The Best Homemade Pumpkin Muffins

These homemade pumpkin muffins are filled with warm fall spices and topped with a delicious sprinkle of sugar and are perfect for those cooler fall mornings.

I get so excited when the temperatures begin to cool down after such a hot summer because I love fall and nothing is more exciting than being able to incorporate fall-warming spices into everything I possibly can. I cannot add pumpkin to as many desserts as I would like because I’m surrounded by a spouse and children who absolutely despise pumpkin. So if I make pumpkin muffins, pumpkin loaves, pumpkin cupcakes, or even pumpkin pie, it is my responsibility to eat it or share it with my fellow pumpkin lovers.

Why you will love these Pumpkin Muffins

• They use simple and basic ingredients.
• They are soft and moist muffins.
• Great pumpkin flavor (you can use my homemade pumpkin spice blend).
• This recipe can easily be adapted to being dairy free by switching it to dairy-free milk.

Ingredients you will need for Pumpkin Muffins

• Flour I like to use all-purpose flour, but you can replace half of the flour with whole wheat flour. You will have a little bit of a denser muffin, but a little healthier too.
• Baking Soda This is just to help them to rise and be fluffy inside.
• Cinnamon, Ginger, and Fall Spice (pumpkin spice) Pumpkin on its own doesn’t have a lot of flavors, but when you add warming spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, it helps to bring out the flavor more. You can buy store-bought pumpkin spice or you can use my fall spice recipe. I like to add a little more cinnamon and ginger to the recipe for a deeper flavor.
• Pumpkin Puree I use canned pumpkin puree. I just need to make sure it is pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. You can also use fresh puree if you have that on hand as well.
• Oil Muffins need some kind of fat component in them or else they change the texture of the muffin. I like to use vegetable oil or melted coconut oil.
• Brown and White Sugar  I like to use a combination of sugars. I also find the brown sugar adds to the flavor of the pumpkin.
• Eggs The eggs provide structure to the recipe. I like to use a farm-fresh egg, but of course, any egg works.
• Milk  With every muffin recipe, there needs to be some type of liquid component to thin out the batter a little bit. You can use whole milk, buttermilk, or any dairy-free milk (almond milk, oat milk)

Tips and Suggestions

• Variations: You can add nuts, chocolate chips, dried cranberries, or crystallized ginger, apple sauce, or zucchini.
• Simplify the spices You can substitute the fall spice or pumpkin spice for the individual spices, such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Or if you don’t have all of the spices, you can use 1-1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and you will be good.
• Toppings You can use oatmeal as a topping, sugar, and cinnamon, and pecan streusel topping, all of these are great compliments.
• Dietary friendly This recipe can easily be adjusted to make it vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, or gluten-free.

How to make Pumpkin Muffins

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and fall spice for 20 seconds.
• In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, pumpkin, eggs, and milk.
• Pour the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture and fold until combined. The batter will look slightly lumpy.
• Fill prepared muffin cups halfway with batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20–25 minutes.
• Let cool in the muffin pan for several minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Freeze Pumpkin Muffins

The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. I like to wrap them in plastic wrap individually for up to 3 months.

How do I reheat the pumpkin muffins?

To reheat, unwrap them from the plastic wrap and wrap them with aluminum foil, then place them in a preheated 350-degree oven until warm.

Can this recipe also make pumpkin bread?

Yes, you can make this pumpkin recipe into pumpkin bread and place it into a loaf pan. I use a 9×5-inch pan. Bake it in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 50–65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the bread is browning too much, cover it loosely with aluminum foil.

Why are my pumpkin muffins coming out dense?

The first thing that comes to mind is that there is too much leavening, like baking soda or baking powder. They rise too much and then collapse during the baking time. This causes them to be too dense.

The Best Homemade Pumpkin Muffins

These homemade pumpkin muffins are filled with warm fall spices and topped with a delicious pecan crumble and perfect for those cooler fall mornings.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 21 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Servings 12 Servings

Calories 205 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1-3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin or fall spice
• ¼ tsp ginger
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup milk dairy or non dairy

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. The batter will look a little lumpy but that is fine.
• 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 10 minutes in the muffin pan before enjoying.
• Cover tightly and store at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Notes

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Keyword muffin, pumpkin