Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Updated: Aug 24, 2022
Fall baking is our fave! The aromas, the spices, the seasonal ingredients, the coziness of a warm kitchen while the outside is cold and windy, all make for the perfect baking environment.
However, with our health and weight loss goals we don’t like to consume too many sugary fall baked goods. The solution to this is creating a versatile muffin recipe with ½ the calories, sugar, and fat as regular muffins while also incorporating extra protein and whole grains.
We can’t be more thrilled with how this recipe creation turned out! Have you ever been on a health kick and found that delicious item that makes you stop and say, “If I can eat stuff like this, I can do it. I can stay on track”? This is definitely one of those foods.
These muffins are perfect for mornings on the go, afternoon tea with friends, and they make the perfect companion with your coffee while you are working at your desk.
We opt for the jumbo size and they are perfectly filling and guilt free. Besides being tasty and better for you, they are easy to make! There are a lot of ingredients, however, the steps are super simple!
We love the topping on the muffins but feel free to omit this to save some extra calories or time.
Also, before baking we suggest checking out the note section for helpful tips! Nutritional information for the muffins are below.
Healthier Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Makes 12 Jumbo muffins or 24 regular sized muffins
Prep time: 20 minutes Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Ingredients
3 cup whole wheat flour
½ tsp salt
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBS cinnamon
1 TBS pumpkin pie spice
1-2 scoops vanilla protein powder, optional
1 medium banana, very ripe
2 eggs
¾ cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
½ cup Greek yogurt
1 cup pure pumpkin puree
1 TBS vanilla extract
1 cup skim milk
⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted
Topping (optional)
2 TBS unsalted butter, melted
1 TBS dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
¼ cup rolled oats
¼ cup roasted pepitas, shelled pumpkin seeds
Directions:
Pre-Prep: Measure ingredients, melt butter, make the topping and set aside. Line muffin tins with paper cups. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the Topping:
Combine all ingredients into a small mixing bowl and set aside.
For the Muffins:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and protein powder and set aside.
In a blender combine banana, eggs, brown sugar, greek yogurt, pumpkin purée, vanilla extract, and skim milk and blend on medium until smooth.
Add wet blended ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold the melted butter into the batter just until it is incorporated. Do not overmix.
Portion batter into the muffin tins. Evenly portion the topping and sprinkle over the center of each muffin. Place muffins onto the center rack in a preheated oven. Bake for 12-16 minutes, checking for doneness and rotating pans after 12 minutes.
Muffins will be done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs but not wet batter. You can also touch the top of the muffins and if they “spring back” they are done.
Let muffins slightly cool in the pan for 1-2 mins and then remove them from the pan and place on a rack to continue cooling. If you don’t have a cooling rack, the counter is just fine. However, don’t forget to remove them from the pan to prohibit additional carry-over baking.
Enjoy and freeze what you don’t eat in a double freezer bag for quick weekday breakfasts!
We hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we do and if you make them at home, please let us know!
Notes
Omit the topping and reduce the calories by 40 for the 12 jumbo muffins and 20 calories for the 24 regular sized muffin portions.
Use a little more pumpkin pie spice if you want a little more spice.
The secret to keeping these muffins moist is to not overbake them. As soon as they are okay to touch, carefully remove the muffins from the pans in order to let them cool completely, without continuing to bake in the pan.
Don’t make the mistake we made before and buy pumpkin pie “filling”! Make sure when you purchase your pumpkin purée it is pure pumpkin, with no added ingredients.
When re-heating, change your microwave power setting to 70% and microwave in 1-30 second increment followed by 15 second increments until muffins are warm. Muffins should be warm throughout.
If you're worried about the muffins tasting like banana, don't! The banana flavor is subtle and adds natural sugar.
If you don't have pumpkin pie spice you can substitute it for, 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg, ½ tsp ginger, ¼ tsp cloves.
Nutrition Information
Calories for 12 servings
Per serving Calories: 285 Fat: 9 Carbohydrates: 42 Protein 8
*This nutritional information includes the topping. It does not include the nutritional information for the protein powder, because the powder you choose will vary.
Calories for 24 servings
Per serving Calories: 143 Fat: 5 Carbohydrates: 21 Protein 4
*This nutritional information includes the topping. It does not include the nutritional information for the protein powder, because the powder you choose will vary.
We hope you enjoy these muffins as much as we do and if you make them at home, please let us know. If you have any questions, contact us on social media or leave a comment on this blog!