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.
- Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor except the chocolate chips.
- 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 were super easy to make and was a fun activity for my toddler since it was just dumping all of the ingredients together and putting them in the blender. Truthfully, I ate most of them since I am a hungry, breastfeeding mom who is constantly craving snacks! I was wondering though if adding cinnamon or ginger spice would give them more of a flavor kick?
Great recipe! My almost 2 year old has been very picky lately and she devoured these! Will definitely make again.
This is my 3rd time making them and I just love how easy and yummy they are. I keep ground up oats in a jar, so I just use 2 cups of that and mix all ingredients in a bowl. I also mix the chocolate chips right into the batter. Super easy and delicious fall muffin!
These are very gummy and bland. We threw them away. I followed the recipe to a T and made no substitutions.
The only reason I know that would happen is that the baking soda wasn’t fresh or active, so I hope that helps for next time!
These are delicious! I like how moist they are. I used almond milk for ours as the alternative to milk. And we topped most of them with Enjoy Life chocolate chips! This batch made a full pan of mini muffins plus 9 standard muffins (or close to it). They don’t really rise (not a problem) so the muffins are about the same that we filled them too.
My kids loved these. I was out of syrup so I used honey and they were great. And chocolate chips are definitely yummier than Carob 😃
I imagine that is true, ha!
This recipe is wonderful for the season. We used diced dried cranberries instead of chocolate for my son who doesn’t like it. We also used half the amount of maple syrup and they were delicious!
I call these a win, they’re just called the wrong thing, in my opinion. They’re baked oatmeal pumpkin cups, or breakfast muffins. Next time I’ll double or triple the pumpkin pie spice and reduce the syrup a bit. Guiltless snacky snacks for mama!
Absolutely delicious! So moist and toddler approved. Also such a easy recipe with all ingredients we already had in the house!
I loved this recipe so much! I have a nephew who is allergic to eggs. How could I substitute the eggs? Thank you!
Have you ever tried using coconut oil or butter in this recipe? I was surprised to see none in the ingredients. Thank you! Can’t wait to try these out!
I haven’t ever added it but I’m sure you could add 2 tbsp melted if you want to try it that way.
These are amazing! Making them to bring to work tomorrow—do they have to be refrigerated or can they sit on the counter overnight? (I personally preferred them straight from the oven and didn’t like as much after refrigeration)
They’re fine on the counter overnight!
The muffins came out sort of gummy in the middle, I used 2 t of pumpkin spice and they were bland. It is possible that the consistency of the muffins was due to mistakenly buying Steel Cut Oats, which were like pellets not flakes. I am a new grandparent and have recently started baking toddler food and it is an adjustment in my baking and my expectations on how they muffins turn out.
Using the rolled oats called for in the recipe would yield better results. (That’s not a toddler food issue, that’s just because they are much, much harder to grind and won’t be the same flour-like texture.) I hope that helps.
Would this still taste good without maple syrup/honey? Could I add a banana instead? Making for a 1 yo. Thanks!
I think that would be fine!
Your recipes always turn out great, unfortunately this one feels like something is missing or off in the measurements. As many have pointed, it turned out very mushy and broke as I got it out of the pan. Just wanted to share.
I just made them last week and they were fine for me, and I’ve been making the recipe the same way for a few years and it’s always been this set of measurements. That said, you must use fresh/active baking soda. If yours isn’t working properly, it won’t bake through properly. I hope that helps and thanks for the feedback!
Thanks for your response!
The recipe was so easy to make, I really hope it works in the future and it did taste yummy except for the broken bits. I will try fresh baking soda next time.