Best Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

These healthy pumpkin muffins are lightened up with less oil and sugar but are every bit as moist and fluffy as you’d expect!

Enjoy Fall baking a little too much and want something more nutritious? Try this healthy pumpkin muffin recipe.

They have been a healthier and wholesome twist to traditional muffins. They bake in minutes and are full of flavor.

Why this recipe works

These muffins may look complicated to make, but they are one of the most foolproof baked goods ever.

• Made with oat flour. Traditional muffins use white flour or bread flour, but using oat flour adds extra fiber, protein, and whole grains to the recipe!
• Perfect texture and flavor. The texture is moist and fluffy in the middle with a tender crumb. They are full of pumpkin flavor, thanks to adding pumpkin puree to the batter (no pumpkin pie filling!).
• Low sugar and nothing refined. Swapping out white sugar or brown sugar for coconut sugar keeps these muffins refined sugar free. This sweetener also works well with the pumpkin flavor.

Ingredients needed

These pumpkin oatmeal muffins are so easy and besides a bunch of pantry staples, there isn’t much else that is needed to make. Here is what you’ll need:

• Oat flour– Ground up rolled or quick oats. Skip the expensive packaged kind and make your own!
• Baking powder– The leavening agent used to give the muffins some rise and fluffiness.
• Pumpkin pie spice– A must for any recipe using pumpkin puree.
• Pumpkin puree– Homemade pumpkin puree or unsweetened canned pumpkin. If you use the latter, be sure that it is NOT pumpkin pie filling.
• Coconut oil– A fantastic alternative to butter. Use refined coconut oil, as it has no coconut flavor whatsoever.
• Eggs– room temperature eggs.
• Milk of choice– I used unsweetened almond milk, but any milk can be used (coconut, soy, non-fat, etc).
• Coconut sugar– A refined sugar free sweetener. You can find these at Asian grocers or health food stores. White or brown sugar will also work.

Oatmeal crumb topping

• Oat flour.
• Rolled oats.
• Coconut sugar.
• Cinnamon.
• Coconut oil.

How to healthy pumpkin muffins

This recipe for healthy pumpkin muffins is easy to make: Just remember to avoid over-mixing the batter.

Make the batter: Start by whisking together your flour, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl, then set that aside. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients until creamy.

Gently fold through the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until fully incorporated and no air pockets remain.

Make the crumb topping: If desired, make the crumb topping by mixing together the oat flour, rolled oats, coconut sugar, cinnamon, and coconut oil.

Bake the muffins: Now, disperse the batter evenly amongst a greased 12-count muffin tin and sprinkle the crumb topping over each one.

Bake the muffins for 18-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.

Cool then serve: Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes, before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips to make the best recipe

Do not over-bake the muffins. Remember, muffins will continue to bake as they are cooling in the muffin tin. Remove them from the oven when a toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Use superfine oat flour. For the best texture of the muffins, the oat flour used must be a powdery texture. If you are making your own, you may need to blend it down several times.

Adjust the sweetness. These muffins are pleasantly sweet, thanks to the addition of coconut sugar and the natural sweetness of the pumpkin. However, if you prefer a sweeter muffin, add an extra tablespoon or two of sugar.

Dietary swaps and flavor variations

The beauty of these muffins is just how easy they are to customize to a plethora of diets or eating styles. Here is what we have tested:

• Make them vegan. Switch out the eggs for an egg substitute.
• Add chocolate chips. Who can say no to a healthy pumpkin chocolate chip muffin?
• Pumpkin muffins with applesauce. Replace half the pumpkin with unsweetened applesauce. This gives the muffins a slightly less intense pumpkin flavor while keeping them perfectly moist and fluffy.
• Healthy pumpkin banana muffins. Swap out half the pumpkin for mashed banana.
• Pumpkin oatmeal muffins. Do as I did and make a simple oatmeal streusel on top. Combine rolled oats with coconut sugar and sprinkle on top of each muffin before baking them. Drizzle with a simple powdered sugar glaze.

Storage instructions

To store: Muffins can be stored at room temperature, covered, for up to 3 days. If you’d like them to keep longer, store them in the refrigerator and they will keep for up to 1 week.

To freeze: Place muffins in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. Let them thaw completely from their frozen state.

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