These Pumpkin Muffins are a revelation! They’re so tender and perfectly spiced, plus with oats (and no wheat flour) they’re surprisingly wholesome – plus completely gluten- and dairy-free.
These pumpkin muffins are SO easy to make, too. You literally make the batter right in the pitcher of your blender, pour the batter directly into your muffin tins, and bake!
Developing This Recipe
One of my favorite recipes are my banana oat pancakes, which come together completely in a blender and are SO wholesome and delicious!
I’ve been wanting to create some muffin recipes that use the same concept – oats instead of flour so that you can blend the batter in the blender, plus the oats act as a flour substitute. So I started with these pumpkin muffins, which I developed using the same blender-and-oats method.
It took a few tries, but the result is a gem of a pumpkin muffin recipe that could not be easier to make!
Recipe Testing Notes
test 1: fell flat. add baking soda
test 2: there’s enough brown sugar in these to neutralize up to 3/4 teaspoons of baking soda. I reduced the baking powder to 1 1/2 teaspoons and added 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. Also increased the oats by 1/4 cup to get a bit more batter + heartiness. these were the winner, domed perfectly, held shape. make sure to bake for at least 20 minutes so that the muffins can build their internal structure
test 3: photographer’s muffins cracked. evaluated pumpkin puree (mine was watery, hers was thicker, and her batter was not pourable). drained pumpkin puree and determined that 3 tablespoons of water came out of the Trader Joe’s can vs none out of the Libby can. edited recipe to include adding water for thicker puree until the batter is pourable. pumpkins turned out too heavy.
test 4: tested less water with the thicker puree, spooning the batter out vs. being able to pour it out. This is the winner. The muffins puffed up nicely. The key is adding just a little bit of water when the pumpkin puree is thick.
When I first tested this recipe, I tested it with Trader Joe’s organic pumpkin. When my photographer made the muffins, the batter was very thick, not pourable, and the muffins cracked on top. When we were troubleshooting and she mentioned she used Libby’s pumpkin puree and that it was very thick, it dawned on me that the consistency between pumpkin purees can really vary. Trader Joe’s is quite thin and watery, while Libby’s is very thick. (Handle the Heat does a great comparison of regular canned vs. organic vs. fresh pumpkin puree if you’re interested in reading up on it!)
So I decided to do some additional testing. First, I set up some Trader Joe’s canned pumpkin and Libby’s side by side and strained them for 30 minutes. More water came out of the Trader Joe’s version (it was pretty obvious when looking in the cans that the TJ’s was much thinner, too.) So I added a couple of tablespoons of water when making the recipe with a thicker pumpkin puree. Problem – for the most part – solved.
I don’t think these pumpkin muffins are guaranteed to come out the same every single time just because each puree has differences, but I do think they’ll always be reliably delicious!
Why You’ll Love These Blender Pumpkin Muffins
- Truly so soft, tender, and delicious. I love the tender texture of these muffins (perfect with a pat of butter!) and the taste is perfectly pumpkin spice-y. Not too over the top, just perfectly autumn.
- Super wholesome! I love that these pumpkin muffins full of oats and not a ton of sugar. Plus, a little dose of vitamin-A-rich pumpkin in every muffin (source). Plus they’re gluten-free AND dairy-free!
- SO easy. I provide weights in the recipe, which, in my opinion, make this pumpkin muffin recipe even easier. I just place the blender on the scale, zero it out, and add my ingredients, zeroing out between ingredients. It takes just a couple of minutes to make the batter then the rest of the time is baking.
Blender Pumpkin Muffin Recipe Ingredients
- Pumpkin puree – As I’ve mentioned a few times in this blog post, pumpkin purees can really vary. If your pumpkin puree is thick and not very watery, you’ll probably need to add a little water to make the pumpkin batter pourable.
- Dark brown sugar – Add a sweet note with a tiny taste of caramel. Perfect.
- Vegetable oil – Or your favorite neutral oil. That helps keep the muffins moist.
- Eggs
- Rolled oats – These grind up into a flour-like consistency in the blender – so that there’s no need for actual wheat flour! If you are gluten-free, be sure to buy certified gluten-free oats.
- Pumpkin pie spice – A combo of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. You can make your own pumpkin pie spice or find pre-mixed pumpkin spice in the baking/spice section of most grocery stores.
- Baking powder & baking soda – I find that using both of these leaveners gives these pumpkin muffins the perfect amount of lift.
- Salt – Just a little to highlight the flavors.
How to Make Them
- First, add the oats to the blender and pulse a few times until fine.
- Add the remaining muffin ingredients and puree until smooth, stopping the blender and scraping down the sides a few times if needed.
- Pour or spoon the batter into 12 standard-size muffins cups sprayed with non-stick spray.
- Bake until puffy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove to let cool completely.
Tips for Success
- Use a scale! It’s not a must, but it just makes it so easy. I love to just use the Vitamix pitcher + my kitchen scale to weigh ingredients. These Pumpkin Muffins come together super fast that way and they’re perfect for busy mornings.
- Smooth the tops of the muffins. This is not strictly necessary, but I like how it helps the muffins look consistent and not lumpy.
I hope you love this Pumpkin Muffins recipe as much as we do! I am blown away by how easy these muffins are to make – blender, muffin tin, done! They’re equally great for a hearty breakfast treat or afternoon snack. Love!
Easy Blender Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups rolled oats (205 g)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (260 g)
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (160 g)
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or another neutral oil; 40 g)
- 2 tablespoons lukewarm water* (optional! please read notes*)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (4 g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (4 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (2 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (2 g)
Equipment
- High-speed blender like Vitamix
- 12-cup standard-size muffin tin
- cupcake liners or non-stick spray
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175° C). Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners or spray with non-stick spray.
- Add the oats to the pitcher of a high speed blender and pulse a few times until blended, to the consistency of flour.
- Add the remaining ingredients.
- Blend until completely smooth, using the plunger to help it get moving and/or stopping and scraping down the sides with a spatula if necessary, about 1 minute.
- Pour or scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups. You'll fill each about 2/3 full. Use a spoon to smooth the tops somewhat (doesn’t have to be perfect).
- Bake until puffy and domed, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 18-22 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then pull the muffins out of the tin and cool the rest of the way on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
More Pumpkin Breakfast Recipes
- Fluffy Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Scones
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Waffles
- Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
Hi! I’m Karen – I’m a real person with real, vetted recipes – over 900 of them! Since 2009, every recipe on Kitchen Treaty is thoroughly tested and loved before I hit “publish.” I’m a home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m a vegetarian married to a carnivore, and my goal is to coexist deliciously.
