Healthy Pumpkin Muffins are made without butter, oil or flour! These naturally gluten-free pumpkin muffins are moist, flavorful and perfectly pumpkin spiced.
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
These nutritious pumpkin muffins are healthier, with less fat, calories, and sugar than traditional ones. We substitute refined flour with blended old-fashioned oats, use honey instead of sugar, and include a high proportion of canned pumpkin, which is rich in vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants.
The muffins feature dark chocolate, which provides essential fats and antioxidants, making them a fun choice in these muffins.
Ingredients
- Canned Pumpkin: Provides moisture and flavor, making up the base of the healthy pumpkin muffins. Use any leftovers in this healthy pumpkin bread.
- Sweeteners (Honey, Light Brown Sugar): Add sweetness and help make the texture even better.
- Vanilla Extract & Egg: Enhance flavor and bind the ingredients.
- Leaveners (Baking Soda, Baking Powder): Help the muffins rise and become fluffy.
- Spices (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Pumpkin Pie Spice): Add warmth and depth to the flavor.
- Oat Flour: Replaces traditional flour, adding a wholesome texture and nutrients.
- Dark Chocolate Chips: Introduce pockets of rich, melty flavor.
How To Make Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
- Prepare: Preheat oven and grease a muffin pan.
- Mix: Combine wet ingredients in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together dry.
- Combine & Bake: Mix together wet and dry ingredients, stir in dark chocolate chips, fill muffin cavities, and bake until tops are set.
- Cool & Store: Let cool before removing from the pan and store in an airtight container. Best enjoyed within a few days.
Tips For Success
- Non-stick Muffin Pan: Use a high-quality non-stick pan for easy removal. Here’s my favorite muffin tin.
- Pumpkin Type: Choose solid-packed, thick pumpkin like Libby’s for best flavor and texture.
- Sugar Adjustment: Increase sugar to taste, especially if you’re not accustomed to healthier baked goods. You can vary from 2 tablespoons to 1/2 cup based on preference.
- Precise Measuring: Level off dry ingredients and ensure liquids like pumpkin and honey are fully transferred into the mixing bowl for these healthy pumpkin muffins.
Storage
Leftovers?
Room Temperature: Store muffins in an airtight container. Best within 1-2 days.
Refrigeration: Keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Bring to room temp before eating.
Freezing: Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a bag or container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or microwave before serving.
More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Protein Shake
- Pumpkin Overnight Oats
- Healthy Pumpkin Cookies
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Steamer
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Low-calorie, Healthy Pumpkin Muffins are made without butter, oil, or flour! These naturally gluten-free pumpkin muffins are moist, flavorful, and perfectly pumpkin spiced.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canned pumpkin (Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar (Note 2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 cup + 1 tablespoon oat flour (regular oats that have been blended) (Note 3)
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- PREP: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9 cavities in a muffin pan with nonstick spray; do not use muffin liners with these; they stick to the liners. Press excess liquid out of the pumpkin with paper towels.
- WET INGREDIENTS: Combine the pumpkin, honey, brown sugar (See Note 2), vanilla, and egg in a bowl. Beat until combined.
- DRY INGREDIENTS: In another bowl, stir together the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and oat flour.
- MIX TO COMBINE: Add the dry to the wet, mixing until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
- BAKE: Divide the mixture evenly among 9 muffin cavities and place a few (3-4) extra chocolate chips on top if desired. Bake for 19-24 minutes or until the tops of the muffins look dry (not gooey) (My oven takes 23 minutes). Remove and allow to cool for 3-4 minutes and then remove them from the muffin pan onto a cooling rack.
- STORAGE: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. Muffins are best when used within 1-2 days.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Use high-quality pumpkin that isn’t overly watered down (I prefer Libby’s). Make sure to use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Note that this recipe only uses 1 cup of pumpkin, not the entire can!
Note 2: If you aren’t used to healthier baked goods, use 4-6 tablespoons brown sugar in these muffins. I typically use a packed 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup)
Note 3: Oat flour is just old-fashioned or quick oats that have been blended in a food processor or blender until they reach the consistency of flour. Make sure to measure the oat flour AFTER blending, not before. Level the measuring cups after being completely filled with oat flour (don’t loosely measure).
Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container. Best within 1-2 days.
Freezing: Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a bag or container. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw at room temp or microwave before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 166mg | Potassium: 249mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 4121IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 75mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I followed the recipe to a tee and these turned out wonderful! The are so soft and moist, and the chocolate chips in them are an awesome addition. I will be making these again and again. 🙂
I’m so thrilled these muffins were a hit for you Lindsay! Thanks so much for giving them a try and leaving a comment 🙂
Thanks so much for this delicious recipe! In New Zealand we don’t really get canned pumpkin, but I’ve had a great big pumpkin kicking about for a while and I was a bit stuck for ideas on how to use it. There’s only so much roasted pumpkin we can eat without turning orange! Anyway, I chopped some up, boiled and pureed it and it worked an absolute treat in these muffins. My 8-year old daughter looked pretty suspicious when she saw me chopping pumpkin, but she’s happily devouring her second muffin as I type. Thanks again!
So cool you made your own puree for this recipe! And I’m thrilled they are being enjoyed 🙂 Thanks Rachael!
Yum! I just made these and they are definitely a keeper! I substituted coconut sugar and maple sugar for the sugars. They taste really good warm and the chocolate chips melty!
So happy to hear you enjoyed these!! Thanks so much for the comment! 🙂
Chelsea, These are awesome! I just baked four batches and what can I say, they are a big hit in my house! I gave my friends the recipe and then I told them to go to your site. I always under bake since they continue cooking out of the oven. I added a lot more cinnamon and pumpkin spice and a few more çhoco chips. They are moist and delicious. I love all of your recipes and I love you for providing it!!
Oh yay!! I’m so thrilled to hear these were a hit 🙂 Thanks so much for all your support and sharing my site with others, it means so much to me! Thank you Gayle <3
I’ve made this recipe twice now and they turn out awesome everytime! Thanks for the awesome recipe, Chelsea!
Yeah!!! SO great to hear! Thank you Claire! 🙂
You are awesome!! I am trying healthy recipes for the kids and they loved these. I have made these twice already once with honey the other with agave. Both times they were wonderful, moist and delicious. Thank you for this recipe I will try the other recipes you have as well.
Again these were absolutely delicious – Do you think these would hold up if I froze them and then defrosted them when we wanted them quickly??
Awesome!! That is SO great to hear! Than you for the comment Abby! I’ve actually never tried freezing them so I can’t say for sure, but I believe a few other readers have and have had great success. 🙂
Well the muffins turned out fantastic. Very easy to make and they taste great!! I followed the recipe exactly including pumpkin pie spice. I messed up and used 1/2 tea. baking powder instead of 1/4. The extra 1/4 tea. might have made them rise a little more. I used liners and ended up with 8 muffins. Very good combination of pumpkin and chocolate. I baked for 20 minutes in my oven and they came out nice and moist. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
So great to hear it!! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment Ross 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed these!
Holy smokes, these look fantastic! I wish I’d found them before today… all my holiday baking is done. For now! But there’s always next week hmmmm
Just made these for a work breakfast potluck tomorrow and they turned out great! I used mini muffin pans and got 24 muffins! This is a keeper!
Yay!! So glad these were enjoyed!! Thanks Diane! 🙂
Just made these muffins this evening and they are delicious. Will be bring the remaining ones to work tomorrow so I don’t eat them all on my own. First time I ever made pumpkin puree from my halloween pumpkin and this is the first recipe I tried with it. Overall a homer.