Healthy Pumpkin Muffins | Gimme Some Oven

Easy30 minsGluten-Free

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.

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:

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 just cut up some parchment paper to make little baking cup liners.  But feel free to use your faves or just mist the baking pan with some cooking spray.

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.

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

Enjoy, everyone! ♡

Yield: 12 servings

Healthy Pumpkin Muffins

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

Total Time:30 mins

Prep Time:15 mins

Cook Time:15 mins

Ingredients:

• 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

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Line 12 baking cups with parchment, 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 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.

*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.

Difficulty: EasyCategory: Gluten-Free

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