Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins are full of pumpkin spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves, are made with whole-wheat flour, and no refined sugar! These pumpkin muffins are perfect for a quick on-the-go breakfast, a snack, and to pack in your kids lunch boxes.

When it comes to fall baking, I always go a little crazy with the pumpkin baked goods. I always make a pan of my Pumpkin Bars with Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting, some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, and my Starbuck's Pumpkin Bread, but I also love to play around with new recipes, too. Did you know you can use butternut squash puree too like I do in my Butternut Squash Muffins?!

Every year I've tried to make some sort of healthy pumpkin muffins, but they've never turned out right. Well, we are in luck because I've finally nailed the perfect healthy pumpkin muffin recipe!

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

What I was going for with these pumpkin muffins was no refined sugar, mostly whole wheat, and easy to make. I also wanted them to be good enough that they didn't need any add-ins. When I add chocolate chips my kids just eat the muffin until all the chocolate chips are gone (or one kid in particular picks the chocolate chips out with his fingers and discards the rest) and when I add nuts, they pick them out. So to hopefully minimize on mess and crumbs, I wanted plain healthy pumpkin muffins with lots of great pumpkin spice flavor!

How to Make Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

This recipe is a pretty straight forward muffin recipe. To start, whisk together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Then, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, salt and flours to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined. Divide the batter between the prepared muffin cups and then bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-18 minutes!

Pumpkin Muffins FAQ's

Can these muffins be frozen?

Yes! These are great muffins to make ahead of time, freeze, and then take out for a quick breakfast or snack. I like to thaw them in the microwave on defrost mode.

Can I use pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual spices?

Yeah that will work. I like the individual spices because I can control the pumpkin pie taste more, but if you only have pumpkin pie spice, I would use 3 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in place of the individual spices.

Can I use a different type of oil?

Yes. I think canola or vegetable oil would work in place of the melted coconut oil. You could also use melted butter.

Can I substitute some of the oil for applesauce?

That should work, especially with the addition of pumpkin to make the muffins moist. I would start by doing ¼ cup oil and ¼ cup applesauce, as these muffins still benefit from the added fat from the oil.

Should I use muffin liners?

I didn't use liners for the longest time, but then I found these silicone ones and I absolutely love them! Cleanup from the muffin pan is so much easier.

Can these be frozen? Yes! I love storing these in the freezer in an airtight container for an easy breakfast or snack.

Can I add in anything to these muffins?

Definitely! You could add 1 cup of any of the following: pecans, chocolate chips, cranberries, or walnuts.