Healthy Pumpkin Muffins are made without butter, oil or flour! These naturally gluten-free pumpkin muffins are moist, flavorful and perfectly pumpkin spiced.
author’s note
You’d Never Believe These Are Healthier!
Pumpkin season hits and I always have half a can of pumpkin lurking in the fridge. I wanted a muffin that used a lot of pumpkin, not just a spoonful, and still baked up light and fluffy.
After a few test runs with oats, honey, and warm spice, this is the Healthy Pumpkin Muffins recipe I reach for.
No butter, no oil, no refined flour, just simple pantry staples that bake into soft, pumpkin-packed muffins. I usually toss in dark chocolate because melty pockets of chocolate make these feel extra special.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swaps or tips |
|---|---|
| Canned pumpkin puree | Use solid-pack pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. If it seems watery, blot with paper towels. |
| Old-fashioned oats (blended to oat flour) | Use certified gluten-free oats if needed. Store-bought oat flour works. Weigh for best results. |
| Honey + light brown sugar | Use all honey or a honey–maple mix. Adjust sweetness to taste. |
| Eggs | Room-temperature eggs mix in more evenly. |
| Pumpkin Pie Spice + cinnamon + nutmeg | A ready blend works great. Add a pinch of ginger for extra warmth if you like. |
| Dark chocolate chips | Mini chips spread more evenly. Swap for chopped pecans, walnuts, or raisins. |
Featured Comment
“Just made these muffins last night for the first time and they are absolutely amazing!! So so delicious! The perfect pumpkin muffin recipe – flavourful and great texture! What a perfect recipe. I’ll be making another batch today to bring to my sister. Thank you so much for sharing”
– Monica
How To Make Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Prepare: Preheat oven and grease a muffin pan.
- Mix: Combine wet ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together dry.
- Combine & Bake: Mix together wet and dry ingredients, stir in dark chocolate chips, fill muffin cavities, and bake until tops are set.
- Cool & Store: Let cool before removing from the pan and store in an airtight container. Best enjoyed within a few days.
Storage
Leftovers?
Room Temperature: Store muffins in an airtight container. Best within 1-2 days.
Refrigeration: Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Bring to room temp before eating.
Freezing: Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a bag or container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or microwave before serving.
More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes:
Shakes And Smoothies
Pumpkin Protein Shake
Desserts
Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
Desserts
Healthy Pumpkin Bread
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin see note 1
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar see note 2
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon oat flour regular oats that have been blended, see note 3
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9 cavities in a muffin pan with nonstick spray; do not use muffin liners with these; they stick to the liners. Press excess liquid out of the pumpkin with paper towels.
- Combine the pumpkin, honey, brown sugar (see note 2), vanilla, and egg in a bowl. Beat until combined.
- In another bowl, stir together the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and oat flour.
- Add the dry to the wet, mixing until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Divide the mixture evenly among 9 muffin cavities and place a few (3–4) extra chocolate chips on top if desired. Bake for 19–24 minutes or until the tops of the muffins look dry (not gooey) (My oven takes 23 minutes). Remove and allow to cool for 3–4 minutes, then remove them from the muffin pan onto a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tips For Success
- Do not overmix: Mix until the dry bits just disappear.
- Let the batter rest: Two to three minutes helps the oats hydrate for a softer crumb.
- Fill cups almost full: Oat-based batters do not spread much.
- Check doneness early: Every oven runs a little different, so start checking at 18 minutes.
- Non-stick Muffin Pan: Use a high-quality non-stick pan for easy removal. Here’s my favorite muffin tin.
I followed the recipe to a tee and these turned out wonderful! The are so soft and moist, and the chocolate chips in them are an awesome addition. I will be making these again and again. 🙂
I’m so thrilled these muffins were a hit for you Lindsay! Thanks so much for giving them a try and leaving a comment 🙂
Thanks so much for this delicious recipe! In New Zealand we don’t really get canned pumpkin, but I’ve had a great big pumpkin kicking about for a while and I was a bit stuck for ideas on how to use it. There’s only so much roasted pumpkin we can eat without turning orange! Anyway, I chopped some up, boiled and pureed it and it worked an absolute treat in these muffins. My 8-year old daughter looked pretty suspicious when she saw me chopping pumpkin, but she’s happily devouring her second muffin as I type. Thanks again!
So cool you made your own puree for this recipe! And I’m thrilled they are being enjoyed 🙂 Thanks Rachael!
Yum! I just made these and they are definitely a keeper! I substituted coconut sugar and maple sugar for the sugars. They taste really good warm and the chocolate chips melty!
So happy to hear you enjoyed these!! Thanks so much for the comment! 🙂
Chelsea, These are awesome! I just baked four batches and what can I say, they are a big hit in my house! I gave my friends the recipe and then I told them to go to your site. I always under bake since they continue cooking out of the oven. I added a lot more cinnamon and pumpkin spice and a few more çhoco chips. They are moist and delicious. I love all of your recipes and I love you for providing it!!
Oh yay!! I’m so thrilled to hear these were a hit 🙂 Thanks so much for all your support and sharing my site with others, it means so much to me! Thank you Gayle <3
I’ve made this recipe twice now and they turn out awesome everytime! Thanks for the awesome recipe, Chelsea!
Yeah!!! SO great to hear! Thank you Claire! 🙂
You are awesome!! I am trying healthy recipes for the kids and they loved these. I have made these twice already once with honey the other with agave. Both times they were wonderful, moist and delicious. Thank you for this recipe I will try the other recipes you have as well.
Again these were absolutely delicious – Do you think these would hold up if I froze them and then defrosted them when we wanted them quickly??
Awesome!! That is SO great to hear! Than you for the comment Abby! I’ve actually never tried freezing them so I can’t say for sure, but I believe a few other readers have and have had great success. 🙂
Well the muffins turned out fantastic. Very easy to make and they taste great!! I followed the recipe exactly including pumpkin pie spice. I messed up and used 1/2 tea. baking powder instead of 1/4. The extra 1/4 tea. might have made them rise a little more. I used liners and ended up with 8 muffins. Very good combination of pumpkin and chocolate. I baked for 20 minutes in my oven and they came out nice and moist. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
So great to hear it!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Ross 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed these!
Holy smokes, these look fantastic! I wish I’d found them before today… all my holiday baking is done. For now! But there’s always next week hmmmm
Just made these for a work breakfast potluck tomorrow and they turned out great! I used mini muffin pans and got 24 muffins! This is a keeper!
Yay!! So glad these were enjoyed!! Thanks Diane! 🙂
Just made these muffins this evening and they are delicious. Will be bring the remaining ones to work tomorrow so I don’t eat them all on my own. First time I ever made pumpkin puree from my halloween pumpkin and this is the first recipe I tried with it. Overall a homer.