These two-ingredient pumpkin muffins only require a box of spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin, and about 5 minutes of prep! With no eggs, no oil, and no butter, they’re a lighter way to satisfy your pumpkin spice craving.
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These were delicious! Thanks so much for this easy recipe. I experimented a bit and added some chopped up pecans and that was delicious as well. I now have an easy, quick go to last minute healthier treat when my grandsons pop in.
– Linda
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cake Mix | 1-Minute Video
Directions
I definitely cannot take credit for these easy pumpkin spice muffins, since the recipe seems to be a fairly well-known way of “hacking” a boxed cake mix. That said, I’m still excited about the sweet 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.
- Combine the dry cake mix with the canned pumpkin puree. Do not add any other ingredients called for on the box.
- Fold the pumpkin mixture together with a spatula first, and then use an electric mixer to make sure that it’s fluffy and completely combined. You whisk or stir all of this together by hand — it just takes a bit longer. The batter will be thick!
- Divide the batter evenly among 12 standard muffin cups. 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.
- Bake at 375 degrees F for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- How to Store: keep the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- How to Freeze: let the muffins cool completely. Wrap tightly or store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- How to Reheat: thaw frozen muffins on the counter overnight. Warm individual muffins in the microwave for 10-30 seconds.
Yumm “O”, what a hit. Easy to make and quick, and Gluten Free in my case. It worked beautifully. Thank you for thinking outside the Cake box!
– Mary
More Easy Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Easy One-Bowl Pumpkin Bread
3 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Easy Pumpkin Muffins
30 minutes mins
Pumpkin Cornbread
45 minutes mins
Did you make this recipe?
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Watch How to Make It
2-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cake Mix
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree (just plain pumpkin — NOT the canned pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 (15.25 ounce) box spice cake mix (I like Duncan Hines brand)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°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! You can do this all by hand, but it will just take longer.
- Use a scoop to fill prepared muffin pan 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Pumpkin Spice Muffins Recipe Variations
- For 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 pie spice or ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to the batter.
- Mix-In’s: Get creative and make these your own! Add 1-2 cups of chocolate chips, chopped pecans or walnuts, raisins, or dried cranberries. For a bakery-style finish, sprinkle the tops of the muffins with sparkling sugar before baking.
- For pumpkin cupcakes, dollop these pumpkin spice muffins with a bit of cream cheese frosting, or cover chocolate pumpkin muffins with chocolate frosting. The combinations are endless!
This post was originally published in February, 2013. It was updated in September, 2024.
Can I use sweet potato puree?
Hi, Kelly! I haven’t tried it with the sweet potatoes, but I would think that should work fine — as long as the sweet potato puree has a similar consistency to the canned pumpkin. I wouldn’t use a really thin and runny sweet potato puree like baby food — you want something a bit thicker. Enjoy!
why cant you use pumpkin pie mix?
I think that the pie mix would technically “work,” but the pie mix is very sweet and includes spices in it. Since the cake mix is already really sweet and has spices in it, you’d basically be making the muffins twice as sweet and spicy. Hope that makes sense!
I used 15oz of pumpkin pie mix since I only had a yellow cake mix. I added an egg and increased baking time by 5 minutes due to extra moisture. They turned out great!
First of all, thank you for all of your wonderful recipes. Always look forward to your email each Sunday. I had a problem with my muffins and hope you can help to solve. Went by directions and added a few chopped walnuts. The problem is that they came out very gummy. The toothpick came out clean when tested. I baked again for fifteen more minutes and still a little gummy. What did I do wrong? I have an oven thermometer and it checked out at 375*. Thank you.
Hi, Jane! Thanks for your kind note! The muffins may have a slightly more gummy texture than a traditional muffin because you’re not adding a fat like butter or oil. It’s similar to when you use applesauce to replace the fat in a baking recipe — it ends up with a slightly different texture. That said, they shouldn’t be too gummy or odd in taste/texture. I’m wondering if maybe they were over-mixed? Sometimes mixing batter too much can result in a dense muffin. Also, did you use Libby’s brand pumpkin puree? That’s the only brand that I ever use, but I’ve heard that alternative brands (like store brands or generics) may have more water in them, which can alter the texture of your baked goods. A muffin batter that’s too wet will definitely taste more gummy when it’s baked. Other than that, I can’t think of what the problem might be. Again, thanks for your support of the blog and for reading along with us!
Thank you for your quick reply. I probably over mixed. Yes, I do use Libby’s.. They look beautiful. I ended up putting them back in the oven and baked 20 more minutes. They are better but still a little gummy. Next time, I’ll try to hold back the urge to over-mix. A problem I have. Thank you again.
Sounds good! Thanks, Jane!
Well this has to be the easiest recipe ever. & yes they are delicious. HOWEVER……what did I do wrong that they didn’t rise? Yes I used Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix. Yes I used Libbys Pumpkin. Yes I used a blender. Yes I sprayed my muffins tins. Yes at 375 degrees. Yes for 18 minutes. Kinda frustrating. Thanks for your reply.
Hi, Jules! It sounds like you did everything “right,” so it’s really impossible for me to know what went wrong. The leavener in the cake mix should make the muffins rise, so there’s no clear explanation why they wouldn’t in your case. I’ve never tried using a blender — perhaps they were over-mixed and therefore too dense? That’s my only guess. Otherwise, maybe the cake mix wasn’t fresh and therefore the leavener wasn’t activated? Sorry I can’t offer a clear answer, but I’m glad that you thought they were delicious. 🙂
I had the same problem! Followed it to a T. And they never rised.
These are perfect! Thank you for sharing ❤️ glad I tested them so early in the season so I make keep making them all Fall long!
Excellent! I’m so glad that you’ve found a new favorite for the season!
I’d like to add raisins but also some oatmeal would that work?
Hi, Janet! The raisins will definitely work well. I’m not sure about the oatmeal — maybe just sprinkle some on top of the muffins before baking? I worry that adding extra dry ingredients may dry out the batter, but I haven’t tested it to know for sure. 🙂
I added some liquefied Coconut oil to each paper cup and put the leftover partial Tbsp into the batter and stirred with the rubber spatula and baked the 12 muffins aT 375° for 18 minutes and the muffins came out beautifully so there is a bit of flexibility there and the mix I used was a Duncan Hines perfectly moist “Signature” spice cake and If I make this again I’ll experiment by adding some Chocolate chips or dried Cranberries
Sounds great, Vinnie! Thanks for sharing your adjustments, too! I know you’ll love them with the extra add-ins as well. 🙂
I have been making these for years and I add a bag of cinnamon chips to spice cake mix, really good. I also made devils food cake mix with a bag of choclate chips. Both are great!
YUM! I bet the cinnamon chips are delicious, Sally! 🙂
Hi Sally,
Are cinnamon chips the candy red-hots or something else?
Thanks!
Hi, Cindy! Cinnamon chips are similar to chocolate chips, but cinnamon flavored instead. Here’s a link to some that Hershey’s makes: https://www.target.com/p/hershey-s-cinnamon-chip-10oz/-/A-53586743?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&DFA=71700000012732781&CPNG=PLA_Grocery%2BShopping_Local%7CGrocery_Ecomm_Food_Bev&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&LNM=PRODUCT_GROUP&network=g&device=c&location=9008300&targetid=pla-816146012114&ds_rl=1246978&gclid=CjwKCAjwsfuYBhAZEiwA5a6CDGARp7qab9zBDWOOWZXIqeFKH7jTz-KvQvgJMcl6y6f1H5qGKIpQ7RoC0GMQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Hope that helps!
I wanted to use some pumpkin purée I prepared just this morning. How many cups would be best for a 13.9 oz Betty Crocker Cinnamon Streusel muffin/quick bread mix?
Hi, Zain! I would use about 1 3/4 cups of the homemade puree. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
Can this recipe be made with Namaste gluten free Spice Cake Mix ??
Hi, Catharine! I’m not sure — I’m not familiar with that brand, and I’ve never tried a gluten free cake mix. If it’s otherwise comparable to a regular cake mix as far as the ingredients and baking instructions go, I would think it should work. 🙂
Brilliant blog…
Thought I bought a spice cake mix but bought a carrot cake mix instead. The muffins were delicious even though I used the wrong mix. On top of that, my house smelled like a bakery !! Thank you for this versatile recipe.
Oh, that’s great to know, Bitsey! I bet they were delicious. Thanks for your note!
Think you can mix in cream cheese for cream cheese muffins?
Yes, I think that would probably work fine! Let me know if you give it a shot. 🙂
These are so easy and delicious! They are very moist which I like but my husband thought they were a little too moist almost doughy. But you can tell by looking at them they are fully cooked. Wondering if adding a little flour might help this or maybe just a little less pumpkin? I used a small 15 oz can of pumpkin puree.
Hi, Denise! Yes, you could try either of those options. The moist almost doughy texture is a result of no added fat (like oil or butter) and a lot of moisture from the pumpkin. So again, you could try adding flour or reducing the pumpkin to see how that changes the texture. You might also try adding an egg or two to the mix. I know some folks have done that…
Glad that you enjoyed them — especially given how quick and easy they are! 🙂
I have tried just pumpkin and cake mix. I prefer to add two eggs to the batter. They rise higher and are less dense.
I thought better too dry so I added 1 medium egg & baked 20 minutes. Loved them! Can’t wait to try other suggestions on previous posts.
They are so yummy but the tops are crazy sticky even though toothpick comes out clean. What am I doing wrong?
I don’t know, Kim. I haven’t had that issue. Is your house really humid? I notice that baked goods sometimes get sticky in the summer when my house is particularly humid. Other than that, I can’t think of a reason that they would be sticky. You might try sprinkling the tops with coarse sugar, just to give them some good texture and maybe avoid some of the stickiness.
I saw another 2-ingredient pumpkin spice muffin recipe that added 1 c water to the pumpkin before mixing in the cake mix. They are delicious! Not dense at all. I love them! Thanks for posting!
Thanks, Becky!
Can you use a Keto cake mix?
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.
These are the BEST! I also add 1/2 C. each of coconut raisins and pumpkin seeds.
They are a very hardy bunch!
Easy and taste good. I also added raisens.
Thanks, Pam!
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!
Thanks, Sue!
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.
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!
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.
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?
Hi, Cindy! Adding oil to baked goods makes them more moist, so you can definitely test that out if you like.
The batter is very thick. Can you add a little oil or a little water?
Thank you!
Elizabeth