Moist Pumpkin Puree Muffins (with Chocolate Chips)

Name: Moist Pumpkin Puree Muffins
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin puree (275 g/ 9.5 oz, Note 2); ⅔ cup unsalted butter (soft 150 g/ 5.5 oz); ⅔ cup brown sugar (120 g/ 4.2 oz, Note 3); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 2 eggs large; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Note 4); ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon ground ginger; ½ teaspoon all-spice; 1⅔ cup all-purpose flour (200 g/ 7 oz); 2 teaspoons baking powder; pinch of salt; ½-1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (50 – 100 g/ 1.8 – 3.5 oz, Notes 5,6)

Moist pumpkin puree muffins with pumpkin pie spices and plenty of chocolate chips, these spicy muffins are the perfect fall treat.

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split pumpkin muffin showing the moist crumb and a glass of milk.

Brightly colored, spicy, and moist pumpkin puree muffins with chocolate chips… The perfect fall muffin recipe for those who love pumpkin just as much as we do. And if you like pumpkin, check out the Easy Carrot Pumpkin Soup or the Creamy Sweet Potato and Pumpkin Soup.

These pumpkin muffins are some of the moistest muffins I have ever tasted. And so flavorful that you will not be able to stop eating them. Like my daughter, I had to step in after she devoured four muffins in about 5 minutes…

Why should you make these muffins today?

Flavor and texture: Pumpkin spice flavors are packed in one small, incredibly tender, moist muffin.

Use of pumpkin puree: You can make them with canned or fresh pumpkin puree.

Versatile: You can add chocolate chips (plain, semi-sweet or white), pecans, walnuts, or any other nuts you like.

They keep well so that you can enjoy them for several days in a row. They get even better after a day or two, still super moist but a little less delicate, and all the flavors seemed to intensify. I like them even better on the second or third day.

Recipe ingredients

ingredients for making pumpkin muffins in bowls on the table.

Pumpkin: Pumpkin puree, either homemade or canned. I often use canned because it goes faster, but I have successfully baked the pumpkin puree muffins with homemade pumpkin puree.
- Don’t use pumpkin pie filling; that’s another product.

Spices: Pumpkin spice mix or a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and all-spice.

Chocolate chips: I like semi-sweet chocolate chips, but milk or white chocolate chips are also fine.
- I added ½ cup (50 g) of chocolate chips to the spicy pumpkin muffins. However, if you are more into chocolate than I am, you can increase the quantity and sprinkle the pumpkin puree muffins with some extra chocolate chips before baking them.

Unsalted butter: Ensure it is soft; remove it from the refrigerator a few hours before baking.
Brown sugar: You can replace it with white sugar.
Eggs: Ensure that they are at room temperature as well.
Other ingredients: All-purpose flour, baking powder, a pinch of salt, vanilla extract, and a little icing sugar for sprinkling over the baked goods.

How to make pumpkin puree?

Cut a medium-sized sugar pumpkin, Hokkaido pumpkin, or butternut squash in half and remove the seeds and the stringy bits with a spoon.
Place the pieces, cut side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake in the preheated oven (400°F/200°C) for 40 to 60 minutes or until soft (the baking time depends on their size); you should be able to pierce them easily with a fork.
Let cool slightly and scoop out the flesh (there is no need to remove the skin if you use Hokkaido).
Puree the roasted pumpkin with an immersion blender, in a blender or a food processor.

How to make pumpkin muffins?

Preheat the oven and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
Wet ingredients: Mix the soft butter, brown sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the pumpkin puree (1).
Dry ingredients: Mix flour, spices, baking powder, and salt in another bowl. Stir the flour mixture into the sugar-egg mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips (2).

collage of two pictures of stirring batter for muffins with pumpkin puree and chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups (3). You can sprinkle the spicy pumpkin muffins with extra chocolate chips if you like.
Bake for 20-23 minutes until a skewer inserted in the middle of a muffin comes out clean (4).

collage of two pictures of pumpkin muffins before and after baking in a muffin tin.

Cool in the tin for about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Sprinkle with some icing sugar before serving, if desired.

Expert Tips

Using a digital kitchen scale in baking guarantees for best results.
Don’t overmix the batter. Try to combine everything with just a few moves; a few streaks of flour in the batter are ok. Overmixing results in tough, chewy muffins.
The butter must be soft, and the eggs and pumpkin puree at room temperature. They will create an emulsion that traps the air inside. The air will expand during baking, making the baked goods light and fluffy.
Bake the batter as soon as you’ve stirred it. Ensure that the oven is preheated and the muffin tray is prepared. If the batter waits for the oven to get hot, the baking powder will lose its power, and the baked goods will not rise nicely.

many moist pumpkin muffins, one split in the middle.

Recipe FAQ

What pumpkins to use for making puree?

A flavorful sort like Hokkaido (doesn’t have to be peeled), sugar pumpkin, or butternut squash. Leave the Halloween pumpkins for decoration purposes only; they are not tasty.

Can I leave out the chocolate chips?

Sure, if you don’t like them, leave them out. You can also replace them with chopped pecans, walnuts, or other nuts.

How to store?

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. When refrigerated, they will last even longer, 5-6 days.
Freeze in freezer bags or an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature; it will not take long.

two pumpkin muffins and a small glass of milk on a round board.

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