Pumpkin season is here, and today’s recipe, pumpkin oat muffins, is exactly what you need. Not only do they not require much effort in the kitchen, but they also make your whole house smell like pumpkin season.
Like our Easy Pumpkin Bread and Almond Flour Pumpkin Bread, these muffins are a quick breakfast perfect for busy mornings throughout the fall season and best enjoyed with your morning coffee.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This pumpkin oatmeal muffins recipe requires just a handful of simple ingredients you probably already have on hand. You will need:
- Coconut Oil: I used melted and cooled coconut oil, but you can also use avocado oil, olive oil, or unsalted butter (though it won’t be dairy-free) if preferred.
- Sweetener: One of my favorite natural sweeteners is pure maple syrup, but you can also use honey. I would not swap the liquid sweetener out for a dry granulated sweetener (like coconut sugar or brown sugar) because this will affect the moisture content.
- Eggs: Use two large eggs at room temperature. For a vegan pumpkin and oats muffins recipe, use flax eggs. To make flax eggs that is equal to two eggs, mix two tablespoons of ground flaxseeds (aka flaxseed meal) with 5 tablespoons of water. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes until it has a gel-like consistency. Use it in the recipe in place of eggs as written.
- Pumpkin: Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. If you prefer fresh pumpkin puree, you can make yours following this Homemade Pumpkin Puree recipe.
- Milk: I used unsweetened almond milk, but other options include full-fat coconut milk, cashew milk, or oat milk. You can also use regular whole milk instead.
- Vanilla extract
- Whole Wheat Flour: Whole wheat flour keeps adds extra fiber but regular all-purpose flour can be used instead.
- Kosher Salt: Salt enhances all those oatmeal and pumpkin flavors.
- Baking Soda: Baking soda helps the muffins rise and promotes a golden brown color.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Old-Fashioned Oats: The types of oats you use will determine the final texture of your muffins. I prefer Rolled Oats vs. Quick Oats because they are chewier and more substantial. Quick oats make the muffins too mushy, so I do not recommend using them.
- Raisins: I highly recommend the raisins because they add the right amount of sweetness. Dried cranberries (apple juice sweetened preferred) are a good substitute.
Optional Add-Ins
Here are some additional mix-ins you can add to these healthy oat pumpkin muffins to make it your own:
- Pumpkin Seeds: Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with pumpkin seeds (pepitas).
- Chocolate Chips: To give it that pumpkin-and-chocolate vibe, sprinkle with dark chocolate chips (affiliate link) or white chocolate chips.
- Nuts: Toss in some toasted and chopped pecans or walnuts for crunch.
How to Make Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins?
These oatmeal pumpkin muffins come together in a flash; the hardest part is waiting for them to bake in the oven. Here are the step-by-step instructions:
- Prep muffin pan: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F/163 degrees C. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment paper liners. If you do not have liners, generously coat the muffin cups with coconut oil, butter, or cooking spray.
- Whisk wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, pumpkin puree, almond milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, mix the whole wheat flour, Kosher salt, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and oats until combined.
- Make the muffin batter: Add the dry ingredients to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix until just combined—do not overmix. Fold in the raisins.
- Fill muffin pan: Scoop the batter into each cup, about ⅔ full. Top with pumpkin seeds or chocolate chips if using.
- Bake: Bake for 25-27 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing. Transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy plain, with a drizzle of almond butter or a dollop of vanilla yogurt.
How to Store, Freeze, Thaw, and Reheat?
If I have the extra time, I usually bake a double batch of these oatmeal pumpkin spice muffins as they make the best snack or quick breakfast. You can easily grab one and go because they store well. Here are my best storage tips to keep these muffins fresh and moist as long as possible:
- Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. The cold moisture in the fridge will draw out some of the moisture.
- Freeze: Cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag, squeezing out all the air. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thaw: Thaw in the fridge overnight or right on the kitchen counter to room temperature.
- Reheat: Pop one in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or reheat in an oven or toaster oven until warm, about 5 minutes.
Expert Tips
While this recipe is pretty straightforward for any home baker, there are a few things worth mentioning to help you succeed on your first try. Here are a few helpful tips for the best oatmeal pumpkin muffin recipe:
- Use parchment liners: The parchment paper liners make for easy removal and no messy clean-up. I love these Parchment Liners (affiliate link).
- Do not overmix: The key to light and fluffy pumpkin muffins with oatmeal is not to overmix. This will prevent too much gluten from forming in the batter.
- Make your own pumpkin spice: If you can’t find it at the grocery store or prefer to make your own, mix 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 2 teaspoons nutmeg, 1 teaspoon allspice, and 1 teaspoon ground cloves. Stir to combine. This makes 5 tablespoons of pumpkin spice, you can use some of it in this muffin recipe and store the remainder in an airtight container in a cool place for up to 6 months.
FAQs
Pumpkin muffins become gummy when you overmix the batter. This means that too much gluten was developed during the mixing process, making tough, dense muffins.
If you try this Healthy Pumpkin Muffins recipe or any other recipe on Foolproof Living, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. If you take some pictures, share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
Other Pumpkin Recipes You Might Like
- Pumpkin Creme Fraiche Pasta
- Pumpkin and Ginger Soup
- Maple Pumpkin Bread Pudding
- Vegan Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe
- Turkey Pumpkin Chili
Diet Key
This Recipe is:
Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature (or flax eggs)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (unsweetened), (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk, or regular milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup whole wheat flour, 8.9 oz./266g
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda, 5g
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ⅓ cup old-fashioned oats, 40g
- ½ cup raisins, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, as garnish (optional)
- ¼ cup chocolate chips, as topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F/163 degrees C. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment liners. If you do not have parchment liners, generously coat the cups with oil.
- To prepare the wet ingredients, place coconut oil, maple syrup, eggs, pumpkin puree, almond milk, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.
- To prepare the dry ingredients, whisk together whole wheat flour, kosher salt, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and oats in a separate large mixing bowl until fully incorporated.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the raisins.
- Scoop the batter into each muffin cup, about ⅔ full. If preferred, top with the pumpkin seeds or chocolate chips.
- Bake for 25-27 minutes until a toothpick, when inserted, comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10 minutes before removing from the pan onto a wire rack to cool.
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes 12 muffins. The nutritional values below are per muffin.
- Storage: Bring them to room temperature and store in an airtight container for upto 4 days.
- Freeze: Cool completely, then transfer your muffins to a freezer bag, squeezing out all the air. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Flax eggs: If you prefer a vegan pumpkin oatmeal muffins recipe, use flax eggs instead. Mix 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds (aka flax meal) with 5 tablespoons of water to make flax eggs. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes or until it reaches a gel-like consistency. Use it in the recipe in place of eggs.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hello, I’d love to make these for an early-morning meeting. I’m going to tomorrow. Have you or anyone tried making them using gluten-free flour? Just wondering if it would go off the recipe or if it would be OK. Thanks so much in advance for your help and response. 🙂
Hello Veronica,
I have not tried making this recipe with a one to one gluten free flour. However, I have made other muffin recipes using gf flours in the past and had success with it. A brand I like is “cup4cup”.
Alternatively, you can make my almond flour pumpkin muffins recipe that is also gluten free.
Hope this helps.
These muffins tasted very good, but they were also very “dense”. Is it possible to make them so they are “lighter”, perhaps by using Baking Soda or some other ingredient? I’d like to make them again, but I’ll wait to hear your reply.
Many thanks,
Ms. Linda Deming
these came out pretty dense, flavor is okay. They don’t look like your pictures, it didn’t come out that way.
Hi Lily,
Thanks for your input.
Just out of curiosity, what did they look like? I am asking because this is my go-to pumpkin muffin recipe so I am surprised if they looked much different. I’d love to know so that I can fix if it is an issue with the recipe.
Kindly let me know. Thanks!