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 complement 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. Or try my mini pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
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
- Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Pancakes or Pumpkin Waffles
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Marble Pumpkin Bread
- Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Coffee Creamer
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Cream Pies
- Pumpkin Hand Pies
- Pumpkin Baked Oatmeal
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 (113g/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 (60g/ml) milk (dairy or nondairy)
- optional: 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
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 whisk everything together just until combined and no flour pockets remain. Fold in the chocolate chips, if using.
- 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.
- Other Optional Add-ins: Instead of chocolate chips, 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
Would avocado oil work as a substitute?
Hi Anna, we prefer a more neutral-tasting oil, but avocado oil would work here in a pinch.
This was the best pumpkin muffin recipe I have made! The spice was perfect and the muffins were moist and tender. I added one cup of the semi-sweet chocolate chips also. I will be making these muffins more often!
Easy to follow recipe with amazing effect.
Perfect pumpkin muffins! Followed the recipe exactly, adding 1 cup chopped toasted pecans and they are amazing – even at high altitude! I will be making these often. Thanks for another great recipe!
Simply perfect.
We’re so glad you enjoyed these muffins, Jessica!
Absolutely delicious, especially with fresh pumpkin.
These were easy and quick, and DELICIOUS! I used my stand mixer (rather than mixing by hand), and I got 18 muffins instead of 12, but they’re perfect snacks and breakfast! Thanks for another great recipe! As other commenters have mentioned theirs not being done, I need to say that I used 1 metal muffin tin lined with silicone liners, and another straight silicone muffin pan, and they were perfectly done after 5 min. at 425°, and 16 minutes at 350°.
Beautiful shape and texture, could use a bit more salt and spices
Not at all baked after the initial high temp and then 16:30 in the oven at 350. Raw and gooey. As someone else mentioned we used a silicone tray; perhaps that changes the time significantly
We loved this recipie! I added shredded carrot to them and it made for a softer muffin.
recipe calls for canned pumpkin puree, is homemade ok?
Yes!
Can you use 15oz can in recipe.
Thanks,
Deb
Hi Deb, we don’t recommend it, the muffin batter would be too wet. Here’s what to make with leftover pumpkin puree!
Also to add to my comment I used 1 cup semi sweet chips and these really are delicious
Making a double batch today
When I put them with liners on paper towels they had a slight yellow ring is why was wondering if I did to much oil or maybe needed to cool a few more minutes.
But they were so moist and my family wants more lol
Sole batter stuck to bottom of liner. So maybe just cook a couple more minutes even though toothpicks came out clean
These are so delicious
They were gobbled up fast
Is there away to keep the cooked muffin from sticking to bottom of cupcake liner?
Could I have measured the oil a tad over
Hi Judy, We are glad you enjoyed them! Using high quality cupcake liners is key to avoid this – we love the PaperChef parchment baking cups if you come across them.
Thank you very much !!!
Do you think I could substitute 340 g of shredded carrots for the pumpkin puree to turn these into carrot cake muffins?
Hi Ang, we suggest using this Carrot Cake Loaf recipe and following the muffins instructions in the recipe notes. Hope you love them!
Can I sub whole wheat flour for AP?
Hi Jim, If desired, you can replace half of the flour with whole wheat flour for a heartier, denser pumpkin muffin.
Still wet after 23 minutes.
I’m disappointed because I followed the recipe precisely.
Hi Kat, we’re sorry to hear these muffins were a bit off for you. Were all of your ingredients fresh? Did your pumpkin puree seem especially wet? While we don’t blot the pumpkin here in order to keep the muffins moist, you could try very gently blotting it to rid of some moisture if it seems particularly wet. It’s also possible they are just a bit underbaked and could benefit from an additional minute or two in the oven. Every oven can be a bit different, so it may be possible that yours runs a bit cooler than it reads. Thank you for giving them a try!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I added a little bit of nutmeg to the recipe, because whenever I add cinnamon to something, I always add a little bit of nutmeg. I also added about a half a cup of toasted pecans. They turned out delicious. I made a cinnamon cream cheese frosting to put with it and it pairs so well, it is amazing!!! I am making them again this week. They are in the oven right now. Thanks again and I am following you on Facebook now to see what other delicious recipes you have.
I made two batches of these yesterday and they were not fully baked. Strange because the toothpicks came out clean, but when I took them out the tops were all really underbaked.
If you use a silicone muffin pan will that increase the baking time? And I’m really baffled by the toothpicks being clean, even though the tops were so raw.
Any insight is appreciated!
Hi Michelle, that is so strange! Were you using a silicone muffin pan? We always use metal, so are unsure whether the silicone pan may be the reason here. How long did you bake the muffins in total?
What are the macros on the recipe ?
Hi Brigitte, 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
Hello, Sally, I have made your banana muffins dozens of times and have always been very satisfied with them– I had a lot of pumpkin instead of ripe banana this time and tried out this recipe for the first time… I was so surprised to find that I enjoyed theses muffins even more than the banana ones!! So flavorful, soft, yet they held their structure very well, sweet but not too sweet, just very enjoyable muffins. Thanks so much for your work and sharing your recipes with us!!
Thank you, I will keep that in mind.
As mentioned in my review this pumpkin muffin is great !
But when I was gathering ingredients to make them today, I was out of milk. I was all set to just switch OJ for milk, when I noticed the blog comments above the recipe that said OJ is not a good swap for the milk in this piticular recipe. Since the pumpkin bread recipe is almost identical to this one. The pumpkin bread recipe has 1/4c more sugar,& a just a bit more cinnamon.
So why would OJ not work for this recipe ? Just curious.
Hi GMJ! You can use orange juice here if you would like. Let us know how they go!
1st time 3 out of the 8 people that tried this said 5 stars – amazing . 5 said really good- BUT a just a tad bland. Hmmm. I used more FRESH bought pumpkin pie spice than called for, by mistake. 2t instead of 1 1/2t b/c I forgot to switch measuring spoons. So I was suprised at the somewhat blandI “missing something” taste.
I discovered that Mc Cormics pumpkin pie spice does NOT contain allspice. (a needed kick) So going foreward, I will just make Sally’s pumpkin pie spice, and donate the McCormics to our local food bank.
OIL : rather than measure out the 1+ 1/2 C of pumpkin puree & save that almost 1/4 cup aside. I used the whole can (scraped out OCD well) And reduced the oil by 1/4 cup. That worked out just as well.
Hi! These pumpkin muffins are the best and a family favorite!!I printed the recipe in 2022 and noticed today on your website that the sugar had increased. Is this correct or do I have a different recipe from your site? I will make the adjustment if needed. Thanks!!
Hi Mary, This recipe is correct. Let us know if you give this one a try!
Thank you for your reply – used the updated recipe and the muffins were delicious – just like we remembered! I’m going to try the cream cheese pumpkin muffins, tomorrow.
I made these with chocolate chips and walnuts! Delicious, flavorful, and moist!
These muffins were super moist but I think next time I would up the spices. I thought they were a bit bland
These muffins came out perfectly, so soft and moist. I had some extra cream cheese icing left over from another recipe so I decided to pipe it into the center and wow they are amazing. They remind me of the muffins from Timmy’s with the cream cheese center but of course better because they are home made
I always have good luck with your recipes. For this I changed it up just a little and used buttermilk instead of regular milk and added a bit of coconut!
Just made these muffins! I was looking for a basic pumpkin muffin recipe and this was the perfect recipe! Soft, moist, pillowy, simple to bring together. Will be making these again this fall season 😊