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    Meals » Recipes » Breakfast

    Easy Pumpkin Muffins with Applesauce

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please see disclosure for more information. Published: Oct 18, 2022 by Dee

    Make the Easy Pumpkin Muffins with Applesauce, pumpkin puree and a hint of spice with this delicious pumpkin muffin recipe.  These muffins are moist with a tender crumb and perfect for fall breakfasts! via @meamel

    Make these Easy Pumpkin Muffins with Applesauce, pumpkin puree and a hint of spice with this delicious pumpkin muffin recipe. These muffins are moist with a tender crumb and perfect for fall breakfasts!

    Jump to Recipe -
    apple sauce pumpkin muffins
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • How to Make Pumpkin Muffins with Applesauce in One Bowl
    • Cook Time
    • How to Store
    • Substitutions
    • Recipe
    • Reviews

    When fall rolls around, my kids start begging me to make pumpkin muffins for breakfast. We love making 2 ingredient pumpkin muffins with cake mix and easy one bowl pumpkin spice muffins and pumpkin bread.

    But our favorite pumpkin muffin recipe uses applesauce instead of oil or butter, so it's pretty healthy. It's also perfectly spiced, made with simple ingredients and super easy to make.

    It actually took several tries to get this delicious recipe just right. The muffins were either too dense or had too much spice.

    So finally, after supplying the kids and their friends and family members with enough delicious muffins to last until Christmas, we got it right. These pumpkin applesauce muffins are hands down the family favorite!

    We used applesauce instead of oil, brown sugar instead of white, and we went easy on the pumpkin spice. I wanted the pumpkin flavor to be the star.

    Oh, these babies are made in just one large bowl -- no separate bowls for wet ingredients and dry ingredients, so cleanup is super easy. And that's why I'm calling these the BEST easy pumpkin muffins ever!

    healthy pumpkin applesauce muffins with butter on plate

    Ingredients

    You only need a few simple ingredients for this pumpkin applesauce muffin recipe. Find them in your grocery store or online.

    • Eggs
    • All purpose flour
    • Brown sugar
    • Baking soda
    • Pumpkin pie spice
    • Ground cinnamon
    • Salt
    • Pumpkin puree -- a whole can of pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
    • Applesauce -- unsweetened applesauce for best results
    • Milk -- I use 2 percent, but whole milk works, too

    How to Make Pumpkin Muffins with Applesauce in One Bowl

    First, add the eggs to a large mixing bowl. Whenever I make one-bowl muffins or cake or anything with eggs, I add the eggs first. Then, I stir them up a little and add the remaining ingredients.

    You can use a hand mixer for the muffins or make them with a stand mixer. If you want, you can mix the batter by hand.

    Just be sure to mix until the batter is blended, about 1 minute. You don't want to over mix the batter, or these delicious pumpkin muffins will turn out too dense and tough.

    mix muffin batter in mixing bowl

    Next, add the batter to the muffin tin. You'll want to use non stick spray or grease the cups with butter for easier removal.

    You can also use paper liners or parchment paper liners if you want.

    You want these pumpkin muffins to be as tall as possible. So, fill the muffin cups as high as you can. None of this two-thirds full stuff today!

    fill muffin tin with pumpkin muffin batter

    Cook Time

    Now, pop the muffin tin into the oven. The muffins take about 20 minutes to bake, and that's it. When done, a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin should be clean.

    Total baking time depends on your oven. Some people have to bake the muffins for 30 minutes.

    Aren't they gorgeous?!

    baked pumpkin muffins in muffin tin

    Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Then, place the warm pumpkin muffins on a wire rack to cool completely.

    Bake some of these homemade healthier pumpkin muffins on the weekend, and you have grab-and-go quick breakfasts or a healthy snack to pack in school lunches ready to eat during the week. This is such a great recipe for the fall season, and the warm spices make your home smell amazing!

    How to Store

    Do pumpkin muffins need to be refrigerated?

    Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature -- no need to refrigerate them. They'll keep fresh for about 4 days, if they last that long!

    Can pumpkin muffins be frozen?

    Yes, these freeze very well. Just let them cool completely, then wrap individual muffins in foil or freezer paper, and place in a large zip top freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months for best taste.

    Substitutions

    You can use canned pumpkin or make your own homemade pumpkin puree. Just be sure NOT to use pumpkin pie filling, as you want to control the sweetness and spice here.

    If you're using homemade pumpkin purée, you need 1 ½ to 2 cups.

    Add ½ cup to 1 cup chocolate chips for the chocolate lovers in your life. You can also make a simple glaze or crumb topping for richer flavor.

    You can add ½ cup oats for pumpkin applesauce oatmeal muffins.

    Make mini muffins using a mini muffin tin. They take about 15 minutes to bake.

    homemade pumpkin muffins from scratch plated

    Recipe

    the best easy pumpkin muffins on a plate

    The Best Easy Pumpkin Muffins

    Published by Dee
    Make the Best Easy Pumpkin Muffins with applesauce, no oil, and a hint of spice from scratch in just one bowl with this simple healthy recipe!
    5 from 13 votes
    Print Recipe Share by Text Share by Email
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 20 mins
    Total Time 30 mins
    Course Breakfast
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 164 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 eggs
    • 2 cups all purpose flour
    • 1 cup brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
    • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
    • ⅓ cup applesauce
    • ⅓ cup milk

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 12-cup muffin tin
    • In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, and beat slightly
    • Add the remaining ingredients, and use a hand mixer to blend together until smooth. Batter may have some small lumps, but don't overmix
    • Fill muffin cups almost to the tops with batter, then bake for 20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean
    • Remove from oven, and allow to cool slightly, then remove from muffin tin, and serve

    Notes

    You can use a can of pumpkin puree -- NOT pie filling -- or 1.5 to 2.cups of homemade pumpkin puree.

    Nutrition information is estimated. Please do your own calculation to fit special diets.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 164kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 207mgPotassium: 71mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 59IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
    Tried this recipe? Please comment and rate it! Show me your dish on Instagram!Mention @meatloafandmelodrama or tag #meatloafandmelodrama!

    I hope you enjoy these delicious muffins as much as we do. If you do make these healthy pumpkin muffins, please leave a star rating or comment.

    For more easy recipes and pumpkin recipes, be sure to sign up for the weekly newsletter and follow social media.

    the best easy pumpkin muffins with applesauce on a plate

    This easy pumpkin muffin recipe was originally posted in 2018 and updated in 2022.

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    Reader Interactions

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Jeri says

      November 15, 2021 at 12:12 am

      Just made muffins. Terrific, super yummy. Homemade applesauce from the last apples on the block. Also puréed pumpkin at home. Had leftover batter to make a small loaf pan for my neighbor. I used some pumpkin juice and maple syrup w/ unsalted butter and powdered sugar for frosting. There goes my diet lol. Thanks so much5 stars

      Reply
    2. Marie says

      November 03, 2021 at 2:34 pm

      I made these today. They are so delicious. I had never made pumpkin muffins. They were a big hit with my hubby. I also put a few chocolate chips on the top before baking and mine also took 30 minutes. Thanks for the recipe.5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        November 04, 2021 at 1:21 pm

        Thank you so much, Marie! I'm glad you liked them!

    3. Kelly says

      January 02, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      Wow these were really phenomenal. I had a leftover can of pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving, and I was looking for a healthier option to send with my toddler to school, and these were really great! I know what people mean about the batter coming out great- you can really smell the spices when its mixed up.

      I whisked the eggs at the start and mixed the rest with a spoon- didn't use a mixer. I made these as mini muffins with no liner- came out wonderful. In a 350F convection oven the mini muffins take 15 minutes to bake fully- it's a wet batter but they're also still very moist coming out and after a few minutes of cooling they came right out of the tin- no paper liners needed.

      Great recipe to use up any extra cans of pumpkin- not overly sweet and I had all the ingredients in my pantry. Not sure what it is about this batter or mix but they came out of the oven like showstoppers- real 'wow' effect. Thanks for the recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        January 04, 2021 at 1:53 pm

        I'm so glad you liked the pumpkin muffins, Kelly. Thank you!

    4. Emily J says

      December 26, 2020 at 8:10 am

      Fantastic recipe! These muffins are easy, delicious, and look gorgeous. The batter is very thick, so I took your recommendation to fill the muffin cups to heart and actually had them heaped up slightly above the top of the pan. The muffins came out big and beautiful and my family made short work of them!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        December 26, 2020 at 5:35 pm

        So glad you liked the muffins, Emily!

    5. Kim says

      October 26, 2020 at 8:17 am

      This was a great recipe and the muffins look beautiful. The only problem I had was I had to bake them 30 minutes because the inside seemed doughy after 20 minutes. Has anyone else experienced this?5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        October 26, 2020 at 8:49 pm

        I've never had that happen, but all ovens are different. Also, if you live at a higher altitude, the bake time might be longer.

    6. James says

      October 23, 2020 at 9:13 am

      We have made these twice recently. Supper easy and everybody loves them. An easy breakfast before rushing off to school.5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        October 23, 2020 at 8:36 pm

        Thanks, James! I'm so happy you like the muffins!

    7. James says

      October 18, 2020 at 1:00 pm

      Made these for breakfast/brunch this morning. Easy and what a huge hit. We added a few chocolate chips to the top after we poured the batter into the muffin tin. Yummy!5 stars

      Reply
    8. Ann says

      September 09, 2020 at 10:12 pm

      These are my favorite fall muffins! So good!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        September 12, 2020 at 1:45 pm

        Thank you so much, Ann. I'm glad you like them!

    9. Marci Lynn says

      September 20, 2019 at 3:40 pm

      Thanks for the recipe. I've made them twice now, the second time I added a half cup of oatmeal. They're really good!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        September 20, 2019 at 9:47 pm

        I'm so happy you liked them! I'm actually making another batch this weekend -- yum!

    10. Rhonda says

      September 19, 2019 at 5:02 pm

      I made these for the daycare that I work at. Took the recipe 6 times. They are so good.

      Reply
      • Dee says

        September 20, 2019 at 9:42 pm

        So glad everyone liked the muffins, Rhonda. Thanks for letting me know!

    11. Mother of 3 says

      September 06, 2018 at 3:04 pm

      They look delicious! I have never made pumpkin muffins but I know I'd love them. Pinned.

      Reply
      • Dee says

        September 06, 2018 at 9:12 pm

        Thanks so much! I hope you get a chance to try them. 🙂

    12. Miz Helen says

      September 06, 2018 at 7:25 am

      Your pumpkin muffins look great and will be perfect for fall! Thanks so much for sharing with us on Full Plate Thursday and have a great weekend!
      Miz Helen5 stars

      Reply
    13. Melanie Bauer says

      September 05, 2018 at 9:28 am

      I have always loved the smell of pumpkin but never the flavor. However, I have always loved pumpkin muffins and these look SO good!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        September 05, 2018 at 2:58 pm

        Thanks, Melanie. My family just loves them!

    14. Toni | Boulder Locavore says

      September 05, 2018 at 8:48 am

      This is really a must-make for pumpkin season!5 stars

      Reply
    15. Katerina @ diethood .com says

      September 05, 2018 at 5:05 am

      I LOVE how easy these are to make!!! I bet they taste amazing!!5 stars

      Reply
    16. Jamielyn says

      September 04, 2018 at 5:20 pm

      Looks so delicious! I can't wait for fall!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        September 04, 2018 at 7:16 pm

        It's still hot here, but I needed my pumpkin spice fix! 🙂

    17. Brandy @ Nutmeg Nanny says

      September 04, 2018 at 2:48 pm

      I love easy and I love pumpkin, so this is a must make!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        September 04, 2018 at 7:15 pm

        Thanks! We absolutely love these pumpkin muffins.

    18. Amanda says

      September 04, 2018 at 2:14 pm

      I needed an easy pumpkin muffin recipe for this fall and you nailed it, thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Dee says

        September 04, 2018 at 7:15 pm

        Thank you so much, Amanda! I hope you like them.

    19. Jenn says

      September 04, 2018 at 6:04 am

      I love how quick and easy these pumpkin muffins are! Woot!

      Reply
      • Dee says

        September 04, 2018 at 7:26 am

        Thanks, Jenn. Munching on one right now! 🙂

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    I’m the blogger, chief cook, recipe developer and photographer behind Meatloaf and Melodrama. I absolutely love to create easy, budget-friendly, homemade meals and treats for my family. I also love to think of new ways to repurpose leftovers so that my family will actually eat them!

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