Make these healthy (and so easy) Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins to share with the kids for breakfast or snack—with or without chocolate chips!
Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
You know I love a healthy muffin recipe and these pumpkin muffins are a staple in our house in the fall and winter. (Though no shame if you love pumpkin all year round!) They are so easy to make in a blender or food processor and you can make them with one arm if you have a kiddo on your hip—which is handy because I know how real life goes.
And they are super moist and not very crumbly, so make a perfect breakfast or snack for kids…and us parents.
These muffins have a base of oatmeal, so contain a lot of fiber and B vitamins. Add in the protein from milk and eggs and the Vitamin A from pumpkin and you have a balanced meal in muffin form. I love the hint of pumpkin pie spice too!
TIP: These taste like a cross between baked oatmeal and a traditional pumpkin muffin.
Ingredients You Need
To make this recipe you’ll need the following ingredients:
- rolled oats
- pumpkin puree
- milk (dairy or nondairy)
- maple syrup (or honey)
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- pumpkin pie spice
- baking soda
- chocolate chips, optional
TIP: To make these gluten-free, use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s a look at the process involved in making these muffins. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
- Add the ingredients to a blender or food processor.
- Blend until very smooth.
- Portion into a muffin tin.
- Top with chocolate chips and bake.
TIP: You can serve these cold, at room temperature, or even slightly warmed.
Storing Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
These muffins are super moist and store well in the fridge or freezer—which is handy for pulling out quick breakfasts and snacks all week long. I also love them as a simple lunch component paired with fruit and a simple veggie for lunch.
Best Tips for Success
- These muffins can store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Or in the freezer in a zip top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
- Serve cold or slightly warmed. Dice into smaller pieces for younger kids.
- Dairy-free: Use plain unsweetened nondairy milk.
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- Be sure to use pumpkin puree, not pie filling.
- Use honey instead of maple syrup if desired. (Do not use honey for kids under age one.)
- For mini muffins, bake for 12-14 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out cleanly.
- If you love the flavor of pumpkin pie, use 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
- To make these by hand without a blender or food processor, use store-bought oat flour and mix the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Add a few chocolate chips to the tops of each muffin if desired.
- You may also like Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Bars, Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies.
I’d love to hear from you if you try these muffins, so please comment below!
Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and grease a standard size muffin tin.
- Blend until very smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Divide among the prepared muffin tin. You want each cup to be about ¾ full. Top with chocolate chips if using.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes or until firm to the touch and lightly golden brown around the edges. Let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Serve warm, at room temperature, or chilled.
Notes
- These muffins can store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. Or in the freezer in a zip top freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
- Serve cold or slightly warmed. Dice into smaller pieces for younger kids.
- Use canned or homemade pumpkin puree.
- Dairy-free: Use plain unsweetened nondairy milk.
- Gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free rolled oats.
- Egg-free: Use a store-bought egg replacer like the kind from Bob's Red Mill or Just Eggs. (Flax or chia eggs can be used, but the texture may be more like baked oatmeal than a muffin.)
- Use honey instead of maple syrup if desired. (Do not use honey for kids under age one.)
- For mini muffins, bake for 12-14 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the centers comes out cleanly.
- If you love the flavor of pumpkin pie, use 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
- To make these by hand without a blender or food processor, use store-bought oat flour and mix the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Add a few chocolate chips to the tops of each muffin if desired.
Super wet and undercooked. I’m not sure why. My baking soda is new. The batter made 24 mini muffins and 6 regular sized muffins. At 375, I baked the mini muffins for 17 minutes (after checking them at 14 and 16 minutes) and the full sized muffins for 22 minutes. I think the mini muffins will be ok to serve my kids but they are super duper moist inside. The minis have a mild flavor and I like that they are not too sweet. We don’t give our toddler chocolate so I didn’t use chocolate chips.
My husband tossed the big muffins because they crumbled on the outside and were not fully cooked on the inside. I let my gas range fully preheat and even let it sit for 5 minutes while I finished prepping. I like that there is no flour in this recipe but maybe the oats aren’t enough to bind this recipe?
Hi- I am sorry you had this experience. I haven’t had this happen and the only reason that I know it would is the baking soda, so I am unsure of why. The oats, when blended, bind just fine with the eggs and pumpkin. I wonder if you could test your baking soda by putting a little in a bowl and drizzling with vinegar to see if it fizzes?
Will this recipe work without eggs?
I don’t think so, but a replacer like Just Eggs might
Yes we used just eggs and it came out just fine!
Started the oven at 425 for 5 minutes and dropped it to 350 for the last 16. They puffed up like crazy.
Why did you change the temperature as it was written in the recipe?
Can I use pumpkin puree in this recipe instead of the spice or as well as the spice?
If your pumpkin puree has spices in it, I wouldn’t add more I don’t think.
Would I be able to use a flax egg to sub for the egg? My son has an egg allergy.
Thanks!
If you used that in this recipe, they may turn out more like baked oatmeal. You could try a store bought egg replacer here like the one from Bob’s Red Mill
Pretty good but the consistency was not like a muffin, it came out more eggy and I even baked them 7 minutes longer than the directions.
Hi- In that case, it is most likely related to the baking soda not being as fresh or active as it should be. It should have muffin consistency. I’m not sure why baking soda can be so finicky!
Delicious! My kids request these all the time! Thank you for a great, easy recipe!
These are delicious and so easy to make. My two year old absolutely loves them.
These are even more moist than I imagined! They are delicious!! I made the mini muffins and sprinkled a few mini chocolate chips on top…because I was actually going to stir in and forgot, lol. They turned out perfectly. It was great for a bedtime snack last night for my 4 year old!
I’m so glad!
My 2 year old and husband really enjoyed these muffins. I love that this was easy to make, and that it uses oats instead of flour. I thought the flavor was a little bland, but I didn’t have pumpkin pie spice so I used a combo of cinnamon and nutmeg. I think I should have doubled it. Also used honey instead of maple syrup. (I don’t like to buy pure maple syrup because it is so expensive. What maple syrup do you usually use?) I think I overcooked them because the outsides were a little tough and the interiors were very soft. It was hard to tell when they were done because the fork I inserted never came out perfectly clean. Overall, I love that they’re easy and healthy and my daughter loves them!
Made these this morning when I had an insomniac 5-year-old up at 6 am who was looking for something fun to do! They are delicious, and I can’t believe how good they taste even without sugar and flour. I actually added some more chocolate chips and stirred them in the batter before baking. Mine rose beautifully and turned out perfectly tender and cooked at 20 minutes.
I am so glad!
Has anyone tried this as a bread, in a loaf Pan? Wondering about the density and cook time based on other reviews.
I think an 8×8 inch pan would be a better option than a 9×5 inch pan, but I haven’t tried it in a regular loaf pan so I can’t say for sure.
Love the ease of this recipe. I did find the batter still very wet even after cooking for the 22 min. Wish I had read the tips sooner and added that extra pumpkin spice! Otherwise it just tastes like a pumpkin muffin. Over all, good for gluten free. Just not sure about the wet muffin.
And my baking Soda was pretty fresh 🙂
I am going to have to do more research on baking soda. I can’t seem to recreate this issue at home so I’m not sure what the issue is. I didn’t realize baking soda could be so finicky!
My daughter (5) need to take a nut-free snack to Kindergarten everyday so we are working our way through some muffin recipes and keep a rotation in the freezer. These have been everyone’s favorite so far!
We will definitely make them regularly. They keep her tummy nice and full until she gets home for lunch time.
I’m so glad they’ve been a helpful snack for school!
Love so many of your recipes!!! Can’t wait to try these with home grown pumpkin! Just curious – do you think I could sub plain Greek yogurt in place of milk? Thanks!
Yes totally, you can use 1 cup Greek yogurt. (They may be a little flatter on top but they are delish!)
Love these! Made the mini muffin version baking at the same temp but just 14 minutes. Kid tested. Dishes approved!
Big hooray and I’m so glad to hear that!