Easy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

Pumpkins, as an agricultural product, are totally fall. Pumpkin, as a flavor, is a different thing altogether! Either way, it feels AUTUMNAL and so does this pumpkin muffin recipe.

When it comes to baking, most of us are cooking with canned pumpkin, which is pretty straightforward: it’s a little sweet and a little starchy but incredibly versatile.

In the world of food, pumpkin has become a fall phenomenon, which is why we have that whole #PSL thing going on. That’s because it works really well with those warming spices of fall. Food chit-chat aside, this pumpkin muffin recipe is easy and delicious, and we guarantee it will bring the most amazing aroma to your kitchen.

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How to Customize Easy Pumpkin Muffins

You can jazz them up by adding any of the following

• chocolate chips
• white chocolate chips
• chopped almonds, walnuts, or pecans
• raisins or dried cranberries
• pepitas (i.e, pumpkin seeds!)
• a couple of tablespoons of apple sauce
• a tablespoon or two of any nut butter
• more of all of the spices listed!

Or keep them as they are, and you’ll still have a great pumpkin muffin recipe!

Check out more meal prep breakfast ideas here!

How to make your own pumpkin pie spice

This pumpkin muffin recipe gets it spiced awesomeness from pumpkin pie spice. Sure, you can buy this at the grocery store if you don’t have it. But if you have all the ingredients on hand, you can totally make your own. Just label it and store it in a spice jar or even an old glass jelly jar will do! You’ll likely find other great uses for it, such as swirling into oatmeal, pancakes or waffle mix, into cookies, and so forth.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe

It’s pretty easy to make it at home. Combine all of the following in a small glass jar with a tight-fitting lid:

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves

You can also play with other additions such as allspice and/or mace. It’s up to you. And do indeed quadruple (or more) this recipe if you plan to use pumpkin pie spice a few times during the fall and winter baking.

Related: Picnic Food: No-Reheat Meals for a Perfect Picnic

How to make this pumpkin muffin recipe vegan

Flax eggs are your best friend for vegan baking. Here’s how to make them:

• Combine 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons water.
• Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes at room temperature or in the fridge.
• The final result will be goopy, like an egg.

Note: You can also use chia seeds to make a chia egg with the same formula. Just replace the flaxseed with chia seeds. When using chia seeds to make a chia egg, you may need to add a bit more water if it’s too thick.

You will also need to use non-dairy milk and vegan butter to make these muffins completely vegan. Or you can swap equal parts vegetable oil of your choice for vegan butter, if desired.

How to make these pumpkin muffins gluten-free

If you need a gluten-free muffin, use all-purpose gluten-free flour for best results. We like to use the 1-to-1 gluten-free blend from Bob’s Red Mill because it most closely mimics regular all-purpose flour.

VERY IMPORTANT: It’s not advisable to swap coconut or almond flour in baked goods for all-purpose flour because their protein content and fat content are very different, and this will affect the texture of your baked goods.

One substitution you can make? If you have oat flour, use that instead of gluten-free flour, but be sure to add xanthan gum. The back of the package will usually give you a ratio that’s advisable. For oat flour, it’s 1/4 tsp per 1 cup of oat flour.

Related: Fall Recipes: 15 Delicious Recipes for Your Apple Orchard Haul

Adaptations for doubling and using different pans

You can absolutely double this recipe. All you need to do is double the ingredients and get another muffin tin out.

Also, you can bake this batter in a loaf pan or a square baking dish. If you go this route, you will need to add more time and bake it for longer. Quick breads in loaf pans usually take 45-55 minutes but we always advise erring on the side of caution and checking early and then adding more time as needed.

If you double this recipe, you will definitely need to add more time. It will need more time but not double the amount; add a few minutes but check it at the time specified.

• Add 10 minutes to the baking time if you’re making the recipe as written in a bread pan/baking dish.
• Add 20-30 minutes to the baking time if you’re DOUBLING this recipe in a bread pan/baking dish.

How to store and serve easy pumpkin muffins

These muffins last in the fridge for up to 5 days, as long as they are covered. They last at room temperature for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container.

To freeze these muffins, wrap them individually in foil and then transfer them to a labeled zip-close plastic bag or other sealed container and store them for up to 6 months. When it’s time to reheat, you can either defrost them in the fridge or a room temp. Or you can pop them directly into the freezer and bake from frozen. They’ll take a few minutes longer than the time and temperature the recipe calls for.

To serve, you can of course just eat them as they are! However, they’re really good spilt in half and toasted in a toaster oven or hot cast iron skillet with a little bit of butter or honey. Nut butter is also good on these pumpkin muffins, too.

Check out these other muffins, cookies, granola, and oats for meal prep!

• Savory Muffins With Cheddar Cheese
• No-Frills Banana Muffins
• Banana Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies
• Berry Parfait Recipe with Homemade Granola
• Horchata Overnight Oats
• Blueberry Lemon Pancakes For Meal Prep