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:
- 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
Hi there, I’m looking forward to trying the recipe. Just wanted to let you know King Arthur Flour (employee-owned!) makes white wheat flour. I’ve gotten it at regular grocery stores as well as health food stores. If yours don’t, they would probably get in in for you if you’ll use it regularly. Good luck.
KAREN
I came to comment this exact thing! You can order from them online also. King Arthur flour is the best
Maha safi
Thanks for the recipe… Im looking forward to trying it… Is it possible to substitute raw sugar for maple syrup? If yes how much the quantity would be..?
Kate
Hi! I don’t recommend it as it helps with the overall moisture.
Linda
I, too, thought these were bland – at first. However, the second day made all the difference. The flavor and moisture level were just right – perfect with a cup of coffee! I used olive oil and honey.
Rebecca
I made these for the second time today to accompany a meal for some of our houseless neighbors. I made a vegan batch and a non-vegan batch. I used the zest of one orange (added to the wet ingredients) for each batch and added some dried currants and chopped walnuts. For the non-vegan batch, I subbed eggnog for the milk because I still had some in the fridge from the holidays that was still good. Both batches were excellent and very much appreciated.
Gayle
Made a double batch today. Turned out great. Thank you…I improvised a little..using partial almond flour and substituted half maple syrup for swerve …yummy!
Kate
These are excellent! I was really pleasantly surprised but how flavorful they are. Even better after sitting in the fridge overnight. I used my stand mixer (with whisk attachment) for the wet ingredients and then hand-mixed the dry ingredients in. Great recipe. Thank you!
Lyndsey Bedor
Tastes very healthy. Next time I’ll definitely be adding much more pumpkin spice and probably a bit of brown sugar. Even though that’ll make it a little less healthy
Tina
Just made these and I can’t stop eating them! These are the best muffins I’ve ever made. So incredibly moist and not too sweet. Thanks for the recipe! I made the batter in less than 5 minutes. Hitting all my fall cravings.
Megan Stern
So, so, so good.
Kate
Thank you, Megan!
Gloria Linn
I just made these and I am in love! Muffins are my weakness, so I’m always looking for healthy recipes. This one fits the bill. I substituted low sugar applesauce for the oil, and eliminated the oats. I sprinkled a sugar substitute on the top of each muffin. That gives them just a bit of sweetness. Thanks for a great recipe!
Kate
A muffin weakness, I hear you! Thank you for sharing, Gloria.
Clay
Gloria, you said you made these muffins, however given the changes you made, you certainly didn’t make these muffins. I’m glad your recipe was great, but you can’t say you made these muffins.
Rachael Alter
By any chance do you remember how much apple sauce did you use instead of oil?
Marin Haning
Thank you for this recipe! I just whipped these up for my kids on their day off from school. Delicious and healthy!
Kate
Thank you for your review, Marin!
Christine Kern
I had these at a friends house and had to come home and make them myself. They are so tasty! I use chocolate chips in mine – always. I don’t know how they would taste without that because I think the chocolate chips really make a wonderful addition. Love these either with wheat flour or gluten free – and so does my picky husband! :) Thank you!
Patty
I’ve made these 3 times now so I’m overdue on leaving a much deserved review.
My whole family enjoys these healthy treats…they request them in their lunches. When I run out, my six year old looks at me quite seriously and says, “I’ll help you make some more this weekend, Mama”.
We always add some chocolate chips, but follow the recipe pretty closely. I’ve subbed in applesauce to bring a can of pumpkin up to two cups for a double batch…tasty!
Kate
Thank you for your review, Patty! I’m happy these are such a hit in your house.
Susan Robbins
This is my favorite go-to muffin! I have made them many times and they are always a bit hit with family and neighbors. I usually make a triple batch, freeze them, and toast them up for breakfast. I use 2 cans of organic pumpkin and 1 entire container of pumpkin pie spice for the triple batch. And, I add in the chocolate chips and nuts, top with an oatmeal/cinnamon/nut mix for more crunch.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Susan! I appreciate it.
Sue
This is my favorite go-to muffin! I have made them many times and they are always a bit hit with family and neighbors. I usually make a triple batch, freeze them, and toast them up for breakfast. I use 2 cans of organic pumpkin and 1 entire container of pumpkin pie spice for the triple batch. And, I add in the chocolate chips and nuts, top with an oatmeal/cinnamon/nut mix for more crunch.
Adrian
Horrible. Not moist at all and lack of flavor. Might as well eat cardboard.
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t like these, Adrian.
Maple
Maybe you should try some non healthy muffins. You definitely made theses wrong or you just simply don’t know how to bake. 9.8 out of 10 people loved theses :) (including me) they taste like pumpkin spice in a muffin! so go be rude some where else please.
Kayla
I’ve got a hungry 15 month old who loooves muffins and this recipe has become the household fave! I’ve made it with canned pumpkin as written and also with bananas when the pumpkin is gone and both are amazing. The whole wheat muffins I grew up with were too firm and dry so this recipe makes me happy. (Tip to others: If you sub bananas be sure to reduce the maple syrup by half so the muffins won’t be too sweet.) Thanks Kate!
Rachael Alter
I’m wanting to try and sub banana for the sweetener. Do you know how many banana’s you used in stead?
Kayla
I just do an even swap – 1 cup mashed banana in place of the pumpkin. You could probably eliminate the maple syrup altogether… just add a little extra banana (or another wet ingredient) to prevent the muffins being too dry. :)
Amy Pagano
I just made these muffins and they are awesome! I love the texture and I love the fact that they don’t taste too sweet. I would like a little more pumpkin flavor next time though. Would you suggest increasing the amount of pumpkin spice blend and, if so, by how much? Thank you again for all your delicious, healthy recipes.
Kate
Hi Amy, if you want more pumpkin flavor you could try changing up your brand of pumpkin. I have found some to be more watery then others and/or add a little more pumpkin spice mix. I like these as is, so it’s hard to provide specific amounts. Maybe start with 1/2 tsp?
Claire
Thank you so much for such healthy and delicious looking recipes, and for the notes. I can’t wait to make these muffins. I’ll rate the recipe as soon as I get a chance to make them.
Heidi
These are amazing, Kate! I even used a little less maple syrup, and they are that perfect ‘just sweet enough’ deliciousness. Plus it helped that I didn’t over-bake them, which is one problem I seem to have because I’m too worried about under-baking everything. But this time I did it perfectly. I also added a few cinnamon chips (unhealthy I know, but it was a very small amount). Next time I want to add raisins because pumpkin and raisins go well together. Oh and I subbed the last 3/4 cup of flour with 1/3 cup of coconut flour. It worked great! Maybe next time I’ll try even less flour and more coconut flour. Anyway, I love this recipe, so thank you!
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Jennifer Shepherd
These are great! I followed the recipe exactly! And used the recommended glaze. Thanks for sharing!
Chris
I’m a Type 1 diabetic, so I usually make some adjustments to recipes for my sake. I substituted my homemade applesauce (spiced, but not sweetened) for the maple syrup and for half of the coconut oil. I also cut the milk in half because of the added moisture of the applesauce. The flavor was very good, but definitely more hearty than sweet. I’m wondering if I should have used the full amount of milk, as your sweeteners were already in liquid form, and I replaced one liquid with another. I will probably add a little turbinado or some Swerve next time. Overall, it’s a very nice recipe for me to fiddle with, and I appreciate it.
Nyla
Hi Kate
I seen you said you can’t find white whole flour anymore I have a surprise for you I buy it at target I have been baking your recipes I love the Healthy banana bread
Kate
Oh good! Thank you, Nyla, glad to hear it!
Jules
I had been eyeing this recipe for a while and finally decided to make it last night. I made them completely vegan using homemade almond milk, flax seed and maple syrup. I love nuts in my muffins so i added about a 1/3 cup of chopped walnuts. These muffins turned out absolutely delicious. So light and fluffy and full of yummy pumpkin spice sweet flavor. I am sure I will be baking these again very soon. Thank you Kate!
Anna
I’ve just made these, followed the recipe exactly (using spelt flour, olive oil, maple syrup & evaporated milk) and added a tablespoon of rum and half cup raisins. Absolutely delicious! Perfect proportions, thank you!
Kate
You’re welcome, Anna!
Mariah
It’s a rainy cold day here in Iowa, and I happened to find some pumpkin while I was cleaning out my pantry. These whipped up so quickly and they were delicious!!!!
Kate
I’m glad you loved them!
Rachel
After making this recipe several times, I have the most success when I take the time to let all liquids and eggs come to room temperature. It makes all the difference in the texture of the muffins! So yummy.
Bonus: Add 1/2 orange worth of zest for brightness, A+++++
Kate
Thanks for commenting, Rachel!
Haylee
This is our legit favorite muffin recipe that I‘be made at least one batch a week for the last 2 months! We’re vegan and although flax egg works fine these turn our larger & more muffin like /more like using real eggs with bob’s red milk egg replacer. By far the best egg replacer I’ve ever used. They are a lot more dense & don’t really rise with flax eggs. Either way the taste is wonderful & I’m so glad we came across this! Especially with staying home so much with the world’s lockdowns I like to make a batch for the fridge & keep an extra batch of these muffins in the freezer so we can have yummy healthy things like this to snack on and enjoy throughout the week.
Kate
I love that, Haylee! Thanks for sharing what egg placement you like and for your review. I know others will find that helpful!
Nancy
I made almond milk and used the pulp to add to this recipe. Then, I added whole wheat flour, etc. according to the recipe. I love how the recipe lists the ingredients for the pumpkin spice mix; I decided to use allspice instead of nutmeg. The muffin came out tender and moist. I don’t think I can tell it is whole grain at all. This is such a yummy treat! Thank you for the recipe.
Kristin
I love these muffins with raisins added. They just add punch of sweetness that livens up the muffins beautifully.
Anika
I’ve really enjoyed the banana and carrot muffins from this blog but these came out terribly for me. They have the consistency of play dough (even after I cooked them 6 min longer than recommend). Would not recommend this name one of the other recipes instead
Cee
I make these on repeat for my toddler and he gobbles them up. He’s eaten two in one sitting as a snack and then demanded one again for his afternoon snack. Because it’s for my toddler and I’m trying to control his sugar intake I do cut the maple syrup in half and add a little less flour. I’ve made these so many times that I can add the flour until the batter looks “right.” I also have subbed a 1/4 cup of oats with hemp hearts with great success. My husband and I love these too, and I always have a can of pumpkin in my pantry so I can make these at least once a month.
Kate
I love how many times you have made these, Cee! I appreciate your review and comment.
Michaela
These look amazing! Thinking of making this in the morning. I have jack-o-lantern pumpkins that I roasted, pureed and froze. At first I thought they were the sugar pumpkins. Hopefully I can get them to turn out sometimes I don’t have the best luck with muffins.
J Hansen
Excellent! It worked with canola oil since I didn’t have any coconut oil on hand. I used honey as opposed to maple syrup. I’m so glad Kate included the nutrition information on the recipe. I tend to eat way too many muffins at one sitting (don’t we all?) so now I know one is enough for breakfast, with one cup of milk. They are delicious and filling.
I used wheat flour that I grind on my own from my food storage.
Elena
Hello, if I did these in mini muffin tins how would I adjust the bake time?
Kate
Hi Elena! Typically, you cut the time in half and then adjust as necessary. Make sure to keep a close eye at the end so they don’t get overdone.
Jennifer Porcelli
Can I add chocolate chips to the recipe? If so, how many? Or should I just sprinkle some atop the muffins before putting them in the oven?
Kate
Hi! See step 3. I usually recommend 1/2 cup in muffin recipes for additional mix-ins.
Jennifer Porcelli
Thank you! Just made your healthy blueberry muffins and they are wonderful. Love your recipes!
Patricia Ioannides
Very nice recipe and so easy to make. Realized we didn’t have WW flour so substituted AP. Also to use up the entire 15 oz, can of pumpkin, we increased all measurements by 1,5, which yielded an additional half dozen muffins. Next time will increase the spices.
Thank you for providing another great recipe that my dairy free daughter can use!
Karen
I’ve just made my first batch,these were a winner in my household. I used honey instead of maple syrup, rice bran oil instead of the oils suggested and replaced the oats with desiccated coconut. Added a mix of dark chocolate chips and dark chocolate melts. Sprinkled the top with a little cinnamon sugar instead. Delicious!
Kate
That sounds delicious, Karen! Thank you for your review.
jackie
Hi Kate,
Thanks for this recipe. I’ve turned to baking as I try to cut down on person-to-person interaction (such as going to a bakery). In Hong Kong, where we live, pumpkin muffins are not common in any case.
These are my favorite of any type of muffin recipe I’ve tried. The amount of sweetener is very low and the ingredients are healthy yet still tasty and delicious.
The 3 things I’ve tried:
1. substituting apple sauce/baby food prunes for oil. Tastes better with the oil. Trying half oil and half prunes next time.
2. sprinkling with sugar on top. This makes a huge difference in taste and given the low sugar already, worth the trade off.
3. adding a sliver of apricot on top for garnish (say slicing one dried apricot into 6 sliver). This adds minimally to flavor, but for people in my household used to bakery garnishes, they loved the addition, saying it tasted much better. I think it’s more psychological, but it mattered to them.
Kate
I appreciate you sharing what you have tried, Jackie! Thanks so much for your insight on what has worked for you.
Alexandra
Hi! I want to make These, i was wondering if oat flour would work? Thank you :)
Kate
Hey Alexandra! I haven’t tried oat flour in this recipe, but I know it works well in a very similar recipe. The muffins won’t rise quite as tall, and will be extra delicate when warm from the oven. Still should be tasty, though! Please report back if you try it.
Julia Galayda
Could you sub out the eggs with 2 egg whites? Or will the muffin not bake properly?
Also these are always a hit whenever I make them!
Kate
Hi Julia! I’m glad to hear you like these muffins. I think your muffins would turn out well enough with 2 egg whites, but I haven’t tried to be 100% certain.
Rachel
I’m probably the only one to ever do only half a batch, but I was trying to finish up some pumpkin I had opened to make baby food and it was all I had left. These were way better than the unhealthy pumpkin cookies I used a whole cup of pumpkin for so I’m excited to give these priority next time and make a whole batch! Maybe tomorrow….mmmm.
Also, I’m not really a muffin person, but I like good and healthy recipes and these were surprisingly the perfect texture and tasty. I’ve been wanting them again since we ran out the other day.
My husband really liked the cookies I mentioned so I asked him to compare these, as he ate two of my last three, and he said equal…so considering these were healthy, I call that a win for the muffins!
Jeannie
I haven’t tasted the pumpkin ones yet, but I’ve had the banana ones! I just made these with sprouted spelt flour, applesauce, and chia seed “eggs”. They look great! I just need to taste them, but I’m sure they are fine.
Grace
Moist and delicious! I used applesauce and honey per your substitutes and sprinkled coconut sugar on top before baking.
Healthy treat for us all, the kids love them:)
Kristin
I made these today with almond flour. They were really yummy, but they didn’t seem to be cooked all the way through. Should I adjust the amount of almond flour next time or cook them longer?
Kate
Hi Kristin, I don’t typically recommend almond flour as a 1:1 substitute. That could be the issue you ran into.
Lauri
These were great. Used Coconut oil, coconut milk, good quality maple, and they were delicious. They were heavy — but I think that’s because I threw in some shredded coconut and added plenty of nuts. I probably should have added some more coconut milk or pumpkin puree because I could tell the batter was super thick. However, they were delicious, and this was my fault for over-doing the add-ins!
Nathalie
I discovered cookie&kate during the start of the shutdown while in search for a pumpkin recipe made with wheat flour (the only flour left at my local grocery store at the time). Anyway, let me tell you…what a find I made!!! I have baked the Healthy Pumpkin Muffins three times now and this recipe will forever be a keeper! I had never used maple syrup as a sweetener before and the combination with the pumpkin is a match made in heaven. I will always think back on this challenging & difficult time with memories of the good things that have come: All of Kate’s outrageously delicious recipes!!! THANK YOU!!!
Kate
Nathalie, I’m so glad to hear it! If you find yourself with any extra bananas, I think you’ll love the banana bread, too. :) Stay well!
Olga
Hi, your print recipes is missing the 2 eggs in the ingredient list.
Angela
This is the second recipe of your’s (the other was the roasted chicken) I’ve tried and it is also great. Very well thought out. Appreciate the hard work that had to go into all this. Thank you!
Dan the Baker Man
Looks good, but to make it whole food plant based, substitute 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce for the oil. Yum!
Carol Jean
I love pumpkin muffins any time of the year and these are amazing. They are so delicious and moist and easy to make. I love that they are healthier too with just the right amount of natural sweetness. This recipe is a keeper. I will be making these often. Thanks so much!!
Rosemary
These were delicious and I love the various options. It’s apple season here and I have made lots of apple sauce (using your recipe Kate, also delicious) so as you mentioned, I used that instead of oil and added chopped walnuts. The only other thing I did differently was to substitute Uncle Toby’s Ancient Grains for the oats. That cereal is a mixture of oats, millet, rye and quinoa and I nearly always use it instead of oats with total success. Pumpkin was cooked and puréed by me as I don’t think the tinned variety is easily available in Australia. Thanks Kate for the recipe. Love it.
Edna
Made these pumpkin muffins for a healthy treat. I used regular flour and instant oats ground up since I didn’t have any wheat flour. I used the maple syrup which added just the right amount of sweetness. I added a handful of chocolate and peanut butter chips. They were so moist and delicious!
Wanda
This was a great recipe. I used 1/2 maple syrup and 1/2 honey and did the same with the oil…1/2 olive oil and 1/2 coconut oil. Everything else I followed to the exact. On top I used the oat sprinkles and topped with corse brown sugar and pumpkin seeds. I love the taste and the texture. They are not too heavy. They are not too sweet. A perfect muffin for my type 2 diabetic husband. Will definitely make again. Ps I used ED Smith pumpkin puree( plain no spice)
Wanda
Patty Eilers
These turned out just like I wanted them to!
I used flax eggs, added two shredded carrots, eliminated the milk (because I figured the moisture in the carrots would make up for it),and also added some raisins. I cooked them a few minutes longer.
I love all your recipes–thank you for providing healthy recipes and suggested adaptations for dietary preferences.
Jess
These muffins came out AMAZING!! I substituted the oil for apple sauce and am blown away. As stated in the recipe, they taste even better the next day (especially with some peanut butter). This is a new staple in my baking repertoire, in fact I’m making them again right now!
Jean Lohnes
Trying the pumpkin muffins had to srbstitute the eggs with apple sauce baking soda and apple cyber vinegar I will let you know how they turned out
Amy Austin
I stumbled on all your great muffin recipes looking for a healthier banana bread recipe. Now I’m obsessed with making muffins every day, freezing them, and giving them to friends. My favorite might be the Superhero muffins, but the pumpkin and banana are also great, as are the strawberry! I love that they are whole grain, naturally sweetened, not as sweet, and lower in fat. It’s nice to find something I feel good about baking and eating. Many thanks! I’ll be trying new ones next week.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Amy! I’m happy to hear you are loving them.
Marie
I used grapeseed oil. I also ground the flour out of hard red winter wheat berries. These muffins are superb! I used honey.I also put raisins in too.
Jessica
These were amazing!
I used wholemeal spelt flour and replaced the oil with apple sauce with a 1:1 ratio.
The apple sauce I have is chunky so you get the occasionnaly chunk of apple in the muffins! So good!
I used apple sauce instead of oil to dramatically reduce the calorie content and they came to 110 calories per muffin from a batch of 12!
It helps that I also reduced the honey amount to 1/3 cup instead of 1/2 due to the extra sweetness from the apple sauce.
I also omitted the milk as the consistency was perfect without it.
Super happy and sweetly satisfying. Thank you!
Emily
After trying your healthy carrot muffins I baked these yesterday… delicious start to my day for breakfast with a coffee. Both flavours make a great breaky or afternoon snack and now I can’t wait to try the apple muffins. Thank you for sharing your delicious guilt free recipes
Kate
I’m glad you enjoy them, Emily! Thank you for your review.
Autumn Zabik
These were SO good. I will admit I expected them to be a little sweeter than they were, and they were a little bland at first, but after a couple bites the flavor really exploded in your mouth. I used honey, but maybe the maple syrup would have made it sweeter. I’m definitely willing to sacrifice some sweetness for this healthier version. SO good!!
If you do want them to be sweet and you’re using honey, I would definitely recommend adding more honey. Makes it a little less healthy but sweeter if you prefer that.
Kate
I’m glad you ended up loving them! You could always add some more seasoning next time, if you like. Thanks for your review!
Kirstin
Simple and delicious! It’s not “pumpkin season” but I love pumpkin year round. I added dried cranberries and walnuts and sprinkled a touch of brown sugar on top. These muffins are not overly sweet (which I love) and the cranberries add an extra little touch of sweetness. Definitely will make a again! (Will post on IG too so you get the credit!)
Kate
I love it! Thank you for your review, Kirstin.
Alpha
I made these muffins with flax eggs and they turned out good.
Thank you Kate.
Amber
How do you think avocado oil would work in these as a sub?
Kate
You could try it! It should work, although I haven’t tried it in this application. Let me know how it works for you, Amber.
Kim
Made this gluten free (cup 4 cup flour) for our grand daughter. EVERYONE loved them. Loved them so much they doubled the recipe (such a great option button BTW) and our Celiac adult kiddo took half home! (I used the 1/2 C honey) option.
DP
I made these muffins last week and they were delicious! I’m going to make them again today!
Charlie Stone
Could you make this into a loaf of pumpkin bread? If so, what would need to be altered, if anything.
Kate
Hi! I would recommend my pumpkin bread instead.
Carrie
It’s cold here in South America! Perfect time to bake.
These muffins were a huge hit with the American crowd (especially since I added carefully guarded Ghiradelli dark chocolate chips from the US :-)
Jill
I just made these; I had some left over pumpkin… so i cut the recipe in half!
I used all oat flour (made myself)… Delicious!!!
I ate one right out of the oven sooo good!!
I will make this recipe again and again!
Anisha
This is a great recipe!! Turned out light and fluffy despite being whole wheat – a first time for me!
Kate
I’m glad you were pleasantly surprise, Anisha! Thank you for your review.
Grace Lee
My favorite pumpkin recipe. They are super healthy and easy to make, the oats on the top add a good texture. I added a little bit of cinnamon sugar and butter to the top for extra flavor. For me it made closer to two dozen muffins (in a regular medium sized muffin tin). I was feeling adventurous so I pipped some of the batter into donuts. It worked AMAZINGLY (I added butter and rolled them in cinnamon sugar.) It’s a great recipe and my muffins turned out delicious, definitely worth making.
Kate
That sounds like a delicious addition, Grace! Thank you for sharing.
CJT
Delicious. Nice to eat warm and delicious the next day. Will keep well for a few days. I use whole-wheat spelt flour with a dash more milk. Maple syrup and coconut oil.
Abbygail
I wish this recipe was available in Metric or Imperial measurements rather than US cups. Every think it’s just much simpler in pounds and ounces/ grams in kilos.
Jennifer
Perfection! Had my nephew in for the week and had to make a batch every 2 days because he was popping them all day long!
Mike Bamonte
I really wanted to like these but they were horrible! Followed the recipe exactly using the maple syrup.
Linda Currey Post
Hi my partner and I are vacationing in New York’s Catskills mountains where healthy. ingredients are in short supply. I happened to bring a bag of Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour with me but was short of the required amount so I used extra oatmeal. We used NY maple syrup and threw in some raisins and topped the muffins with turninado sugar. A bit chewy with all the oatmeal but yummy! My partner suggests doubling the spices next time which we’ll try. Thanks for the fun recipe!
Cara
I’ve tried so many pumpkin muffin recipes, and this is one of the best! I added chocolate chips to the batter, and the muffins turned out delicious.
caryn
Made these today using fresh roasted pumpkin. Also used lakanto sugar-free maple syrup. My very picky husband liked it, which says a lot!! My only comment is that it tasted a bit too salty, will add less salt next time! Thanks!!
Nicole
I’m trying to get my girl to get more protein. Do you know how I could add chickpeas to this?
Kate
Hi Nicole! I’m not sure about adding chickpeas. You can serve this with a nut butter that has more protein.
Cathy
This recipe doesn’t specify the size of the pumpkin puree can! Is it the 796mL can or the smaller one??
I love everything pumpkin and I look forward to trying these healthy muffins!
Thx!
Kate
Hi Cathy, I’m sorry you are frustrated. It does specify as it calls for 1 cup pumpkin purée – US standard measuring. It’s the 4th ingredient listed. I hope this helps!
Susan
Hi there,
loveyour healthy recipes. i made the above with homemade pumpkin puree and lil changes like i increased the oil from 1/3 to 1/2, left out the oats, as i had none, and milk coz the consistency was right, i felt..and it turned out moist and sweet enuf… oh did i mention i put in 60%bitter sweet chocolate chips;)
i increased the oil as i had made your healthy blueberry muffins & banana bread & found them lil too dry. Thank you for sharing you recipes & looking forward to more of ’em…. Susan
Margie
Hi, I made these today and they were delicious and moist. I used the coconut oil, whole wheat pastry flour, 1% milk, fresh baked pumpkin, and honey. I added mini chocolate chips. I love chocolate but these muffins were so good, I actually wish I left the choc. chips out. I made half with the turbinado sugar and spices on top, but the muffins really did not need anything on top. Truly, in this case, I think less is better. I didn’t even think they needed butter on them. I will definitely make these again.
Paula
Omg this recipe is Devine! Thank you! Mine turned out so great, moist & tasty. I used maple syrup & all purpose flour because that’s all I had. I also roasted pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin I used & sprinkled salt on it for roasting, then I sprinkled my muffins with them & also topped with a small pinch of cinnamon sugar. Yummy. Oh I also roasted my pumpkin in the oven, then blended because I didn’t have canned pumpkin. I was also heavy on the spices. So happy with this.
Staci
I just made these today, very good! I left them in for 25 minutes just a little too long for our oven. The chocolate chips were a nice touch.
Angela
My 2 year old loves these muffins!! I followed the recipe but left out the sprinkling of oats and sugar. I made mini muffins, used paper liners, and baked for 13 minutes. No issues with the muffins detaching from the liners. Thank you for the delicious recipe!!
Jane
Beautiful website! Will make pumpkin muffins, love all the Alternative ingredients you Provide.
Tiferet M Schafler
LOVE these!! so moist, and not bland at all. Love the spice blend. Perfect consistency! Always always love your recipes!
Katrina
Thank you, Kate!! This is a fantastic recipe! I subbed the honey/maple syrup for a half cup of unsweetened applesauce and added raisins as you suggested. They turned out amazing! They even come off of the paper lining with zero stickiness. My family – my husband and 4 teenagers – loved them!! Perfect for back to school. Thank you again!
Yasmeen
Can I blend the oats to use oat flour for the muffins?
Kate
Hi Yasmeen! I haven’t tried it with this, but I think it could work. Checkout my oat flour post on how to change out for wheat flour.
Heidi
These are soooo good! Used butternut squash instead of pumpkin and went with coconut oil / honey. Added 1/3 cup sunflower seeds to the batter. These muffins are tender, slightly sweet and warmly spicy. I’ll surely make these again.
Kate
I’m glad you loved them! Thank you for your review, Heidi.
Adia
I followed the directions and paid extra attention to how I measured and handled the flour and these muffins came out SO moist and perfectly textured! Also, I noticed some people commented on the flavor being “bland” and I didn’t want to change the recipe too much so I for the more customizable ingredients I used olive oil, honey, 2% milk. Then for the topping, I added the rolled oats, pumpkin spice, and a little light brown sugar which I believe really elevated the flavor :) anyways I love this recipe! Delicious!
claire
Made this with my children. 6 and 4. They loved helping mix the batter and pouring them into the muffin cups. They taste amazing. Great texture. They are a hit! Thanks for this recipe.
Rachel
Made these this morning, hearty and delicious! They’re not overly sweet, and are nice and moist. I added some dried cranberries and used all purpose flour because it’s what I had on hand, but I’m excited to try whole wheat. Thanks for this recipe, it is exactly what I was looking for.
Kate
You’re welcome, Rachel! Thank you for sharing.
Krista
Wow. I’ve made these a couple times now, and they’re AMAZING.
I used coconut oil. I replaced one of the eggs with a chia seed “egg”. Then I used about half gluten-free flour blend and half plain brown rice flour.
For the spices, I just threw in what I thought was good. It was about the same as what you put down, except I was out of nutmeg and added both allspice AND cloves.
We used some of the batter for quick microwave muffins, and the last time I tried this recipe I actually baked it in a loaf pan (my muffin tin was dirty). I added more bake time, of course.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! It may be the best pumpkin muffin recipe I’ve ever tried.
Nina
Added 2 tblso apple sauce for flavor and moistness. Crainsins& walnuts also delicious crunch and color .
Erika
All of your muffin recipes are amazing and I make them all the time! That is why I thought you should know that this site posted your exact recipe without credit recently (it sounded too familiar).
Aria
These were AMAZING. I used applesauce instead of oil because I wanted more fall taste, and slightly reduced the maple syrup to compensate for the increased natural sweetness. They’re fantastic- soft and fluffy, with lots of sweet spice.
Tracy Gorman
I made these muffins yesterday using almond flour as that is what I had on hand and extra virgin olive oil.
These muffins were fabulous. I absolutely loved them and so did my kids. I will definitely make these again.
Thank you for this delicious recipe!
elyse
i made these with honey and chopped pecans and they’re absolutely delicious ! i added a vegan cream cheese pumpkin icing nd it adds a great touch.
Andrea
Hi. Can almond flour be used here?
Kate
Hi Andrea! Almond flour doesn’t typically work well as a 1:1 since other ingredients would need to be adjusted creating a new recipe. If you need it to be gluten free, check out how to use oat flour as a replacement instead!