Pumpkin Muffins
Introducing the BEST Pumpkin Muffins! If you’re craving something sweet, filled with fall flavors, you’re in luck because I’m sharing my absolute favorite muffin recipe. These bake up tender, moist and fluffy with plenty of warm pumpkin spice deliciousness!
These delicious Pumpkin Muffins are tender and moist with just the right amount of warm spices and pumpkin flavor. They bake up nice and fluffy with a perfectly domed top. They are seriously so amazing and insanely addicting. You NEED these muffins in your life this fall!
The recipe was born from my favorite banana muffins recipe and the Libby’s classic pumpkin muffin recipe. I tested a combination of the two recipes a couple of weeks ago when all of my kids were at home, and they INHALED them. One minute there was a pile of muffins on the plate and the next minute there were only crumbs. I took that as a good sign. I’ve already made them a couple of times since then because we cannot get enough!
Made these today! Wow beautiful color and SO moist! I opted to use an additional 1/2 cup of pumpkin purée instead of the 1/2 cup oil. Thank you for the recipe!
— Shelly
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Delicious! Richly spiced, subtly sweet, and packed with flavor, these are incredible and will be a household hit.
- Perfect for fall. Pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and a host of other goodies come together for a cozy, comforting treat that’s great for this time of year.
- Easy to make. You can whip up the batter in minutes, then pop in the oven for about 20 mins – done!
Ingredients and substitutions
This pumpkin muffins recipe is made with simple baking ingredients, pumpkin puree and plenty of warm spices. The result is a muffin with a soft, tender crumb and plenty of fall flavor. Here are all of the ingredients you’ll need:
- Flour. For best results, use all-purpose flour, as opposed to whole wheat flour or other varieties.
- Baking soda and baking powder. These are leaveners that react differently to liquid and acid ingredients. A mixture of the two will help the muffins bake properly.
- Salt. Really brings out the pumpkin flavor!
- Fall spices. The perfect blend of spices to provide that warm, cozy, fall flavor. This recipe calls for cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Sugar. We’re using a combination of brown and white sugar for amazing flavor and texture.
- Pumpkin puree. Use 100% pure canned pumpkin. Don’t grab pumpkin pie filling by mistake, which has added spices and sugar.
- Eggs. Eggs not only add fluffiness to these, but protein and healthy fats too! If you’re looking for a vegan option, you can try using 2 flax eggs instead.
- Oil. This will add incredible moisture and make the crumb of the muffins light and tender. I used vegetable oil, but feel free to sub with melted coconut oil, canola oil or even a light olive oil.
- Water. Add 1/4 cup water to the wet ingredients for extra moisture.
- Vanilla extract. Adds wonderful flavor!
- Optional add-ins. Feel free to add up to 1 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts, if you’d like. You could even add a cup of chocolate chips!
Pro tip: You can substitute the spices (cinnamon, cloves, & nutmeg) for 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice.
How to make this recipe
Like most muffin recipes, this one is easy and straightforward, you don’t even need a mixer! Here’s a quick rundown of the process, but for full instructions, reference the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
- Wet ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, stir together the sugars, pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and teaspoon vanilla extract. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Gently mix until just combined. Take extra care not to over-mix the batter.
- Fill muffin pan and bake. Evenly spoon batter into the muffin tin and bake muffins for 5 minutes at 425ºF. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF and bake for about 16-17 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool. Allow muffins to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan. Enjoy for breakfast or snack with a smear of butter or jam!
Expert tips
These are really very easy to make, but here are some tips to make sure they’re perfect every time!
- Follow the recipe. For best results, I highly recommend following the recipe and using the exact ingredients I’ve listed.
- Measure flour correctly. Using a food scale is the most precise method for measuring ingredients, especially flour. If you don’t have one available, lightly spoon flour (don’t pack) into a measuring cup and without shaking the cup, use the straight side of a butter knife to level the flour across the measuring cup.
- Separate bowls. For the best texture, be sure to mix the wet and dry ingredients in separate bowls. Don’t skip this step by mixing everything together in one bowl.
- Don’t over-mix ingredients. Once you’ve combined wet and dry ingredients, it’s very important to avoid over-mixing the batter. This can make your muffins gummy and dense.
- Bake time. Be sure not to under-bake or over-bake the muffins. Every oven can vary in temperature, so test the center of them EARLY with a toothpick. If it comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, they are ready, if not, place them back in the oven for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Add-ins and variations
I adore these as-is, but there are so many different ways to add new flavors and textures to these gems! Here are a few of my favorite ideas:
- Glaze. Add a glaze for real decadence! Make a glaze by mixing 1/4 cup powdered sugar with 1 to 2 teaspoons milk. Mix until smooth and drizzle over the cooled muffins.
- Streusel topping. Try a delicious crumb topping by mixing together 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 cup melted butter. Sprinkle the streusel over the tops, then bake as directed.
- Nuts. If you love nuts in your pumpkin muffins, add about 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts to the batter.
- Dried fruit. Stir 1/2 to 1 cup dried cranberries, dried tart cherries, raisins, or chopped dates into the batter. You could even add about 1/2 cup chopped nuts and 1/2 cup dried cranberries!
- Chocolate chips. If you’re craving chocolate, fold about 1 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips into the batter, and sprinkle more over the top too.
- Pumpkin seeds. Try using the same topping as my classic pumpkin bread recipe, which is so delicious, by the way. It’s a topping of tubinado sugar and pepitas (pumpkin seeds).
Frequently asked questions
Definitely! These muffins would make wonderful cupcakes. They’re perfectly fluffy and sweet! To turn your pumpkin muffins into pumpkin cupcakes, simply frost the completely cooled muffins with a cream cheese frosting, a cinnamon frosting or a chocolate frosting. Here’s my cinnamon cream cheese frosting. It’s SO good!
For mini muffins. Bake 24 mini muffins at 350ºF (the entire cooking time) for 13 to 15 minutes.
For regular-sized muffins. Bake 12 muffins at 425ºF for 5 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350ºF and continue baking about 16 to 17 minutes.
For jumbo-sized muffins. Bake 6 jumbo muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and continue to bake for 25-30 minutes.
For the best texture, I don’t recommend using ONLY whole wheat flour. If you use whole wheat flour as the only flour, the muffins can turn out a bit dry and might be too dense. However, you can use 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose flour with good results. You can also try using whole wheat pastry flour, which is a lighter, finer version of regular whole wheat flour, still with all the nutritional benefits of whole grain flour.
These muffins rise beautifully, thanks to a little trick I learned from Sally! The best way to get a perfectly puffed up dome on your muffins is to increase the initial oven heat. These bake for 5 mins at 450°F, then lower the temp to 350ºF for the remainder of the bake time. That bit of high heat will help the tops of the muffin rise up. Then, reducing the oven temperature will cook the center of the muffin.
Storage tips
These babies are absolutely incredible warm, straight out of the oven, but we love them even more the next day after the flavors have a chance to really intensify.
- To store leftovers. Let them cool completely on a wire rack. Next, line the bottom of an airtight storage container with a paper towel and place them in a single layer on the paper towel. Finally, top the muffins with another paper towel to absorb the excess moisture. Store at room temperature for up to about 2 to 3 days in an airtight container. If you need to store them for a longer period of time, I’d recommend keeping them in the fridge or the freezer. You can microwave refrigerated muffins for about 10-15 seconds to make them taste like they were freshly baked.
- To freeze. These freeze beautifully! Individually wrap them in plastic, then place them in a resealable bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Remember to label the bag with the date! Let them thaw at room temperature or rewarm gently in the microwave.
Recommended tools
Here’s a few of my muffin-baking essentials:
- Mixing bowls – Any mixing bowls will do the trick. We love this nonslip mixing bowl set from Amazon.
- Nonstick muffin pan – This is where quality matters! I was given this muffin pan from Williams Sonoma and LOVE it. I don’t have to use paper liners and my muffins always come out so easily. As an added plus, there’s never cooked muffin left stuck to the pan, so it’s super easy to clean.
- Cooling rack – I wouldn’t say a cooling wire rack is completely necessary, but it’s definitely nice to have one available. These allow for airflow and even cooling of your baked goods.
More pumpkin recipes
If you LOVE pumpkin like me, enjoy these other favs!
- Overnight Oats with Pumpkin
- Pumpkin Hummus
- Delicious Pumpkin Waffles
- Pumpkin Spice Creamer
- Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
If you try this easy recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup (201g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (55g) brown sugar
- 1 cup (244g) canned pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil, melted coconut oil or melted butter
- 1/4 cup water, orange juice or apple juice
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Optional add-ins: 1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, stir together the sugars, pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and vanilla extract until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together gently just until combined. Don’t over mix – some small lumps are fine.
- Fill muffin pan evenly with batter until each muffin cup is nearly full. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21-22 minutes, give or take.
- Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan. After a couple of hours, the flavor instensifies and these become even more delicious!
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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Made these today! Wow beautiful color and SO moist! I opted to use an additional 1/2 cup of pumpkin purée instead of the 1/2 cup oil Thank you for the recipe 😃
So happy to hear that you enjoyed! And thanks for the feedback – glad the extra pumpkin worked great!