Easy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Our Easy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe is full of pumpkin flavor with notes of apple cider and the most tender, moist interior. Hands down the best pumpkin muffin recipe you’ll make this fall! We drizzle the tops with a two-ingredient apple cider glaze but these are just as scrumptious plain. 

For more fall baked goods try our Pumpkin Streusel Cheesecake Squares,  our Pumpkin Olive Oil Cake or this Easy Apple Crisp.

Easy Pumpkin Recipe

I’m guessing this is the 3,214 pumpkin muffin recipe you’ve seen floating around the Internet in the last couple of weeks. And while my brain is telling me you’ve probably seen enough, heck I’ve seen enough, and we aren’t even all the way through October, these pumpkin muffins are just too darn good not to share.

These guys a are brimming with pumpkin flavor, just a hint of sweet apple cider and irresistibly moist and delicious. Because they shine on their own, we keep the topping simple with a drizzle of apple cider glaze but you could easily skip it and inhale them on their own. 

This pumpkin recipe is a fall baked good my Mom has made since basically forever and after high school, I followed suit. Each year without fail, they make an appearance at least once or twice and each time I’m reminded exactly why they have stayed relevant all these years.

They don’t have any fancy ingredients, take literally no time to throw together and are seriously some of the softest, moistest and most delicious muffins I’ve ever made. I even threw these together countless times in college to bring to various parties where they were inhaled in mere seconds, and while a gaggle full of drunken college students would likely eat anything, the rate at which they were consumed is truly a testament to how delicious they are.

Don’t mess with tradition

The recipe originated from one of those old-school cookbooks a neighborhood or school puts together to raise money that my Mom acquired at some point over the years – it’s crazy how many hidden gems are buried within the pages of those things. Typically I won’t stray from the ingredients and directions – you know, if ain’t broke, don’t fix it – but I bought a giant vat of apple cider a while ago and wanted to see if I could play with the ingredients a little bit.

Adding the apple cider allowed me to reduce the oil content by just a smidge, although I wouldn’t recommend reducing it by any more, as the oil is what helps to achieve the seemingly endless moistness in the muffins.

Here’s how it goes: Pureed pumpkin, vegetable oil, apple cider, LOTS of sugar (these are not light muffins!) and eggs make up the wet ingredients which are vigorously stirred together. Then all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt and gently stirred in just until it’s combined. The batter is spooned into muffin liners, popped into the oven to bake, and they’re done – literally the easiest muffins on the planet.

Ingredients in our Easy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

Eggs. You’ll need four eggs. This may seem like a lot, but this also makes a lot of muffins. 

Sugar. Again, this seems like a lot but this is not somewhere to cut corners. Our pumpkin muffin recipe is sweet and that’s what I love about them! 

Pumpkin. Any good quality canned pumpkin works great here! 

Oil. Use a neutral oil. I like to use canola but vegetable oil works as well. You could probably get away with melted coconut oil as well. 

Apple cider. We use apple cider IN the muffins and in the glaze. Use a good quality apple cider you’ll want to drink all fall long. 

Flour. We use all-purpose flour. I haven’t tried them with whole-wheat but it’s on my agenda to. 

Baking soda + baking powder. You’ll need both leavening agents for these pumpkin muffins. 

Cinnamon. It’s fall and that means every baked good must have a hint of cinnamon. You could also add in a pinch of nutmeg or ginger for some extra spice. 

Salt. I always add more salt than normal as I love a salty and sweet combination in baked goods. 

Let’s make our pumpkin muffin recipe! 

Guys this is E-A-S-Y. 

Mix the wet ingredients. Add the egg, sugar, pumpkin, oil and apple cider to a large bowl. Whisk to combine. 

Add the dry. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk just until the dry ingredients are combine. 

Spoon in muffin liners. Use an ice cream or cookie scoop to fill the muffin liners. You want them 3/4 of the way full. Be sure you don’t fill them to the top or they will billow over. 

Bake. Place in a 350 oven and bake for 16-18 minutes. 

Apple Cider Glaze

The original recipe calls for a cream cheese icing but I feel like I put cream cheese icing on practically every baked good that comes out of my kitchen so in sticking with the apple cider theme I mixed a little bit of the apple cider with some powdered sugar for a super simple, cider-laced glaze to grace the tops of the muffins.

You can either drizzle the glaze on artfully, or just puddle it on the top, either way works, and I promise whoever you serve these to will inhale them just as fast as my inebriated college friends did. 

In my case, this would be two little boys who have the ultimate sweet tooth just like their dad. 

Can I make Pumpkin Muffins in advance? 

Yes! These will keep in an airtight container for up to five days…if they last that long. Just make sure you wait to drizzle them with glaze until the day of. 

Do I have to use muffin liners? 

No. Just make sure to spray your muffin tin really well with non-stick cooking spray. 

Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success

• Don’t over mix your batter! Stir just until the dry ingredients disappear. A few lumps are okay.
• For more fall spice, add in a 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and ginger.
• The muffins are done when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. 
• Great warm out of the oven or at room temperature. 

Other pumpkin recipes you’ll love

• Our Roasted Pumpkin Soup is the perfect cozy cream soup to get your pumpkin fix. 
• If you want something really indulgent, try our Pumpkin Budino. This stuff is outrageously delicious. 
• Another savory pumpkin recipe we love is this Pumpkin Butternut Ramen.