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.
Thank you! I absolutely love this recipe and so does my family. I decided to try half extra dark chocolate and half milk chocolate chips this time. Hoping its even better!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for the comment 🙂
My eight yr old and I have made these three times with different variables. I homeschool so when I can add science to cooking it’s a double winner! Let me just tell the changes we made that made the best end product. I doubled the recipe and instead of two cups of pumpkin I used 1 1/2 cup pumpkin, 1/4 cup almond butter and a 1/4 cup coconut oil. I replaced the tbsps of oat flour with almond flour. I found with these changes I could use muffin liners with no sticking issues. We decreased the sugar by half and used half mini chips and half pecans. I also found cooking them in a stainless steel muffin pan produced a better texture vs aluminum muffin tin , and that’s because aluminum is a better heat conductor thus over cooking them a bit and made them more dense. This a great recipe as is and even better with our little changes!!
Thank you for sharing! Glad these were a hit 🙂
Made these today and they are so good. I wanted some extra protein so I subbed 1/4c of the oat flour with egg white protein powder and they are delicious.
Just a tip; when I’m making any kind of muffins and the mixture seems a little thick to me, I add in 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce and they turn out perfect!
I also did the calorie count, just as written, for 10 muffins, and got 104 calories, 2.8g fat; 18.3 g carbs, 1.8g fiber, 9.3g sugar, and 2.6g of protein. Now I will go and make them!
I made these this morning with my children and they are terrific!! I omitted the chocolate and added raw pecans and dried cranberries to the mix. A small dollop of honey on top for a quick breakfast, snack, or dessert! We will definitely be making these again (VERY soon)!!
I’m so thrilled these were a hit Lesan! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Can you use regular four instead of oatmeal?
You can but I’m not sure how much you’ll need since the conversion won’t be 1:1. Oat flour absorbs a lot more liquid than regular flour.
Hello Chelsea can I use whole wheat flour instead of the oats?
Hi Z! You can, but I’m not sure how much to recommend because oat flour absorbs a lot more liquid than wheat flour so the conversion won’t be 1:1. Let me know if you do try it!
These look amazing! Could I leave out the chocolate chips and just make regular pumpkin muffins? Or would I need to add more sweetener?
If you did leave them out, I would add more sweetener! I don’t love these without chocolate chips…
Chelsea!! I SUCK at cooking, but I made these the other morning for my boys and they were delicious! I think I had 2 for breakfast and another 2 for lunch haha. Will definitely be making these a lot this fall! You’re a wizard!
I’m so thrilled to hear these were a hit for you and your boys! Thanks so much for giving them a try and leaving a comment Camrie! 🙂