Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

Name: Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 18 min
Total time: 28 min
Ingredients: 150 grams all-purpose flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 90 grams light brown sugar; 50 grams granulated sugar; 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice; 1/4 tsp salt; 170 grams pumpkin puree; 1 egg; 60 ml mild olive oil (sunflower oil works too); 40 ml milk; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 35 grams all-purpose flour; 25 grams light brown sugar; 1/2 tsp cinnamon; pinch salt; 25 grams cold butter

Pumpkin muffins are a great way to use up leftover pumpkin puree. I happened to have exactly 170 grams left, which is precisely what you need for these muffins. Sometimes things just work out perfectly.

The pumpkin puree makes these muffins wonderfully soft and moist, while the pumpkin spice gives them that warm, cozy fall flavor. They’re finished with a crunchy crumb topping, which is a delicious contrast to the soft pumpkin muffin underneath.

Tip from Simone
Ingredients and Substitutions
How to Make Pumpkin Muffins
Storing Pumpkin Muffins
FAQ Pumpkin Muffins

Tip from Simone

Have some pumpkin puree left over from another recipe? Don’t throw it away! You only need 170 grams for these pumpkin muffins. Just make sure your puree isn’t too watery. The more liquid it contains, the wetter your batter, and ultimately your muffins, will be.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Pumpkin puree – The pumpkin isn’t just here for flavor. The puree adds moisture and gives the muffins their lovely soft texture. You can make your own pumpkin puree by pureeing cooked pumpkin. If your puree is particularly watery, let it drain before using it. I prefer using roasted pumpkin for making puree as it contains less moisture.
Pumpkin spice – This is what gives the muffins their warm, spiced flavor. If you don’t have pumpkin spice, you can use a similar warm spice blend instead.
Light brown sugar and granulated sugar – The batter uses a combination of both. The brown sugar adds flavor as well as sweetness and helps give the muffins their soft texture.
Oil – A mild olive oil works well here, but avoid using a strongly flavored or peppery olive oil. Sunflower oil is a good alternative.
Baking powder and baking soda – This recipe uses both, so don’t simply leave one of them out. Together, they help the muffins rise properly.
Crumb topping – The crumb topping adds a nice crunch and makes these soft pumpkin muffins even better. Be sure to use cold butter so you end up with actual crumbs rather than a smooth dough.

How to Make Pumpkin Muffins

Start by combining the dry ingredients. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugars, spices, and salt until evenly distributed. This is especially important for the leavening agents and spices, so you don’t end up with them concentrated in one part of the batter.

In a second bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree with the egg, oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients.

And now for the most important part of making muffins: don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until you no longer see any large streaks of dry flour, then stop. Muffin batter doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth. In fact, mixing too enthusiastically can give you dense muffins instead of light and tender ones.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups and prepare the crumb topping. Combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt, then use your fingertips to rub in the cold butter until you have coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the mixture over the muffin batter.

Bake the pumpkin muffins at 350°F (180°C) until they’re nicely risen and golden brown. This should take around 18 minutes, but pay more attention to the muffins than the clock. Insert a wooden toothpick into the center of a muffin. If it comes out without any wet batter attached, they’re done.

Let the muffins cool briefly before removing them from the pan. They’ll be quite soft when piping hot, especially because of the pumpkin puree.

Storing Pumpkin Muffins

Let the pumpkin muffins cool completely before transferring them to an airtight container. Thanks to the pumpkin puree, they stay wonderfully moist. You can store them outside of the fridge for about 4 to 5 days.

You can also freeze the muffins. Let them cool completely and wrap them well before freezing. Thaw them at room temperature. If you want to make them taste a little more like they’ve just come out of the oven, warm them briefly in the oven after thawing. This also helps crisp up the crumb topping again.

I wouldn’t recommend making the batter ahead of time. Once the leavening agents come into contact with the wet ingredients, you’ll want to bake the muffins fairly soon. The pumpkin puree itself, however, can easily be prepared in advance.

FAQ Pumpkin Muffins

The most likely reason is that the batter was overmixed. Once you combine the wet and dry ingredients, mix only until everything has just come together. Then stop stirring.

Choose a pumpkin or winter squash with fairly firm flesh and, most importantly, make sure the finished puree isn’t too watery. Very wet pumpkin puree adds extra moisture to the muffin batter. If necessary, let the puree drain before using it.

I wouldn’t recommend it. More pumpkin might sound like a good idea, but you’ll also be adding more moisture. That changes the balance of the batter and can result in heavy or gummy muffins. Stick to the 170 grams called for in this recipe.

The tops should be nicely risen and golden brown. Test the center of a muffin with a wooden toothpick. A few dry crumbs are perfectly fine, but there shouldn’t be any wet batter attached.

Yes. Silicone muffin cups work really well for this recipe, but paper liners are fine too. Let the muffins cool for a little while before peeling away the paper. Warm, moist muffins are more likely to stick to the liners. Which is exactly why I prefer silicon liners.