These 3-ingredient pumpkin muffins are fluffy, moist, and so easy to make! Made with spice cake mix and canned pumpkin puree, these easy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are ready to enjoy in 30 minutes.
Sometimes you just need a quick baking win, and boy oh boy, are these muffins just that! These 3-ingredient pumpkin muffins with cake mix are seriously the easiest pumpkin muffin recipe to make.
Pumpkin cake mix muffins are made with 3 shelf stable ingredients that you can keep in your pantry for any baking emergency. This is also the perfect recipe for when you have surprise visitors pop in this fall season.
Make these muffins for a breakfast treat, when hosting friends for brunch, as a festive fall snack, or for packing in school lunches! Pumpkin spice cake muffins are also a great bake to share with neighbors, friends, and family as a nice little fall surprise.
If you love pumpkin treats as much as I do, you’d also love pumpkin bars with cream cheese frosting! You can also make the most of pumpkin season by enjoying a pumpkin pie protein shake, pumpkin mac and cheese, and a pumpkin cold foam coffee!
Jump to:
- Why You’ll Love this 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
- Ingredients Needed
- Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Modifications for Dietary Restrictions: Gluten-Free
- Expert Tips
- Storage
- Helpful Equipment
- Are These Pumpkin Muffins Healthy?
- Recipe FAQs
- Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
- 📖 Easy 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes
Why You’ll Love this 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
The easiest pumpkin muffins to make! You can make your own tasty pumpkin muffins so easily with this approachable and simple recipe. Minimal ingredients need and barely any measuring required. Simply mix, scoop, bake, and eat!
Three simple ingredients. These 3-ingredient pumpkin spice muffins use 3, shelf-stable ingredients to make. It doesn’t get much easier than that!
Packed with Fall Flavor. These 3-ingredient pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are packed with warm fall spices and pumpkin flavor! The perfect treat for fall!
Ready to enjoy in 30 minutes! This includes time to mix and bake.
Ingredients Needed
1 box of spice cake mix. Grab a box of cake mix from your grocery store’s baking aisle. I love Betty Crocker’s spice cake mix, but there are lots of great options to choose from!
1, 15oz can of pumpkin puree. Pumpkin puree is what gives these cake mix pumpkin muffins their pumpkin flavor! And we’ll use the whole can for this recipe (aka no need to worry about a little dab of leftover pumpkin puree in your fridge). You want 100% pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) for this recipe.
Mini chocolate chips. Mini chocolate chips give these delicious pumpkin muffins their pop of chocolate! Using the minis helps distribute the chocolate nicely throughout the muffin batter, and are just the right size for sprinkling on top too.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Select a different chocolate chip. You can also use full-sized semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips in this recipe.
- Change the mix-in. Not feeling pumpkin chocolate chip muffins? Swap out the mix-in! Substitute chocolate chips 1-for-1 with chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, raisins, craisins, cinnamon chips, or butterscotch chips.
- Top with turbinado sugar. A sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top of any muffin is a welcome addition! Do this in addition to the additional chocolate chips on top, or instead of them!
- Make a 2 ingredient pumpkin muffin. Leave out the mix-in all together and enjoy a moist and fluffy pumpkin spice muffin.
- Make mini muffins! Mini muffins are always a cute option. This recipe will make approximately 36 mini muffins. Follow the same directions, scoop into a mini muffin pan lined with muffin cups, and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Use a box of yellow cake mix + pumpkin pie spice. If you can’t find a box of spice cake mix, or happen to have a box of yellow cake mix on hand, you can still give this easy pumpkin muffins recipe a go. Just be sure to add 1-2 Tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice to get that pop of fall flavor you’re looking for if you choose this option.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Prepare muffin tin by placing muffin liners in each cup or greasing each cup with cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2: Place spice cake mix and pumpkin puree in a large bowl.
Step 3: Combine cake mix and pumpkin by stirring together until a uniform batter has been formed (no pockets of dry cake mix remain).
Step 4: Add chocolate chips.
Step 5: Stir to distribute throughout the batter.
Step 6: Divide the batter between 12 lined (or greased) muffin tins.
Step 7: Add additional chocolate chips on top before putting in the oven to bake.
Step 8: Bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok). Allow the muffins to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Modifications for Dietary Restrictions: Gluten-Free
If looking to make gluten free 3 ingredient pumpkin muffins, select a gluten free cake mix. Please note: I have not tried this substitutions myself, but believe it should work well.
Expert Tips
Use a large cookie scoop to portion your pumpkin chocolate chip muffin batter into your muffin tins. A large cookie scoop is the perfect size to portion out 12 muffins for this recipe. I love using cookie scoops for all kinds of tasks in my kitchen, and find them to be a worthwhile investment if you like to bake a lot.
Storage
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the fridge for up to one week.
You can also freeze these chocolate chip pumpkin muffins for another day! To do so, allow the muffins to fully cool before storing. Individually wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and place into a gallon-sized freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 weeks. To thaw, remove individual muffins from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. You can also warm them up directly from the freezer, removing the plastic wrap and microwaving them for 15-30 seconds!
Helpful Equipment
All you need for this recipe is a large mixing bowl, a rubber scrapper, and a standard sized muffin tin. I prefer to line my muffin tin with standard muffin cups, but you can also grease your pan with cooking spray if preferred.
Are These Pumpkin Muffins Healthy?
Because these simple pumpkin chocolate chip muffins do not use eggs, oil, milk, or butter they are relatively low in fat. Pumpkin is also packed with a ton of nutrients, antioxidants, fiber, and is considered to be a low-calorie food.
However, some cake mixes may have ingredients that wouldn’t necessarily fit in the healthy category. Look at the ingredient list of the brands of cake mix in your grocery store’s baking aisle to make the best choice for your needs.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Yellow cake mix will also work to make pumpkin muffins with cake mix! To get that fall spice profile, add 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice to the batter as well.
Yes! Note: a 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree is approximately 1 + ½ cups of pumpkin.
Canned pumpkin puree, or 100% pure pumpkin, only contains cooked and mashed pumpkin whereas pumpkin pie filling contains cooked and mashed pumpkin with added flavors, spices, and sometimes added sugars. Using 100% pumpkin allows you to customize your dishes with the spices and flavors you want. Since we are using a spice cake mix already that has a great spice-profile and enough sweetness, 100% pure pumpkin puree should be used in this recipe.
Yes! To do so, ensure your 3 ingredient pumpkin muffins are fully cooled and then wrap them individually in plastic-wrap (aka saran wrap). Place them in a gallon-sized freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 weeks. To thaw, remove individual muffins from the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for about 1 hour. You can also warm them up directly from the freezer, removing the plastic wrap and microwaving them for 15-30 seconds!
Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
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📖 Easy 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 , 15.25oz box of spice cake mix
- 1 , 15oz can pumpkin puree
- ⅔ C mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 muffin tins with cupcake liners, or grease generously, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the spice cake mix and pumpkin puree until a uniform batter has been made.
- Mix in the mini chocolate chips (reserving a small portion for the top of the muffins if desired).
- Divide the muffin batter between 12 muffin cups (and top with remaining chocolate chips if desired).
- Bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok).
- Allow to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store fully cooled muffins in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
- Select a different chocolate chip. You can also use full-sized semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or white chocolate chips in this recipe.
- Change the mix-in. Substitute chocolate chips 1-for-1 with chopped pecans, chopped walnuts, raisins, craisins, cinnamon chips, or butterscotch chips.
- Top with turbinado sugar. Add a sprinkle of turbinado sugar on top the muffins in addition to, or instead of, the chocolate chips.
- Make a 2 ingredient pumpkin muffin. Leave out the mix-in all together and enjoy a moist and fluffy pumpkin spice muffin.
- Make mini muffins! This recipe will make approximately 36 mini muffins. Follow the same directions, scoop into a mini muffin pan lined with muffin cups, and bake for 12-15 minutes.
- Use a box of yellow cake mix + pumpkin pie spice. If needed, you can use a box of yellow cake mix in place of the spice cake mix. Just be sure to add 2-3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice to get that pop of fall flavor you’re looking for.
Vanessa says
Can I make these a day in advance prior to serving at a potluck the next day?
Meredith says
Hi Vanessa, these 3 ingredient pumpkin chocolate chip muffins can be stored in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, so yes, you can make them the day ahead of a potluck. Just make sure the muffins are fully cooled before putting them into your container (to prevent moisture build-up). Can’t wait to hear how they turn out!
Meghan says
I’ve made these 3 times so far this fall! So easy!
Meredith says
Yay Meg, I’m so happy you guys are enjoying these!!
David says
These are just so obnoxiously easy and delicious. Just wow.
Meredith says
🙌🙌🙌 SO EASY. glad you loved them too!
Sam says
I whipped up a double batch of these to take to a gathering and they were so easy and delicious. My kids ate through our “home” batch in minutes.
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear the kiddos loved them, and that this recipe worked well for your gathering! Thanks for making my recipe ❤
Mary says
Love! Love! Love these pumpkin spice muffins! Super easy. Super tasty. So simple to make! I will be making these for all the fall events! 🎃🎃🎃
Meredith says
I’m so happy to hear that you loved them too!! Enjoy!
Belinda says
Chocolate and pumpkin? Perfect! I love it.