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.
These never rose? Are they not supposed to?
They are supposed to and the mostly likely explanation is that the baking soda wasn’t fresh or active.
I made these for the first time this past weekend and they turned out so delicious! I wanted to use a whole 15-oz can of pumpkin, so I doubled all the other ingredients, and they came out perfectly. I made some of them mini muffins for my son and baked those for about 22 minutes. I added dark chocolate chips to the regular-sized muffins and baked those for about 25-27 minutes.
These muffins came out delicious… but flat. What could I have done wrong?
Maybe check that the baking soda is fresh?
I don’t have a blender. I will buy oat flour. Do I use that instead of the oatmeal? And how much oat flour do I use?
Use the same amount of oat flour as the oats in the recipe. They are very similar when measured. Enjoy!
A go-to recipe for us! I use whatever squash we have, roasted and puréed, and they taste great. A healthy option that takes like a treat!
I was fully expecting these to be a bit on the dense side, but they are absolutely light and fluffy! I added dried cranberries to half of the muffins and chocolate chips to the other half; I prefer the cranberries, but these muffins would be delicious plain, as well. Great recipe, thank you!
I’m so glad to hear that!
My muffins NEVER turn out. Ever. I thought I was cursed. But I made these and they’re perfect. You’re magic!
I’m so glad to hear it!
Hi!! Maybe a silly question but is one can of pumpkin a 15 oz can or a 29 oz can? Can’t wait to make these! Thanks!!
15 oz!! Enjoy
Although the recipe says 1 cup, so you need to measure that from a 15 ounce can.
These were great! Flavor was perfect (used maple syrup and opted to add extra pumpkin pie spice!). I totally forgot to add the eggs and realized too late, they’re still so tasty but just suuuuuper moist!
Each on of your recipes I have made have been a hit at our house! With this one do you think it would be possible to use flour instead of the oats, whole wheat or all purpose?
Hi- I haven’t tried this recipe with flour and I’m not sure it wouldn’t be dry if you used the same amount of flour. This recipe, which I realize is called a cupcake, is a delicious muffin without the frosting and is made without oats. https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/mini-pumpkin-cupcakes/
These are currently baking, I can’t wait to try! Just curious if anyone has added protein powder to this at all? Looking to beef up the protein for my pre-k toddler as breakfast is a fight and I want her full for school! Thanks!
I haven’t done that but I bet you could (or add 1/4 cup hemp seeds to the batter when blending)
Is there anything I can use instead of maple syrup?
You can use honey instead
Just made these and they’re delicious! My kindergartener devoured two full-sized muffins as an after school snack. I added the extra tsp of pumpkin pie spice and tested my baking soda before using. They were kind of wet in the middle when they were still very warm from the oven, but now that they’ve cooled they’ve solidified more. They are still very moist, but in a good way- my husband said they remind him of bread pudding. Love that they only take a couple of minutes to throw together. I’ll definitely make them again!
If you love pumpkin, you’ll be sure to love this! So moist and tasty! Next time I’ll be taking Amy’s advice and add extra pumpkin spice – my husband and my 15 month old love these! I gave my son my he leftover pumpkin purée with hemp seeds and he devoured it as a snack!
Kiddos (and I!) love all of your recipes! Each time I run into the problem of the muffins sticking to the bottom of the greased cupcake tin or the liners (pretty significantly). The food is fantastic and we wish we could enjoy all of it! Any advice would be super appreciated. Thanks (:
Ah yes, I actually never mention using liners with muffins since they typically don’t have enough fat (like a cupcake) to come off easily. You could spray them lightly with nonstick spray, try parchment paper liners, which are a little more nonstick, or just coat your muffin pan with nonstick spray (I use classic Pam) and pop them out. I hope that helps save the rest of the muffins in the future!
These turned out great! I added the extra teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice as suggested in the comments and am glad I did. I sprayed the muffin tin with non-stick spray, baked for 20 minutes, and cooled in the muffin tin for 10 minutes. I didn’t have any issues with doneness or sticking to the tin- they popped right out to finish cooling on a wire rack. My husband, three year old, and I all gobbled them up! I’ll be making another batch to keep in the freezer for quick breakfasts or snack to send with to preschool. Thanks for an excellent recipe, will become one of my go-tos!
Love these! Perfect breakfast food – not too sweet. My blender is broken so I left the oats whole and they still turned out well, just a little chunkier and I had to bake a little longer. My kids loved them!