Easy Pumpkin Spice Maple Muffins Recipe

Soft and fluffy pumpkin maple muffins are a lightly sweet and delicious way to start the day.

This easy recipe comes together quickly and is full of good stuff you can feel great about serving.

Make these moist pumpkin muffins as part of holiday brunch buffets or stick into lunch boxes for a homemade afternoon treat.

Pumpkin / Winter Squash Choices

You can use any pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, you desire here. A can from the grocery store is just fine.

You can feel free to use leftover pumpkin from a pumpkin pie or truly any baked and pureed winter squash you have on hand. If you have acorn squash or butternut squash leftover from making soup or some other main dish they will provide the pumpkin flavor you’re seeking.

Spice Choices

I kept it simple with cinnamon and ginger in the recipe below. However, you can feel free to use pumpkin pie spice or any other combination of spices you prefer.

You could skip spice entirely, if desired and still have some of the best pumpkin muffins around.

Flour Choices

I kept the recipe simple by using basic all-purpose flour.

You could substitute some of that all-purpose flour with some whole wheat pastry flour for a bit of whole grain crunch, if desired.

Fat Choices

Melted salted butter is easy and generally most folks have it on hand. However, you could use any liquid fat you desire.

Use olive oil or melted coconut oil instead of the butter. Even pureed applesauce would work if you wanted to lower the fat content.

If you skip the salted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients to make up for the lack of salt otherwise.

Optional Additions

Make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins by stirring in 1 cup chocolate chips to the batter.

Add 1 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans for some crunchy muffins.

Stir in up to 1 cup of raisins or dried cranberries for an even more filling snack.

How to Serve

Serve slightly warm muffins with a cup of coffee or glass of milk on chilly fall mornings for a simple but delightful breakfast.

Make it an even heartier meal by serving the moist muffins alongside eggs and bacon.

Use it as a simple snack by serving with fresh fruit and iced tea in the afternoon.

How to Store

Keep muffins in an airtight container where they should stay fresh for up to 4 days at room temperature.

For longer term storage, place cooled muffins in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

Let frozen muffins thaw on the counter prior to serving.

Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Try my whole wheat pumpkin bread for a quick whole-grain treat.