipe so many times! They turn out perfect and my daughter loves them for breakfast too!
Janina
I just made these and I can’t believe how amazing they turned out! Until now most of my healthy baking attemps were more or less a failure.. These little guys however are super fluffy, not too sweet and the warming spices are just right for rainy days. Thank you, I love it!
I’m excited to try out your zucchini bread which is gonna ne next :)
Cheers!
Jean
Made these and filled the house with Fall aromas. Loved them!
Added some dried cranberries and almonds.
Helen
Im new to your blog and have really enjoyed what we’ve made so far! We’ve done both the zucchini and banana bread recipes and have loved them! These are next on the list. Is white whole wheat flour a fine sub in this recipe for the pastry flour? Thanks for giving us a great and tasty start to our mornings!
Kate
Welcome to the blog, Helen! I’m glad you’re here. Yes, white whole wheat flour should work fine!
Emily
My toddler helps me make these and everyone loves them! We substituted the wheat flour for oat flour and they are still amazing. Thanks for the great recipe!
Kate
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know, Emily!
Laura
Just made a double batch for my kids in this hurricane day off from school! Made with cocoa eggs. Perfect with choc chips and pecans. Thank you!
Laura
Oops. Spell check. Chia eggs
Kate
Cocoa eggs sound delicious, though! ;) Glad you all enjoyed these!
Mariah
Seriously delicious!!! I love that I can feel great about serving these to my family too. Thank you!
Kate
Yay, thanks Mariah!
Megan
What’s the nutritional value of these muffins, I made them and ate half the recipe….oops
christina
Uhhhh, these are AMAZING! I love pumpkin baked goods in the fall, and this is just the “healthier” recipe I was looking for. So enjoying them with my coffee this week :) I froze them and take out a few at a time and they thaw perfectly! So moist and delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
Vanessa
I made this recipe but in my rush to finish this while my daughter was asleep I added an entire can of pumpkin purée, not 1 cup ;( no wonder it tastes bland!!! I’ll make the maple glaze and drizzle some on top, so disappointed!!
Daisy
Hi. I am interested in making your pumpkin bread and/or muffins, and I was wondering about the pumpkin purée. Should the pumpkin be cooked first, or puréed raw? Thanks!
Gail
Although ingredients are healthy I found these muffins very heavy. Personally I wouldn’t make again
Jillian
Great texture and flavor! I have given up baking since I started eating healthier, so it is nice to know there are still ways to bake delicious food that is not full of sugar/butter. I made this on the fly and didn’t have any allspice/ground ginger, but I think the flavor is still pretty good.
Margi
Yay! I too am a member of the ‘defrost home-made muffins for easy breakfast’ camp XD I pick one day during the month, make 3-4 batches of different flavored muffins, freeze them in bags, and defrost as needed on mornings when I’m too lazy to actually cook breakfast. I actually stumbled across your page looking for healthier muffin recipes, and it’s now one of my bookmarks. Thank you for all of the wonderful recipes…including this one, which will be included in tomorrow’s batch of mass muffin-making XD
Ann Kamenka
I just made these muffins twice and they are wonderful! I am diabetic and eating one did not raise my blood glucose significantly. It is hard to find nice baked goods that diabetics can enjoy!
I did a couple of modifications to the recipe – I increased the oatmeal to 1/2 cup as I did not intend to sprinkle any on top. I doubled the cinnamon on the 2nd batch and will probably add even more on the next batch, I added a cube of ‘light’ cream cheese to the centre of each muffin (put in half of the batter, then cream cheese, then remainder of batter) I also added 5 or 6 pecans to the top of each muffin. They look and taste delicious! Thank you so much, Kate, I will be checking out the rest of your recipes and looking for your cookbook!
angie
Excellent recipe! I made these yesterday, not too sweet just perfect!
Felicia
I just made this recipe with honey and only one egg plus I used Kodiak cakes pancake waffle and baking mix the one with higher protein. I also could not find my muffin tin and ended up making in an 8 x 8 pan cutting them into squares when cooled. Needless to say they were delicious!! Thank you for making such a versatile recipe! This one is definitely a keeper
Kate
Thanks, Felicia! I’m glad the recipe worked well for you!
Corinna
This recipe looks great! I can’t wait to try, but any tips for the leftover pumpkin puree in my 15 oz can? It usually has 1 3/4 cups of puree and your recipe just requires 1 cup.
Kate
Hope you love the muffins! Here are my other pumpkin recipes.
Kara
I just made these and CANNOT wait to take a bite!
Kate
Hooray! Hope they turned out perfect. :)
Ann
I didn’t know what size of pumpkin can – I have the larger can so am not sure if it would be only one half of the can.
Kate
This recipe just needs 1 cup puree.
Karen Cook
Sorry but this recipe didn’t cut it for me. The muffins were so dense, not fluffy at all. The flavor was very bland. The pumpkin flavor didn’t stand out at all. I wanted to love them. I love pumpkin muffins and need a healthy alternative. But this one was not at all delicious. Not even worth the healthy calories.
Jenn
These are delicious! I made a batch and froze half of them for easy breakfasts. I just defrost one overnight, pop it in the toaster oven for a few minutes, and top it with peanut butter. So yummy :)
Kaitlyn P.
I just made this recipe yesterday, on a rainy day, and they’re delicious. However, I tweaked it up a bit; I had pumpkin pie mix, so I added only 1/4 cup of honey instead, since the pumpkin is sweetened.
Kate
Thank you, Kaitlyn! I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins.
Olivia
Just made these today but subbed 3/4 cup coconut sugar for the maple syrup/honey and flax eggs for the eggs. Sprinkled the top with oats, pepitas, cinnamon and a tiny bit more coconut sugar. SO GOOD. I’ve been searching for a good vegan pumpkin muffin and I’m happy to say I finally found one!
Kate
Thank you, Olivia! Your version sounds great!
Niki
This is great! I used whole grain flour I milled myself and went with an entire can of pumpkin puree. I also injected the middle with a sweetened cream cheese because I was looking for a way to use up my half-bar of cheese. Anyway, I love the muffin flavor and texture. Delicious!
Kate
Thanks, Niki! Your version sounds amazing!
Rachelle
These are delicious! I substituted 0-calorie pancake syrup for half the maple syrup, and added 1/3 cup of chopped pecans, plus a tiny pinch of brown sugar on top of each muffin.
I appreciate how well-written the recipe is — ingredients are in order, and you don’t have to dirty too many measures or bowls.
My only grumble is why have a recipe that only makes 10 muffins when every muffin tin has 12 holes?
The pumpkin pie spices are not very strong, so next time I might use rounded measures to pack a little more punch, and/or use cloves instead of allspice.
Kate
Thank you, Rachelle! I agree with the 10-muffin comment now that I think about it, but I would have had to turn all of the measurements into funny amounts to fill 12.
Jackie
I made a version of these with cashew milk, chia eggs, earth balance instead of oil, and added a little bit of dark chocolate chips. The texture was dense (in a good way), soft and moist and they were great with coffee. However, the flavor was definitely not pumpkin-spicey so next time I would increase the cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. I also didn’t have any ginger so that may have contributed to the lack of spice as well. But honestly I think I could double or triple the spice. Mind you my husband and I mostly cook Indian food so we definitely like strong flavors!
Finally, I think I’ll swap out the maple syrup for regular brown sugar. The sweetness level was fine, but 1/2 c maple syrup is pretty expensive! It’s good to know that the maple syrup works though, since some vegans I bake for might not eat sugar. Overall thanks for a good recipe!
Kate
Thank you for your feedback, Jackie!
Linda merrigan
Your healthy pumpkin muffins are amazing! I made them today and brought to work getting rave reviews . Thanks for recipe . Calorie and nutritiinal info?
Kate
Thanks, Linda! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. I’m going to try to add nutrition info this weekend. It’s a big project!
Joanna
Made with honey. Tasted like cardboard. Really delicious cardboard though!
Needs glaze or honey for dipping! Or add a little bit of sugar to recipe…
Charlotte
This is a wonderful recipe! I used honey and substituted a quarter cup more oatmeal for a quarter cup of the flour. I also mixed in dark chocolate chips and doubled the nutmeg (I really like to taste the nutmeg). They are so light and fluffy! I’m in love.
Kate
Hooray! Thanks, Charlotte!
Angie
I love your Healthy Pumpkin Muffins recipe! I found this recipe about a month ago and have made a fresh batch pretty much every week since! It’s our new favorite muffin recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Kate
Thank you, Angie! That’s fantastic to hear!
Emily
LOVE, love love these muffins! The perfect muffin for fall. Followed the recipe to a T (other than adding in chocolate chips), they were super delicious-oh my goodness. When I came home from work, my boyfriend had a guilty look on his face – and confessed he had ate three! Will be making again and again and look forward to trying different mix-ins.
Thanks for the simple, easy to follow recipe!
Kate
Thank you, Emily! I’m so glad you found my recipe, and I appreciate your note!
chillibibi
Looks great. I was looking for a pumpkin recipe with less sugar and fat. Yours has so much less sugar than the ones I’ve seen. Going to try it later. Yum. Thanks :)
chillibibi
Just made them. I has some mango jam that strangely I didnt like too much so I used that in place of the maple syrup (the mango flavour was not strong) and I used flax eggs and used half whole wheat and white flour.
They were baked at exactly 24 mins and they are so fluffy I am shocked!!! They also are moist and have the perfect sweetness. My dad is watching his sugar and fat intake so I am sure he will enjoy these. Thanks so much!!!
Kate
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know!