Moist, fluffy and perfectly spiced Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins are a tender and delicious snack that everyone will love and ready in 35 minutes!
Pumpkin Applesauce, Fall Snack Mix, and Fall Spritz Cookies are some of my go to fall snacks, along with these hearty whole wheat pumpkin muffins. They are such a tasty fall treat!!
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Healthy and Still Delicious!
Finally, a whole wheat pumpkin muffin that tastes just as amazing as its all-purpose counterpart!
It took me three tries to get this recipe right. I love baking with whole wheat flour, but when you use ALL whole wheat flour, baked goods tend to end up dry, crumbly and bland.
I used all of my tricks to create a muffin with a moist, yet tender crumb, packed full of warm fall spices and lots of pumpkin flavor.
This recipe’s star ingredient is whole wheat pastry flour. Unlike regular whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour is ground from the finest soft white wheat and has a lower percentage of protein in it. That means it’s going to yield baked goods with a tender crumb and milder taste.
Another name for whole wheat pastry flour is graham flour. If you have trouble finding it (or don’t want to order it online), you can use white whole wheat flour.
Swap out 2 tablespoons of flour for equal parts cornstarch. The flavor will not be the exact same, but the texture should be similar. If you need ideas on how to use up the rest of it, try these bran muffins, these banana pancakes, or these whole wheat blueberry muffins.
How to Make Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins
PREP. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with liners or use a silicone muffin mold.
WET INGREDIENTS. In a large bowl whisk together pumpkin, oil, buttermilk, sugars, egg, and egg whites.
DRY INGREDIENTS. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients just until combined.
BAKE. Divide the batter evenly between the muffin wells. Place in the oven and bake for 16-20 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched.
ENJOY! Remove from the oven and dust the tops with sugar if desired. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Ingredient Tips
- Pumpkin Spice: To make your own pumpkin pie spice for this recipe simply combine ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, and ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger.
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have any buttermilk available you can easily make your own by measuring ½ Tbsp of white vinegar into a measuring cup and then adding ½ cup of milk. Give this a little stir and then let it sit for about 5 minutes and you will be ready to add it in!
- Brown Sugar: Use either light or dark brown sugar for this recipe.
- Pumpkin Puree: Homemade Pumpkin Puree would be a delightful addition to this recipe.
Variations
Add in some of your favorites like:
- chopped walnuts
- pecans
- chocolate chips
- raisins
- dried cranberries
Frequently Asked Questions
You can replace the egg and egg whites with flax eggs and use almond milk with vinegar as a substitute for buttermilk.
They are done when the tops spring back when touched, or you can insert a toothpick in the center, and if it comes out clean or with a few crumbs, they are ready.
You can use a regular muffin pan. Just line it with liners for easy removal.
Yes, you can replace the canola oil with vegetable oil, melted coconut oil, or even melted butter. However, the flavor and texture might slightly change.
Absolutely! Feel free to adjust the spice levels to your preference. Adding nutmeg or cloves can add depth to the flavor.
You can use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Ensure you also check the other ingredients to ensure they’re gluten-free.
Storing Info
STORE leftover muffins covered at room temperature or kept covered in the fridge for a few days.
To FREEZE, make sure to wait until they have cooled before adding them to a Ziploc bag or freezer safe container. When you are ready to eat them just warm them up individually in the microwave for 30-60 seconds on high straight from the freezer.
More Great Muffin Recipes We Think You’ll Adore
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 1 c. pumpkin puree
- 1/2 c. canola oil
- 1/2 c. buttermilk
- 1/2 c. granulated sugar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 egg whites
- 1 3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. coarse kosher sea salt
- 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a muffin tin with liners or use a silicone muffin mold.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together pumpkin, oil, buttermilk, sugars, egg, and egg whites.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Gradually fold in the dry ingredients just until combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin wells. Place in the oven and bake for 16-20 minutes or until the tops spring back when touched.
- Remove from the oven and dust the tops with sugar if desired. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
I’m partnering with Silpat to bring you today’s recipe. All opinions are my own. Thank you for helping me work with companies I love!
Along with the whole wheat flour I added baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. After everything was incorporated, I grabbed my handy #20 scoop and divided the batter between the wells of my Silpat Classic Muffin Mold.
Yes, they make all sorts of molds now (sold exclusively at Williams Sonoma) and they are AWESOME! I have my eye on the mini loaf and mini muffin shapes. They also make madeline and fluted cake molds too!
You know how much I love my original Silpat, I use it all of the time. This muffin mold goes on a 13×18 sheet pan just like the original. It’s non-stick finish means you don’t have to grease the wells, you don’t have to use liners and you can pop them out with ease.
Such a game-changer friends. While it is a bit pricey ($50), it’s well worth it. Plus it would make an excellent gift for the holidays. Just sayin’.
My daughters are obsessed with wegmans pumpkin muffins and I am over the 8 dollar price tag for 4 muffins!!! These are literally perfect! They taste just like them- my daughter said they were even better! Thank you!!!
Healthy and Amazingly, Delicious! Can’t wait to make these muffins again!
I made these this week. They are so very good!! Thanks for sharing, I’ll be making these again for sure!
Thank you Karen, glad you enjoyed them 🙂