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Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

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These healthy pumpkin muffins are my new faves! They’re naturally gluten-free, sweetened with maple syrup, quick and easy to make, and perfecty pumpkin-y.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Meet your new favorite pumpkin muffins. 

Oh my goodness, we’ve been completely obsessed with these little guys these past few weeks. They are perfectly pumpkin-y, made with my favorite warming spices, and lightly sweetened with maple syrup (plus a pinch of turbinado sugar on top, if you’d like a little extra sweetness and sparkle). They’re also quick and easy to make with ingredients that I’m betting you probably already have on hand. And thanks to an oatmeal base, they’re also gluten-free and on the healthier end of the muffin spectrum in general.

Basically, a pumpkin muffin recipe that tastes great and you can feel great about enjoying too. That’s my kind of a muffin win-win.

Let’s make some!

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients:

As I said, the ingredient list for these muffins is super simple. You will need:

  • Pumpkin puree: ‘Tis the season!
  • Old-fashioned oats: Which we will pulse in the blender or food processor until they are finely ground to make our “flour”
  • Pumpkin pie spice: Either homemade or store-bought
  • Almond milk: Or your favorite kind of nut milk or cow’s milk (2% or whole)
  • Maple syrup: Or you could sub in honey, if you prefer
  • Coconut oil: Just a few tablespoons (or feel free to sub in your favorite mild-flavored oil)
  • Eggs, salt, vanilla and baking soda: Because…muffins.
  • Turbinado sugar: Totally optional, but I love the extra hint of sweetness and crunch and sparkle on top

As always, if making this recipe gluten-free, be sure to double check that all of your ingredients are certified gluten-free. (Especially the oats.)

Also, I made my own little parchment baking liners. But feel free to use whatever baking liners you love best, or can just mist the baking pan with some cooking spray.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe with Maple Syrup

How To Make Pumpkin Muffins:

To make this pumpkin muffins recipe, simply:

  1. Make your oat “flour”: Add your oats to a blender or food processor and pulse until they reach a flour-like consistency.
  2. Combine your dry ingredients: Add the pumpkin pie spice, salt and baking soda, and pulse until evenly combined.
  3. Whisk together your wet ingredients: In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, maple syrup, almond milk and vanilla until evenly combined.
  4. Combine the two. Fold the dry ingredients in with the wet, and use a spatula to stir together until just combined. (Try not to over-stir.)
  5. Fill your muffin cups. Portion the batter evenly between 12 muffin cups. (I always like to do this with a large cookie scoop. You’ll need a heaping scoop of batter for this specific recipe — about 1/3 cup per muffin.)  Then sprinkle with a pinch of turbinado sugar, if you’d like.
  6. Bake. Until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
  7. Enjoy! I love these muffins best fresh outta the oven. But once they have cooled to room temperature, feel free to store them in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze (wrapped tightly in plastic wrap) for up to 3 months.

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins with Parchment Liners

Optional Add-Ins:

Feel free to also add in:

  • Chocolate chips: Because…chocolate.
  • Nuts or seeds: Such as pepitas, pecans, sunflower seeds, walnuts, etc. You can either sprinkle them on top of the muffins, or fold them into the batter.
  • Dried fruit: Dried cranberries, raisins, apricots…whatever you love.
  • A maple glaze: Whisk together powdered sugar and maple syrup until they form a glaze-like consistency, and drizzle over your muffins for extra sweetness

The BEST Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

Enjoy, everyone! ♡

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Healthy Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (Gluten-Free)

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 116 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 12 servings 1x

Description

These healthy pumpkin muffins are naturally gluten-free, sweetened with maple syrup, quick and easy to make, and so perfecty pumpkin-y.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups old-fashioned oats*
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, homemade or store-bought
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, plain or vanilla
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil (or any mild-flavored oil)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • optional: turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with parchment or cupcake liners, or lightly grease with cooking spray.  Set aside.
  2. Puree oats in a blender or food processor until they reach a flour-like consistency.  Add in the pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and sea salt, and pulse until the mixture is evenly combined.  Set aside.
  3. In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla extract until evenly combined.  Fold the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredient mixture, and stir until the mixture is just combined.  (Try to avoid over-mixing.)
  4. Portion the ingredients into prepared baking cups.  Then sprinkle a pinch of turbinado sugar on top of each muffin, if you would like.
  5. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean.  Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack for 5 minutes.
  6. Serve warm.  Or let the muffins cool to room temperature, then store in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Notes

*Or feel free to substitute in 240 grams (8.4 ounces) oat flour.  And as always, be sure to use certified gluten-free ingredients if making this recipe gluten-free.

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.

Easy Healthy Pumpkin Muffins | Gimme Some Oven

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209 comments on “Healthy Pumpkin Muffins”

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  1. Hi! This looks great- I’d like to use oat bran to save a step. Did you happen to measure your oat “flour” after you processed it?

  2. Do you think it would work to sub maple syrup for Sugar free Apple sauce for my little one?! These look so good!

  3. I know what I’m baking this weekend!

  4. How much oat flour does the 3 cups yield? I buy and keep oat flour and home and it would be quicker to use that but I’m not sure how much to use.

  5. Very easy to make! Next time I’ll try the parchment paper instead of nonstick spray. They were a bit tricky to remove. I love the nutty texture.






  6. I’m not able to eat oats! Gluten free or regular!!! Ugh. I can’t eat gluten period, gluten free oats make me sick as well. I need a substitute please! These muffins look AMAZING!!!!
    Thank you!

  7. These look SO delicious! What type of almond milk should be used – unsweetened, vanilla, etc.? (I use unsweetened vanilla in my cereal, would that work here too?) Thanks! xo

    • Ooh good question! I just went back and edited the recipe — unsweetened milk would be my recommendation, either plain or vanilla. :)

  8. Would honey work instead of maple syrup?

  9. These have to be good and they look so lovely. What is it that the muffins are set into.
    Certainly not your conventional pan liners. What am I missing?

    • I just cut up parchment paper to make the muffin cups since we can’t purchase them here in Spain. :)

    • I think the hand-made paper cups are cute too. Kindly tell me how to make them, size and shape i.e. in square or circle?
      I’m a very beginner! :) Thanks.

  10. Is 3 cups oats equivalent to 3 cups oat flour? Or will processing 3 cups oats result in less than 3 cups oat flour? Thanks!

    • Processing 3 cups of oats will result in less than 3 cups. I just went in and added the amount (by weight, for accuracy) to the recipe notes if you’d like to use oat flour. :)

  11. These look amazing! I have an oat allergy, can I substitute with three cups of gluten free flour? Thank you!

  12. Would you be able to sub almond flour?

  13. Do you have a particular way you cut the parchment paper to fit in the muffin tins?

    • I just cut my parchment into small squares and poked them into the muffin cups. But you can also purchase parchment baking cups at most grocery stores nowadays too. :)

  14. I adore baked goods (especially muffins!) made with oat flour! Can’t wait to bake these!

  15. Is there a substitution for the 3 cups of puréed oats ? Would oat flour work? My food processor is out of commission…

  16. The turbinado sugar makes them look so tasty (but boy does it mess with the autocorrect on my iPad)

  17. Do I have to use Almond milk, or regular milk will work?

    Thank you.

  18. These came out delicious! I added the eggs to the wet ingredients…….I think you forgot to mention them.






  19. I undermilled my oats a teeny bit and the texture was more coarse, but STILL fabulous. We topped some with cayenne seasoned Pepitas, some with dried cranberries, some with salted sunflower seeds. They were ALL a huge hit with my sons (ages 11 and 17). I used avocado oil in place of coconut oil. They are delectable straight out of the oven, but you must try them with a smear of apple butter. Whoa.
    Bravo! Your recipe is a huge hit at my house.






  20. As I cannot have any kind of oats (nor gluten), I substituted 2 cups of almond flour and 1 cup of brown rice flour. Results were great! Soooo delicious!

  21. This recipe was so easy and I had everything on hand, which is more than I can say for MANY gluten-free recipes! I do think I’ll add more pumpkin pie spice and maple syrup next time, though. They were super moist and yummy, I think I’m going to freeze half the batch for a rainy day treat!






  22. Loved these muffins! I reduced the maple syrup to only 1/3 cup and added toasted, chopped pecans. Delicious and still sweet enough for our family!






  23. I wanted to try this recipe but was out of pumpkin. we substituted mashed banana and changed the pie spice to cinnamon. They came out great! We will definitely do pumpkin next, but nice to have a good muffin base recipe for the GF and DF family members. Thanks!






  24. Can i remove maple syrup for a sugar free version?

  25. Is it just me or are the eggs missing from the directions? Haha it could be my mamma brain, but I swear it says two eggs in the ingredients. I’m assuming I add them into the wet ingredients?

  26. I made these over the weekend & they were so delicious without being so sweet. I used syrup from a friend’s family maple farm, so I made sure to send some to them.

    My only thing: My mix was a bit thin/wet and so I was worried and obviously it worked out, but mine didn’t rise as much to have a nice rounded top. I followed the recipe exactly. Anything I can do differently or do to help fix that when I make these again?

    Thanks for sharing this recipe and any tips will be much appreciated!






  27. These were perfection!!! I love how they were not overly sweet too. :) Another great recipe!






  28. I made these last night and just had one for breakfast- DELICIOUS!!! I just sent the recipe to my mom and sisters and realized that i forgot to add the eggs!!! Haha! But they are perfect anyways!! Mine are pretty dense (which i like), so I’m not sure if that’s due to the lack of egg, or if that’s just how this recipe is. Instead of liners, i brushed coconut oil into pan (i use a silicone one). I’ll definitely make these again!!






  29. They’re AMAZING!! Another awesome recipe that needs no change from you! Okay it needs 1 change: doubling the amount of the spices. Your homemade mix is so so good!!!!






  30. The pumpkin flavor in muffins seem so special! As my diet, do you have any substitues for eggs?
    – Natalie Ellis

  31. Hi, what is turbinado sugar ?

  32. Looks amazing! I’m in the middle of making them right now and my homemade pumpkin pie spice smells SO GOOD! Just noticed the eggs aren’t mentioned anywhere in the actual recipe. Guessing they should go in with the other wet ingredients, but just a heads up! Thanks for the recipe!!

  33. Very irritated- just put these in the oven to realize that the 3 cups of oats is not equal to the measurement of oat flour!! I know there is a disclaimer (realized too late), but it would have been helpful to have added the other amount in parenthesis next to the ingredient….you also forgot to add the eggs to the directions…

  34. I just made these with my 2 year old daughter! They taste great, and are healthy, too, so thank you! Like others mentioned the recipe calls for 2 eggs, but it doesn’t say to add them to the wet mixture. We added them, but we’re we suppose to?






  35. I discovered your website recently. Your recipes sound so good that I subscribed. One recipe had garam masala in it. I don’t remember what it was, but I’d really love to find it. Can you help, please?

  36. Excellent! I don’t need gluten free but I like that it uses oats and maple syrup. Going to add some flax next time. Can I make into loaf recipe?

  37. Would this recipe translate well to a standard 9×5 loaf, as opposed to muffins?

  38. These were easy to make and are DELICIOUS! I love that they are gluten free (for me) and are just sweet enough for my kids to like also. I had some batter left so I made some mini muffins which will be going in school lunches all week. THANK YOU for making something GF using simple ingredients.






  39. Just made these muffins this pm. They taste pretty good (not very sweet), but they didn’t rise up much; they were dense.I did add a little bit extra pumpkin pie spice…I might add more spices next time.






  40. I made these in a doughnut pan. They turned out great! The flavor and texture is fantastic!

  41. These are moist and delicious. Only had 3/4 cup pumpkin so I added 1 ripe banana to it. Forgot the coconut oil. Blended dry ing in food processor and added to wet ing in the bowl! Baked 450 for 5min reduced temp to 350 and baked 12 min. This made 12 large and 18 mini. Took mini muffins out 3 minutes early!






  42. Obsessed with this recipe! I’ve been looking for a quick and simple pumpkin muffin recipe and I certainly found it! My husband and I love how quick they are in the morning.






  43. I made these and everyone in my family and at work was obsessed! Including me :) These are absolutely delicious.

  44. Easy to make. Hardest part was measuring out 8.4 ounces of whole oat flour on a scale (and that wasn’t difficult). Mine were a little too bland for me, so I might add some ginger next time…but they were still good. Also going to try the suggested maple glaze next time.






  45. What can I substitute for the oat flour in this recipe, as I am allergic to oats?

  46. Hello Ali,
    Don’t be modest Ali dear, your description neglected to say how absolutely beautiful your muffins are too. Just looking at them will make everyone want to make them.
    Thanks for sharing Ali, I look forward to making the pretty puffy tasty morsels.
    Have a wonderful day.
    Darlene
    Nova Scotia






  47. Simply delicious! I used honey and a little erythritol. I could eat them all, but I won’t!






  48. where is the nutritional value since , i need to watch my sugars and carbs ?

  49. I made them, and the muffins are absolutely delicious. Thanks

  50. I baked these yesterday afternoon and just warmed one up as a side to my eggs for breakfast. They are very good. Nice grainy crumb and perfect level of sweetness for me. They aren’t decadent bakery-style muffins but are a perfect addition to a wholesome breakfast. I followed the recipe with the exception of using whole dairy milk in lieu of almond milk. I also topped them with about 1/3 cup of finely chopped pecans. I was a little worried as my batter was pretty runny but they baked up nicely. Took a little longer but I’m at altitude.