Welcome to the epitome of fall baking! (Well, besides apple cake and apple crisp.) These are my super-moist, deliciously spiced, and extra soft pumpkin muffins. They’re adapted from my popular pumpkin crumb cake muffins and aren’t quite as sweet, making them the perfect “anytime” treat during the fall season. You could even add chocolate chips for extra tasty pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. No mixer required!
One reader, Nicole, commented: “Another winner, of course. We made the mini muffin version and they were so light, moist, and delicious. Perfect breakfast compliment for this crisp fall morning! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Holly, commented: “First time making these. Did half regular and half with chocolate chips, and they came out delicious and very moist. Even my picky daughter loved them… This recipe is definitely a keeper. ★★★★★“
Meet my favorite pumpkin muffin recipe, the sequel to my favorite zucchini muffins and banana muffins. I appreciate “simple” muffin recipes like these because sometimes we don’t crave all the bells and whistles of pumpkin cream cheese muffins… right? Over-the-top muffins are undoubtedly delicious, but I’m certain you’ll want to make today’s easy pumpkin muffins again and again. Why?
Here’s Why You’ll Love My Simple Pumpkin Muffins
- Reliable, easy recipe with basic ingredients
- No mixer needed
- Extra soft & moist
- Deep pumpkin spice flavor (you can use your homemade pumpkin pie spice!)
- Dairy free if using dairy-free milk
- Very adaptable recipe—add chocolate chips, nuts, or dried cranberries; sprinkle with coarse sugar; or leave plain
How are these different from pumpkin cupcakes? My pumpkin cupcakes recipe is a favorite! In that recipe, you use less flour and milk with the same amount of pumpkin, so the cupcakes have a much lighter, airier texture. Today’s muffins are thicker and denser with just as much flavor.
Grab These 11 Ingredients:
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour in this recipe. If desired, you can replace half of the flour with whole wheat flour for a heartier, denser pumpkin muffin.
- Baking Soda: Helps the muffins rise. There’s no need for baking powder and, in fact, I’ve made these pumpkin cream cheese muffins with only baking soda before too. (Just leave out the baking powder in those; truly no noticeable difference in the outcome.)
- Cinnamon, Ginger, & Pumpkin Pie Spice: Pumpkin is tasty, but in order to really bring out its flavor, you need some warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and pumpkin pie spice. You can use store-bought or try my homemade pumpkin pie spice blend. Pumpkin pie spice already includes cinnamon and ginger, but for the BEST, deepest flavor, I recommend using all 3. See recipe Note.
- Pumpkin Puree: You need 1 and 1/2 cups (about 340g) of pumpkin puree, which is most of a standard 15-ounce can. Do not use pumpkin pie filling. Just like with these pumpkin snickerdoodles, canned pumpkin is best, but you could use fresh puree if that’s what you have.
- Oil: The muffins taste dry and rubbery without some fat. Just as if we’re making pumpkin cake and pumpkin coffee cake, use vegetable oil. You could also use melted coconut oil.
- Brown & White Sugars: Pumpkin adds a lot of volume to the muffin batter, but doesn’t sweeten it at all. Using half white and brown sugars provide enough sweetening, and the brown sugar adds additional flavor.
- Eggs: Provide structure.
- Milk: Like most muffin recipes, the batter needs a liquid. You can use whole milk, buttermilk, or any dairy or nondairy milk you enjoy. I use orange juice in my pumpkin bread recipe, but using orange juice (for the amount of liquid needed here) wasn’t ideal here. The muffins were too citrus-y. You could, of course, replace *some* of the milk with *some* orange juice.
This is optional, but I love adding a little coarse sugar to the tops of the pumpkin muffins before baking. I do this in a lot of my muffin recipes (both online and in my book) because it adds a sparkly crunch—just like real bakery muffins! You can use something like Sugar in the Raw or white sparkling sugar. And don’t forget my high-temperature trick, included in the written recipe and explained in the Notes below.
As instructed in the printable recipe below, grab a large bowl for the dry ingredients, a medium bowl for the wet ingredients, then whisk it all together. Expect a thick batter:
Fill the muffin liners all the way to the top:
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
You can turn these easy pumpkin muffins into pumpkin chocolate chip muffins! Simply fold 1 cup (about 180g) of chocolate chips in the batter right before spooning into your 12-count muffin pan.
If you enjoy pumpkin + chocolate together, be sure to try my chocolate pumpkin muffins as well. For extreme chocolate and pumpkin lovers only!
More Pumpkin Favorites
- Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Donuts
- Pumpkin Cake
- Pumpkin Bars
- Pumpkin Pancakes or Pumpkin Waffles
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Coffee Creamer
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ best pumpkin dessert recipes.
Print
Easy Pumpkin Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 21 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These muffins are adapted from my popular pumpkin crumb cake muffins and aren’t quite as sweet, making them the perfect “anytime” treat during the fall season. You could even add chocolate chips for extra tasty pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. No mixer required!
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk (dairy or nondairy)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and salt together until combined. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs, and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then fold everything together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain.
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them all the way to the top.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F, 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 5 minutes in the muffin pan before enjoying.
- Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk
- Pumpkin Pie Spice & Spices: 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 1/4 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, and ground allspice, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger. Do not leave out the 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon that is also called for in this recipe. Depending how much you like ginger, you can skip or leave in the extra 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger that is also called for in this recipe.
- Can I reduce the sugar or oil? You can absolutely slightly reduce either or both, but understand that sugar and oil help produce moist, tender muffins and the results may be disappointing and your muffins could taste dry. For the oil, feel free to swap *some* for applesauce. You could also try substituting all or most of both sugars with coconut sugar.
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins/Other Add-Ins: Simply fold 1 cup (about 180g) of chocolate chips in the batter right before spooning into your muffin pan. Or you can add 1 cup (about 130g) of chopped pecans or walnuts, or 3/4 cup (about 105g) of dried cranberries.
- Mini Muffins: For around 30 mini muffins, line mini muffin pans with liners or spray with nonstick spray. Prepare batter as directed and fill liners to the top. Bake at 350°F (177°C) the entire time (skip the initial high temperature) for 11–13 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Why the initial high oven temperature? Like I do for most muffin recipes, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a very hot temperature. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, switch to a lower temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops so they’re extra high, then the centers will bake during the lower temperature bake time. This trick makes beautiful bakery-style muffins every time.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Easy to make and delicious! I followed the recipe and added the chocolate chips. I filled the muffin tins to the top so it only made 11. They were moist and honestly looked like a professional baker made them.
Just made these for my pumpkin obsessed daughter. They’re so soft and moist and incredibly delicious. Couldn’t possibly be any easier. They’re not heavy at all!
I would love to bake these on Thanksgiving morning! I was wondering if it would be ok to replace the 1/4 cup of milk with orange juice (as in the pumpkin bread recipe!).
Hi Amy! Using orange juice (for the amount of liquid needed here) wasn’t ideal here in our testing. The muffins were too citrus-y. You could, of course, replace *some* of the milk with *some* orange juice.
I made the mini muffins and they took forever to cook.
Did I do something wrong?
Hi Dave, how long did they take to cook? Mini muffins should take about 11–13 at 350 degrees the entire time.
Could sweet potato puree be substituted for pumpkin puree?
Hi Jackie, we haven’t tested it, but that should work! Let us know if you try it.
is there a cream cheese filling recipe that i can fill the muffins with after they are done baking
Hi Madison, you could use our cream cheese frosting recipe to fill these muffins, our no bake-cheesecake recipe would be fabulous as well. You may also love our cream cheese pumpkin muffins, with a cream cheese layer baked into the muffins.
I love every recipe of yours I’ve tried. Here’s a question. I have fresh pumpkin I pureed. Will that work for this recipe? I drained liquid from the baked pumpkin purée.
Hi Jacque, Yes, you can use your fresh pumpkin if you would prefer. Enjoy!
Needed to finish up a can of pumpkin I had just opened for another recipe and am so happy I stumbled across this recipe. I used fresh whole wheat white flour in lieu of AP and also threw in walnuts, coconut flakes and some maple chips. Its so so moist and delicious. Even with the whole wheat swap!
My picky eaters and not so picky eaters love this muffin! I’ve made a number of times with vegan substitutions like flax eggs and oat milk or exactly as written. They always come out perfectly and I love the hot oven trick! Perfect flavor, perfect texture, easy peasy – thank you! Question: can I double the recipe and still get perfection? 🙂 Thanksgiving dinner will have a lot of mouths to feed 🙂
Hi Lauren, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling. So glad they were a hit!
I love this recipe! I want to make them again for my friend but she’s currently Dairy-free. Am I able to sub out the milk for oat milk? Thanks!
Hi Sarah, we haven’t tested it but some readers have made this swap with success. Let us know how they turn out if you give it a try!
The best muffins I have ever made. They are so incredibly moist and flavorful. Will definitely try with nuts or chocolate chips next. Amazing!
These muffins were a hit when I made them before! My question is, if you make it into a loaf, how long should you bake it and should you raise the temperature at the beginning too.
Hi Joann! Here’s our pumpkin bread recipe 🙂
I made these with chocolate chips and added a crumb topping and they were amazing! Are there any adjustments to make this into pumpkin bread, cooking time wise? I’ve tried your pumpkin bread and recipe and just prefer the texture of these better so was hoping to adjust this to a loaf pan.
Hi Brianna, you can follow the baking times and directions from our pumpkin bread as a guide. Enjoy!
These were an enormous hit with a charity tea and with my family. Perfect crumb and flavors.
What can I do with left over pumpkin filling
Here’s Recipes to Make with Leftover Pumpkin Puree!
Your baking method of filling the cups to the top, starting at the high oven temp and then lowering the temp, is genius. The tops of the muffins puffed up so high, and they were baked to perfection. I took a look and noticed that you use this method on all the muffin recipes I looked at, so I will be making those as well. The muffins themselves were excellent. I added some craisins, and used 1/4 cup white, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of date sugar. Thank you so much for sharing your talent with the world!
Hi! I baked these muffins recently. They were delicious! Where can I find the nutritional analysis per muffin? Thanks!
Hi Jean, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
Thanks for the information. I gave this recipe 5 stars!
As a Type 2 diabetic, I made these with Stevia or Sucralose and Splenda brown sugar blend. My son, who doesn’t eat a lot of sweets, loved them. I rearranged the ingredients, putting all the dry first. I don’t bake a lot and complained to my son about so many spices, and he suggested making up multiple batches of the dry to store for another day. This year I made up 3 batches and plan to give away extras to diabetic friends, with an instruction card to finish making them, plus a copy of the modified recipe. Thank you for a winner to add to my repertoire.
Wanted to just say that I made these with homemade butternut squash puree instead of pumpkin and they were great! My husband has asked me to make more since we had guests and the first batch disappeared fast and with many compliments. I did include the chocolate chips. Super simple and relaible recipe!
This recipe was terrific. I think it’s well worth it to use coconut oil as it gives it a nuttier flavor. Next time I will make half with chocolate chips for my grandkids!
This morning, I made a carrot cake with a lemon cream cheese icing. I snuck a little bit of the icing onto one of the pumpkin muffins and it was delicious!
Thank you.
Delicious. Omitted pumpkin spice, used a little allspice and & nutmeg though. The texture is one tone, soft and moist, it needs a little something, so I added raisins and it was perfect. I’ll try it with cranberry next. Maybe chocolate chips.
Does the pumpkin puree need to be blotted in this recipe?
Hi Naomi, no need to blot for this recipe, but if you’re using homemade puree that seems especially watery, you can gently blot out some of the moisture.
I made these yesterday because have a lot of puree. These are really good and moist. I added some chia for protein. I will be making more to pop into the freezer for easy snacks.
I am confident when making your recipies, they are always quite good.
Super easy to make. I like the lower sugar or sweeter taste. I did not try with chocolate chips yet. I think they are the perfect pumpkin muffin to add chocolate chips. This will be another of my “Go To” muffin recipes. I am bringing them to my 22 secondary advisory students for a taste test.
The picture on the website looks like the muffins were sprinkled with some kind of large-grain sugar? I don’t see this anywhere on the recipe. Planning to make for friends this weekend so I’d love some advice on this aspect. Thanks.
Hi Kaye! The kind of sugar you want to look for is coarse sugar, or sometimes called Sparkling Sugar and sold with the sprinkles in the baking aisle. It’s wonderful on muffins and scones!
Can I use raw pumpkin puree from the pumpkin I just roasted, and if so how much do I use?
Thank you, I love your recipes.
Hi Jane! Other readers have reported making fresh pumpkin puree this way: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pumpkin-puree-recipe-1922629 You can use the same amount, as long as you used the small, sweet pumpkins meant for baking (carving pumpkins are too watery).
This is my second time. First time a great success. Had pumpkin puree left, so second batch. Nice and easy recipe. Thanks for sharing.