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.
Lori
I love this recipe! I use 1-1 gluten free flour for 1 cup of the wheat flour and equal parts of ground flax meal and almond meal for the remaining 3/4 cup of wheat flour. I absolutely love the results! they have a slightly heartier texture, which makes me feel like they are extra healthy yet equally delicious!
Kate
Thanks for sharing how this worked gluten free, Lori! Enjoy.
Anne
Love this recipe. So easy. Made these this morning, Iysed Paleo Flour and I added 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed and 2 tbsp of oats. I was out of milk so I substitued french vanilla creamer on for the milk. They still came out wonderful.
Kate
That’s great! Thank you, Anne for sharing the substitutions you used. I like to hear how those work for you. I appreciate the review!
Chelsea
Made these last night and they were awesome! First time I ever made muffins that didn’t turn into hockey pucks. Subbed half the maple syrup for blackstrap molasses, and doubled the batch to have leftovers but already ate most of them haha…
Kate
Great! I’m happy they worked nicely, Chelsea. I appreciate the star review.
Annie
I’ve made this recipe more times than I can count, and it never fails to deliver. I love that only one mixing bowl is required! Thanks for the healthy family favorite that makes mornings special.
Kate
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Annie.
Diana
I wish I could give this a good review but these muffins came out terrible. They came out dense, bland and took way longer than 25 minutes to fully bake. I’m always looking for healthy recipes to make with my 2 yr old daughter. This is not one we will be making again.
Kate
I’m sorry you had that experience! I’m curious, did you make any alterations? Sometimes if you aren’t using fresh baking soda, it can impact how bread can rise.
Tiffany
I added fresh blueberries to this. ::thumbs up:: I also added ginger, flax and brewers yeast to make these breast feeding “super snacks”.
Kate
Thank you, Tiffany for sharing!
Simone
Mine turned out more like form pudding cups…realized the recipe calls for 1 CUP – not CAN of pumpkin purée – oops! Still enjoyed eating them topped with some hazelnut butter and coconut manna for dessert warm out of the oven with a spoon :) I had added frozen blueberries and some chopped pecans. Will try again later this week
Kate
That would make a difference! Thank you, Simone for trying it. Let me know how the second version goes. :)
Natasha Niethamer
When making this recipe, I realized that I didn’t have baking soda. In place of it, I put a cup of greek yogurt to introduce acidity. I followed the recipe besides that, and it turned out delicious! With the yogurt, it has a very unique, dense texture, and I had to leave it in the oven for about 15 minutes longer. Overall, such a delicious recipe, thank you! By the way, I put golden raisins and almond slivers inside, and wow it was good.
Kate
The baking soda helps with making it rise and not be as dense. But, I’m glad you liked it even with your substitution! Thank you, Natasha for sharing.
Linda Bensette
The healthy pumpkin muffins are the best but when I log in the ingredients from the Web they go in ok on my app but when I try to put them on my diary for “My Fitness Pal” app it shows 1 serving is 1,312 calories and the nutrition facts are way off. The sodium says 21,578 MG. Even divided by 12 muffins it’s still a lot. Even that many calories divided by 12 doesn’t work out to 190 like yours say. What to do
Thanks
Linda
Cathy
The Project Direct link does not go to the right place…
Andrea N Bologeorges
Awesome. I make many of the muffins from Cookie & Kate blog with great success. Me & my fiance love these for an easy snack or fast breakfast.
Here are my notes:
– Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil – Kirkland brand
– Organic Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk – Kirkland brand
– 1/2 cup packed organic brown sugar (instead of the maple syrup / honey) mostly just to save on cost a little bit
– Bob’s Red Mill GF flour blend (instead of traditional flour)
– 2 tsp. pumpkin spice from Trader Joe’s to replace all suggested spices
– Organic Madagascar vanilla powder from Thrive Market (it has the best vanilla flavor!) to sub out the vanilla extract
– Added 3/4 cup golden raisins + walnuts (just 3/4 total, not for each)
– Sprinkled on top with oats and a little extra brown sugar – totally adds to the cuteness/presentation
– No greasing. I use silicone baking cups for ease (they just pop right out) and I love them
I found that they made 12 huge muffins! I definitely filled them to the top. Baked for 25 minutes since I had the 3/4 cup of mixin’s.
Thank you! :-)
Katie
This recipe was fantastic! I was very impressed by how perfect the muffins turned out. This was my first time using whole wheat flour which definitely gave the muffins a more nutty flavor so I can see why the white whole wheat flour might be more desirable. I’ll have to try that next time! Can’t wait to make variations of this. These were not overly sweet which I like, but my boyfriend has a sweet tooth so I think I’ll double the honey next time :)
Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Lizzie B
Thanks so much for this recipe, Kate!
I’ve made it twice, gluten-free both times, and I wanted to share some modifications I made the second time in case others find them helpful.
I used Namaste brand Perfect Flour blend, a 1:1 flour substitute. The first time, they were definitely good, but a little spongy and “substitute flour-y” for my liking.
The second time, I decreased the flour to a cup and increased the oats to a little over a cup. I ramped up the the volume of the add-ins, adding half a chopped up apple, a bunch of raisins, and cacao nibs. I was also probably pretty liberal with the spices and vanilla; I didn’t actually measure them exactly. I’m definitely making them this way from now on; they were delicious! I brought them to a work meeting with coworkers who eat wheat, and much more sugar than I do. They loved them too – even with competing whole grain muffins (with wheat flour, and probably much sweeter) from a local bakery on hand!
I didn’t add nuts because of someone with nut issues, but I would another time.
Thanks again, Kate!
Kate
Thank you, so much for sharing! I always like to know how these work for you gluten-free, especially with different gluten-free flour variations.
Caitlin
I made these and they turned out beautifully. I’ll definitely be making them again. Thank you for a healthy muffin recipe!
Kate
You’re welcome, Caitlin!
Laura Green
These were very good. I used sweet potato that I had rather than pumpkin, and muesli rather than plain oats, which was nice because it incorporated some raisins and slivered almonds as well. I do think a little texture is always nice. If Kate is reading this, I’m curious about the unorthodox incorporation of the baking soda (and spices) with the wet ingredients rather than the dry, and then the adding the dry to the wet rather than vice versa?
Kate
Hi Laura! I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins. I wish I had a perfectly logical explanation for you, but that methodology just made the most sense when I created the recipe. I was working from a one-bowl recipe at the time. It would work just as well if you added the spices/baking soda to the dry mix and poured the wet into the dry, I think. :)
Kryss
My daughter and I bake a lot of muffins and this recipe is the favorite. We use regular whole wheat flour which is a bit heavy but a cup of blueberries leavens the texture with juicy sweetness. Thank you for posting this!
Kate
You’re welcome, Kryss!
Lindsay
I made these last fall for my 7 month old (at the time). She loved these and the apple muffins. My husband also can’t eat enough. So easy to make, and I love how happy they make my family!
Kate
Great for the family! It’s wonderful your family enjoys them so much. Thanks for the review, Lindsay!
Sophia
Loved them! Perfect temp and set for 22 minutes in the oven.
Using silicone muffin cups helps to keep them in place.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I did put less maple syrup (given the calories) and an equivalent amount of stevia to give it more taste.
Kate
Thank you, Sophia!
Naomi Bethke
Okay, so I have to laugh. I am making aeropress coffee right now, looking up this recipe to make my kids breakfast. This is a well-approved menu item in our home, but the thing I forgot was that it was through your blog I heard about aeropress. We bought our’s a few years back and have loved it. Thanks for both shares!
Kate
That’s great, Naomi! Thanks so much for sharing.
Liz
I love this recipe and have made it many times for my 2 year old. I have some baked sweet potato leftovers right now and am wondering how you think it would be to use that instead of the pumpkin? Thanks!
Kate
You could try it! Make sure they are pureed enough. Thanks for the review, Liz.
rochelle miller
Hi Kate, great recipe. .coming from the food industry, i love creating recipes for my family. It’s such a fun and healthy activity for the family
given how busy we are normally throughout the day with all sorts of activities,plus work days.
Muffins taste delicious, but their coming out uncooked on bottom of muffin. baking at 350 for 30 minutes, and still uncooked on bottom half of muffin. need help with this, and suggestions are much appreciated.:) thank you great storyline
Rochelle
Danna
absolutely delicious! used home made pumpkin puree and spelt flour. added choc chips. toddler approved. man approved. and easy
Kate
Thank you, Danna!
Adrienne
Could you add grated zucchini to these?
Kate
I have a healthy zucchini muffins you should try! https://cookieandkate.com/2017/healthy-zucchini-muffins-recipe/
Lyndsay
Do you make your own pumpkin purée? What sort of pumpkin do you use? Or do you just buy a an of pre puréed?
Kate
I typically use canned for convenience!
megan ferrant
could I use gluten free flour and would I use SF or Plain
Kate
Gluten free flour should work well too! I know Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour usually works well.
CToth
A+++ These are delicious and they turned out perfectly moist and wonderful. It made 12 very nice sized muffins. After reading all the reviews I doubled all the spices and used 2 tsp cinnamon. Added 2 tsp of chia seeds and chopped pecans. For the flour I processed rolled oats and used all oat flour. I haven’t had sugar in years so these were perfect for me – not sweet. When I make them for friends or family I might add 1/4 cup coconut sugar so they will enjoy them as much as I did. These are perfect warmed up with a pat of kerigold butter and a cup of tea. WOW!!!
Thank you for sharing a wonderfully healthy recipe. Much gratitude!!
Kate
Thanks so much for sharing! I appreciate the comment and review.
Tina Emerson-Hoffman
My daughter and I made these today. It was grey and drizzly, and seemed a perfect day for baking with pumpkin. We chose this recipe because it did not require butter, which we did not have in the house. We DID have a can of pumpkin, and we were looking for a recipe that had a lower sugar (some of the other recipes had a sugar to flour ratio of 1:1, which seemed outrageous to us).
So we found yours, and it fit the bill, so we went for it! They turned out amazingly good, even my husband liked them, and asked for a new batch to take and share at work.
I look forward to trying MORE of your whole food vegetarian recipes!
And we both love Cookie!
Kate
Thank you! I appreciate your comment and review.
Amy
Just made these and I they seriously can’t cool fast enough. My place smells like fall and these muffins turned out amazinglu (by the looks of it). These were incredibly simple and quick to make. Thanks for sharing this recipe Kate!
Kate
I love when the kitchen fills with such a wonderful smell! Thank you, Amy! Hopefully you found them just as delicious.
Ashley
Can’t wait to try these! Would there be a way to use pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices listed?
Thanks!
Kate
Sure, if you like. The taste result would be a little different, but should still work. Since pumpkin spices can vary, I’m not sure on exact quantity as I didn’t try it. Possibly start with 1 tsp and see what you think. If it needs more, maybe add 1/4 more. Let me know what you end up doing!
Madi
These sound delicious!! I happen to have 2 very ripe bananas just waiting to be used in a baked goodie. Since I’m just dying for some fall weather to come I am craving pumpkin over banana bread, do you think I could use mashed banana in place of the oil like you would applause? Or will it not work the same with bananas?
Esther Ehrenpreis
I don’t think I have ever tasted a better pumpkin muffin (or bread!) Before in my entire life! And that is certainly saying something! I absolutely love cocnut oil so already that as the first ingredient had me totally hooked and that love took me throughout the entire recipe! I’ve had family members say they were dreaming about it, others were saying they needed the recipe NOW, while others (and myself:)) could not stop eating them to make a comment! Which I think is the greatest compliment! Thank you so much for this insanely amazing home run and I’m looking forward to see what other amazing recipes you have on your website!
P.s. I’m dairy free and I’m trying to be off of sugar and wheat. So I use the maple syrup and plain almond milk, but I also use spelt flour and I’m so impressed that you cannot even taste the difference! They are so moist and incredibly delicious!!
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for the compliment, it means a lot! Thanks for sharing your variation too, Esther.
Jennifer
First comment ever and just have to say these came out AWESOME! I snuck in shredded zucchini and carrots, chia & ground flax and my three kids love them. Thank you for making it easy to feed my kids breakfast muffins they’re looking forward to!
Kate P.
I was wondering if hiding any veggies in it would work so I’m glad to note this!
Anna
My husband LOVED this recipe almost as much as our 10 month old daughter! Thank you :)
Kate
That’s great, Anna! Pumpkin season is upon us. :)
Anna
Not quite in our part of the world (Australia) , we‘re heading into spring/summer. But I can bake this anytime of year!! :)
Nicole
Just made these minus the oats, added half a cup of dark chocolate chips, increased the pumpkin spice to 2 teaspoons and used sugar free maple syrup….soooo good! Had to increase the baking time about 10 minutes. Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! I’m 7 months pregnant and going crazy for pumpkin spice anything, so it’s nice to come across something that doesn’t make you feel guilty when you eat it. Can’t wait to make the banana bread one!
Kate
Thank you, Nicole for sharing! I really appreciate your review.
Alexandra
I made these muffins according to your instructions, and added chocolate chips. I did change the baking temperature, however! I started baking for 5m at 425F and then dropped the oven to 350F for the remaining time (about 10m). The muffins came out nice and tall, crispier on the outside, and soft and moist on the inside. Thank you for the recipe! Happy to have made it on the first day of fall :)
Kate
Thank you, Alexandra for sharing! I appreciate the comment!
Julie
These look so good! I live in Belgium and pumpkin is not used here in sweet treats but ever since I’ve spent two years in Chicago I am totally addicted to pumpkin. Canned pumpkin doesn’t exist here, so I rely on my Mom’s vegetable patch. She grows lots and lots of pumpkins (even butternut squash, only recently “discovered” in Belgium) so we can both stock our freezers with pumpkin.
I am defenitely going to give these a try!
Kate
Fresh pumpkin, delicious! Thanks for sharing. Let me know what you think, Julie!
Deanna Houston
I tried this recipe with Cassava flour and it was a FAIL… any suggestions on conversion? The packaging says 1:1 ration, but it definitely did not work for this recipe…
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that! I’m not too familiar with Cassava flour, sorry! If you want to make this gluten free, I would recommend using a gluten free all purpose flour. I know Bob’s Red Mill has worked well in the past.
Erin
I use cassava flour frequently and find you usually need to combine it with another flour in a baked good for optimal texture. I made these with a few changes, only 1/4 cup of oil, upped the eggs to 3, no milk, and 1 cup of cassava flour plus 1/2 cup of coconut flour instead of regular flour. Everything else the same, no mix-ins, and they turned out great after baking them for 25min in a 350 degree oven!
Chelsea
Holy moly! I NEVER rate recipes, but these turned out so perfect I couldn’t resist. I used Avocado oil and added Guittard chocolate chips … They are legitimately perfect. This pregnant girl is very happy with these delicious (and healthy-ish!) morsels.
Kate
Congrats! And thanks, Chelsea.
Catherine
Can you use pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices? Also, is it possible to sub melted butter for the coconut oil/olive oil?
Kate
Hi Cathrine, I really like the quantities of the individual spices, but I believe other readers have tried that. You can search through to see what worked best. I would recommend keeping the oil base here for moisture purposes. Thanks for your question!
Miranda
These were really easy to make and so yummy for Fall. Thank you for sharing!
Kate
You’re welcome, Miranda!
Vanina
I’d like to make mini muffins with this recipe. What’s the baking time in that case?
Kate
Hi Vanina, I’m sorry, I don’t have a mini muffin tin and haven’t tried. Keep the same baking temperature, but your baking time will be reduced significantly (I’d guess somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes).
Julie
Just made the pumpkin muffins but instead of oats I topped them with Bourbon Maple Candied Pecan pieces from Love Real Food. I’m sure the oats would have been healthier but….yum!
Kate
Oh delicious, Julie! Thanks so much.
Amy
Just made a batch of these instead of your blueberry muffins for the week. These are pretty delicious!!
I used “flax eggs” as we have an allergy in the house. They turned out great.
Will make again for sure!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Amy!
Cathy
I liked the one bowl concept. The texture was good but barely a “pumpkin,” flavor, which was disappointing because I was craving it.
Maybe increase the pumpkin content?
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that! You can increase your favorite spices if you like.
Mary Carter
Been making these for a couple of years; in fact, I am going home tonight to make a double batch of these awesome muffins after a friend and I polished off the last batch last night.
My tips?
Always use coconut oil; the high fat content helps the flavor.
Use fresh spices! Don’t expect last year’s dusty old nutmeg to taste good.
Up the pumpkin to 1 1/2 cup for a more dense muffin.
Include 1 cup good quality, high cacao chocolate chips (e.g. Ghiradelli’s 60%).
This is my favorite fall treat–thanks so much, Kate!!
Kate
Thanks for sharing your tips since this is a go-to recipe. I appreciate your review!
moyra rees
Hi Kate
May be a silly question but could you tell me how to make the pumpkin puree please?
Danielle
Hello Kate!
Do you happen to know the nutrition information for these muffins when using coconut oil, maple syrup, Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour along with all the original ingredients? Even a rough estimate would be helpful. Thanks!
Kate
Hi! You can buy it in a can or roast a sugar pie pumpkin then to puree. See this recipe for more information https://cookieandkate.com/2014/creamy-vegan-pumpkin-soup/
Rachel
I made these yesterday to have for breakfast all week and they are INCREDIBLE. The perfect hearty, not too sweet pumpkin muffins!! I put pecans in mine and I had them with homemade pecan butter as you suggested. Next level. Will definitely be making these again and again!!
Kate
Great!
Emma Phillips
These turned out pretty good for whole-wheat healthy muffins. The texture was perfect and I got more rise than I had anticipated, but the flavor was a little bland (might just be because pumpkin can be a light flavor). I might add some mix-ins next time as suggested.
Kate
I’m sorry you thought the flavor was bland. Feel free to increase your favorite spice! I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Deb
Just made these and they were so easy and yummy!
I substituted apple sauce for the oil.
Do you think that’s why they stuck to my muffin papers?
Thank you for sharing:)
Kate
Likely so, yes. Make sure you have something non-stick to help with that.
Asha
Amazing muffins – my 4 year old is crazy over them- I made them with 2 flax eggs to make them vegan and whole wheat flour as I didn’t have white whole wheat, but I’m eager to try them with that lighter flour. Either way I am sure they are great! To lower the fat content if one wanted, would you just reduce the oil and substitute applesauce? Thanks again Kate for your delicious recipes!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Asha! I appreciate the review.
Malin
They were really yummy! Thanks a lot!
Mine turned out a little compact only. Perhaps I did some mistake with the measurements converting to European sizes…
Lauren
I made these for breakfast this morning. Fall weather is finally moving in and I had a can of pumpking that’s been calling out to be used. Although pretty good, I found the flavor to be pretty mild. I don’t taste a lot of pumpkin or spice. Next time I’ll add extra spice and a little stevia as well. Very moist tho!
Kate
Pumpkin everything! I’m sorry you thought the flavor was mild. But yes, increase your favorite spice if you like more. I appreciate your feedback and review!
Kat
Made these today, I used organic all purpose flour, and I only had about 3/4 C of organic maple so I I filled the rest of cup with honey. Added some chopped walnuts and it turned out amazing!
Love love love your website!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Kat!
Megan
Just wondering what size can of pumpkin purée is used in the recipe. I would hate to use the wrong size.
Kate
15oz can is the standard size in the US and use 1 cup for the recipe!
Paula Riczker
I decided to double the recipe as my kids go through muffins so fast. I wasn’t as organized as I should have been- I realized didn’t have nutmeg and allspice- so had to omit them, then I ran out of all purpose gluten free flour so created my own (luckily had some substitutions handy)…they still turned out awesome!
Kate
I’m glad you were able to make it work with what you had! Thank you, Paula!
Kim
Fantastic muffins. Great flavor, everyone loves them for breakfast on the go or for a night time snack
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Kim!
Elah
Can I use oat flour? Thanks :)
Kate
Use Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free all-purpose blend works well instead of the whole wheat flour to make them gluten free.
Kellie
I don’t typically review recipes but these muffins were amazing! I couldn’t tell that these muffins were super healthy because they were so moist and tasty! will definitely make these again.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Kellie!
Kelly
Hi There! I have made this recipe about 5 times this month. It is my favorite easy pumpkin muffin. It is healthy and the kids love them too! I always want tondouble the recipe but a can of pumpkin is less than 2 cups of pumpkin. So, either open another can for just about 2 Tablespoons more and waste the rest, or only make one recipe and waste the rest of the can. BUT this evening I doubled the recipe and added Tablespoons applesauce to make up for the pumpkin. They turned out fine!
Kate
That’s a lot! But I love it! :) Thank you for sharing, Kelly.
Cindy
Just made these muffins with the maple syrup option and they were yummy! A hit with the whole family!
Kate
Wonderful, Cindy! Thanks so much for the review.
Farmgal87
Hi Kate! We made these today since we are in full blown pumpkin mode and wanted something on the healthier side to add to our growing collection of pumkpin treats. I roasted a couple sugar pumpkins and pureed the flesh so I had a lot of puree to use up. I used local honey and whole, raw milk in ours since I had a bunch to use and blended the oats up a bit for a little less texture. I also topped mine with pumpkin seeds before baking. They are absolutely wonderful!! Mine were still looking kind of underbaked after 25 min so I put them in for an additional 3 min and let them cool in the muffin tin. I believe the extra moisture in my fresh pumkpin puree caused the increase in bake time. Next time around I’ll try leaving out the 1/4 cup milk and baking for the recommended time at 350°F. Definitely a winning recipe for healthy breakfast muffins! Thank you!
Kate
Thank you for sharing your method! I’m excited you love these.
Lauren
I love these muffins so much! Can I also use this recipe to make pumpkin bread as opposed to muffins? I just love how your pumpkin muffin recipe includes oats! Thanks so much!
Kate
I actually have a healthy pumpkin bread recipe! Check it out: https://cookieandkate.com/2016/healthy-pumpkin-bread-recipe/
Jill
What type of salt do you use for these, Kate? Tks!
Kate
Fine grain salt! I hope this helps.
Ginger A Hilyer
Can you substitute the white whole wheat flour with almond flour? Thanks.
Kate
Unfortunately, almond flour doesn’t quick work the same. Sorry!
Jacklyn
Awesome! I was looking for a sugar-free cupcake recipe for my daughter’s 1 year birthday in October, and thought pumpkin would be cool, and found this! Cannot WAIT to try it !!!
Kate
Let me know what you think, Jacklyn!
Wendy Urban-Mead
Hello, Cookie and Kate!
I really liked this recipe. I made it today with some adjustments. I used gluten-free flours and added chopped pecans and raisins. The flour combination I used was: 1 cup Bob’s 1-to-1 GF flour mix, 1/2 cup oat flour, and 1/4 cup coconut flour. Instead of putting the whole oats on top, I just folded in a half-cup of instant oats into the dry ingredients. I used whole cow’s milk, real eggs, and the maple syrup as called for. They are silky in their deliciousness, and they rose beautifully!!
Kate
Thank you, Wendy! I’m sure this will be helpful to other gluten free readers. I appreciate your review!
Rebecca Hansen
How would you make it with leftover oatmeal instead of uncooked oats? Thankful for a dairy free recipe that has eggs.
Kate
Hi Rebecca! I’m glad you liked this one. Unfortunately, I haven’t made it with cooked oatmeal before and I’m not sure that they would turn out. Very interesting thought!
sange
I made it with cooked oatmeal and it was great – I just used a little less flour and a little more baking soda to counteract the density of the cooked oats.
Zita
Just finished…these muffins are simply delicious
Thanks a lot!
Kate
You’re welcome, Zita!
Julie Selvais
I just made two batches of these with spelt flour instead of wheat flour, mixing in apple pieces in the first batch and blueberries in the second. My kids absolutely loved them, it’s a good thing I made enough so I can pack some in their lunch boxes tomorrow.
Kate
Thank you, Julie!
April
I wanted to love these. I baked with coconut oil & maple syrup, I added some chocolate chips too. The texture is great, but I do not taste pumpkin, only the perfume of coconut oil. I wound up the pumpkin rather than the oil, and more spice.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love these! Thank you for sharing, though.
Chelsea Holsonbake
I modified the recipe a bit. I omitted the milk and just used a 15oz can of pumpkin and 4 eggs. It turned out great. Toasting the jars really makes for a rich nutty flavor. I also just baked them in a Pyrex pan and made bars. They are fantastic!
Kate
Thank you for sharing your modification, Chelsea! I appreciate your review.
Karen G
Hi, thanks for your recipe.
I did not have maple syrup but put in a little less than 1/2cup brown sugar. I made mini muffins and they are great. Not too sweet, but amazing. Thanks again. I also have made your zucchini bread recipe and love it.
Karen
a little less than
Kate
You’re welcome, Karen!
Rose
This recipe turned out great! And it was easy. I used sugar-free fake maple syrup, and almond milk. And I just had plain white flour instead of the wheat. Delicious. I might increase the spice amount slightly next time. And there will most definitely be a next time for this recipe!
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Rose!
liz Brodar
Just made these for the 1st time and not only are they super easy, they taste great! They are so light and stored well overnight. I think I might spice it up a bit but that’s because I love the fall spices. I will be serving these at my B&B!
Kate
Thanks for sharing the C+K at your B&B! I appreciate it.
Anu
Turned out great. Wonderful.
Minor variation – Bumped up the pumpkin purée to 1.5 cups and folded in chocolate chips in the end.
Kate
Thank you for sharing!
NikkiV
Didn’t have enough whole wheat flour so I used 1 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup almond flour. Turned out amazing! The almond flour actually added a bit of moisture and crumbly texture which made it feel like it was made from white flour! I think I’ll try this flour combo again with some other muffins.
Kate
I’m glad it worked with almond flour for you!
Cassandra
Yum!! Can’t believe it’s healthy. So moist and so tasty! Thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome, Cassandra! I’m glad you liked it.
Laura Green
I’ve made these successfully many times, sometimes with variations, and just wanted to stop by to mention that I always start my muffins an oven preheated hot (425) and then turn down to 350 when I put them in. The initial heat-blast helps them rise, or so it seems.
Kate
Thanks for sharing!
Veronica
I love this recipe and I have made your apple muffins, and I quite often make your banana muffins (pretty much my go-to whenever I have bananas on hand). I was wondering whether you ever tried making this with sweet potato? I was thinking of using purple yam/ube, but I was curious as to your opinion of whether they would need more or less of some of the ingredients above. I am not that knowledgeable when it comes to baking….
Kate
I have not made with sweet potato. Interesting though! I would need to try it to make sure it would work 1:1, but sweet potato puree should be pretty similar to pumpkin. Baking can be tricky!
Patty
I made them for Christmas brunch. I made them as mini-muffins, and used Kind Arther 1-to-1 gluten free flour in place of the flour. I was afraid they were going to be fragile, but they were not. I didn’t use muffin liners, but I greased and floured the tin and they came right out without breaking. They were delicious too – big hit with everyone. I will be making them again. Thank you!
Patty
Sorry for the typo – that should read King Arthur. I was too lazy to put my glasses on while typing.
Kate
I’m happy to hear they were just a hit, Patty!
Suz
These muffins are almost a staple in my house. I don’t use eggs or oil
( I substitute pumpkin, banana and/or applesauce) and they are delicious! Over the holiday, I added extra ginger powder, crystalized ginger and dark chocolate chips. SO YUMMY and people think they are a special treat.
Amy
Hi, could I use almond flour instead of whole wheat?
Kate
Unfortunately, I don’t think almond flour would work here. Sorry! I haven’t tried it, but typically almond flour isn’t a 1:1 substitute.
Lea
I could eat all of these muffins in one sitting! They are so good! As always, thanks for sharing!
Charissa Guillen
Have you ever tried substituting almond flour for the white/wheat flour ? Would love to try making these but only have almond flour right now. Thanks ! Have tried other recipes if youra before and they are always so good!
Kate
Typically, almond flour doesn’t work as a 1:1 substitute. I haven’t tried it with this one, but I’m not sure it would work. Sorry! I’m happy you have enjoyed the other recipes.
danica
so good!!! made with whole wheat flour and veg oil. didn’t have any more cinnamon and added more of the other spices by mistake — and it was amazing!
so i used ½ teaspoon ground ginger,1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice. thank you!
Kate
I’m happy you still were able to enjoy it, Danica. Thanks for your feedback and review!
Tammy Gould
I made these with buckwheat flour and regular flour, because I did not have whole wheat flour at the time. I used the majority as buckwheat probably 60%. I added a small amount very lightly sweetened maple syrup granola with pumpkin seeds. I also added a handful of raisins. I used honey, organic, raw. I also used the organic virgin coconut oil. They were delicious! Can’t wait to try the pumpkin pecan scones. Thanks!
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Tammy!
Sheila
I followed the directions carefully and these were delicious! Used coconut oil. They were done after the minimum baking time. I have made the cranberry orange and blueberry muffin recipes as well and loved them all. For those used to sweet cake like muffins (like my mom!), these may not taste very sweet at first bite but they are so much better than those, satisfying but still light and fluffy and I love the maple syrup flavor.
Kate
Thank you, Sheila!
Jennifer
These are wonderful muffins! I’m not gonna lie — we’ve been making these every week recently (and freezing any leftovers to roll forward to the next week). I saw someone mentioned that using a whole can of pumpkin ruined the texture — we actually use the whole can every week (the first time was a mistake but after that, it’s been intentional :)) and increase the cooking time by about ten minutes. The muffins come out perfectly every time! Super simple, delicious, and packed with nutrients — how can you go wrong? Thank you for another perfect recipe!
Kate
I love that! Every week, something to look forward to. Thank you, Jennifer!
Tayla
made these for my husband and he loved them! if i tried to make these into a savory muffin, would just leaving out the honey/maple do?
Casey Pulci
Picked up my pumpkin pure today and stoked to make these!!! Question Kate, what is that sauce on the muffins you show in the photo?? Am I missing it in the recipe bc it looks delicious!
Kate
I can’t wait to hear what you think! The sauce is just nut butter! 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 lunch time.
Elaine
Delicious recipe! Thank you Kate. I used a blend of Kamut and Buckwheat flours and they turned out great. I also like raisins with my pumpkin muffins, so I added a handful too. My new go-to for pumpkin!
Deborah
I have made these twice in the past week. The first time, I went with the basic recipe. The second time, I added in raisins and coconut and I put on a crumble topping. The plain muffins were yummy. I enjoyed them and would certainly make them again.
The muffins with the add ins were beyond yummy. The coconut gave them a decadent richness. The muffins themselves were extremely moist and fluffy. And the crumble topping was… well, crumble topping. :) I am one of those girls who’s gotta have my crumble!
Kate
Thanks, Deborah! I’m glad you are enjoying these muffins so much.
Britt
I’ve been making these muffins for the past year and they are delicious! My toddler’s favorite-she has one for breakfast. I make 2 dozen each month and freeze some to save for later. They’re absolutely divine plain or with some almond butter. I sub 1/2 spelt flour with whole wheat flour. Sometimes I add in cacao nibs. I’ve tried them with both maple syrup and honey, and I prefer these made with maple syrup. Thanks for the recipe!!
Kate
You’re welcome! Thanks for letting me know how much you both love them!
NeeNee
I made this recipe as directed and quite enjoy it. I like how simple it is to put together and as a quick sweet fix. I’ll definitely be making these again and trying out those pumpkin scones. Thanks for sharing. :)
Kate
You’re welcome, NeeNee.
May Michael
So delicious. I substituted the milk with coconut milk and the coconut oil with melted butter. Turned out delicious and I really love how fluffy the muffin is. I topped the muffin with a little baking chocolate for my little girl so that I could trick her into eating a healthy wholemeal pumpkin muffin. ;) Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, May! I’m glad you loved them with your variation.
Red
Great muffins, definately added a little more of the spices. I accidentally added a whole can of the pumpkin puree but I added flax meal so it soaked up some of that. Mine ended up denser then the original I’d imagine but great muffins! Especially with a few dark chocolate chips on top
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Red! The flaxseed likely made them more dense, but I’m happy you enjoyed them.
Lisa Weed
Can I use canned pumpkin instead of pumpkin purée?
Kate
Canned pumpkin should still be in purée form. :) So, you should be good!
Danielle
I love all of your recipes. We make your banana bread weekly but also enjoy your pumpkin and oatmeal blueberry muffins.
Also love the blackbean kale burrotos and bowls as well as the blackbean soup.
Just wish you would include nutritional info like calories, fat, etc
Kate
All wonderful recipes, Danielle! Thanks so much for your review.
Megan
I made these this morning and I really enjoyed them. I had to make some substitutions bc i didn’t realize I didn’t have everything after I had already set my heart on making them! (Brown sugar (1/3 cup) instead of honey; applesauce instead of oil; a mix of all-purpose flour & whole wheat flour)Even with these changes they were delicious. I ate it warm with some almond butter. Yum!
Kate
I’m glad you were able to make it work with what you had! I appreciate it, Megan.
Mel
Can these be made using mini muffin pan instead? If so, would they bake for a shorter period of time?? Sorry if this is a dumb question, I rarely bake haha
Kate
I haven’t tried it, but I believe it has worked well for others. I would suggest watching them at a lower time. I’m not sure exactly how long. You could always search the comments to see what others recommend.
Chris
I knew I would love this recipe just from the ingredients, plus the fact that you love dogs.
I used honey and coconut oil, whole wheat flour and had the spices in hand. Also added walnuts and chocolate chips.
Am anxious to try it again with different ingredients.
Kate
Dogs are pretty great! So it this recipe. Thanks for sharing, Chris.