Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
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Healthy Pumpkin Muffins are a delicious refined sugar free treat!. Naturally gluten free – these muffins are easy to make and so tasty!
This post contains affiliate links. This post was shared in 2017 but has since been updated.
These healthy pumpkin muffins might be the best muffins we’ve ever made.
These healthy muffins are naturally sweetened with maple syrup, made with whole grain oat flour and other basic pantry staples. They take less than 15 minutes to prep and are so tsty!
I’ll admit it, I’m one of those people that LOVES pumpkin, so it was easy to fall in love with these muffins. If you love pumpkin, you have to checkout these 34+ Healthy Pumpkin Recipes!
liz’s top tips for healthy pumpkin muffins
- If you don’t have these spices, try substituting with pumpkin pie spice!
- Be sure to grab pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling at the grocery store! Pie filling can be full of sugar and spices.
Ingredients
I love this non stick muffin tin or these silicone muffin liners for baking muffins.
Substitutions
Milk: You can use any milk you like in this recipe. Dairy or non dairy (almond, soy, oat, coconut) will all work
Oat Flour: You can make your own oat flour following this oat flour recipe. You can’t use coconut flour or almond flour in this recipe. I haven’t tried this recipe with whole wheat flour but I think it would work!
Sweetener: You can sub maple syrup for the honey in this recipe.
Add ins: I like adding chocolate chips. Chopped nuts, dried cranberries, or seeds are also delicious.
Spices: You can use 3.5 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in these muffins. If you do not have nutmeg or cloves, just add a little bit more cinnamon/ginger.
Pumpkin: If you’re out of pumpkin, you can use mashed bananas. You could also make these Healthy Banana Muffins! I have not tried subbing the pumpkin puree for sweet potatoes, but I think it would work. Otherwise you could try this Sweet Potato Muffin Recipe!
Is pumpkin puree the same as canned pumpkin? Yes! Pumpkin puree and canned pumpkin are the same thing. Make sure you are buying pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin Pie filling has sugar and spices added.
Vegan: I have not tried making these muffins vegan, but you might be able to substitute the eggs with flax eggs. You can substitute maple syrup for honey.
High Protein: We love these Pumpkin Protein Muffins as a higher protein fall muffin (9g per serving).
Bread: I haven’t tried making this recipe into a pumpkin bread, but you can try our healthy pumpkin bread recipe!
How to make Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine maple syrup, pumpkin puree, eggs, and milk.
- Once combined, add in baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger and cloves.
- Add the oat flour to the wet ingredients. Stir until just combined (don’t over mix!)
- Gently fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into greased or lined muffin tins. Sprinkle with extra chocolate chips on top if you’d like.
- Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the muffins.
- Enjoy with a vanilla latte!
Storage Options
These low fat pumpkin muffins won’t last long in your house. I love to snack on them with a Low Sugar Pumpkin Spice Latte!
Storing: Let the muffins cool at room temperature, then store the leftover muffins in the fridge for up to a week to maintain freshness. You can leave them out of the refrigerator, but they will not last as long because they’re very moist and will get moldy.
Can you freeze pumpkin muffins?
Yes, you can freeze these pumpkin muffins! Allow the muffins to cool, then store them in an airtight container or ziploc bag in the freezer. To defrost, leave out the night before in the fridge and they will thaw out. Or, just pop in the microwave for 1-2 minutes directly from the freezer
Other healthy muffin recipes you’ll love:
We love healthy muffin recipes so much that we created a whole free muffin ebook about them! You can get it here or check out these Healthy Muffins:
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- ¼ cup milk regular or nondairy
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups oat flour gluten free if necessary
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a greased or lined muffin tin. We recommend using silicone muffin liners or a nonstick muffin tin.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, mix together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, milk, vanilla and eggs.
- Once combined, add in the oat flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Mix until just combined (don't over mix!)
- Gently fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into greased or lined muffin tins, filling each cup with ⅓ cup batter. Sprinkle with extra chocolate chips on top if you'd like.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the muffins.
Video
Notes
- Milk: You can use any milk you like in this recipe. Dairy or non dairy (almond, soy, oat, coconut) will all work
- Oat Flour: You can make your own oat flour following this oat flour recipe. You can’t use coconut flour or almond flour in this recipe. I haven’t tried this recipe with whole wheat flour but I think it would work!
- Sweetener: You can sub maple syrup for the honey in this recipe.
- Add ins: I like adding chocolate chips. Chopped nuts, dried cranberries, or seeds are also delicious.
- Spices: You can use 3.5 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice in these muffins. If you do not have nutmeg or cloves, just add a little bit more cinnamon/ginger.
I’m not sure where I went wrong with this recipe but the batter was very very runny. I did use homemade puréed pumpkin but I made sure to strain it so it wasn’t overly runny. I added more pumpkin to help thicken it and it seemed to help but they did not turn out and ended up sinking in in the middle. Very disappointed, I was really looking forward to these especially after reading all the great reviews
Hi Breanna – You’re not supposed to strain the pumpkin puree. I would think that this caused the issue.. and then adding more pumpkin would make it worse. I would recommend trying the recipe exactly as written without straining or adding extra pumpkin.
My homemade pumpkin purée had a lot of water to it so it wasn’t the same consistency as a canned purée so my thinking is, had I not strained it, it would have made it more watery. When I added more pumpkin it thickened the batter more then it was originally. Perhaps next time I will just use canned purée rather then the homemade stuff!
These were amazing and easy to make! Next time, I may cut back slightly on the cloves, but I don’t want to take a star off for that because I think I am just extra sensitive to that taste! Amazing recipe!
Thanks, Abbey! Glad you liked them! You can totally omit the cloves and I appreciate you leaving 5 stars 🙂
Made these exactly how it was written and they turned out so yummy! The perfect fall treat without feeling the guilt afterwards☺️
So glad you enjoyed them, Bethany! Thank you!
Incredible. Made with half oat flour, half arrowhead mills protein flour. The chocolate chips and crunchy sugar on top sealed it with a kiss.
Thank you, Erica! Glad you liked them!
You picture both these and the ginger muffins with a yummy looking spread on them. What is it?
Peanut butter!
Can you substitute the oats for whole wheat flour?
I haven’t tried that, Kate, sorry! All of the substitutions I have tried are listed in the blog post.
So good! The perfect amount of sweetness for a muffin and the spices complimented each other perfectly. Baked them exactly as stated and I would highly recommend.
Love hearing this, Briana! Thank you so much!
These are addicting! Great snack and freeze well!
Glad you enjoyed them, Alesia! Thank you!
These are my new fave Fall treat! Took them to Thanksgiving dinner and they were a huge hit with everyone! Thanks
So glad you like them, Carla! Thank you!
I can’t bake and even I can make these! So good. I added Pumpkin Spice protein powder and they still turn out awesome!
Made these over the weekend – they were a big hit in my family! Not too sweet – and very easy!
So glad you + your family liked them, Patty!
These are delicious! And I don’t feel bad with eating one or even two for breakfast! My husband who doesn’t eat breakfast will eat these.
So glad you like them, Christine!! Thank you!
5/5 would recommend to everyone. Loved that I could make this dairy free as I’m lactose sensitive too~ The addition of the chocolate chips is the cherry on top <3
So glad you liked them, Jennifer!!
I made these for the first time yesterday and my whole family is loving them! Including two picky little boys! I will definitely be making these a lot during the fall!
Thanks, Katie!! So glad you all enjoyed them!
So tasty and easy! A great way to bond with my daughter on a nice fall day!
So glad you both liked them, Erin!
These are kid/toddler approved and super easy to make. My daughters had fun helping me put everything in the blender. My 2.5 year old has been super picky with food lately but gobbled her muffin right up!
Thanks, Abby! This makes me so happy to hear! Glad you all enjoyed them 🙂
These muffins are amazing! Taste so great and easy to make!
Thank you so much, Susan! Glad you liked them!
I love this recipe! I added vanilla protein powder (I reduced the oat flour by 1/4 cup and subbed it in), added some pepitas and flax seed. It’s not too sweet, and perfect for breakfast!
Love that substitution, Korinna! Glad you enjoyed these 🙂
Korinna, did you ever make the recipe as written so you could give us a comparison to the texture and taste? Did you subsitute out anything when you added the flax seeds? Can you tell me which Vanilla Protein you used? There are so many different ones and so many don’t work well in recipes. I love your recipe. I just want to somehow figure out the exact ingredients and amounts to use and figure out the change in nutritional values. I’d love to add the protein powder and collagen powder to it but I don’t know how that would work. Can you share how much pepitas and flax seeds you added? CLEAN EATING COUPLE: Can y’all help me out with my questions? Also, I have a mix of flax seeds, hemp seeds and chia seeds, I think made by Baril (???). I would love to use that. Would that work? How much would you suggest? (Also, do y’all know why my text is so small and very light gray where I can hardly see it? I don’t have any way of changing it.)
Hi Pat – Please see my other comment.
Just made these for the first time and I love them! Super easy recipe and perfect for the fall. I made 48 mini muffins and have maybe already eaten 5 of them bc they’re that delicious. I will definitely be making these several more times.
So glad you like them, Jenn! The mini muffins are a great idea!
Moist, delicious and extremely filling. Perfect for a grab and go fall breakfast. I made 6 large muffins and just added baking time.
I love fall and these embody it!
So glad to hear it, Nikki! They really are the perfect fall treat!
First I love that the WW points have been added because it’s so easy to track and I can choose easily from the plethora of recipes that I want to try. I’m a sucker for breakfast pastries with coffee that are carb and sugar loaded. These taste like those yummy pastries but actually have ingredients that are healthy and are going to actually fuel me and fill me. I’ve made them for breakfasts this week and they are so easy to grab and run out the door with my coffee. Adding these to the remake list.
I’m SO glad you like the WW points Michaela! Makes me so happy to hear that these are satisfying your cravings while making you feel full! That is awesome. Thank you!
I don’t see the WW points!
Put it in your WW plan! Every WW plan is different so we don’t calculate points on our recipes
If I don’t have the powder should I add an extra 1/4 cup oats to make up the difference?
Super moist and super yummy!! My favorite breakfast for on the go!
So glad you like them, Abbey! Aren’t they the perfect fall breakfast?!
So…these are my freakin favorite muffins and I don’t have to feel guilty when I eat one…or two!
I’m so glad you like them, Susan!! I totally eat more than one at a time 🙂
Could vanilla protein powder be subbed for the collagen?
Hi Dilyn, I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure. Protein powder tends to make things dry. If you don’t have collagen I would just omit it + these should come out ok!
Where in the recipe is there collagen?
This recipe used to have collagen. You can add 1/4 cup collagen peptides to this recipe if you would like.