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About This Recipe
These healthy chocolate chip pumpkin muffins make for one of the best fall recipes! They’re easy to make and versatile, great for breakfast on-the-go, an afternoon snack or even dessert.
This is also a great recipe to freeze so feel free to make a double batch and save some for later. Kids and husbands-alike will have no idea these tasty muffins are lightened up and actually good for you!
Not sure what to do with leftover pumpkin? Explore these 15+ healthy pumpkin recipes. Or for more muffins, try my peanut butter banana muffins or blueberry greek yogurt muffins!
Why You’ll Love These Healthy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
- A cross between breakfast and dessert! These muffins are slightly sweet with gooey chocolate but still nutritious!
- Gluten-free and dairy-free + great for meal prep
- A healthier alternative to traditional muffins that will leave you feeling energized (and without the sugar crash)
- Ready to eat in just 30 minutes!
- The perfect lightened-up fall treat to bake up that’s so easy! It will make the whole house smell like baked pumpkin pie!
- Pumpkin puree – Libby’s has the best orange color and pumpkin flavor! Make sure to get get pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- Unsweetened applesauce – you can sub with mashed banana
- Pure maple syrup – can also use honey or substitute for sugar-free pancake syrup if you want less sugar!
- Coconut oil – melted butter or oil of choice
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Oat flour – all-purpose flour (GF if needed) or white whole wheat flour work too
- Pumpkin pie spice – store-bought or homemade
- Baking essentials: baking powder, salt, and baking soda
- Mini chocolate chips
How To Make
The full printable recipe is below, but let me walk you through the process so you know what to expect when you’re making it!
1. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
4. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Scoop batter to a greased muffin pan. Top with extra chocolate chips so they’re pretty!
6. Bake for 20-22 minutes at 350F, or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean.
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
To freeze, allow muffins to cool completely then wrap muffins tightly in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Baking Tips!
- Don’t over mix. Over mixing the batter can cause denser muffins (instead of light and fluffy) muffins like we all love! For the best results, mix until ingredients are just combined then fold in the blueberries.
- Check baking soda and baking powder. Ensure they haven’t been open for more than 3 months. I like to write the date on top of the can whenever I open a new one to ensure I know when to start fresh!
- Don’t overfill muffin tin. Fill only about 3/4 full or the muffin tops will rise too much and fall to the sides!
Can I use another flour instead of oat flour?
The oat flour really brings an incredible texture to these muffins that is so good! But you could also use an all-purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, or a 1:1 gluten-free flour.
What’s the best kind of pumpkin to use for this healthy pumpkin muffin recipe?
I always recommend using Libby 100% pure pumpkin for any of my pumpkin treats! I think Libby has the best color, taste and texture. Also be sure you’re using pumpkin puree (where the only ingredient is pumpkin) not pumpkin pie filling.
Can I bake this chocolate chip pumpkin muffin recipe in a loaf pan instead of regular pumpkin muffins?
Sure! You can easily use a loaf pan to make a healthy, quick pumpkin bread. Just be sure to adjust the baking time as it will take longer for the bread to bake. You can check the bread with a toothpick and it’s done once the toothpick comes out mostly clean (the bread will finish baking in the hot pan once removed from the oven).
How do these muffins stay moist without butter or vegetable oil?
The combination of pumpkin and the unsweetened applesauce pair perfectly to make these muffins light and moist! They also help lightened up this recipe since we aren’t using butter which is high in fat and calories. Not only does the pumpkin help this recipe be lower in calories but you get the added benefits of pumpkin being a vegetable so there is added fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants!
More Pumpkin Recipes You’ll Love For Pumpkin Season
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Healthy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (240g) Libby’s has the best orange color!
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (60g) or mashed banana
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (60g)
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (60g) melted
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups oat flour (240g)
- 1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt and baking soda each
- 1/3 cup mini chocolate chips
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a muffin pan with cooking oil and/or line with liners.
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, applesauce, maple syrup, coconut oil, eggs and vanilla.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
- Add the dry ingredients and chocolate chips to the wet ingredients. Fold just until the dry ingredients are incorporated and you see no more streaks of flour.
- Scoop batter into the greased muffin pan. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top if desired (so they’re pretty!)
- Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out mostly clean. Let cool for 10 minutes then enjoy!
Equipment
Nutrition Information
Nutrition is hand-calculated and accurate. No autocalulations! However, note that values can vary based on the brands you use and if you substitute ingredients.
