Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

These easy pumpkin muffins are moist, tender, and warmly spiced—the perfect fall treat! Make a batch, and it'll disappear before you know it.

Pumpkin muffins in bowl lined with blue and white kitchen towel

These pumpkin muffins are perfect for fall! They’re soft, super moist, and deliciously spiced—cinnamon, allspice, and more fill them with seasonal flavor. But best of all, they’re so easy to make. You can whip them up in less than an hour with a couple of mixing bowls and a whisk. No mixer required here!

I love that these pumpkin muffins taste sweet, but not too sweet, so that they can pass for breakfast or a healthy snack. Enjoy one (or two) in the morning with a cup of coffee, and then grab another for an afternoon pick-me-up. If you have any extras, you can freeze them, but if your household is anything like ours, these pumpkin muffins won’t last long.

Pumpkin muffin recipe ingredients

How to Make Pumpkin Muffins

These healthy pumpkin muffins are so simple to make!

To start, grab these ingredients:

  • Pumpkin, of course! Canned pumpkin puree gives these muffins an amazing moist texture and rich pumpkin flavor. Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. The pie filling contains sweeteners and spices that we don’t need here.
  • Eggs – They make these muffins tender and fluffy.
  • Oil – Melted coconut oil and vegetable oil both work well, adding moisture and richness. I’ve even had yummy results with olive oil.
  • Maple syrup – For sweetness. I love this natural alternative to granulated sugar!
  • Milk – Use your favorite dairy or non-dairy milk in this recipe. I’ve had great results with almond milk and oat milk.
  • Apple cider vinegar – It helps the muffins puff up as they bake.
  • Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
  • All-purpose flour and whole wheat flour – This combination makes the muffins wholesome, but not dense.
  • Baking powder and baking soda – They make the muffins nice and puffy.
  • Pumpkin pie spice – What would pumpkin muffins be without cozy, warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger?
  • And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Whisking wet ingredients in a mixing bowl

To make this pumpkin muffin recipe, start by prepping a 12-cup muffin pan. Grease the muffin cups or line them with paper liners.

Next, make the batter. Whisk together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another.

Pouring bowl of dry ingredients into bowl of wet ingredients

Pour the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

Hand mixing wet and dry ingredients with a spatula

Stir until everything is just combined. Careful not to overmix!

Pumpkin muffin recipe batter

When the batter is smooth, use a 1/3-cup measuring cup to scoop it into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Recipe Tips

  • Don’t overmix! If you make baking recipes often, you know this tip like the back of your hand. Overmixing the batter will make these muffins dense, so only stir until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.
  • Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes before you eat. They’re delicate when they first come out of the oven. But with a few minutes to cool, they set up with a perfect moist, tender texture. They have a richer pumpkin spice flavor after cooling, too!
  • Add mix-ins. For a fun variation, fold 1/2 cup chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans into the batter.
  • Add a topping. For a sweeter treat, sprinkle the muffins with the brown sugar streusel topping from this apple muffins recipe before baking. You’ll love the added crunch on top! Or top the muffins with cream cheese frosting after baking.
  • Make them special diet-friendly. See the notes in the recipe card below to make this pumpkin muffin recipe vegan or gluten-free.

Healthy pumpkin muffins in a muffin tin

How to Store Pumpkin Muffins

Store these homemade pumpkin muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They’re almost moister on days 2 and 3!

Can you freeze pumpkin muffins?

Absolutely! I love to freeze these healthy pumpkin muffins so that I have them on hand for quick breakfasts or snacks. Seal them in an airtight container or bag, and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Allow frozen muffins to thaw overnight in the fridge, or zap them in the microwave for 30 seconds if you want to eat them right away.

pumpkin muffins recipe

More Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

If you love this pumpkin muffin recipe, try one of these delicious pumpkin recipes next:

And if you love muffins, check out these 10 Healthy Muffin Recipes.

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Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

rate this recipe:
4.81 from 42 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Serves 12
These easy pumpkin muffins are perfect for fall! They're moist, tender, and filled with pumpkin spice flavor.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 2 large eggs
  • â…” cup milk
  • â…“ cup melted coconut oil or vegetable oil
  • â…“ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • ¾ cup whole wheat flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease or spray a 12-cup muffin tin.
  • In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, oil, maple syrup, vinegar, and vanilla and whisk until combined.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
  • Use a â…“-cup measuring scoop to divide the batter into the muffin tin. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

To make gluten-free pumpkin muffins, replace both flours with 2 1/4 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All-Purpose Baking Flour and bake for 22 to 26 minutes.
Make these vegan by replacing the eggs with 1/4 cup ground flaxseed mixed with 1/2 cup warm water. Bake for 20 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

65 comments

4.81 from 42 votes (22 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Loah
    11.26.2024

    Do you happen to have the nutriential values? 🙂

  2. Shaina
    11.23.2024

    5 stars
    These are lovely!

    PS Do you think these would work with sweet potato puree instead (plus chocolate chips)? Not sure if I’d need to adjust the amount of sweetener, etc. to make that work.

  3. KarenC
    10.07.2024

    5 stars
    Great! I love that the are not too sweet

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.07.2024

      I’m so glad you loved them!

  4. Camille
    10.06.2024

    The pumpkin bread was sensational like all your recipes!

  5. Dagne Lownie
    09.25.2024

    5 stars
    Love these muffins and so does my daughter!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.27.2024

      I’m so happy to hear that!

  6. Donna
    09.24.2024

    5 stars
    Yum! We ate them warm right out of the oven tonight and I’m already thinking ahead to breakfast tomorrow morning with some apple butter and a cup of coffee. This recipe is a keeper!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.25.2024

      Hi Donna, I’m so glad you loved them!

  7. Sally
    03.08.2024

    5 stars
    Perfect for us. Tasty, filling with the addition of a half cup chopped walnuts, and flavorful with extra spice added. This recipe is great for low added sugar, utilizing only maple syrup (small amount) and opting for split Einkhorn and AP flour is the best. Do agree the baking time needed to be upped, was 22-24 min until done. 100% worth making! Will make again.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.08.2024

      Hi Sally, I’m so glad you enjoyed the muffins!

  8. Dawn
    03.03.2024

    3 stars
    Nice and light… But I thought a bit light on flavour – I’ll double the pumpkin pie spice and add a 1/4 cups sugar next time

  9. Samantha B
    10.25.2023

    These were wonderful. I mixed mini chocolate chips in after portioning half into the muffin tins and enjoyed them both with and without the chocolate. I used parchment cupcake liners and they did not stick to the liners at all. I did have to leave them in for a few more minutes though closer to 23 minutes.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.27.2023

      I’m glad you enjoyed them!

  10. Dejah
    10.08.2023

    I’m looking to add oatmeal to some pumpkin muffins – any ideas on if this would work for this recipe/suggestions of how to go about it?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.09.2023

      Hi Dejah, I haven’t tried – you might be able to reduce a little of the flour and add oats but I’m not sure.

  11. Claire
    10.02.2023

    What is the reason for the two different flours. Can I just use ww flour?

  12. Courtenay Vass
    11.19.2022

    Can I make mini muffins with this recipe? If so, what temperature and for how long?
    Thanks!

  13. Sherry
    11.11.2022

    5 stars
    Best recipe out there! Storage suggestions for day 1-3?
    Thanks

  14. Sherry
    11.11.2022

    5 stars
    By far the best recipe out there!!! How do you store- air tight container in fridge? On counter? Thanks

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      11.17.2022

      So glad you love them! These muffins keep well in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days. They also freeze well!

  15. Melibee
    11.06.2022

    Would it turn out ok with some chopped walnuts?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      11.11.2022

      Definitely!

  16. Flavia
    11.03.2022

    Hi Jeanine,
    I just finished making your pumpkin puree so I’m ready to make these lovely looking pumpkin muffins. I don’t have whole wheat flour so if I use only all-purpose flour is there anything else I need to do to compensate for this?
    Thank you.

    • Phoebe Moore
      11.04.2022

      Hi Flavia, using all AP flour should be fine! If the batter feels very runny (whole wheat absorbs more liquid), I’d just add another tablespoon or so of extra flour.

      • Flavia
        11.04.2022

        Thank you – I’ll give that a try.

  17. carol
    10.31.2022

    5 stars
    Oh my, these are dangerously good. I added some chopped walnuts, but otherwise followed the recipe. Perfect!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      11.01.2022

      I’m so glad you loved them!

  18. Hillary
    10.22.2022

    This looks so delicious! If I only have whole wheat flour, could I use only whole wheat instead of all purpose? I can’t want to make these 🙂

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.23.2022

      Hi Hillary, they will be more dense – I usually like to do a 50/50 mix of whole wheat and all purpose.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.