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Yes, you read that right. Two ingredients — no eggs, no oil, and no butter — and about 5 minutes of prep! These easy Pumpkin Muffins are made with a box of spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin for a lighter way to satisfy your pumpkin spice cravings!

Serving tray full of easy pumpkin muffins

How to Make 2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins | 1-Minute Video

Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

I definitely cannot take credit for this easy pumpkin muffin recipe, since it seems to be a fairly well-known way of “hacking” a boxed cake mix. That said, I’m still excited about these sweet, tasty treats that my boys have been enjoying since they were toddlers!

The healthy pumpkin muffins are a perfect breakfast, snack, or side dish with dinner, since they taste great and still manage to sneak in some extra veggies. Keep these two ingredients on hand, because you never know when a baking — or muffin — mood will strike!

Front shot of a pumpkin muffin on a plate with a glass of milk in the background

Ingredients for Easy Pumpkin Muffins

That’s right — these are just about the easiest muffins you will ever make. After all, you only need 2 ingredients:

Cake mix and pumpkin for easy pumpkin muffins

How to Make Pumpkin Muffins with a Cake Mix

First, combine the dry cake mix with the pumpkin puree. Do not add any other ingredients called for on the box.

Pumpkin and dry cake mix in bowl for pumpkin muffins

I like to fold the batter together with a spatula first, and then I use an electric mixer to make sure that it’s fluffy and completely combined. You can do this all by hand — it just takes a bit longer.

That batter is thick!

Pumpkin muffin batter in glass bowl with electric mixer

Divide the batter evenly among 12 standard muffin cups. Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Square image of a pumpkin muffin on a plate

What to Serve with Pumpkin Spice Muffins

If you’re serving the pumpkin muffins for breakfast or brunch, try pairing them with any of these other dishes:

At dinnertime, the muffins go well with any of these entrées:

Storage — Homemade Pumpkin Muffins

Stored in an airtight container, the muffins will keep at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Freeze the extras! These 2 ingredient pumpkin muffins keep really well in the freezer, so stash some away for easy breakfasts or snacks throughout the fall. You can thaw them in the microwave or leave them to sit on the counter for an hour or so.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Muffins

  • To make pumpkin mini muffins, decrease the baking time to about 8-10 minutes.
  • Use a box of yellow cake mix or chocolate cake mix instead of the spice cake mix. Since those flavors don’t have spices, you may want to add a dash of pumpkin spice to the batter.
  • Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins: Add 1-2 cups of chocolate chips to the batter.
  • Mix-In’s: Get creative and make these your own! In addition to chocolate chips, other great add-in’s include chopped pecans or walnuts, raisins or dried cranberries.
  • Want to make cupcakes? Just dollop these pumpkin spice muffins with a bit of cream cheese frosting, or cover chocolate pumpkin muffins with chocolate frosting. The combinations are endless!
  • Be sure to spray your muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper cups. If using the paper cups, I suggest giving the paper cups a little spritz with nonstick spray as well. Otherwise, these muffins may stick since they don’t have fat in them.

Front shot of homemade pumpkin muffins on a cake stand in front of a dark background

More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love

Serving tray full of easy pumpkin muffins

2 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins

4.92 from 23 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 18 minutes
Cooling Time 15 minutes
Total: 38 minutes
Servings 12 - 13 standard muffins
Calories 133 kcal
These pumpkin muffins only require 2 ingredients and about 5 minutes of prep!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (just plain pumpkin -- NOT the canned pumpkin pie filling)
  • 1 (15.25 ounce) box spice cake mix

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with baking cups. If using paper liners, I suggest that you give the paper liners a little spritz of nonstick spray as well, just to prevent any sticking.
  • In a large bowl, use a spatula to fold together pumpkin and dry cake mix. Then I like to use an electric mixer to make sure that the batter is fluffy and completely combined. It will be thick!
  • Use a scoop to fill prepared muffin tins with batter.
  • Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for about 5 minutes and then remove muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.
  • These freeze really well, so store in an airtight container or a zip-top bag in the freezer and just thaw as necessary.

Video

Notes

This recipe yields approximately 12-13 standard-size muffins OR approximately 30 mini muffins.
COOK'S TIPS:
  • This is really just a method, which can be tailored any number of ways to suit your family’s tastes.  My kids love the pumpkin spice flavor that you get with a spice cake mix, but you can also use a yellow cake mix or a chocolate cake mix instead.
  • Want to make pumpkin mini muffins? Use the same instructions, but bake the batter in a mini muffin tin for about 8-10 minutes.
  • Want to make cupcakes?  Just dollop these pumpkin spice muffins with a bit of cream cheese frosting, or cover chocolate muffins with chocolate frosting.  The combinations are endless!
  • Be sure to spray your muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper cups. If using the paper cups, I suggest giving the paper cups a little spritz with nonstick spray as well. Otherwise, these muffins may stick since they don't have fat in them.
  • Freeze the extras! These two ingredient pumpkin muffins keep really well in the freezer, so stash some away for easy breakfasts or snacks throughout the fall. You can thaw them in the microwave or leave them to sit on the counter for an hour or so.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 133kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSodium: 243mgPotassium: 83mgFiber: 1gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 5090IUVitamin C: 1.4mgCalcium: 79mgIron: 1.2mg
Keyword: easy pumpkin muffin recipe, healthy pumpkin muffins, pumpkin muffins with cake mix
Course: Breakfast, Side Dish, Snacks
Cuisine: American
Author: Blair Lonergan

This post was originally published in February, 2013. It was updated in September, 2018.

blair

Hey, I’m Blair!

Welcome to my farmhouse kitchen in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Inspired by local traditions and seasonal fare, you’ll find plenty of easy, comforting recipes that bring your family together around the table. It’s down-home, country-style cooking!

Read More

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Comments

    1. Hi, Sara! I have no idea — I’m not familiar with Keto mixes. If they have similar baking instructions to a regular mix, then I think they’d probably work.

  1. 5 stars
    Have made dozens of these since finding the recipe. My son with major stomach issues tolerates them and loves them. I make some with chocolate chips, some with pecans and some with coconut. I do not fill my cupcake paper cups full. It will make 2 dozen muffins. I also like the carrot cake mix a little better than the spice. So simple. Thanks!

  2. 5 stars
    I made these pumpkin muffins twice and only added chopped walnuts. Both batches turned out perfectly, and everyone loved them. I sent the recipe to my cousin in northern Pennsylvania. She mixed the batter and decided to try a test muffin. It was like leather, so she added some water, and another test muffin also turned out tough. Finally she added oil, eggs and water as in the recipe on the cake mix box. She said they turned out fluffy and delicious! Defeats the 2-ingredient idea.

    Was her problem because of her higher elevation (in the mountains)? I’m in Florida and had no problem.

    Thank you.

    1. Hi, Grace! I don’t know — I would guess that your cousin’s higher elevation may have had something to do with it. I’m no expert at elevation baking though, so I’m not sure. I’m glad that you enjoyed them, though!

      1. 5 stars
        I think elevation must make a big difference. I live just west of Denver and the muffins came out the same size they went in. No raising at all and very, very heavy. I think I’ll try again with at least part of the add-ins listed on the spice cake box to see if eggs or oil are needed to make them rise.

    2. How can I make it a little more moisture. They seem to be a little dry and the recipe I used said 350 for 20 minutes. So this one would even be cooking it more. O really love them but want to make them less crumbly?

      1. Hi, Cindy! Adding oil to baked goods makes them more moist, so you can definitely test that out if you like.