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These bakery-style pumpkin muffins are moist, warmly spiced, and finished with high, sugar-crusted tops. Best of all, the easy recipe only requires one bowl and about 10 minutes of prep! Serve a basket of warm pumpkin spice muffins with mugs of hot coffee for a cozy autumn breakfast, offer them as an afternoon snack alongside cups of mulled cider, or pair them with chili, pot roast, or fried chicken for a sweet side dish at the dinner table.
Table of Contents
- Why These Easy Pumpkin Muffins Are the Best
- Ingredients for Homemade Pumpkin Muffins
- How to Make Easy Pumpkin Muffins
- How to Serve Moist & Fluffy Pumpkin Muffins
- Storage & Reheating Tips
- Easy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
- More Easy Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- Easy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
These easy pumpkin muffins aren’t just for fall! They’re so big, fluffy, and moist — your family will want to enjoy them all year long. Best of all, the muffins are very quick to stir together with one bowl and 10 minutes of prep. You’ll never need to rely on a boxed mix again!
Why These Easy Pumpkin Muffins Are the Best
Hands down, these are the best pumpkin muffins you’ll ever taste! I simply tweaked our favorite applesauce pumpkin muffins by adding a bit of sugar and by increasing the pumpkin to account for the missing applesauce. The end result is a bakery-style treat that all of my boys adore! Here’s why we love them:
- They’re easy. If we’re going to make a recipe on repeat around here, it needs to be quick and simple. These muffins fit the bill! They don’t require any weird or hard-to-find ingredients, they come together in a single bowl (which means fewer dishes to wash), and they’re ready for the oven in about 10 minutes.
- They use an entire can of pumpkin. This might seem silly, but if a recipe calls for only a portion of the can of pumpkin puree, it can be annoying to try to figure out how to use up the leftovers. No partial cans will go to waste!
- They have high sugar-crusted tops. For a true bakery-style treat, you’ve got to have those mile-high muffin tops that are either coated with an obscene amount of coarse sugar (to give them that great sweet and crispy texture) or hidden beneath mounds of rich, buttery streusel.
- They’re freezer-friendly. It’s convenient to be able to bake a batch of muffins and stash half of them away for another meal, for a quick breakfast, or for any time a craving strikes. Nothing gets stale, and there’s no need to enjoy them all immediately because these muffins keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Ingredients for Homemade Pumpkin Muffins
This is just a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you’ll need for a batch of pumpkin spice muffins. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step baking instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Granulated sugar and light brown sugar: just enough for sweetness. I love the moisture and flavor that you get from a little bit of brown sugar. That said, it’s fine to sub with extra granulated sugar instead.
- Vegetable oil: for moisture; you can substitute with canola oil or even melted butter.
- Eggs: give the muffins structure.
- Canned pumpkin puree: just the unsweetened 100% pumpkin — not a pumpkin pie filling mix.
- Vanilla extract: for more flavor.
- Baking soda and baking powder: the leavening agents that help these muffins rise high!
- Salt: balances the sweetness and adds flavor to the muffins.
- All-purpose flour: for even healthier muffins, swap out half of the all-purpose flour for 1 cup of whole wheat flour.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice: all of the classic warm spices that you love in an easy pumpkin muffin recipe. If it’s easier, substitute with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- Coarse sugar: I use King Arthur sparkling sugar, but turbinado sugar will also work for sprinkling on top of the muffins.
Is pumpkin puree the same as canned pumpkin?
Yes! Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing. These terms are often used interchangeably in recipes. You can use 15 ounces (or about 1 ½ cups) of fresh pumpkin puree if you prefer that instead of the canned product. Just make sure that you don’t pick up a can of “pumpkin pie filling” or “pumpkin pie mix,” which includes sugar and spices that you don’t find in pure pumpkin puree.
What equipment do I need to make homemade pumpkin muffins?
Making homemade muffins doesn’t require a lot of specialty equipment! Here’s everything you need to make easy pumpkin muffins at home:
- Muffin tin: You can make mini muffins or regular-sized muffins with a 12-cup or 24-cup muffin tin or large muffins with a 6-cup jumbo muffin tin.
- Mixing bowl: you’ll only need one large bowl to mix the muffin batter for this recipe!
- Muffin liners: you can either use paper liners or reusable silicone muffin liners.
- Wire rack: for cooling the muffins. This is not necessary but does speed up the cooling process if you want to enjoy your homemade muffins sooner rather than later.
How to Make Easy Pumpkin Muffins
We’re making these pumpkin spice muffins with one bowl and about 10 minutes of prep!
- Stir together the sugars, oil, and eggs.
- Add the pumpkin and vanilla.
- Sprinkle baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the top of the wet ingredients. Stir the pumpkin mixture until well blended.
- Sift in the remaining dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and ginger. Combine, but don’t over-mix the flour mixture.
- Divide the batter evenly among 12 muffin cups in a standard-size muffin pan. Fill them really full! Sprinkle coarse sugar on top of each muffin.
- Bake in a 375°F oven for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.
Why are my pumpkin muffins so dense?
The key to a nicely-balanced, moist pumpkin muffin with a light, tender crumb is just the right amount of pumpkin puree paired with just the right amount of oil. Too much oil, butter, or pumpkin, and the muffins turn out dense, heavy, and gummy. Too little oil, butter, or pumpkin, and the muffins turn out dry, crumbly, and flavorless. It’s a delicate balance, and this recipe gets it just right for perfectly moist, fluffier muffins every single time!
I have leftover muffin batter, what can I do with it?
Don’t worry if you have a little bit of leftover pumpkin muffin batter — there’s a lot you can do with it! Use the muffin batter to whip up a few pumpkin pancakes in a pan or griddle, pumpkin waffles, or make pumpkin cookies! You could even use the extra batter to make the best part of the muffins — the tops of the muffins! With a shallow cup muffin tin, you can easily whip up short-and-stout pumpkin muffin tops and bake them right along with the regular muffins.
How to Serve Moist & Fluffy Pumpkin Muffins
Offer the muffins for a quick grab-and-go breakfast on busy mornings (just pull one from the freezer and reheat it in seconds); pile some in a basket as a part of a special brunch buffet; set out a few with a glass of milk for an afternoon snack; or even enjoy them as a side dish with dinner.
Pumpkin muffins are delicious at room temperature or even better when served warm. They’re best with a smear of soft butter, a dollop of jam, apple butter, or homemade honey butter, or even spread with almond butter or peanut butter. Have a sweet tooth? Turn these muffins into pumpkin cupcakes with some cream cheese frosting or a pumpkin spice glaze. Don’t forget a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk!
Dinner Entrées to Serve with Pumpkin Spice Muffins
- Crispy Fried Chicken, Oven-Fried Chicken Breast, Crispy Roast Chicken with Vegetables, or Roasted Chicken Breast with Molasses and Apples
- Oven-Baked Pork Tenderloin, Dutch Oven Pork Roast with Gravy, Cider Braised Pulled Pork, Oven-Fried Pork Chops, Pan Fried Pork Chops, and Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- Oven BBQ Chicken Breast or Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
- Crock Pot Ribs or Baked Baby Back Ribs
- Dutch Oven Pot Roast, Dutch Oven Beef BBQ, Cast Iron Skillet Filet Mignon, or Bourbon-Glazed Beef Tenderloin
- Crock Pot Chili, Classic Beef Chili, Pumpkin Chili, “Good Luck” Southern Chili, Easy White Bean Chicken Chili or Texas Chili
- Beef Stew, Chicken Stew or Brunswick Stew
- Southern Fried Catfish or Oven-Fried Fish
- Grandmother’s Hamburger Soup, Ham and Bean Soup, Chicken and Wild Rice Soup, Crock Pot Cabbage Soup, Minestrone Soup, Chicken and Vegetable Soup, or Split Pea Soup
- Ranch Style Beans, Southern Lima Beans, Hoppin’ John, or Black Eyed Peas with Bacon
- Rosemary Oven Roasted Chicken
Storage & Reheating Tips
Pumpkin muffins are a perfect make-ahead breakfast or snack because they just get better as they sit overnight and the flavors come together. Allow the muffins to cool completely, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Thaw frozen muffins on the counter overnight or in the microwave for 20-30 seconds, just until warmed through.
Easy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe Variations
- Replace half of the all-purpose flour with 1 cup of whole wheat flour.
- Instead of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice, substitute with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- Swap out the coarse sugar and instead add a streusel topping on your muffins.
- Stir in 1 cup of chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts.
- Add 1 cup of raisins or sweetened dried cranberries (such as Craisins) to the batter. Try fresh cranberries for a tart pop of flavor.
- Stir in 1 cup of regular or mini chocolate chips to make decadent pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!
- Mini Muffins: Divide the batter between mini muffin tins. Bake the mini muffins in 350°F oven for a total of 14-16 minutes.
- Spice Cake Mix Muffins: yes, it is possible to cut down the ingredients — check out my 2-ingredient pumpkin muffins recipe that uses a box of cake mix.
Tips for the Best Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
- Make sure that you use a can of 100% pure pumpkin puree, which is different from canned pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin pie mix. The pure pumpkin puree is unsweetened and doesn’t include any spices or other seasonings.
- Use either canola oil or vegetable oil. You want a neutral oil that will not flavor the muffins, so don’t use olive oil. Feel free to substitute with melted unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Sift the flour to avoid any big clumps in your batter.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. You want it to come together so that everything is combined, but then stop stirring! Mixing too much will result in dry, dense muffins.
More Easy Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Easy Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- Coarse sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and eggs. Add the pumpkin and vanilla extract; whisk to combine. Sprinkle baking soda, baking powder, and salt over top. Whisk until well blended.¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup packed light brown sugar, ½ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Stir in the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice; be careful not to over-mix.2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted, 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Each cup will be really full, which yields those tall muffin tops.
- Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of coarse sugar on top of each muffin. It seems like a lot of sugar for each muffin, but this is what gives them those bakery-style sugar-crusted tops!Coarse sugar, for topping
- Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean.
- Transfer to wire racks to cool.
Notes
- Make sure that you use a can of 100% pure pumpkin puree, which is different from canned pumpkin pie filling or pumpkin pie mix. The pure pumpkin puree is unsweetened and doesn’t include any spices or other seasonings.
- Use either canola oil or vegetable oil. You want a neutral oil that will not flavor the muffins, so don’t use olive oil. Feel free to substitute with melted unsalted butter if you prefer.
- Sift the flour to avoid any big clumps in your batter.
- Be careful not to over-mix the batter. You want it to come together so that everything is combined, but then stop stirring! Mixing too much will result in dry, dense muffins.
I chose this recipe because it uses oil instead of melted butter. I cut the recipe in half to make 6 just in case I didn’t like them. Since I despise nutmeg, I omitted it. I didn’t have coarse sugar to sprinkle on the top, so I had to leave that step out. The only other thing I did was put the baking powder and baking soda in with the dry ingredients instead of sprinkling over the wet ingredients because I didn’t know why the recipe called for it to be done that way. Be aware that the batter really fills the muffin tins, but it doesn’t spill over during the baking. Instead, I had the most beautiful muffins I have ever made! And I’ve made thousands over the years. Great looking muffins are fine , but they need to taste great also, and these do! Moist and flavorful! This recipe is a keeper!
Thank you! That’s very high praise, and I have to agree…these are some of my favorite muffins of all time. 🙂
I could have rephrased the comment about despising nutmeg and just said since I don’t care for nutmeg . Sorry about that. But an update: I have made them several times and they are just as amazing as the first batch. My husband agrees. He really, really enjoys them, which is high praise indeed for your recipe.
THank you so much! We’re so happy to hear it and greatly appreciate such high praise.
Delish! Made a few tweaks to the MSRP recipe as I usually do:
Cut the 3/4 cup granulated sugar to 1/2 cup and added a cup of golden raisins, cut oil to 1/4 cup and added 1/4 buttermilk, used 1 very jumbo egg, doubled the vanilla. The course sugar topping really makes the muffin. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you for the feedback! We’re so glad you were able to make it work for you.
I followed the recipe, except I added chopped walnuts and stirred them in before adding the flour. Also, I did not put sugar on the top of the muffins – they were still great without that added top coating of sugar. I used Canola oil and silicone muffin tin liners so did not need to use a spray or otherwise grease the muffin tin. After 25 minutes, the muffins were very tall and fluffy and well-baked. I received positive feedback on both the texture and the taste.
We’re so glad they turned out well for you, Judith!
Most delicious pumpkin muffins I’ve ever made! They look like they came from a high end bakery! I used Pumpkin Pie spice as the alternative that you gave. Half the batch I put chopped walnuts in and they were delicious!
Yay! I totally agree. I’m so glad that you enjoyed them as much as we do, Sarah. Thank you!
Oh my, these are terrific! I made them today (along with a frittata) to precook dinner for tomorrow due to chemo. Mostly I just wanted something convenient and tucked in the freezer, but these are more than just convenient; they’re absolutely delicious. I’ve already devoured two muffins! This recipe is a keeper.
Thank you so much! We’re so glad you found them helpful to prep in advance and tasty, too!
I was looking for a recipe to use up some canned pumpkin puree that I have on hand. This recipe intrigued me because it uses about double the amount of pumpkin of my usual pumpkin muffin recipe. I made it this morning, following the recipe exactly except for I added 1 cup mini chocolate chips. Mine were done in 23 1/2 minutes. Wow! These are SO GOOD. They are “pumpkiney” and very, very moist. Much better than my other recipe. This recipe is going into my 3-ring binder of keeper recipes. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Thank you so much, Susan! We’re so glad you tried it out.
Loved these as muffins! Delicious! Do you think they’d work as mini loaves?
Thank you, Jenny! They should! Just adjust the baking time as needed.
Enjoyed these muffins very much and added chopped pecans to half the batter
Planning to make them again soon
Thank you so much, Cathryn!
Freezing cold afternoon in January here on Canada’s west coast so a good day to bake…this is an outstanding recipe! Here’s what I love about it… recipe uses an entire can of pumpkin, no annoying little bit of leftover pumpkin to try to remember to use up, moist without being heavy or soggy, they rose beautifully, with nice domed craggy, crunchy tops. I’m trying to use up stuff from my pantry so I added a half cup each of chopped dates and pecans, also sprinkled pumpkin seeds on top. Other than the mix-ins followed the recipe to a T. This is the first recipe I have tried from your site, and with the success of this one, will be trying others for sure! Thank you!
Thank you for such detailed feedback! The additions of dates, pecans, and pumpkin seeds sound wonderful. We’re so glad the recipe turned out well for you and can’t wait to hear what you try next!
These muffins were amazing! I substituted the flour with whole wheat pastry flour, and added raisins and pumpkin seeds. I did use olive oil, and didn’t feel it took away from the full flavors of the muffin. At least no one said anything anyway.. lol.
We’re so glad you were able to make them work for you, Mary Ann!