As the leaves turn brilliant shades of orange and the air turns crisp, I always get the urge to start baking. Each year, I look to add new fall baking recipes to my collection. There’s nothing quite like the aroma of freshly baked pumpkin muffins wafting through your home. Fall is the perfect season to embrace all things pumpkin, and if we can make a treat a little healthier than usual, that’s an even better reason to enjoy it!
I love trying out new fall baking recipes, but sometimes it’s hard to find the just right one. I decided to experiment a little with a banana muffin recipe that I knew was tried and true. I made a few small tweaks and VOILA! The perfect, healthy pumpkin muffin recipe.
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Before we dive into the baking adventure, let’s gather the ingredients for these delicious healthy pumpkin muffins:
Ingredients
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1 cup of pumpkin purée
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 cup gluten free all purpose flour
- 1 cup gluten free rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- Mini chocolate chips or white chocolate chips (enough to sprinkle on top)
- A pinch of autumn magic (optional)
Directions
1. Preheat the Oven: Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your muffin tin with paper liners or grease it lightly. I used a nonstick square muffin tin and did not need liners. The muffins popped out super easily too! This pan is really similar to the one I use and love.
2. Dry Ingredients: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix them together and set the bowl aside.
3. Wet Ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, mashed banana, sugar, egg, and oil. Mix until smooth and well combined.
4. Combine the Mixes: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined. Be careful not to overmix; a few lumps are perfectly fine.
5. Optional Goodies: If you’re adding chocolate chips for that extra autumn indulgence, gently fold them into the batter or sprinkle on top before baking.
6. Fill the Muffin Cups: Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with your pumpkin muffin batter.
7. Baking Time: Slide your muffin tin into the preheated oven and bake for approximately 16-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.
8. Cool and Enjoy: Once done, allow your muffins to cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack and then an airtight container.
I hope your family enjoys these treats as much as mine did! My little one loves to bake so this was a fun way to involve him in making some cozy seasonal memories.
When they were done, he and my husband both enjoyed these muffins fresh from the oven with a cold glass of milk. My favorite was the pumpkin and white chocolate chips, my husband preferred the plain ones, and my son enjoyed the ones with mini semi-sweet chocolate chips.
If you try them, let me know which version you liked best! If you are looking for other fall baking recipes, check out my Easy Halloween Cookie recipe!
Happy baking!
Megan