With a dose of butternut squash and apple butter, these Butternut Squash Muffins pack a lot of flavor, moisture, and nutrition in one easy to eat, delicious package. They’re a healthy muffin to serve at any time of the day.
Butternut Squash Muffins
The warm spices of fall pair with butternut squash puree in these easy muffins. They’re just sweet enough to be enticing and have whole grains in the mix.
I love making super healthy muffins for kids that can be breakfast, a snack, or an easy side dish. In fact, muffins are one of the things I make almost every week because I love having them on hand in the fridge. Let’s be real… sometimes us parents need a hand-held meal just as fast as the kids do!
We love them as an easy toddler breakfast or as a side with soup or chili, such as Vegetarian Bean Chili, White Turkey Chili, or Macaroni Soup.
TIP: With both a vegetable and a fruit packed inside, these are an extra-nutritious snack.
Ingredients You Need
Here’s what you’ll need to make these healthy muffins so you know what to have on hand and ready to go.
- Quick oats (or rolled oats ground briefly in the blender or food processor)
- Whole wheat flour: I like to use this whole grain flour to add nutrients, including fiber, and B vitamins.
- butternut squash puree: You can use puree or Mashed Butternut Squash.
- Applesauce: You can use store-bought or Instant Pot Applesauce (or apple butter) for this recipe.
- Maple syrup: I typically make this muffin recipe with maple syrup as the sweetener but it will also work to use honey.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the easy process involved in making this muffin recipe. Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full information.
- Preheat the oven and grease a muffin tin.
- Stir together the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in two separate bowls.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups,.
- Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly.
TIP: You can bake these ahead of time and warm for 10 seconds in the microwave and serve whenever you’d like!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any mashed butternut squash puree—either a mashed butternut squash, butternut squash baby food puree, or canned butternut squash.
Yes! They store for 3-5 days in the fridge in an airtight container or in the freezer for up to 3 months stored in a zip top bag. Thaw in the fridge or briefly in 15 second increments in the microwave.
I sometimes mix together ¼ cup powdered sugar with 1-2 teaspoons milk and drizzle it over the top for an extra bit of fun.
These healthy muffins are good on their own, topped with a little cream cheese, or smeared with nut butter. (You’d also be well-served serving them warm topped with a little butter!)
Best Tips for Success
- Use leftover mashed butternut squash or canned or baby food squash puree.
- Top with apple butter, cream cheese, nut or seed butter, or regular butter as desired.
- Gluten-free: Use 1:1 style gluten-free flour blend.
- Dairy-free: Use melted coconut oil or canola oil in place of the butter.
- IApple butter and applesauce work the same in this recipe. I prefer unsweetened versions of either.
- You could also make these with an equal amount of canned pumpkin puree.
- You may also like Fluffy Sweet Potato Muffins, Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, Oatmeal Pumpkin Muffins, Veggie Muffins, and my Spinach Banana Muffins.
Related Recipes
I’d love to hear your feedback on this recipe if you try it out in your home, so please comment below!
Butternut Squash Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick oats (or rolled oats ground briefly in the blender or food processor)
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup butternut squash puree
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1/3 cup apple butter or applesauce
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled (or canola oil)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease 10 cups of a standard muffin tin.
- Stir together all ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the muffin cups, using about ¼ cup batter in each one.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out cleanly. Let rest in the pan for a few minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- Store for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge or in a zip top freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Use leftover mashed butternut squash or canned or baby food squash puree.
- Top with apple butter, cream cheese, nut or seed butter, or regular butter as desired.
- You can use pumpkin puree instead of butternut squash if desired.
- Apple butter and applesauce work the same in this recipe.
- Dairy-free: Use nondairy milk and neutral oil.
- Gluten-free: Use a 1:1 style cup for cup gluten-free flour and certified gluten-free oats to make these gluten-free.
Nutrition
This post was first published November 2018.
Made these with a little less syrup (1/4 cup). It is so good!! Sharing with other toddler parents!
My son loved these!! He devoured them. Can’t wait to try these with different veggies like sweet potatoes or carrots. We substituted coconut milk for the milk and oat flour for the oats, but it worked perfectly!
I want to make tbis as a cake but NO oats and NO wheat flour. Will that still work with white flour? How much time for a sheet pan cake? 45 min?
Thanks for your help. We have diabetics and dieters!
Hi- I haven’t made it with all of those changes so I can’t say for sure. I would sub all purpose flour for the flour and oats, and double the recipe to make a 9×11-inch cake. (Or any size larger than 8×8.) I would guess 26-28 minutes, but you’ll need to check the middle with a cake tester.
Excited for my babe to have these but ran into some issues making them just now. Took them out after about 25 minutes and the batter was still gooey on the inside. I ended up having to bake them another 10-15 min or so and now of course the outside is nearly burnt and hard, but the insides are just barely done. Any idea what went wrong? I followed the recipe exactly.
I ended up being that person and realizing that I didn’t have all of the ingredients halfway through the recipe, ha! However, subbing an overripe banana for my (moldy) applesauce worked out well. Great recipe!
Oh good!
Did you sub applesauce for applebutter?
Somehow put my comment against the wrong recipe, please disregard
Which recipe was it for? If you have trouble with muffing baking through, try replacing your baking soda. Hope that helps!
So tasty and perfectly moist. Awesome recipe for the whole family. Plus low calorie.
These are very good and light. Easy using frozen butternut squash. I also made them with applesauce I made with carrots and butternut squash, so there’s even more squash in there. (:
These came out similar to the sweet potato muffins and I’m not sure if me or my son like them more! Came out super fluffy and they smelled amazing while in the oven lol