These quick 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins will be the easiest muffins you ever make. They are fluffy, moist and super delicious. All you need is spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, and water.
Craving more pumpkin recipes? Try my Pumpkin Chai Cookies, Pumpkin Pie Dip, Pumpkin Pasta Bake, Maple Pumpkin Fruit Dip, or Marshmallow Pumpkin Milkshake!
The BEST Pumpkin Muffins!
There is literally no better pumpkin muffin. Sorry, not sorry, if you think you have a better pumpkin muffin recipe out there. But seriously they are the BEST I have ever tasted, given the amount of work and ingredients required.
I know it is presumptuous but you have to try them and see for yourself. They are the BEST because…
- They are made with 3 basic ingredients – spice cake mix, canned pumpkin puree, and water. That’s all!
- You don’t need a mixer to make these, just one bowl and a spatula.
- A quintessential fall breakfast treat that tastes homemade. Eat them any time of the day, when you are on the go, or need a quick yummy snack to take to a party. Everyone will love them.
Here’s A Super Quick Video Tutorial:
The 3 Ingredients (and a few notes)
- Spice Cake Mix: Use any brand you can find, I always opt for Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines. If you cannot find it I recommend using yellow cake mix and 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.
- Pumpkin Puree: Make sure you grab a can of 100% unsweetened pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling is not the same thing so don’t buy that.
- Hot Water: Most recipes I found did not include water and I have no idea why. Hot water is what gives the muffins a fluffy, light texture. Without it the muffins are very dense.
Equipment Needed
- 12 Cavity Cupcake Baking Pan: Make sure you are using a light silver pan. Dark and even gold/ bronze colored pans will brown and even burn the cupcakes because of the amount of heat they absorb rather than reflect.
- Baking Cups: Use any color or pattern you prefer, I like these festive fall ones. You can also use or make your own parchment cups.
- Cookie Scoop: These are great for getting even amounts of batter. I recommend using a medium sized scoop that holds about 2 tablespoons of batter.
How To Make 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
This is a short summary of the steps, the recipe card below will have more details.
1. Line muffin pan cavities with baking cups, parchment paper, or nonstick cooking spray.
2. Combine the spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, and water.
3. Fill each cavity 3/4 of the way full with the batter.
4. Bake until the muffins spring back to the touch, the tops are no longer glossy, and a toothpick test comes out clean and with no crumbs. Don’t worry too much about overbaking. These muffins need to dry out while baking because the pumpkin will add the moisture back in as they cool and even as the days go on.
5. Cool and remove from the pan.
FOR MINI MUFFINS: This recipe can make 48 mini muffins. Follow the directions as normal and bake them for 12-15 minutes total.
Storing Information
Always store pumpkin muffins in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. At room temperature they will last up to 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 5 days. These muffins have a lot of moisture in them so they do tend to mold quicker (because of the pumpkin puree).
These pumpkin muffins freeze very well too! I like to prep them for school lunches and on the go breakfast. Individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and then freeze them in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 4 months. Thaw them at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours before serving. You can also defrost them in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds (be sure to remove the plastic wrap first).
Customize Your 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
There are a lot of ways to make these pumpkin muffins really special. Try some of these suggestions:
Add ins:
- Chocolate chips
- Nuts: walnuts, pecans, etc.
- Cranberries
- Candied ginger
- Cinnamon chips
- Chopped fruit
- Butterscotch chips
- Raisins
- Caramel bits
Toppings:
- Cream glaze: 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream or milk. Drizzle it on your muffins after they have cooled.
- Streusel: 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of salt, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour mixed together. Sprinkle it on your muffins before you throw them in the oven.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon mixture put on your muffins before you bake them.
If you love minimal ingredients and how easy these muffins are, then you have to try this 3 ingredient mug cake recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
This could be because you didn’t use hot water or the batter was overmixed (you should stop once almost all the flour has absorbed. Another culprit can be underbaking. These muffins need to be thoroughly baked and dry because as they cool the pumpkin adds moisture back into them.
No! Pumpkin pie filling is not only a different texture, but it is sweet too. By adding that with the cake mix you will have an unpleasantly sweet muffin. Always opt for unsweetened pumpkin puree because it is just pumpkin with no additional ingredients.
To have a similar flavor, you can use yellow cake mix with 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. To mix it up, you can use chocolate cake mix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch cake mix, carrot cake mix, or butter pecan cake mix.
This depends on your view of healthy. These muffins are under 100 calories each and do contain vitamin A and nutrients from the pumpkin. But the cake mix isn’t the healthiest, it does contains a good amount of sugar, carbs, and sodium. You can be the ultimate judge as to whether or not they are “healthy.”
More Muffin Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Mini Blueberry Muffins
- Mini Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Banana Carrot Muffins
- Basic Muffin Recipe
- Cardamom Spiced Coffee Cake Muffins
- Blueberry Earl Grey Muffins with Streusel
Thanks for dropping in! Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter for fun NEW CONTENT and CONVERSATION delivered to your inbox. If you love this recipe save it now so you can find it later. Thank you for your support!
3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
EQUIPMENT
- 2 muffin pan - standard, 12 cavity
- cupcake liners - paper or parchment
- Cookie Scoop - medium sized, for equally measuring batter
INGREDIENTS
- 1 box spice cake mix - or yellow cake mix with 2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice
- 15 ounce unsweetened pumpkin puree - canned or fresh
- ¼ cup water - hot
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 425° F and line the muffin pan cavities with baking cups, parchment paper, or nonstick cooking spray.
- To a large bowl add the spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, hot water and mix until the batter is just combined.
- Fill each cavity 3/4 of the way full using a cookie scoop, spoon, or measuring cup.NOTE: For bakery style muffins, fill them all the way (typically 2 scoops of batter) and bake 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- Bake for 5 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and bake for 10-12 more minutes. NOTE: The muffins should spring back to the touch, the tops no longer glossy, and a toothpick test should come out completely clean. Don't worry about overbaking, as they cool the pumpkin will give them back some moisture.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before removing the muffins from the pan. Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
VIDEO
RECIPE NOTES
STORING INFORMATION
- At room temperature, covered, for two to three days.
- In the refrigerator, covered, for one week.
- In the freezer, wrapped in plastic wrap and in an airtight container or plastic sealable bag, for up to three months.
HOW TO MAKE MINI PUMPKIN MUFFINS
- Follow the directions as normal and bake them at 350° F 10-12 minutes. The recipe yields 36-48 mini muffins.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR PUMPKIN MUFFINS
- Add ins: chocolate chips, walnuts, cranberries, pecans, candied ginger, chopped fruit, butterscotch chips, raisins, etc.
- Toppings:
- Cream glaze: 1 cup of powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of heavy whipping cream or milk. Drizzle it on your muffins after they have cooled.
- Streusel: 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of salt, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour mixed together. Sprinkle it on your muffins before you throw them in the oven.
- Brown sugar and cinnamon mixture put on your muffins before you bake them.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
The muffins turned out fantastic! I a salted caramel drizzle for on top!
Made these for Thanksgiving and my family loved them! I used a yellow cake mix and added 2 tps of pumpkin spice, 1/2 c of raisens and 1/2 c of chopped walnuts, then put a little cream cheese frosting on top after they cooled, so yummy!!
Theses are delicious, will be making over and over 👍🏻👍🏻
This is one of the most tasty, delicious yummy-good and easy recipes I’ve ever tried.
A real keeper!!!!
I recently made this three-ingredient pumpkin muffins, and it turned out so good! I loved how moist and delicious the taste was. Plus, it was kid-approved, so I will definitely be making this again!
I was totally blown away by the 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins. They’re so simple, but they’re packed with flavor! The inside is moist and the pumpkin flavor is just right.
Ohhhhhhhhh you had me at 3 ingredients!! These muffins did not disappoint. They are indeed moist and flavorful and so so easy to make!! These will be on repeat this fall!
I never knew muffins could be so easy! It’s not just the simplicity of the recipe that made it a winner. The pumpkin flavor was wonderful and the texture was moist and not too crumbly.
I made the yellow cake mix variation and the muffins came out great! My son helped me and was able to do it almost by himself. Yay! Thanks so much.
Wow!!! So simple! So delicious and (everyone’s favorite word)😂…moist!! But TRULY! YUMMMMM! ❤️ Thank you for your easy and scrumptious recipes!!
This was incredibly easy for someone who loves to cook, but doesn’t love to bake! My toddlers helped me out too and had a blast! Everyone loved them. I’ll for sure be making them again!
Rachel!
Thank you for trying them. I am so happy you and your kiddos enjoyed baking them. This is what life is ALL about (the little moments).
~Elizabeth