Pumpkin Muffins
First pumpkin recipe of 2021, woohoo! I’m so excited to share my Pumpkin Muffins recipe with y’all today. I’ve been working on this recipe for a couple years and finally got them blogworthy this year. They’re packed with pumpkin flavor, perfectly spiced, and just sweet enough.
Start your day with my sweetly spiced Pumpkin Muffins.
Who doesn’t love a good muffin? They’re borderline like eating a cupcake for breakfast… except a cupcake you can feel good about eating for breakfast. These pumpkin muffins are packed with your favorite fall flavors, naturally sweetened with maple syrup, super moist thanks to the pumpkin puree, fluffy, and irresistible with your morning coffee (or tea).
This time of year, I love using maple syrup as the “sugar” or sweetener in my recipes. It adds a really nice warm, natural sweetness to baked goods, and it’s tasty in coffee. Surprisingly, pure maple syrup still retains some of its natural minerals and antioxidants, and has a lower glycemic index compared to other sugars. I usually opt for the Kirkland brand at Costco, but any “pure maple syrup” will do!
If you’re having a hard time finding pumpkin pie spice, you can easily mix some up with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. I recently posted an Instagram Reel with some tips and tricks for making your own pumpkin pie spice!
One thing I’ve started doing with my muffin recipes is chilling the batter. I know, it sounds weird, but it makes a difference! According to Handle the Heat, chilling your batter allows for taller, more moist muffins, and intensifies the flavor. I didn’t believe it until I tried it. Now I’ll never not chill my muffin batter again. HTH says an overnight chill is best, but I’ve seen good results in as little as 30-60 minutes in the fridge.
One last note: be sure you get pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling! Those are two very different ingredients and will definitely throw off the recipe if you get the wrong one! You can always make your own pumpkin puree if that’s your thing. I’ve yet to try making my own, so I stick with a good canned pumpkin puree, like Libby’s.
Here’s how to make my Pumpkin Muffins.
Ingredients:
- Flour (all-purpose is fine)
- Maple syrup
- Sugar
- Pumpkin puree (not pie filling!)
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs
- Neutral oil
- Unsweetened applesauce
- Pumpkin pie spice (or a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves)
- Vanilla extract
Once you have all your ingredients, these muffins couldn’t be easier to make!
First, combine all the dry ingredients. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice in a large mixing bowl, and whisk to combine.
Combine wet ingredients. Add the sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla in another, smaller mixing bowl, and mix.
Combine all ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and mix until combined. Don’t over-mix! Just make sure all the dry ingredients are moistened and no lumps remain.
Chill your batter! Cover your bowl and refrigerate your batter for at least 30 minutes. While that’s happening, preheat your oven to 375ºF. Line your muffin tin with muffin cups, or lightly grease with baking spray.
Fill the tins and bake. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin, filling each well about 3/4 full. An ice cream scoop makes this really easy! Bake the muffins until a skewer or knife inserted in the middle comes out clean – about 25 minutes.
Let cool and eat! Let the muffins cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely.
What a way to kick off pumpkin season! I’m so excited to share more pumpkin recipes throughout the year, and more new fall recipes that aren’t pumpkin. I’m pushing myself to experiment with new flavors and write more non-dessert recipes, so stay tuned for all sorts of yummy things to come!
In the meantime, if you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like:
- Apple Cider Muffins
- Brown Butter Chai Madeleines
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Orange Oatmeal Craisin Cookies
- Sunday Morning Muffins
Thanks so much for reading and following along! Want more simply delicious recipes? Follow me on Instagram for more, and pin with me on Pinterest!

Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1/4 cup neutral oil (vegetable, canola, avocado)
- 1 can pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add oil, eggs, and sugar, and mix. Add pumpkin, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and mix again.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice, and mix until combined. Don't over mix!
- Cover the batter and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- While the batter is chilling, preheat the oven to 375º F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners, or lightly grease with baking spray.
- Scoop the batter into the tin, filling each about 3/4 full.
- Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes. They're done when the edges just start to pull away from the side or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.