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.
Thank you! I absolutely love this recipe and so does my family. I decided to try half extra dark chocolate and half milk chocolate chips this time. Hoping its even better!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for the comment 🙂
My eight yr old and I have made these three times with different variables. I homeschool so when I can add science to cooking it’s a double winner! Let me just tell the changes we made that made the best end product. I doubled the recipe and instead of two cups of pumpkin I used 1 1/2 cup pumpkin, 1/4 cup almond butter and a 1/4 cup coconut oil. I replaced the tbsps of oat flour with almond flour. I found with these changes I could use muffin liners with no sticking issues. We decreased the sugar by half and used half mini chips and half pecans. I also found cooking them in a stainless steel muffin pan produced a better texture vs aluminum muffin tin , and that’s because aluminum is a better heat conductor thus over cooking them a bit and made them more dense. This a great recipe as is and even better with our little changes!!
Thank you for sharing! Glad these were a hit 🙂
Made these today and they are so good. I wanted some extra protein so I subbed 1/4c of the oat flour with egg white protein powder and they are delicious.
Just a tip; when I’m making any kind of muffins and the mixture seems a little thick to me, I add in 1/2 cup of unsweetened applesauce and they turn out perfect!
I also did the calorie count, just as written, for 10 muffins, and got 104 calories, 2.8g fat; 18.3 g carbs, 1.8g fiber, 9.3g sugar, and 2.6g of protein. Now I will go and make them!
I made these this morning with my children and they are terrific!! I omitted the chocolate and added raw pecans and dried cranberries to the mix. A small dollop of honey on top for a quick breakfast, snack, or dessert! We will definitely be making these again (VERY soon)!!
I’m so thrilled these were a hit Lesan! Thanks for the comment 🙂
Can you use regular four instead of oatmeal?
You can but I’m not sure how much you’ll need since the conversion won’t be 1:1. Oat flour absorbs a lot more liquid than regular flour.
Hello Chelsea can I use whole wheat flour instead of the oats?
Hi Z! You can, but I’m not sure how much to recommend because oat flour absorbs a lot more liquid than wheat flour so the conversion won’t be 1:1. Let me know if you do try it!
These look amazing! Could I leave out the chocolate chips and just make regular pumpkin muffins? Or would I need to add more sweetener?
If you did leave them out, I would add more sweetener! I don’t love these without chocolate chips…
Chelsea!! I SUCK at cooking, but I made these the other morning for my boys and they were delicious! I think I had 2 for breakfast and another 2 for lunch haha. Will definitely be making these a lot this fall! You’re a wizard!
I’m so thrilled to hear these were a hit for you and your boys! Thanks so much for giving them a try and leaving a comment Camrie! 🙂