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These pumpkin muffins are soft, moist, and packed with warm fall spices and real pumpkin flavor. They’re made entirely by hand using the classic muffin method, with no mixer required. A mix of homemade pumpkin pie spice and extra ground ginger adds a cozy heat, and the combination of brown and white sugar helps keep the muffins tender and flavorful for days.

Pumpkin muffin on a wire rack next to cinnamon sticks and nutmeg. More muffins in the background to the left

What Makes These Pumpkin Muffins Different

This recipe is based on my recipe for pumpkin bread (which tastes incredible)but there are a few things that set these muffins apart from the standard recipe:

Two-temperature bake: Start at 425°F, then reduce to 350°F to finish. That initial burst of heat causes a rapid rise which gives these muffins a pretty domed shape.
Homemade spice blend: Instead of store-bought pumpkin pie spice, I use my homemade pumpkin pie spice mix and add extra ginger for a hit of spice and warmth. The nice thing about the homemade mix is that you can adjust the different spices according to your own taste. But be careful of adding too much clove, because that spice can easily overpower the others.
Mix-by-hand method: These are made with the classic muffin method, which helps prevent overmixing and creates a soft, tender crumb.

The muffin method involves combining the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another bowl and then combining them together by hand. The purpose of this method is to limit the amount of gluten development during the mixing process, which keeps muffins light and tender.

For variations on this classic muffin recipe try my recipes Pumpkin Streusel Muffins and Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins.

Pumpkin Muffin Ingredients

Here is what you’ll need for these easy pumpkin muffins:

Pumpkin bread ingredients - unbleached all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, homemade pumpkin pie spice, unsalted butter, Libby's pumpkin puree, unsalted butter, large eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, baking powder, kosher salt

Pumpkin Puree: Libby’s Pumpkin Puree works best for these muffins. Be sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. I’ve tried other brands and Libby’s consistently does the best in terms of taste and texture, in part because Libby’s grows a special pumpkin just for their puree that has high sugar content - perfect for baking muffins, pies, and quick breads.
Ground Spices: The combination of ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves give these muffins their distinctive flavor when combined with the pumpkin puree.
Buttermilk: The buttermilk helps keep the muffins moist. Only a little is needed. If you want a slightly denser muffin replace the buttermilk with 60 grams of full-fat sour cream.

How to Make Pumpkin Muffins

This is a great recipe to make when you want something quick and a little sweet. The muffin batter is mixed by hand and takes about an hour from start to finish to have a fresh delicious pumpkin muffins any time of day.

Once you've assembled all the ingredients it takes less than 15 minutes to make this batter by hand (no mixer required).

Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a glass mixing bowl

Step 1: Whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium-sized bowl.

Granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice in a large mixing bowl

Step 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, ginger, and homemade pumpkin pie spice.

Two large eggs added to the sugar and pumpkin pie spice mixture in a large mixing bowl

Step 3: Add the eggs and whisk until the mixture is thick and lighter in color.

Pumpkin bread batter with the pumpkin puree being added to the batter.

Step 4: Whisk in the cooled melted butter, followed by the pumpkin puree and buttermilk

The pumpkin bread batter with the dry ingredients being added to the batter in a large mixing bowl

Step 5: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture, mixing until just combined.

The completed pumpkin batter in a large mixing bowl. It is the color of burnt orange

Step 6: Don’t overmix - a few lumps remaining are okay.

Add half of the dry ingredients and fold them in with a spatula. Add the other half and fold in the flour until no white bits remind. Fold from the bottom of the bowl to ensure all the flour is mixed. Don’t overmix or the muffins will have a slightly rubbery texture. The batter will be a little lumpy which is okay.

Divide the pumpkin muffin batter between the 12 muffin cups. You’ll need to thoroughly scrape the mixing bowl to have enough batter. The muffin tins will be filled almost to the top.

12-cup muffin pan filled with pumpkin muffin batter

Step 7: Divide the pumpkin muffin batter between the 12 muffin cups.

Baked pumpkin muffins in a 12 cups muffin pan

Step 8: Bake the muffins until they're have risen and the internal temperature registers 202°F.

Step 9: Remove the muffins from the oven, cool them for 5 minutes, and then place the muffins on a wire rack to finish cooling. The muffins can be served warm with salted butter or just plain.

Pumpkin muffin on small saucer with cinnamon sticks and whole nutmeg next to the plate. Fresh ginger and more muffins are in the background

Substitutions

Replace a quarter of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour for a slightly nutty taste.
You can use homemade pumpkin pie spice. Use 2-½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and glove.

Pumpkin muffin cut in half with the cut side facing up. Muffins are a beautiful burnt orange color

Pro Tips for Making This Recipe

Starting the muffins at 425°F gives the baking powder and baking soda a boost so the muffins bake straight up resulting in a dome shape.
Use a scale to measure the flour to ensure you have the right amount. Too much flour could result in a dry muffin.
Let the wet ingredients sit for 5 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Sugar contributes to the moisture of the muffins. Allowing the sugar to dissolve will help ensure a super moist muffin.
Use room-temperature eggs and buttermilk to help ensure a fluffy muffin. Cold eggs could result in stodgy muffins.
Since this recipe does not use a whole can of pumpkin puree, store the leftover puree in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week or freeze it until you're ready to use it for another recipe.

Muffins on a board with some muffins on a round board. One muffin in the center cut in half with a schmeer of butter on one half — Serve Muffins with Salted Butter

If you make these pumpkin muffins please leave a rating and a comment below.
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