These bakery-style easy pumpkin muffins are moist, warmly spiced, and finished with high, sugar-crusted tops. Best of all, they only require one bowl and about 10 minutes of prep!
Our favorite pumpkin muffin recipe uses an entire can of pumpkin (no waste!), and clean-up is easy. They’re a cozy fall favorite you’ll make on repeat!
Table of Contents
Before You Get Started
- Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin puree (like Libby’s brand), not pumpkin pie filling. A 15-ounce can is just right.
- Vegetable oil keeps the muffins moist. Canola oil, avocado oil, melted coconut oil, or unsalted melted butter work as well. Don’t use olive oil, which has a stronger flavor.
- Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice create that classic pumpkin spice flavor. If you’d like, swap in 1 tablespoon of store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice.
- Stir gently and stop once the flour disappears into the batter. Overmixing leads to dense muffins.
- Don’t skip the coarse sugar on top. It may feel like a lot, but it’s what makes the muffins look and taste like they came from a bakery.
Step-by-Step: How to Make this Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
This recipe comes together in one bowl, which makes cleanup easy. Just follow these simple steps and you’ll have a dozen muffins cooling on the counter in no time.
Step 1: Mix the Wet Ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together both sugars, the oil, and the eggs until smooth. Stir in the pumpkin and vanilla until everything is well combined.
Step 2: Add Dry Ingredients
Sprinkle the baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the wet mixture, whisking them in until they’re completely incorporated. Then stir in the flour and spices (cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice). Stop mixing as soon as the batter comes together.
** Tip: Resist the urge to keep stirring once the flour is incorporated. The less you mix, the softer and lighter your muffins will be.
Step 3: Fill and Top the Muffins
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, filling them nearly to the top. They’ll be full, which helps create tall muffin tops. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of coarse sugar over each muffin. It might look like too much, but that’s what gives you the crunchy, crackly tops. I like King Arthur sparkling sugar, but turbinado sugar works too.
** Tip: For even taller muffins, let the batter rest for 10 minutes before baking.
Step 4: Bake Until Perfect
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
Storage Tips
- Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
- Refrigerator: Keep for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: Freeze muffins in a single layer, then store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or warm in the microwave.
Serving Suggestions
Warm a muffin and spread it with butter, cream cheese, honey, cinnamon honey butter, or pumpkin butter. Pack them in lunchboxes for a fall treat, enjoy them with your morning coffee or tea, or serve alongside eggs and bacon for a cozy breakfast spread. Or, add them to your dinner table alongside chicken and stuffing casserole, bean casserole, or crockpot white chicken chili.
Variations and Customizations
- Replace half of the all-purpose flour with 1 cup of whole wheat flour.
- 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why did my muffins turn out dense? They were probably overmixed. Stir gently and stop as soon as the flour is incorporated.
- Can I substitute fresh pumpkin for canned? Yes, just make sure it’s well cooked and drained so the texture is close to canned pumpkin puree.
- Why are my muffins flat instead of domed? Over-mixing or under-filling the cups can cause flat muffins. Be sure to fill the liners almost to the top. Also, check your baking soda and baking powder. If they’re expired, your muffins won’t puff up the way they should.
- Why do the muffin tops crack? That’s usually from filling the cups generously and baking at a higher temperature. A little cracking is perfectly normal and actually gives them that bakery look.
- Can I make these muffins with less sugar or oil? Yes, you can reduce the sugar slightly or replace part of the oil with applesauce or Greek yogurt, but the texture will change.
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!
– sarah
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Easy Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (15 ounce) 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. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice; be careful not to over-mix.
- 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!
- 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 or whisk 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.
Nutrition
These muffins were amazing! I substituted the flour with whole wheat pastry flour, and added raisins and pumpkin seeds.
– Mary Ann
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Easy One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread
3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
One-Bowl Baked Pumpkin Donuts
41 minutes mins
2-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins with Cake Mix
38 minutes mins
If you’re looking for even more easy pumpkin recipes, be sure to try a loaf of this one-bowl pumpkin cranberry bread, this pumpkin cake with yellow cake mix, a pot of creamy pumpkin soup, cozy pumpkin chili, and this pumpkin cornbread, too!
Originally published in September, 2022, this post was updated in October, 2025.
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!
These pumpkin muffins are not only tasty but also as beautiful as if they came from a bakery! I love that it used the whole can of pumpkin. I did not have coarse sugar, but used regular. Still turned out lovely! Thank you!
Thank you so much, De Anna! We’re glad you enjoyed them.
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!
Delicious! I didn’t have any of the coarse sugar so I used pumpkin seeds to give the muffins a little crunch. Will definitely make again!
We’re so glad they turned out well for you, Katy! Thank you for trying them out.
So My husband , who absolutely loves your website, found these for Labor Day. They are the perfect muffin. They are soft and delicious and with butter right out of the oven, so amazing.
We use your recipes every week, pretty much. We work and your recipes are very handy.
I made 2 batches of muffins for Bible study tonight. I’m gonna be very popular!
This makes me so happy to hear, Laura! I hope the muffins were a hit at your Bible study. 🙂 Thank you so much for letting me know!
I made these to take to a friend, and they were delicious! She said they were amazing. They were easy to make. Thank you!
That’s so kind of you to bring them to a friend, Julie. We’re glad they turned out well!
Has all the features of a perfect recipe,economical, straight forward instructions,thoughtfull reminders to the baker.Mine is in the oven now-just what I needed to start my holidays!
Wonderful! I hope you enjoy them, Michele! Thanks for your kind note.
These pumpkin muffins are the best I have ever made! They were very moist and light! A great recipe I will use again!
Thank you, Amy. That makes me so happy to hear!
Really good. I did far less than a teaspoon of sugar on top and they still turned out amazing. Good one!
Thank you, Steph!
These have become my favorite pumpkin dessert! I made them over the weekend and my daughter and I wanted to devour them in one sitting! What a perfect recipe and so easy. Definitely keeping this one! I do baked goods for Christmas gifts and this will be at the top of the list this year! Thanks for sharing!!
We’re so happy to hear this! Thank you for trying it out and taking the time to leave feedback, Cheryl.
she can love you too so much
Perfect!
Thank you, Sandi!
Tried these just now. WOW absolutely stunning. I loved them so much!! They were moist with good ratios and over all a GREAT BAKE! They rose beautifully with a gorgeous crumb, perfect. Thank you for the recipe
Thank you, Jo! I’m so happy to hear that. They’re definitely a personal favorite, too. Thanks for your note!
The best.moist, a keeper. I added pumpkin seeds and golden raisins.
Thank you, Melissa! We’re so glad you enjoyed it.
Easy to make and very tasty.
Thank you, Lois!
Could you tell us how many grams per one cup of flour you use in your recipes. Everyone uses different grams per cup. Thank you.