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
I made two batches this recipe earlier today, and I did accidentally add baking powder when the recipe didn’t call for it, but it still turned out absolutely delicious.
Ive made these muffins 3 times so far and they turn out amazing every time. My only complaint is I eat them all in one day (;
AMAZING! One of the best muffins I’ve ever made. I didn’t have vegetable oil so I did half melted butter and half olive oil and it still turned out so so delicious. It is perfectly moist, sweet but not sickly, and it made my apartment smell heavenly.
This recipe was a big hit with family and friends. Today, I’ll be making them for a third time within a week span. Thank you!
Absolutely delicious! Loved the tip of starting out at a higher temperature and then lowering heat for a higher muffin. Will definitely keep this recipe!
Thank you!!
Wow so I accidentally forgot the oil and realized after they went in the oven, but they just came out, they still rose beautifully and the taste is excellent!! Texture is not too bad and will hopefully be okay as they cool.
Wonderful!!!
Would you adjust anything for jumbo muffins?
Hi Rachael, You can use this batter for jumbo muffins. You can follow the baking times and instructions from these jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide.
Loved these, they turned out perfect! I also LOVE the banana ones as well! I was wondering if I would be able to substitute sweet potato puree instead of the pumpkin would it turn out?
It should, Kayla!
Update: I did it with roasted sweet potato puree and it turned out amazing!!! Would highly recommend!
These muffins are delicious! I made them as per the recipe and added chocolate chips. The amounts of sugar and oil are perfect in my opinion. They did not turn out too sweet. Thank you for this great (and easy) recipe!
I just made these muffins and they are so good!
Mine were a little on the dryer side but I am pretty sure that’s because my oven is super old and crappy.
I just had to comment that these are the best muffins ever. I make them with fresh baked pumpkin because we don’t have canned so I put around 400gr. Best whishes from Croatia 🙂
Very easy to make and taste great! I used fresh pumpkin instead of canned and the muffins were perfect. I made the recipe with no changes for the first round. They are dense and very moist. Will put this on my go to list for a quick snack. Next time I think I will add walnuts.
These turned out amazing! My 14 year old son and his friend made them so definitely easy to follow!
I made these today. I reduced the white sugar a bit, and regret doing that. It would have tasted better with the amount specified in the recipe. I also swapped out 25% of the oil and used full fat yogurt in its place. I don’t think that affected anything. Overall, they turned out well. My husband loved them. I did add a maple glaze to add some sweetness.
I think my favorite baking tip I have learned from Sally is the quick high temp bake for muffins (oh and adding black pepper to my pumpkin pie spice!). It really does give them the beautiful dome shape of bakery muffins. This is a simple, fast and delicious recipe that my family enjoys multiple times throughout the year. The smell of my house alone makes me happy. Thanks for another great recipe.
Always incredible. Love how simple this recipe is!!
I followed your directions for the baking time & temperatures for pumpkin muffins I was making. They turned out so much better than my previous muffins. So thankful for your website.
Your cookbook arrives today! All your recipes are solid that I have tried from on-line. Thank you. Made a homemade pumpkin spice latte with the extra spice mixture and pumpkin! It was delicious.
Just made these and they came out well. I used avocado oil instead of vegetable oil. Is it possible this affected the structure or texture in some way?
Hi Alena, avocado oil should work well here. Hope you enjoyed your muffins!
These were a huge hit with me and my family!! Already made them twice in the span of 2 weeks. I added dark chocolate chips, and they were perfect! This quickly became my go-to pumpkin muffin recipe! Thank you for sharing:)
Hello,
I prepared two separate batches of these muffins. Added one cup of chocolate chips to each batch. Put both muffin pans in the oven, vertically. After 22 minutes, I noticed they weren’t completely cooked so baked for an additional 5 minutes. the muffins came out very moist and I was wondering if this was the normal expected texture. I absolutely love all your recipes, they have always turned out great. Just wondering about this one. Thank you 🙂
I just baked these and they turned out perfect and delicious. Thanks for your recipes as I have tried few of them and never been disappointed.
I am curious to know about gluten/AP flour free alternatives as i plan on making these for a company potluck (a couple colleagues have intolerances) ive made the original recipe numerous before and I’ve loved it! any tips would be helpful
Hi Cali, we haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour but some readers have reported success with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup.
This is the first time I tried these and they are delicious & gorgeous. Will make these often!
What is the nutrition info, please?
Hi Jessie, 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
Fantastic recipe: moist, fluffy excellent flavor. Thanks for sharing.
The flavor and texture of these muffins were just perfect! I added dried cranberries this time and it was delicious. Sally’s recipes are my go-to for muffin recipes. Reducing the temperature always works like a charm for a beautiful rise.
Can I make these in a mini muffin tin? Would that affect the recepie?
You bet! See Notes after the recipe for details.
I do not have veg oil, can I sub melted butter in your pumpkin muffin recipe?
Hi Sonja, oil really works best for these pumpkin muffins. You can use a different oil, like melted coconut oil, instead.
What about avocado or lard? We don’t use seed oil anymore, and I live far from a store.
I made these for an early halloween outing last week, they were an absolute hit! The texture is perfect, and the taste is warm and cozy. They seemed a little bland at first, but I think that was because I mis-measured my pumpkin spice. They did also taste better the next day. I might add a little more spice next time, or a teensy bit more salt. Would love to try these with chunks of apple or cranberry.
This recipe is PERFECTION for fall! On my third Sally’s muffin recipe this month and definitely a new favorite.
I made a few substitutions for personal preference:
– 100g whole wheat flour (remaining 119g all purpose)
– avocado oil (1/2 cup)
Instead of white/brown sugar:
– maple syrup (1/2 cup)
– coconut sugar (reduced to 1/4 cup)
These complimented the pumpkin flavor so well, will definitely do again!
Don’t skip the coarse sugar topping! I used turbinado
Topped with a bit of peanut butter, so delicious!
Just wanted to clarify. You used 1/2 maple syrup instead of both white and brown sugar???
I want to do this too, if that’s the case.
Thank you
I’ve made these muffins twice now and it’s a great recipe, however I’ve scaled back the oil by 2 tablespoons. I felt like they were a bit greasy.
Can you use real pumpkin instead of can?
Hi Rhonda, you can use fresh pumpkin if you would prefer. Other readers have reported making fresh pumpkin puree this way: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pumpkin-puree-recipe-1922629