These healthy pumpkin oatmeal muffins are tender, moist, and full of that warm fall flavor. Made with pumpkin puree, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, applesauce, and just a little brown sugar, they’re an easy one-bowl breakfast recipe that’s perfect for meal prep, lunchboxes, and stocking your freezer for busy weekday mornings breakfasts.

Pumpkin oatmeal muffins on a table with ingredients scattered around it.
4.98 from 81 votes
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These muffins are on repeat in our home. They are delicious and not too sweet. My toddler loves them!

Heather
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The healthy pumpkin muffins that kick off fall in my kitchen…

Every September, I become a tad bit predictable. The second I see the first leaf start to change color and get a whisper of crispness in the air, it is straight to the grocery store I go to grab all the canned pumpkin and immediately start making all the pumpkin recipes I have dreamed up over the years. These healthy pumpkin oatmeal muffins are almost always one of the first things I make because they’re so easy to make, they freeze beautifully and making a batch of wholesome muffins at the start of the week is the one meal prep thing I do that makes life a little easier later on. Which, on busy school mornings, is really all I’m asking for.

I know that there are many pumpkin muffins out there that are more bakery style with with more oil and added sugar than I use in my muffin recipes. And no judgment if that’s your thing, but I want to let you know upfront that these are not that. They are delicious, yes. But they are also designed to be nourishing and part of a balanced snack or breakfast. Made with whole wheat flour, rolled oats, pumpkin puree, applesauce, and just enough brown sugar to sweeten them up so they feel fun to eat, but without tipping into cupcake territory. I added in a god amount of pumpkin spice to give them that warm fall flavor I know you came here for. And while they are hearty, they are also soft. And totally the kind of muffin I’m just as happy handing Allie on the way out the door as I am sitting down with alongside a hot cup of coffee on a Saturday morning.

And because I want to make sure these turn out as good for you as they do me, let me share a few important tips and tricks. First, be careful not to over-mix the batter. Overmixing actives the gluten a little too much and makes for dense muffins and we are aiming for tender. And if you’re feeling it, chopped walnuts or pecans are delicious mixed in and I will never tell you not to add a few extra chocolate chips on top. Pumpkin and chocolate are just one of those combinations I can’t resist (as you know if you have made my pumpkin baked oatmeal or my chocolate pumpkin muffins….I just think they are such an unexpected pairing that wins!). Or want a banana-y version? My oatmeal pumpkin banana muffins bring both the pumpkin and banana flavor together.

Let’s make these pumpkin muffins together. Just you and me…

Wet ingredients for pumpkin oatmeal muffins in a bowl with a whisk.
Add pumpkin puree to a large bowl, along with applesauce, eggs, oil, vanilla and brown sugar. Whisk together.
Wet ingredients for pumpkin oatmeal muffins mixed together in a glass bowl. There is pumpkin pie spice, salt, baking powder and baking soda sitting on top of the mixture.
Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk again.
Whole wheat flour and rolled oats in a bowl with the wet ingredients for pumpkin muffins.
Add the flour and rolled oats to the bowl.
A wooden spoon stirring together the batter for pumpkin oatmeal muffins.
Stir until just combined.
Chocolate chips in a bowl with the batter for pumpkin oatmeal muffins, before being stirred in.
Finally, add in the mini chocolate chips and fold them in.
An ice cream scoop in the bowl with the batter for pumpkin oatmeal muffins . Next to the bowl is a muffin tin with some compartments filled with batter and a bowl of mini chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into the 12 prepared muffin cups.
A muffin tin filled with the batter for pumpkin oatmeal muffins before being baked.
And bake!
A pumpkin oatmeal muffin on a table with ingredients scattered around. There are more muffins blurred in the background and a bite is taken out of one of the muffins with more muffins blurred in the background.
I mean, look how perfect and pumpkiny they are!
4.98 from 81 votes

Healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins (one bowl!)

Yield: 12 muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Cuisine: American
Course: Breakfast
Author: Taesha Butler
These healthy pumpkin oatmeal muffins are tender, moist, and full of that warm fall flavor. Made with pumpkin puree, whole wheat flour, rolled oats, applesauce, and just a little brown sugar, they're an easy one-bowl breakfast recipe that's perfect for meal prep, lunchboxes, and stocking your freezer for busy weekday mornings breakfasts.
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup (245 g) pumpkin puree
  • ¾ cup (183 g) unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup (59.15 ml) avocado oil
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • ⅓ cup (73.33 g) light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1¼ cups (150 g) whole wheat flour
  • ¾ cup (60.81 g) rolled oats
  • ¼ cup (45 g) mini chocolate chips

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375℉. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners or grease with oil.
    • Since this muffin recipe uses less added oil than most traditional muffin recipes, I find that silicone liners or disposable liners with a natural food-grade silicone coating (I like If You Care baking cup liners) work best to prevent sticking. If using traditional paper liners without a coating, lightly spray them with cooking spray before filling so the muffins release more easily after cooling.
  • Add pumpkin puree to a large bowl, along with applesauce, eggs, oil, vanilla and brown sugar. Whisk together well.
  • Add baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice to the bowl with the pumpkin mixture. Whisk together again to incorporate everything.
  • Add the flour and rolled oats to the bowl. Stir until just combined. Do not over mix, as this can result in dense muffins.
    Finally, fold in chocolate chips.
  • Spoon the batter into the 12 prepared muffin cups, filling about ¾ of the way. Top with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
  • Bake until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20-22 minutes. If you have a kitchen thermometer, cook until the muffins have an internal temperature of 200℉. This will ensure they are cooked through, but not overcooked.
  • Allow them to cool in pan for 15 minutes before enjoying. Once cooled completely, store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or in your freezer for up to a month.

Notes

Recipe testing notes from Taesha: 
  • I’ve tested these with both oat flour and cup-for-cup gluten-free flour for GF. I found that the oat flour worked best for my preference but both worked. Be sure to let your batter rest for 15 minutes before portioning onto the muffin tin so your flour can hydrate if swapping in the whole wheat flour for either gluten free option.
  • If you need these to be egg-free, I’ve successfully made these muffins several times subbing in 2 flax eggs
  • If you need these to be gluten free, be sure that the rolled oats are certified gluten free as well as the oat flour (should you use that for your flour swap)
  • If you don’t have avocado oil, any neutral oil like vegetable oil will work. I have also made these with melted unsalted butter and loved how they came out.
Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 172kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 196mg, Potassium: 139mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 3237IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 48mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information provided here is only an estimate shared for convenience and as a courtesy. Information will vary based on ingredients + brands used to create the recipe.