These mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are soft, moist, and filled with cozy pumpkin spice and chocolate chips. The batter comes together easily without a mixer, and the mini size makes them especially fun for kids, lunchboxes, and after-school snacks. Use whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or a mix of both!
I originally published this recipe in 2015 and have since updated it with a few small changes for a softer texture and more pumpkin flavor.
If you love mini chocolate chip muffins, think of these as their fall counterpart. You get the same fun little size and chocolate chips in every bite, with pumpkin and spices added to the mix. They’re everything I love about pumpkin chocolate chip bread, tucked into a muffin that you can eat in a couple of bites.
And while the mini size is especially popular with kids, I can tell you that adults are just as happy to grab a few!! 😉
Why You’ll Love These Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Moist with lots of pumpkin flavor
- Cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in every bite
- Filled with mini chocolate chips
- No mixer required
- Made with whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or both
- A fun addition to lunchboxes, breakfast, and snack time
- Easy to make ahead and freeze
A Few Small Updates Make a Big Difference
The original recipe that I published in 2015 produced muffins that could often taste a little heavy and dense, especially when made entirely with whole-wheat flour. My team and I revisited the recipe and adjusted the balance of baking powder and baking soda for a softer, lighter texture. A little more brown sugar and melted butter (or oil) help keep the muffins tender and moist, and an extra bit of pumpkin pie spice brings out even more flavor.
Just a few simple changes that make a big improvement!
Key Ingredients You Need & Why
You’ll recognize most of these ingredients if you’ve made these standard pumpkin muffins before:
- Flour: You can use whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or a mix of both. Whole-wheat flour gives the muffins a heartier flavor and texture, while all-purpose flour produces a lighter crumb. A combination gives you a little of each.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Both help the muffins rise. The updated amounts give these little muffins a better balance of lift and tenderness.
- Cinnamon & Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin needs spices to bring out its familiar fall flavor. Use store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice, plus a teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Pumpkin Puree: You need 1 cup (226g) of pumpkin puree. Be sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spices. Have some left in the can? Here are my favorite recipes to make with leftover pumpkin puree.
- Melted Butter or Oil: Either works in this recipe. Melted butter adds buttery flavor, while oil keeps the muffins especially moist. You could even use half of each.
- Milk: Helps thin the batter to the right consistency.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: Mini chips are ideal for mini muffins because they spread throughout the batter, giving you little bits of chocolate in every bite.
You’ll also need salt, vanilla, brown sugar, and eggs.
Easy Batter, Mini Muffin Size
You don’t need a mixer for this recipe—just a couple of bowls and a whisk. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another, then combine the two and fold in the mini chocolate chips.
Good rule of thumb for nearly any homemade muffin batter: avoid overmixing; stop as soon as the flour is incorporated. Why? Overmixing develops too much gluten in the flour, which can make muffins tough and chewy instead of soft and tender. A few lumps in the batter are perfectly fine. Just like this:
One reason I love mini muffins is how quickly they bake. You get a whole batch of little pumpkin treats without much hands-on work, and there’s no frosting, glaze, or topping to prepare. Easy!
Perfect for Lunchboxes & Snack Time
Very fun and convenient to serve during the fall season! Enjoy for breakfast alongside fruit and yogurt, tuck them into a lunchbox, or have a batch ready to grab & go after school.
To make ahead, let the muffins cool completely before storing or freezing them. You can pull out a few whenever you need them! As a bonus, they thaw quickly because they’re so small.
For another mini pumpkin favorite, try these mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins. Same fun little size, with a cinnamon-sugar coating instead of chocolate chips.
Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 13 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 36 mini muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are soft, moist, and filled with cozy pumpkin spice and mini chocolate chips. The batter comes together without a mixer using whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or a mix of both. Perfect for lunchboxes, breakfast, and snack time!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) whole-wheat flour or all-purpose flour, or mix of both* (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (133g) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 cup (226g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled, or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (80g/ml) milk (any kind), at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (120g) mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 24-count mini muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with mini muffin liners. If using liners, I recommend lightly spraying them with nonstick spray. This recipe yields about 36 mini muffins, so prepare a second mini muffin pan in the same manner or bake in batches, keeping any leftover batter at room temperature while the first batch bakes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon together. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin, butter or oil, and vanilla together. Add the milk and whisk until combined.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and fold together just until combined. Do not over-mix. Gently fold in the mini chocolate chips. The batter will be slightly thick. Some small lumps are OK. Again, avoid over-mixing.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Bake for 14–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs (melted chocolate is OK). Do not overbake.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
- Cover leftover muffins tightly and store at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. If enjoying straight from the refrigerator, warm them in the microwave for a few seconds to soften them up, as they can taste a bit dense when cold.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the cooled muffins in a freezer-friendly container or bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 24-count Mini Muffin Pan | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Silicone Spatula
- Flour: Use whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or a combination of the two totaling 1 and 3/4 cups (219g). White whole-wheat flour also works.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, plus 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. This is in addition to the 1 teaspoon of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Butter or Oil: You can use either melted butter or a neutral-tasting oil in this recipe. Butter provides more flavor, while oil produces slightly softer muffins that stay moist for longer. We prefer avocado oil, but vegetable oil or canola oil works, too.
- Milk: You can use any milk, dairy or nondairy, in this muffin batter. Make sure it’s at room temperature.
- Updated in 2026: I made a few small changes to this recipe for a softer texture and more pumpkin spice flavor. To make the original version, use only whole-wheat flour and adjust the amounts to 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1/2 cup (95g) lightly packed brown sugar, 5 Tablespoons (71g) melted butter, and 1/2 cup (90g) mini chocolate chips. All other ingredient amounts and instructions remain the same, and you can use any milk.
Reader Comments and Reviews
SOOOOO YUMMYYYYYY
These were so great! Easy to make, and so delicious. Highly recommend for a quick and easy snack.
These were a little tart so I put a maple glaze on them from another Sally recipe.
Would these work as regular size muffins?
Hi Nikki, to make these as standard-sized muffins, you can follow the baking times and directions from these pumpkin muffins.
Absolutely delicious!
These mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins turned out amazing! They were incredibly moist, fluffy, and full of flavor. My kids absolutely loved them! The only thing I did differently was make my own homemade pumpkin purée, and the result was fantastic.
Once again, another wonderful, foolproof, and incredibly delicious recipe! Thank you, Sally! ❤️
Made these yummy little things today! Have been craving them, although I am having challenges finding the Pumpkin Puree, so I used some already cooked sweet potatoes. Let me tell you that they are delicious!!! I actually enjoy a sweet potato pie more than pumpkin… and I love pumpkin!! So happy with these, now I just have to stop myself from eating them all!!
Hi Sally, your recipe inspired me to attempt my own mini muffins. I made a couple of minor tweaks: 1/3 cup white and 1/3 cup brown instead of 2/3 cup brown sugar; and equal portions softened butter and vegetable oil instead of all melted butter. Otherwise followed the rest of your recipe as is. Got exactly 26 mini muffins and they turned out so moist and delish! Thank you!
I used AP flour and leftover buttermilk. They turned out great !! However – I used to 24c pans and there was plenty of batter .. so be prepared for a plethora
This recipe is a HIT! I made these with my four year old daughter and the recipe was easy to follow along. Shared with family and received rave reviews!
Hi!
These turned out great, but the muffins seemed to be not pumpkin-y enough if that makes sense? I used 1 cup of the 100% pumpkin puree.
Do you have any recommendations for me?
Thanks!
Hi Alexis, you could try this recipe for pumpkin muffins instead. You can add chocolate chips to that batter, and you could also bake it in a mini muffin pan (see recipe Notes for details). Hope you enjoy!
I made these and they turned out delicious! I used a cup of oat flour and 3/4 cup of regular flour to reduce the amount of gluten and the recipe held.
Hello, I was wondering if Skim milk is ok for this recipe? (And if I see “any kind” for other recipes, are you talking about just whether it’s dairy or non-dairy)
Yes, you can use skim milk. Typically in recipes published on my site, if we indicate “any kind” that’s any fat content, and either dairy or nondairy milk. Thank you for checking!
First time trying this muffin recipe, they turned out great! Fluffy and moist, will make these again!!!
You once explained how to make this recipe in to regular muffins and about the temperature to make them rise like a bakery muffin. Please send me those instructions
Hi Karen, to make these as standard-sized muffins, you can follow the baking times and directions from these pumpkin muffins.
Unfortunately these turned out a little gummy/dense for me! Maybe I overmixed? Wondering what to do if I run into this problem.
Hi Izzy, I’m sorry these turned out gummy! Did you use whole wheat flour, all purpose, or a combination? And was your pumpkin canned or homemade? Whole wheat flour produces a heartier muffin, but the centers shouldn’t be gummy. Be sure to mix just until the wet and dry ingredients come together and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (melted chocolate is ok of course!). I wonder if yours were under-baked?
Hi Sally! I was wondering, is there any way I can make this healthier? I like to add applesauce instead of oil, will that work?
Hi Ann, you can certainly try replacing the oil/butter with applesauce, but the texture will considerably change. Instead, try replacing half with applesauce and see how you like them. You can also try slightly reducing the sugar to 1/2 cup (100g).
Too funny that the day I come to review this recipe is the day after you’ve updated it! I’ve used this recipe several times in the past month, and it definitely delivers on flavor! I do agree that the prior recipe was much too dense, so I’ve found using 200g of whole wheat flour with 1/4 cup of Splenda Brown Sugar blend and 5 tbsp butter is the right balance to keep them moist. I also have always added more pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon, and this new update reflects that preference. All together a great recipe that I love enjoying in the fall!
Are you supposed to blot the pumpkin purée to remove excess moisture? My muffins have been in the oven over a half hour and are nowhere near done.
Hi Jane, We do not blot the pumpkin here. Are you using canned pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling, or homemade pumpkin puree)?
Hi, we love this recipe and have made several times. Just wondering if honey can be used vs. brown sugar?
We haven’t tested a liquid sweetener, so we don’t recommend that swap. Glad you enjoyed the muffins!
Can I substitute craisins or raisins for the chocolate chips?
Hi Cathy, absolutely. Same amount.
Sally’s recipes never disappoint. I was surprised at how light the mixture was going into my muffin cups, with it being whole wheat flour. I made sure to not pack the flour down when measuring, and I also added a heaping cup of pumpkin puree to add a little more moisture. They were perfect, and my kids love them!
These turned out fantastic! The whole wheat flour gives them a nice nutty taste.
Can I use white whole wheat flour? Maybe a combination of coconut oil and butter in place of all the butter?
Thanks
Hi Sheryl, You can use white whole wheat flour. And a mix of butter and melted coconut oil would be fine. Happy baking!
Can I use almond flour instead? Also, could I turn these into banana muffins instead of pumpkin?
Hi Heidi! Almond flour won’t soak up enough liquid. I fear the muffins will be too wet and heavy. You can try mashed banana instead of pumpkin, yes!
Could I use all-purpose flour in place of whole wheat flour?
Absolutely
I just made these using butternut squash. They are delicious!
Thank you, Sally
Just threw the second batch in the oven!! We love these – and really every recipe on your site!! I would love to see more whole wheat recipes and maybe some without sugar but honey or maple syrup as a sweetener? Food for thought – thanks for another great breakfast!!
Broke out my mini muffin pan for the first time for this recipe. Even though I was missing ginger (and pumpkin pie spice), they turned out great!! And mini muffins are just too stinkin’ cute!
Just made these and they are fantastic! I make a lot of whole wheat muffins but these really don’t taste like whole wheat, they are so good! I subbed fresh cranberries for the chocolate chips because pumpkin + cranberry = fall goodness! Even my 3 year old loves them! Thanks for another great recipe!
Hi Tasha! I don’t recommend margarine, but you can use all-purpose flour instead. I do that all the time! Same amount. Muffins taste a little lighter.