Classic pumpkin muffins that are moist, soft, and loaded with pumpkin. Made even better with browned butter in the batter!
Pumpkin Muffins
If there are two things you need to know about me, they are that I believe in making pumpkin muffins all year round and that browned butter makes (almost) everything better. If you need more proof try these browned butter cinnamon rolls or browned butter blondies and let me know if you agree!
What I truly love about these muffins is that they are:
- Super moist and soft. And they stay moist too, even when leftover.
- Full of pumpkin and spice: we use an entire can of pumpkin in this recipe and almost all of the “fall” spices you can think of.
- Easy to make! No electric mixer needed and the batter itself comes together in under 10 minutes.
- Customizable: add nuts or chocolate into the batter as you with for extra flavor and crunch.
Key Ingredients
See below for the required ingredients to make this pumpkin muffin recipe.
- Unsalted butter: we’ll be browning butter for this recipe
- Eggs: Make sure they are at room temperature. If your eggs are cold, soak them for 5-10 minutes in a bowl of warm water.
- Greek yogurt or sour cream: a little bit of added fat adds moisture and tenderness to the muffins.
- Canned pumpkin: make sure you are using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. They are very different but easily confused.
- Brown sugar and granulated sugar: brown sugar contributes to a caramel-y flavor while granulated sugar provides added sweetness.
- Vanilla extract: forever and always a staple in baking
- Dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and whole lot of ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, ginger).
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Muffins
There are three key parts in this pumpkin muffin recipe! The first is to make browned butter, which adds a rich and nutty flavor to the muffins. Browning butter is actually super easy and takes less than ten minutes!
The second is to make the batter and most importantly rest it.
To make the batter, you’ll whisk dry ingredients together in one bowl, wet ingredients together in another, and then combine them. It’s super easy and takes less than 10 minutes.
Then, very importantly, rest your batter in the fridge. Resting the batter helps create taller, softer muffins. Think of it like marinating the batter. As the batter rests, starches in the flour absorb liquid, which causes them to swell, creating a thicker batter. In addition, any gluten that’s formed in the mixing process has a chance to relax, which will prevent toughness in the final texture. Rest overnight if you can but even 1 hour makes a huge difference!
Lastly, fill your pan and bake the muffins. Line every other cup in your pan, leaving the others empty to leave room for the muffins to grow (see photo above for reference). Don’t be afraid to really fill the muffin tins up to the very top and then some. This is what helps make those big, beautiful bakery style muffins that look so appealing.
FAQs
Do I have to use browned butter?
Absolutely not! While I am a huge fan of browned butter, if you want to save yourself some time then it is completely optional here. You can substitute an equal amount of regular melted butter.
Can I make these dairy free?
You can substitute any dairy products in this pumpkin muffin recipe with their dairy-free counterparts. Vegan butter or melted coconut oil in place of butter and alternative yogurts and milks will all yield tasty results.
How do I store leftovers?
The best way to store pumpkin muffins is to let them cool down completely and put them into an airtight Tupperware that’s lined with paper towels. The paper towels absorb excess moisture so that the muffins don’t get soggy. Alternatively, you can freeze leftovers by placing them in a single layer in a sealed bag. Simply thaw them at room temperature or in the microwave when you’re ready to enjoy!
Any specific canned pumpkin recommendations?
I’m a Libby’s gal all the way! I’ve tried this recipe with a variety of brands and they all work great, but I personally like the flavor and color of Libby’s the best. 🙂
Did You Make This Recipe?
If so, I’d love to hear from you! Please leave a rating and/or comment to spread the love and help others find this recipe.
Also feel free take a picture and share it with me on Instagram @toppedwithhoney. Looking forward to seeing your pumpkin spice muffins!
If you’re not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over any image in this post (pick your favorite), or tap if you’re on mobile, and click the pin icon in the corner to save for later.
More Pumpkin Fun Below
Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Brown Butter Pumpkin Spice Muffins
Equipment
- 2 12 cup cupcake pans
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients & Sweeteners
- ½ cup (one stick) unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp greek yogurt or sour cream
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 15 oz can of pumpkin
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine kosher salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¾ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- extra sugar for topping, optional
Instructions
Make Browned Butter
- Cut the butter into slices to ensure they melt evenly. Add the slices in an even layer in a pan over medium heat.
- Melt the butter, stirring frequently. Once the butter is fully melted, continue heating it. It will begin to start bubbling and crackling. Continue stirring. After a while, the crackling will subside and butter will begin to foam. At this point, keep a close eye on the butter while continuing to stir. Be on the lookout for brown flecks and a nutty aroma.
- Once you see brown flecks and the melted butter turns a rich amber color, immediately remove it from heat and pour the butter into a separate, heatproof bowl. Let the browned butter cool down to room temperature before using (but don't let it become solid).
Muffins
- In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients — flour, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves until well mixed. Set this aside for now.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients–cooled butter, eggs, pumpkin, sour cream, and vanilla until very smooth.
- Create a well in the bowl of the dry ingredients and pour the wet mixture over it. Use a spatula to fold everything together until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix! Some lumpiness is okay.
- Cover and transfer the batter to rest in the fridge for at least one hour, or overnight for best results.
- After resting the batter, preheat your oven to 425℉. Line every other cup of two cupcake pans and leave the others empty. This will give room for each muffin to grow. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cups all the way to the top and then some. You will end up with 10-11 muffins depending on how high you fill them. Sprinkle the tops with some extra sugar if you desire.
- Bake at 425℉ for 5 minutes, then lower then temperature to 350℉ and continue baking for 16-20 minutes, until the muffins are set and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes in the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to use canned pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin can usually be found in the baking aisle at the grocery store.
- I highly recommend that you do not skip resting the batter in the fridge. This helps create both more tender and taller muffins. It’s the secret to those big bakery style muffins that you see!
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