Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
This Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins recipe boasts tender, pumpkin-infused muffins loaded with chocolate chips. You’ll love the super moist texture and the flavor of pumpkin combined with chocolate chips.
Sometimes I’m torn between eating ultra-healthy muffins (like these bran muffins) and uber delicious and indulgent muffins (like these cherry muffins). These pumpkin chocolate muffins are right in the middle — they’re soft and tender, of course. But thanks to the pumpkin we can refer to them as healthy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, too.
Why This Recipe is a Winner
- Pumpkin puree added to the batter means these muffins are ultra-moist and tender
- Pumpkin pie spice adds the perfect blend of flavors, transforming each bite into something amazing
- Reserving a few chocolate chips to put on the top of the unbaked muffins makes coffee-shop quality muffins that are gorgeous and delicious.
Key Ingredients
You can find the full printable recipe, including ingredient quantities, below. But first, here are some explanations of ingredients and steps to help you make this recipe perfect every time.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe:
- Flour — I recommend all-purpose flour or you could use whole wheat pastry flour (which is different than whole wheat four).
- Sugar — I use granulated sugar which works best for this recipe. You can substitute coconut sugar.
- Cornstarch — Use cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
- Baking soda — Make sure yours is fresh by testing a bit of vinegar. If it bubbles, your batch is good to go.
- Pumpkin pie spice — If you don’t have this, make your own pumpkin pie spice.
- Salt — Use table salt or sea salt.
- Vinegar — I use apple cider vinegar, but you can substitute white vinegar.
- Pumpkin puree — Make sure the can you use is simply the puree and not one with additives, like spices.
- Vegetable oil — I used canola oil, but you can substitute olive oil or melted refined coconut oil.
- Vanilla extract — This is an optional ingredient, but if you have it on hand it adds a nice touch.
- Chocolate chips — Use my dairy-free chocolate chip guide as a resource for a brand that works for you.
How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Let’s get down to the details with this pumpkin chocolate chip muffin recipe. Because the truth is, this is an easy recipe to make. If you haven’t noticed by now, I love easy vegan recipes!
- Mix together the dry ingredients from the flour to the salt.
- Stir together wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, stir together the water, pumpkin, and the remaining wet ingredients.
- Make the Batter + Add Chocolate. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir them together.
- Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes. Then remove them from the oven and let them on a wire rack.
Here are more detailed step-by-step instructions:
Step One: Combine the Dry Ingredients
Leave your mixer behind, because this recipe is all done by hand. Simply whisk together the flour with the other dry ingredients, including the sugar.
Step Two: Mix Wet Ingredients
In a separate bowl, stir together the water, pumpkin, and the remaining wet ingredients. I imagine you’re wondering why this recipe uses water. Shouldn’t some creamy plant-based milk make these vegan muffins better? Actually, water is just great here and creates a light, soft muffin.
Step Three: Make the Batter
Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir them together. You want to stir until the flour lumps are mostly gone, but don’t overmix. I use a whisk and give it 5–10 good stirs and that usually works.
Then, add the vegan chocolate chips and you’re ready to bake. Reserve some chocolate chips to put on top of the muffins too. Call it a vanity thing, but we eat with our eyes so there’s no judgment for making your food look pretty!
Step Four: Baking Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
I like to use a cookie dough scooper to portion the batter in the muffin compartments. Not only does it help me keep the quantity of dough in each compartment consistent it also avoids making a mess.
I prefer to use papers to line my muffin compartments, but if you don’t have papers handy or you simply just don’t want to use them, just be sure to lightly oil each compartment. You can use vegetable cooking spray or even vegetable oil to do this.
Use high-quality papers, otherwise you may need to spray them with vegetable spray to prevent the muffins from sticking to the papers.
Bake the muffins immediately after mixing the batter because two crucial ingredients are at play for making muffins rise: baking soda and vinegar. If you let the dough sit for too long, you will risk the chemical reaction that takes place from combining these two ingredients.
That’s one reason it’s important to have the oven preheated and the pan prepared before mixing together the wet and the dry ingredients.
How to Know Muffins Are Done
Here are the best ways to identify when muffins are done:
- Insert a tester in the center of one of the muffins, and it should come out mostly clean. A few crumbs and melted chocolate are fine.
- The edges will be lightly brown.
- You can lightly press the top of the dome (avoiding the chocolate chips), and it should bounce back.
Marly’s Tips
Use these tips to help make these easy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins perfect every time:
- Feel free to add 1/4–1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Be sure not to overbake the muffins. You want them nice and golden on top, but soft and tender in the middle.
- This recipe makes 24 regular sized muffins or 12 large, jumbo muffins. Bake jumbo muffins longer, around 28–30 minutes.
New to Vegan Baking?
The idea of making cookies, cakes, or muffins without eggs or dairy can seem like a hill too tall to climb. But with the simple tips in my Guide to Vegan Baking, you’ll be baking like a vegan pro in no time!
Storage Tips
To keep muffins nice and moist, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Alternatively, you can refrigerate them and they will keep up to 7 days. To freeze muffins, place them on a tray, and then place the tray in the freezer. Once muffins are frozen (around 30 minutes), transfer them to a freezer bag. They will keep up to 3 months in the freezer.
More Vegan Muffin Recipes
Serve your favorite muffins with some hot tea infused with this creamy pecan milk. It’s delicious!
Subscribe and get a free Easy Vegan Recipes eBook
Plus our latest vegan recipes, delivered right to your inbox!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- ⅔ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups dairy free semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place liners in a regular-sized muffin pan (or pans) to equal 24 muffins.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornstarch, baking soda, spices, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, combine the water, vinegar, pumpkin, oil, and vanilla. Stir to combine. Pour into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Add a cup of chocolate chips and stir to combine (reserving a half cup to use as a topping for the muffins).
- Use a cookie dough dispenser or ice cream scoop to dispense equal amounts of batter into prepared muffin pans. Top each muffin with a few from the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of one of the muffins comes out clean or with only a few crumbs. To keep the muffins moist, do not overbake. Cool muffins in the pan 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store muffins in an airtight container. They're best when stored at room temperature where they will keep up to 4 days. They will keep in¼ the fridge for up to 7 days or they can be frozen where they will keep 2 to 3 months.
Recommended Equipment
(The products above contain sponsored links to products we use and recommend)
Notes
The nutrition information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I made these and froze them and now I get to enjoy a delicious pumpkin muffin every day!
My grandchildren just devoured these! I figured these would be perfect for the sunflower tin I picked up on clearance, and they were.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CIY1tddjlS2/?igshid=103ntqep6vcxv
Hi Laurie. I’m so glad you liked these muffins. And your sunflower tins made them gorgeous! I love finding deals on clearance like that!
These were perfect! I used almond milk instead of water and melted plant butter instead of oil. They turned out really well. For people complaining about the paper cups sticking to the muffin, just spray them first. Will make again!
Do not use the cupcake liners it will stick just put it in the muffin tin.
Hoping to try these! Could i use white vinegar instead of apple cider vinegar? And any replacement ideas for cornstarch?
Hi Mel! Yes, you can substitute white vinegar for apple cider vinegar. The goal is to add an acid to react with the baking soda, so even lemon juice will work. Regarding cornstarch, you can use something like tapioca starch. But if you don’t have either, you can just leave it.
I followed all your instructions to a T but still ended up losing half the muffin to the paper cup. Did you happen to spray some oil so it wouldn’t stick?! Thanks a bunch!
Hi Kataryna. There are ways to prevent the muffins from sticking to the papers. It could be the papers causing the problem. But if you don’t want to buy new papers, then yes, you can spray with a little bit of vegetable cooking spray. Also, it helps to let the muffins cool completely. Finally, you can also try baking the muffins with a pan of water in the oven. The added moisture may help.
As the author of this recipe, it has been taste tested by both vegans and non-vegans alike and loved by all! The combination of flavors and texture is delicious in this pumpkin chocolate chip muffins recipe!