Pumpkin muffins are delicious and healthy.
I tend to think of these as a fall seasonal treat, but the truth is that with canned pumpkin, you can enjoy these easy muffins all year round.
These muffins are healthy too, studded with raisins and chopped nuts. Plus the recipe only has 1/4 cup of sugar for 12 muffins.
I think you will love them.
See tips and nutritional information below.
If you have access to fresh pumpkin when it is in season, cook it up and freeze it in 1/2 cup baggies. Then you can easily whip up this treat any time, with fresh cooked pumpkin.
No fresh pumpkin? Not a problem. Canned is just fine and tastes great.
Pumpkin comes from the same family of vegetables as squash, cucumber and cantaloupe.
It is naturally low in calories with just 26 calories in 100 grams (just under 1/2 a cup) and has lots of dietary fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Pumpkin is a nutritional powerhouse. It is extremely high in Vitamin A, a natural anti-oxidant and is also a great source of B-complex vitamins like niacin, B6 and folate. It is also a good source of Vitamins C and E.
Although pumpkin is extremely healthy for us, we seldom eat it unless we have it in pumpkin pie. This recipe is a great way to get more pumpkin into your diet. It’s also a great way to get kids to eat more vegetables, hidden away in a delicious muffin treat.
Low Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbs baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
- 2/3 cup milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin, cooked, fresh or canned
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Stir in the raisins and chopped nuts.
- In another bowl, beat together the milk, pumpkin, egg and oil until the mixture is smooth. Add this to the dry ingredients. Stir it together just until everything is moistened.
- Bake in a preheated 400°F (200°C) oven for 20 minutes or until the muffin tops spring back when they are lightly touched. You can also test doneness by inserting a toothpick or thin metal tester into the muffins. When it comes out clean, they are done.
Nutrition
Makes 9 large or 12 regular sized muffins.
Tips:
- This pumpkin muffin recipe can easily be doubled. I often bake a double recipe, then freeze the muffins for a great snack or breakfast whenever you want.
- The recipe calls for pecans but chopped walnuts are perfect in the muffins too.
- Replace half or all of the flour called for in the recipe with whole wheat flour for added nutrition and fiber. When using whole wheat flour for baking it is always a good idea to sift if first for added lightness.
I have marked this as one of our diabetic recipes, because it is quite low in sugar, it has other healthy ingredients and the carb count isn’t too bad. That said, you can replace the sugar with coconut sugar for an even better diabetes diet recipe. That’s what I do when I make these.
And of course, if you are diabetic, follow your own body’s responses and health practitioner’s advice regarding the carbs you can eat.
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If you love these pumpkin muffins, you will want to try our pumpkin bread too. Find it here.
If you like this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you share it on social media. Thanks.
I used about 1/5th cup coconut sugar and a tablespoon of honey and they came out OK but they could be a bit sweeter, any suggestions for increasing sweetness w/o defeating the purpose?
Hi Scott
You could change the sweetener you use or just add more coconut sugar. I like coconut sugar but I’ve now discovered monkfruit which I find much better for sweetening things and baking.
I made the pumkin muffins today and both my husband and I loved them! I left out the nuts and used unsweetened soymilk and the recipe worked perfectly. So happy you posted this recipe, we love pumpkin and muffins but are trying to cut down on sugar and eat healthier muffins.
Glad you like it Patrice. I am doing the same – making more great recipes that cut down on things like sugar.