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.
Healthy 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.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
MommaB
These muffins were delicious. The only thing that I did differently was instead of sprinkling oats on top of each muffin I used slivered almonds with a touch of brown sugar and cinnamon on top of each muffin.
★★★★★
Jill
Looking forward to baking these! Would pureed butternut squash work in place of the pumpkin? Would it affect the taste much? Any other suggestions for substituting the pumpkin? I know it’s a ridiculous ask seeing as these are “pumpkin muffins” but I need to improvise as my store is out of stock of pumpkin! Thank you!
Kate
Hi Jill, I’m not sure without trying it as the flavoring is slightly different. It would work as a substitution for sure!
Caitlin
I think you probably could. They’re similar textures and, fun fact, most canned pumpkin is actually not pumpkin (I know, right?). It’s usually squash. And i like it, which is shocking because I hate squash.
Karen
I used pureed butternut squash and the muffins were great! I often switch out various winter squash purees in recipes, depending on what I have in my freezer (homemade). Also used half white whole wheat and half all purpose flour. Oh, and some chocolate chips. All in all, a little more decadent and very tasty!
★★★★★
Molly White
I love these with butternut squash! It is my go-to. Bc it is sweeter, I recommend doing 1/3 c maple syrup.
Laura
So yummy! We had our first glimpse of coolish mornings today, and these were the perfect accompaniment. I used whole wheat einkorn flour, and they were delicious!
★★★★★
Gail
Incredibly yummy. 5 stars! I followed the recipe almost to a T. I cut the maple syrup down to a 1/3c. I added chopped fresh apple and walnuts to the batter. I made a crumble topping with oats, walnuts, brown sugar, dash of cinnamon, a little flour and Vegan butter. I put a little crumble mix on each muffin, patted it down. 22 mins later … voila. We couldn’t wait and tried one immediately. YUM!
★★★★★
Victor
Just tried the recipe today. Instead of muffins, I baked a 9×6 loaf. It took about an hour to bake, but it was worth the wait. The result was excellent! Looking forward to try other recipes.
★★★★★
Krista
Can I use all purpose flour?
Kate
Hi Krista, yes that should work.
Daniel
Could the sugar/honey be omitted? Want to make this for my 10-month-old
Kate
Hi Daniel! I wish I had more guidance for you, but it’s needed for the overall moisture and for these to rise correctly. You could check the comments to see if other readers have tried something else.
Melissa
What about applesauce?
Kate
Hi Melissa, I’m not sure without trying it. I know others have tried this in other recipes to replace the oil and didn’t mind the results. However, I can’t say for sure.
Celeste
Hi there!
Did anyone else find that the temperature for these was far too low? I followed the directions and found that my muffins came out wet (not moist) inside, as if they weren’t cooked all the way through. The flavour is great (I snuck nibbles of the not-all-the-way-baked batch), but still…. I’m not a “baker” and so am struggling to gauge the right temperature and how much time to make them work.
Kate
Hi Celeste! Thank you for your note. The temperature and timing for these muffins are correct. Perhaps your oven runs on the cool side? If it happens again, I think your muffins will just need a couple extra minutes in the oven. Hope that does the trick for you.
Sarah
Same thing here- mushy inside even after 29 minutes. Taste wonderful tho! I wonder if almond flour makes mushy vs wheat? I followed recipe exactly and oven normal.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Sarah, Unfortunately almond flour isn’t a great 1:1 replacement as to why you didn’t get great results. Sorry it didn’t turn out for you.
Jen
Hi Celeste, I found my batches take 28 minutes in my new oven and they come out perfectly every time. I add choc chips and walnuts so not sure if that’s why they need a few minutes more, but this length of time is consistently good for me.
Carolyn Gayle
Yes. I have an oven thermometer so I know my oven was the right temp. After 25 minutes I took them out and they were not at all done. I upped the temp to 400 degrees and baked them for an additional 15 minutes. They were perfectly done then.
I wonder if elevation might have something to do with it. Not sure. Next time I make these I’ll use 400 degrees for 25 minutes and see if that works.
Lindsey Hagopian
These muffins are amazing! I like that they use healthier alternative ingredients that I usually have rather than ingredients that are less accessible. I didn’t feel like measuring a bunch of spices so I went with the suggestion of increasing the cinnamon and used fresh grated nutmeg. Also didn’t have enough maple syrup so added agave to balance it out.
★★★★★
Megan R
I’ve made your banana muffins which we love- so I tried these tonight and they are also delicious! Followed recipe exactly as written. Huge hit with my family
★★★★★
Kate
Lovely, Megan! I’m glad you love both muffin recipes. These ones are obviously great for fall!
Alison Tysoski
These were so nice and easy to make!! I followed the recipe exactly and mine turned out a little on the dry side – what do you think could be the culprit?
Thanks so much!!!
Kate
Hi Alison! I’m glad you liked them. It sounds like they may have been a little over done. How long did you leave them in the oven?
Farmgal87
Maybe you added too much flour? I used to have this problem often before purchasing a digital kitchen scale. Now I use it to weigh my flour and other large quantities of dry ingredients when baking. It really makes all the difference for consistency!
Becky
Made these today using coconut oil, white whole wheat flour, and maple syrup – which I cut to about 3/8 cup. We had coaches oats instead of regular oatmeal, so I used those in the muffins and just omitted the oats on top. They were pretty easy to make, and I’m a fan! My toddler is a fan – she just stole another one off of the counter, so she probably won’t eat her dinner! My husband who generally dislikes all things pumpkin said he likes them too!
★★★★★
Beth M
I love these muffins! I don’t want something too sweet and these are perfect without mix-ins. I was nervous to add the oats but I’m glad I did! I’m making these again next week!
★★★★★
Ruth
I made these muffins two days ago. I used oat milk and added pepitas, craisins, and walnuts to the batter. So. Delicious. I can’t wait to make them again.
★★★★★
Elisa
These muffins were delicious. My toddler and I made them this afternoon. We added chocolate chips and they were so yummy.
I would love to know what kind of muffin tins you use that are non-stick. I have been using silicone muffins tins and they are wonderfully non-stick, but everything takes much longer to bake in them.
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Elisa! You can find all my kitchen essentials in my shop page.
Katy
These muffins are so good, and my toddler thinks so too!! I first came across this recipe when I had gestational diabetes and was looking for low-carb/low-sugar recipes. Thanks for the great recipe!
★★★★★
Julie
These are wonderful and healthy! Thank you for all your efforts!
Kate
You’re welcome, Julie! Thank you for your comment.
Sarah
Ok, are these muffins still healthy if you eat the whole dozen in two days?? They turned out so good! I used what I had on hand, so sadly no oats in them this time around, then I used white flour and pumpkin pie spice. Popped out of the oven super moist, extra pumpkin-y and flavorful. I love them both with and without a sugar-spice mix on top. I’m definitely going to use up the rest of my canned pumpkin to make these again later this week. Thanks for this phenomenal recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Sarah! Thanks so much for sharing.
Kate
I’ve made these muffins several times as written – they’re one of my fall favorites. Today I was preparing to bake another pumpkin muffin recipe (first mistake right there), and realized I didn’t have all the right ingredients, so I turned to my tried and true C+K recipe! I never do this, but for those wondering about substitutions: I made these with melted butter, whole milk, and all purpose flour, plus folded in one medium apple, peeled and chopped. The result is fluffy and delicious! I now have two versions of this recipe to love.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great to hear it turned out so well, Kate! I appreciate your review.
Nan Niemi
Great recipe!
I use another bowl for the flour which I mix with the oatmeal and walnuts and blueberries…
This method coats the walnuts and blueberries so they don’t clump together.
Kim
What size pumpkin can?
Looks great!
Kate
Hi! You can use a 15oz can. It will be more than cup of puree, so make sure you measure it.
Krissy g
Can I add bananas to this for pumkpin banana muffins, or will the extra ingredient affect the cooking time?
Kate
Hi! Sorry, I haven’t tried it with this one and not sure it would get you a desired result without changing other ingredients.
Veronica
I need to know what size can of pumpkin, please. Thanks.
Patricia A Rogers
A BIG thank you, deeeelish! I will add dark chocolate chips another time, maybe cranberries. Yummy breakfast and snack! Dessert, too, with almond or coconut milk ice cream! I used almond milk, next time I might try coconut. Again, thank you!~
★★★★★
Tiffany
These are incredible! I made them with Cup4Cup wholesome flour, coconut oil, maple syrup and added dark chocolate chips. I’ve tried a lot of pumpkin recipes and this is by far the best!!!!
★★★★★
Jodi T
AMAZING and just what I was looking for to fill my need for fall comfort food! Made these today and followed yor recipe to the tee. I love all your recipes, keep them coming:)
★★★★★
Katelyn
Hi I was wondering how much sugar I should add if I don’t have have enough honey or maple syrup
Kate
Hi Katelyn! Sorry I don’t have an answer for you as the wet ingredients are important in moisture and for it to rise appropriately. Changing one element, can impact the entire recipe.
McKensey
Amazingly light; perfectly sweet. I’ve made them 3 weeks in a row!
★★★★★
Gayle
Mine came out a bit dry. I didn’t cook as long as recommended so any suggestions? Flavor was good I do think I mixed to much so I will be more cautious of that next time.9
★★★★
Kate
Hi Gayle! I’m sorry to hear that. How did you measure your flour? It could be you had too much flour to not enough liquid.
Kami K Williamson
Hi! Would oat flour work in these?
Kate
Hi Kami! Sure, just be sure you follow my oat flour tips. Let me know how they turn out for you!
Krissy Girard
Hi Kate,
If I add bananas to these muffins, how will it affect baking time?
Thank you!
Kate
Hi Krissy! I’m not sure about adding bananas to this recipe as changing one element in baking can impact your results. Have you tried my banana muffins?
Audrey
Would these work if I added a cream cheese center? I REALLY love cream cheese centers in pumpkin muffins but all other recipes are really unhealthy!
Kate
That sounds amazing! I haven’t tried that, but would love to hear if you do. Delicious!
Tina
These were amazing. I’ve made them twice, about to make them for the third time. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you have enjoyed them a few time! I appreciate your review, Tina.
Katie P
Hi! I modified this recipie by adding pecans, dark choclate chunks, about 2 tbsp of instant coffee, and way more pumpkin spice than was called for… Result?
They are DELICIOUS!!
Thanks for the quick recipie!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you loved the, Katie! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Anna
Could you please add the weights of each ingredient in grams maybe in parentheses or as a new switch (like the scaling thing)? It would be so helpful for those poor souls in Europe.
Kate
Hi Anna! Thank you for the feedback. I would like to offer that feature someday. I’m hoping for some technology to help make it happen—with hundreds of recipes multiplied by many ingredients each, it would be quite a difficult project to do manually (and correctly).
Emma
I’m excited to try these! Is it possible to sub the maple syrup sweetener for white or brown sugar?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! This one was designed for a liquid sweetener. If it can work, I haven’t tried it and not sure on measurements if it would. Sorry to not be of more help!
Kathy
I’m not a fan of pumpkin but I know it’s good for me and the other 2 people in my house love it. It was moist, light, and just a little outside crunch. I added dark chocolate chips and left out the oats on the top, only mixed in the batter to limit complaints from the teenager. They were delicious, even to me, though I think the chocolate helped me out. Great recipe and like the fact that they have less sugar/are naturally sweetened.
★★★★★
Kathleen
Very good recipe for muffins that don’t call for as much sugar as many others! Used heavy cream for the milk, added 1/3 cup pecans to the batter, and topped with sliced almonds. The muffins have a pleasing crumb texture and are full of satisfying pumpkin flavor. Do recommend!
Charlene A
This is a fantastic recipe! Moist muffins without being soggy. I was afraid they’d be dry with whole wheat flour but they were perfect! I added walnuts but otherwise followed the recipe as-is. Thanks for this healthier muffin choice!!
★★★★★
PAULETTE
These muffins are delicious, healthy, and oh so perfect for a fall afternoon! I made your apple muffin recipe a few weeks ago, also yummy! For the pumpkin recipe, I added 1/4 cup of raisins because I didn’t have enough maple syrup. Thank you!
★★★★★
Robin Coseo
I love this recipe but I add entire can of pumpkin for even better nutrition. Works just fine.
★★★★★
Shanna
These turned out amazingly. We added chocolate chips to ours and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top with the oats. I had to cook mine for 30 minutes before the toothpick came out clean, definitely will be making these again!
★★★★★
ron m
Delicious! Thank you :-)
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Ron! Thank you for your review.
Sarah
Can you make mini muffins with this recipe?
Kate
Hi! Sure, you will just need to shorten the bake time by half and keep and eye on them as they will have some variance to when they will be done.
Irma
These are the best pumpkin muffins ever! I used applesauce and 2 Tbsp. Olive oil. I did everything else to the letter,but added fresh cranberries (3/4 c.),1/2 c craisins and 1/2 c. Chopped walnuts. Absolutely so flavourful ! The oatmeal in the recipe and then on top,yummm. Ionly had Demerara sugar , so perfect for the topping.
I made them jumbo sized so I got 8.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing how you made these, Irma! I appreciate it.
Tiffany
Hi! These look delicious!! Do you think oat flour could work in this recipe? Swap out for reg flour?
Kate
Hi Tiffany! It could work. Just be sure to follow my oat flour guide.
Megan R.
These muffins are delicious! They are moist, fluffy and have great flavors. I added oats and brown sugar on top since I didnt have turbando sugar. Make these ASAP!!
★★★★★
Kristi
So Good. Very moist and full of flavor.
I did not plan well so I had to substitute. I used half and half instead of evap. Milk I added a little coconut and walnuts. I topped with oats and coconut sugar
★★★★★
Gen
These muffins are amazing! They come together quickly and easily, and taste amazing. What a delicious way to use up leftover pumpkin!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved them, Gen! Thank you for your review.
Martha
Not enough flavor in my opinion….the batter tasted really bland to me so I even added a little extra cinammon.
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t love these. I appreciate your feedback. You can always increase the seasoning more if you try them again.
Joelle
Such a delicious recipe, not too sweet. Super easy. Love that it’s sweetened with maple syrup. I used half whole wheat and half spelt, per another commenter.
Rebecca
I have made these a couple times now and my family scarfs them up as soon as they are cool enough to touch. FYI, Target (or at least the one near me) carries white whole wheat flour.
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Rebecca.
Andrea
These are simply delicious ! It has become a fall tradition for me. I keep doing them over and over again ! Very healthy & delicious.
★★★★★
Julia
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Just tried it today and my baby loves it!
★★★★★
Kate
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Julia.
Maria L.
For those wanting to know if you can substitute dry sweetener for the liquid sweetener: I have had success swapping the 1/2 cup maple syrup/honey for 1/2 cup packed brown sugar AND using an entire can of pumpkin (just slightly less than 2 cups) vice one cup to account for moisture.
I very much love these exactly as written–maple syrup or honey adds a nice depth to the flavor, and all of the iterations of this recipe (the banana, apple, blueberry, etc.) are my muffin go-to–but if you’re out and/or don’t want to use up a large amount of pricey maple syrup/honey, I suggest trying the above.
Rechy
I have been making this recipe the last few years. I do add in chocolate chips, but aside from that it’s the authentic healthy recipe and my kids actually love it! The first time I made them for myself and the rest of the family insisted I shared…and now it’s a family favorite! We have them for breakfast, snack, and dessert! Thank you for sharing this fantastic, easy, healthy, and delicious recipe!
★★★★★
Renee
This recipe is fantastic! We have made it 3 times in the last 3 weeks. My kids love it! We added raisins and coconut. I just realized that we didn’t add milk this time, but it still turned out great. I omitted the salt after the first time as I could taste it too much,
★★★★
Kate
I love it!
Stacy
This recipe looks perfect! I’d like to bake them
as mini muffins though. Do you think I’d just halve the amount of cooking time? Thanks!
Kate
Hi! Yes, half the cooking time. You may need to adjust slightly so be sure to check on them so they don’t get over done. Enjoy!
Jewel
Hola Kate!
Can I use oat flour? I am not sure if they sell that kind of flour here in Spain.
Gracias!
Jewel
Kate
Hi Jewel! Yes, oat flour should work. Be sure to look at my oat flour guide to make the needed adjustments. I hope you love them!
Sue
My muffins turned out bitter. I sifted the baking soda over the other ingredients so I know I didn’t have a soda clump. Any ideas what went wrong?
Kate
Were you using fresh baking soda and flour? If they are on the older side, it can result in a bitter taste sometimes.
Sue
The flour was fresh ground by me right before starting the recipe, but the baking soda may have been the culprit. I’m going to replace with some new right away. Thanks!
Icha
Hi I followed the recipe for vegan oil sugar free one but muffins initially puffed but then it sank and became dense
★★★
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. It sounds like you may have left out too many ingredients as this one isn’t meant to be made sugar free. It requires the oil and the sugar to help in the baking process.
Johanne Rauzon Rutledge
Hi, I am not a baker at all, most of the time, it is hard and tasteless, on top of that, I can’t seem to follow a recipe.
My husband and I love pumpkin and today I decided to try muffins. I found your recipe and the “miracle happened”, they came out perfect, tasty and all together amazing. I added some pecans to it.
Thank you so much for explaining very well how to go about making them spectacular!!!
Johanne
Kate
Hooray! I’m so glad this one worked so well for you, Johanne. I appreciate your comment.
Courtney
Just made these today and they were great! I did make my usual muffin changes (1/4 cup applesauce and 2T maple syrup in place of sugar). I also read others’ comments about the low cooking temp so I baked at 375 for 19 minutes and they were perfect—moist and they rose well. They would be good with raisins or chocolate chips mixed in, or with cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.
★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Courtney!
Jan
I love the recipe it was amazing and easy I ended up using half the amount of oil and just a little over a cup of honey and maple syrup they turned out really good!
So thank you for The recipe was great.
I still have a bowl full of mix left and I made 12 muffins last night.. so I am a little confused at the top of the recipe it says 12 muffins but then it says 36 maybe I read something wrong but I’d like to follow you and do more recipes in fact I’d love a cookbook wondering a little bit more about you this is the first time I’ve made a recipe or looked at your information-so and I found it very informative except for that fact that I had so much mixture left and I’ve already made 12 muffins-)
please help-And I also use paper liners so they would be easy to transport-)
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Jan, that is interesting! I’m not sure why you have so much batter left. Did you use mini muffin tins by chance?
SusieQ
I can’t wait to try this! I love your almond flour banana bread recipe. Do you have a recipe for almond flour pumpkin bread or muffins? Thank you!
Kate
Hi! I don’t have one, sorry. But I will add it to my request list!
Julie Coolidge
I am making these this afternoon for a meal train.
What about substituting the oil for avocado oil? My coconut oil is refined & I’m not sure about how that will effect the flavor.
Thank you!
Kate
Hi! It should work just fine. Let me know!
Julie Coolidge
I used the coconut oil but for the first time, after pouring it in the batter & it sit for a bit, it got clumpy. Didn’t have that problem before. Thinking it’s because the coconut oil was refined & a different brand. Oh well…..didn’t effect the taste! YUM
Anna
Oh my! So tasty – I swapped half the oil with applesauce and cut the maple syrup to a 1/3 cup, and they were still delicious!! Definitely adding to the recipe list.
Sharon
I used spelt flour and canned pumpkin it turn out sooo good! Thanks for the recipe ❤️
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Sharon! I appreciate your review.
Elana
Hi Sharon, I was wondering if you used the same amount of spelt flour as the flour amount called for in the recipe or if you had to add more or less spelt flour. I want to make this for my daughter who digests spelt flour better than white or wheat flour. Much thanks, Elana
Katie
Made this with unsweetened cinnamon applesauce to replace oil, Purecane Baking sugar alternative in place of the liquid sweetener, and added 2Tbsp of almond milk to balance out the wet to dry ingredients.
Came to 94 calories total per muffin! Thank you for the inspiration! They are amazing!
Minh
Can I use instant oats instead of old fashioned oats?
Kate
Hi! Instant oat would likely cook up differently and not get you the same results. If you try it, let me know.
Allison
Hello! I have all the ingredients EXCEPT oats–should I just add a little extra flour to substitute for oats? How much flour should I add, 1/4 cup?
Kate
Hi Allison, you can just omit the oats. I hope you love them!
Andrea
Love this recipe. I’ve made it dozens of times – exactly as is. Usually triple the recipe so that I have a stash in the freezer.
Sheri Harvey
we had a lot of duck eggs this year so I used those instead. Also I had roasted my own pumpkins and pureed them (no oils or spices…just pumpkin) **I always have a ton of pumpkins so I roast them and freeze the puree in 1cup bags ready to use all year :)
I added chocolate chips and a handful or 2 of crasins :) The kids LOVED them!!!
★★★★★
Brittany
Delicious! We added chocolate chips and my kids devoured them. So good!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved them, Brittany!
Regina
I’ve made the muffins and your pumpkin bread twice – they are epic!!! So delicious – toddler, 4 yr old and hubby all loved !!!! Thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited they were such a hit!
Felicia Doerksen
Absolutely love this recipe and cant wait to try out apples or other yumms next time! I fill my muffin cups with batter then they rise right up!
★★★★★
Terra
I’ve made these muffins or their loafy equivalent every Sunday since the first after Labour Day, and it is a ritual I look forward to each week. Thank you, Kate, for such a lovely blog with such wonderful recipes! Here are the modifications I’ve made with great results:
– 2x Bob’s Red Mill vegan egg replacer for eggs
– 1/3 cup applesauce in place of oil
– in addition to a scant tsp baking soda, I add a scant tsp baking powder for extra-good fluff
– rev up vanilla to 1 full tbsp (something I do with most recipes as a personal habit—although I’ll say it gets pricey!)
– as above, my interpretation of 1 tsp cinnamon is so heaping it might well be two!
– no milk, vegan or otherwise! I don’t really need the liquid with the vegan egg replacer (which is mixed with water) and the applesauce
And one more time, three cheers for Cookie and Kate! The quality of your recipes is matched only by the kindness and generosity of your commenters! I always find such great tips in the comments here. :)
Lots of love from Toronto, where we had snow four days ago and are now staring down a sunny 20-degree C Sunday! My muffins are cooling as we speak!
Jenny
So so yummy!!! I used almond flour and put 4 eggs instead of 2 and got such amazing flavor and moisture!
★★★★★
Danielle
This is the best pumpkin muffin recipe I’ve tried! I’ve made muffins using this recipe several times now and they always turns out well!
★★★★★
Farmgal87
This recipe is fabulous! I’ve tried many healthier pumpkin muffin recipes and none have been as well balanced and perfectly textured as these. I used coconut oil melted on the stove. Since my pumpkin puree and milk were refrigerated I mixed them into the sauce pan while the oil was still pretty hot so that they would come up to temp and incorporate nicely with the honey and eggs. I added all the wet ingredients into my sauce pan. After weighing my AP flour, I whisked all my dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and then gently folded in the wet ingredients as to not over mix. My son begged me to add chocolate chips so I threw in 1/3 cup. Next time I’ll try a sprinkle of brown sugar and chopped nuts because the dark chocolate overpowered the delicious pumpkin spice flavor. They were moist, fluffy, and very well balanced! This is definitely a keeper! Thanks for the great recipes Kate
★★★★★
Alyssa
Bake these immediately! Your nose and your mouth will thank you!
My house smells like a hallmark movie PLUS they taste delicious. I didn’t wait for them to cool, just started shoving them in my mouth.
★★★★★
Julia
I like adding grated carrots in the mix at the end with dried cranberries, a truly healthy muffin.
★★★★★
Cari
I’m making these (for a 2nd time!) for my daughter who has Gestational Diabetes. They’re a Great “Not Sweet Treat”!! I use Lakanto Maple Syrup (sugar free) These are delicious! I will be making pumpkin bread (always using freshly baked pumpkin!) for Thanksgiving that All the family can enjoy! Thank you Kate!!
★★★★★
Chelsea
I have made this recipe 3 times and it turns out every time! I use Bobs Redmill egg replacement and measure for measure gluten free flour and they are so moist and delicious!
★★★★★
Caitlin
I love these muffins! I have chronic acute pancreatitis so I have to be careful with fat and refined sugar. I modify the recipe by replacing the oil with applesauce. I also add 2 mashed over ripe bananas to make them more moist. It’s a very easy recipe to follow and modify! I have probably made this recipe over 20x now – probably closer to 30x – I actually have it memorized! Lastly, I don’t mix anything until right before the flour. Then I add the flour, oatmeal, and mashed bananas on the mixed batter and mix together until blended and voila!! I seriously can’t get enough of these. Cookie and Kate is my go to for baking now.. the banana bread is also stellar! I share the muffins with my friends and neighbors and they always get rave reviews! I also shared the recipe with my nutritionist. Thank you for this awesome, easy to follow recipe! I have also added raisins and craisins (separately) but the banana is the winner over here.
★★★★★
BP
We have made these muffins often. TodayI only had half of the amount of gluten-free flour, so I used course corn meal for the rest and added a little bit of extra milk. It’s now my new favorite way to prepare these muffins.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, BP! I’m happy they work for you.
Emily
I made these today, and they came out great! I like that they’re not too sweet. Also very easy. I added chopped pecans which I think was a nice touch. Thanks!
★★★★★
Emily
Edit: PSA for everyone to take the “store for up to 4 days” quite literally … today is day 4 and these started to grow mold.
Jen
These are so delicious! I make them with gluten-free flour and add choc chips and walnuts. I’ve been making a batch weekly since I found the recipe.
★★★★★
Elizabeth Smith
Thank you for the recipe. I confess I didn’t have pumpkin. Baked butternut squash (left over from another recipe) made a fine substitute.
The rest of the recipe I left the same except for leaving out the oatmeal which seems to make my muffins a bit dry.
(I’m not trying to re-do your great recipes, but just demonstrating that they are extremely versatile!)
Thanks again.
★★★★★
Danielle Hare
Love these muffins, especially the texture, is there a way to make the pumpkin flavor pop more? I used honey, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Maybe those addins overpowered the subtle flavor?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi! If you want more pumpkin flavor, I would add more pumpkin spice. Pumpkin itself doesn’t provide a lot of flavor and it’s with the combination of spice.
DD
Can you tell me please, if I ADD IN pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds or chi seeds to a muffin recipe, DO I NEED TO ADD EXTRA LIQUID to the recipe?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi DD, I’m not sure without trying it myself. I know in some of my other muffin recipes, some types of add-ins work fine.
Karen
Hmmm…just not getting why this recipe is getting such rave reviews. Just not enough pumpkin flavor or spice for our liking. Liked that they weren’t too sweet, though. May try it again with more pumpkin pie spice. The oatmeal in the batter is fine but definitely don’t like the dry oatmeal sprinkle on top.
★★★
Kate
Hi Karen, I’m sorry you don’t love these. You can always add more pumpkin spice if you like. I appreciate your feedback.
Katie
Could flax meal be added to these? I love to sneak it in for extra fiber and nutrients
Kate
Hi Katie, I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure. Sorry!
KateG
Would be great if you included weight of your ingredients (flour, oats).
Kate
Hi Kate, I appreciate your feedback.
Allie
I have a jumbo muffin tin that holds six muffins. Would it be possible to use this recipe in my big tin?
Kate
Hi Allie, it should work. You would likely need to increase the time, I’m just not sure by how much.
Annie
Super delicious! I made your oat flour to use as a flour substitute. They turned out great!
★★★★★
San
One of the best recipe! My family’s favourite. Thanks a lot. Happy Holidays
★★★★★
Carolyn Gayle
Thanks for the recipe. I was looking for a healthy breakfast muffin and this is perfect. Just one thing…325 degrees for 25 minutes and my muffins were like mush. I had to increase the oven temp to 400 degrees for an additional 15 minutes in order for them to bake.
I read that others had the same issue. It crossed my mind that elevation may have something to do with it. I have an oven thermometer so I know that my oven was at the right temp. Everything else was exactly the same as your recipe. I’m in Arizona where it is very dry right now and I’m at 3,300 feet elevation.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for reporting back, Carolyn! I appreciate you taking the time as I don’t have much elevation here in Kansas City. I know others will find this helpful.
David
Would be awesome for the recipes to contain grams as well! Thank you
★★★★★
Kellie
Have these baking right now to have with our Thanksgiving morning coffee. They smell amazing!
★★★★★
Liz P
I made this today for an after Thanksgiving pumpkin treat! I used egg whites instead of eggs, sugar free syrup, all purpose flour, and substituted applesauce for oil, and they are great! We can’t stop eating them! Which we’ll worry about tomorrow LOL. Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Liz! Thank you for taking the time to review.
Jeanné Morson
Amazing results! I did sub in 1/3 cup of molasses with the maple syrup, just to give it that ‘Christmas-y’ aroma. The addition of chopped candied ginger also took the spice flavours up a notch.Love all your recipes C+K!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Jeanné!
Jessica
I was home this weekend for Thanksgiving, so I decided to raid the kitchen and try out this recipe. I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin, but I wanted to try something healthy and tasty for my partner’s diabetes. I was concerned about the amount of flour covering up the flavor, so I added in an extra 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract, a couple more spoons of pumpkin puree, and a couple shakes of the pumpkin spice blend. I also added in sliced almonds for that subtle crunch! Nothing too crazy, just a little boost. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a T with honey and almond milk as healthier alternatives to regular milk and maple syrup.
O. M. G! When I brought these muffin’s to my partner’s house for Thanksgiving, they DISAPPEARED! He even called me after I got home and asked if I would make another batch for them! Of course, I obliged because I love baking. I didn’t eat more than one, but they smelled amazing before, during, and after the oven, and the whole house had a warm, pumpkin-y aroma. Definitely will use this recipe again in the future!
★★★★★
Sophia
These muffins turned out great! I added a maple cream cheese frosting wmade with just pure maple syrup and cream cheese for a healthier version of the pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting and they were so good!
★★★★★