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A cross between a dessert and a nutritious breakfast, these healthy pumpkin muffins are completely gluten-free! The fresh pumpkin puree and chocolate chips elevate these muffins to icon status.
Sweet healthy pumpkin muffins
These healthy pumpkin muffins are the perfect things to make for a fall snack, portable breakfast, or autumn brunch. They are sweet while not wreaking havoc on your blood sugar.
These muffins are never going to let you down. I mean, you will know they are going to be perfect right away because the pumpkin batter is fluffy and thick. You can tell that when you are pouring them into your muffin tin, these will be the softest pumpkin muffins you have ever had!
I think these pumpkin muffins rival the ones from Dunkin’ – while being better for you at the same time. These are perfectly soft, full of pumpkin spice, fluffy, and just so freaking good that you will want to eat them for breakfast every single day.
Ingredients in these pumpkin oat muffins
The ingredients in these muffins are the best because they are simple and most likely ones that you already have on hand in your pantry. Baking can be really easy if you allow it to be!
I love to use recipes that don’t require fancy ingredients or anything that you wouldn’t already have at home. All you really need for these muffins:
- Oat Flour– Oats are a heart-healthy whole grain. You’ll need 2 cups of oat flour.
- Pumpkin Puree – Either use fresh pumpkin puree from your Jack-O-Lantern or add some from a can, but either way, use 1 cup.
- Maple Syrup – Sweeten the muffins naturally with 1/3 a cup of real maple syrup.
- Eggs – These are an emulsifier, so you’ll use 2 large eggs.
- Coconut Oil – or Other Oil of Choice – Melt 1/2 a cup of your favorite type of healthy oil.
- Baking Soda + Powder – Combine 1 teaspoon of baking powder with 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda for the fluffiest muffins.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract adds deeper and richer flavors to the muffins, use one teaspoon.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – Use some premade pumpkin pie spice to really make them taste amazing – about two teaspoons.
- Chocolate Chips – These chocolate chips are optional. If you want to use them, add about one cup.
Kitchen tools required
You don’t need any fancy kitchen gadgets to make this simple pumpkin muffin recipe. Grab the following tools before you begin.
- Muffin Tin
- Muffin Liners
- Large Bowl
- Whisk
- Small Bowl
- Wooden Spoon
For measuring, you will need 1 cup, 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup, 1 teaspoon, and 1/2 teaspoon.
How to make the best pumpkin muffins
These best-ever healthy pumpkin muffins are so easy to make. You’ll want to start by making homemade oat flour which is way easier than it sounds. No fancy mills or grinding machines here, all you need is a blender!
Just throw some oats into a blender and pulse for 10 seconds or so until your oats are finely ground into flour.
Tip: Always measure the amount of oats you need after grinding your oats up because the measurement can change.
If you already have oat flour, you can skip this step and move directly to mixing the pumpkin muffin batter.
Put the oat flour aside and whisk together your eggs, oil, pumpkin, maple syrup, and vanilla until well combined.
Mix the oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in another bowl.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until completely combined. Then add in any mix-ins you want! I love adding chocolate chips or pecans to my pumpkin muffins. I even save some to put on top!
Pour batter into a lined and greased muffin tin, top with a little extra chocolate and crushed nuts if desired, and bake! Bake them until you insert a toothpick into the middle, and it comes out clean.
Recipe Tips
Here are some questions people often ask about making pumpkin muffins. If you don’t see your question in this list, please leave it in the comments.
What other ingredients can I add to these oat flour pumpkin muffins?
You could add some cocoa powder to the muffins to make chocolate pumpkin muffins. Instead of chocolate chips, use white chocolate chips.
Should I make my own homemade oat powder?
This is entirely up to you. Some people like to make their own oat powder by pureeing rolled oats because it is less processed. It could be cheaper to make your own oat powder, especially if you buy rolled oats in bulk.
Can I turn this into a loaf of quick bread?
Yes, you can easily place the batter into a prepared loaf pan and make healthy pumpkin bread. You will have to adjust the baking time because it will take longer for the bread to bake.
Are these pumpkin muffins keto-friendly?
No, these muffins are not good to eat on a low-carb diet. The oat flour makes them much too high in carbs. Plus, the maple syrup increase that number even more. I suggest looking for a muffin recipe that uses either almond flour or coconut flour and is sweetened with a sugar substitute.
Storing leftovers
Storing muffins is simple. We like to let our muffins sit at room temperature in a sealed Tupperware container for up to four days. After that, we will do one of two things to ensure that they are stored properly – store them in the freezer or the refrigerator.
Freeze the muffins
Once cooled, wrap them up individually in plastic wrap and place them in a gallon Ziploc bag. This makes it easier to pull them out individually. Store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. When you are ready to eat them again, just let them thaw naturally in the refrigerator overnight.
Refrigerate them
This will increase the shelf life to longer than four days. Just stick the sealed, airtight container right into your fridge, and you will be good to go! These muffins will last about a week in the refrigerator.
If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment below and let me know how it was! Also tag @erinliveswhole on Instagram and use the hashtag #erinliveswhole so I can see it and feature you!
The Best Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Healthy pumpkin muffins are easy to make and made totally gluten free with certified gluten free oatmeal, fresh pumpkin puree, and a handful of chocolate chips! Toddlers, kids, teenagers, and adults all love these for a simple snack!
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups oat flour , loosely scooped, not packed. gluten-free if necessary. see notes for homemade.
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- Optional:Â chocolate chips /chopped pecans – about 1 cup.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a muffin tin with liners and nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, whisk pumpkin, coconut oil, eggs, maple syrup, and vanilla until well combined.
- In a small bowl, mix oat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
- Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until combined. Stir in any mix-ins.
- Scoop into muffin tin and bake for about 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Make homemade oat flour by grinding oatmeal until very fine in a blender, measuring after blended.
There may be affiliate links in this post! By purchasing a product I recommend, I may receive a small compensation. However, I only recommend products I absolutely love and use myself. Thank you for supporting Erin Lives Whole, it helps keep this blog afloat 🙂
Terri Reh says
I added pumpkin seeds, a few teaspoons of chia seeds and like someone said, only a few chocolate chips on the top. I backed off on the spice mix because I am not a super fan of it. Came out pretty good.
★★★★
Erin says
Hi Terri, so happy you loved them! 🙂
Laura A says
My husband and 2 children were all raving after the first bite and asking for seconds! They said they couldn’t even tell there was zucchini and carrots inside 🙂 Yay!
We didn’t have quite enough zucchini, so I added a bit of grated carrot. It worked great.
I also have your healthy pumpkin muffins in the oven now, so can’t wait to try them in a bit!
★★★★★
Laura A says
oops… thought I wrote that on your zucchini muffin recipe… 🙂
Laura A says
The pumpkin ones where a huge hit as well!
Thanks for the great recipes!
Erin says
Hi Laura, so happy you enjoyed them! 🙂
Laura A says
Oops… thought I wrote that on your zucchini muffin recipe!
🙂
Erin says
Hi Laura, so happy your family all enjoyed them!! 🙂
Joan Latimer says
These muffins are great. With just a sprinkling of chocolate chips on top satisfies my chocolate craving.
Thank you
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Joan, so happy you loved them so much!! 🙂
shannon says
I made these for my family and it was slam dunk, among everyone, which is rare! I have a feeling these will be an ongoing staple and the best part is they are easy to make!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Shannon, so happy they were a hit! 🙂
Lindsay says
They taste pretty good but the texture is odd and they look terrible. I’ve tried twice now and same results both times. Not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Erin says
Hi Lindsay, I’m sorry that you did not like the recipe! I’ve heard tons of good things about this one, bummed it didn’t work out for you. Did you follow the recipe to a t?
Alexa says
This rainy weather had me craving a fall treat. I found these on Erin’s website and made them with ingredients I already had on hand. They were amazing! So fresh and the texture is so good – soft and fluffy. Extra chocolate chips for me and they were perfect!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Alexa, so happy you enjoyed them!! 🙂
Britt says
Odd texture… better with choc chips!
★★★
Erin says
Hi Britt, I’m sorry that you did not like the recipe! I’ve heard tons of good things about this one, bummed it didn’t work out for you.
Jenny says
Made the mistake of using raisins instead of chocolate chips and these became a crumbly mess. Next time I’ll add 1/4 ground flax for more cohesion and less crumbs.
Erin says
Hi Jenny, oh no! Hope you can make them again!
Michaela says
I’ve made these 4 times now and each time they’re amazing! My husband specifically requests these as soon as the weather starts to feel like fall and for good reason! I didn’t make any substitutions and they are perfect each time!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Michaela, so happy you both loved them so much! 🙂
Nicole says
Just made these with a couple substitutions due to multiple allergies. Used oat flour, applesauce for eggs and vegetable oil instead of coconut and they were delicious! The consistency was closer to actual pumpkin pie but still soo good!
Erin says
Hi Nicole, so happy you loved them and made them your own!!
Kc says
Do you have to use coconut oil?
AC says
You can maybe try substituting the coconut oil with an extra 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree, or any other oil of your choice. Pumpkin puree is often used as a substitute for oil in baking. I am going to make them like this, so I’ll try to update you when I do.
Erin says
Hi, you can use melted butter instead! Let me know how they come out!
Ali says
LOVE these!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Ali, so glad you loved them!!
Stephanie says
I’m curious if anyone has made these with egg substitute (flax or applesauce, maybe?). My youngest is allergic to egg but this recipe sounds yummy! I love the idea of a healthy option.
Jean says
stephanie, I read your comment and decided to give both a try. I made one batch with flax eggs (2 tablespoons flax meal with 5 tablespoons water) and one batch exactly as written (with eggs). The ones made with eggs were slightly fluffier and had a slightly more tender crumb; however the difference was not significant. Definitely worth making for your family, both were delicious. I followed the recipe exactly as written. My 2 cups of oat flour (homemade from rolled oats) weighted 210 grams. My family likes a bit more sweetness and mouth feel so next time I will try adding some mini chocolate chips or maybe some raisins or pecans.
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Jean, thanks so much for sharing!!
Noelle says
These are amazing. I baked them for my boyfriends family and they were gone within a day. Everyone said they were amazing and 10/10! I loved them. They’re so moist and perfectly sweet. Also love that they’re high in fiber
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Noelle, so happy everyone enjoyed them so much! 🙂
lacey says
I have a question, could you use regular flour? Or almond flour?
Erin says
Hi Lacey, I haven’t tested with that specific flour, and most flours work on a totally different absorption rate. You can definitely give it a try with either, but check the ratio first and you’d likely have to adjust the amount you use. Let me know how your muffins come out!
Leah says
I use almond flour and the middle will not cook no matter the time. Any idea why? I try to cook them longer and all but the outside burns and the inside is uncooked.
Erin says
Hi Leah, it sounds as though your oven must be registering too hot – try checking that out!
Ann says
Do you know what the weight watchers points for this recipe is? Great recipe!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Ann, so sorry I don’t. Feel free to go off the nutrition facts at the bottom of the recipe or input the recipe into the weight watchers app if possible.
Holly says
Delicious! This is such a great recipe! If we don’t have pumpkin, I substitute bananas. And they’re great with fresh cranberries or blueberries added. We have these every week. Thank you!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Holly, so glad you loved them and made them your own!!
Shareya says
These are an absolute favorite in my family! (We often substitute salted butter for the coconut oil and call them “semi-healthy”)
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Shareya, so glad you loved them!! 🙂
Kelli says
We make these all the time!! So delicious!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Kelli, so glad you loved them! 🙂