Cinnamon Sugar Mini Pumpkin Muffins — These mini pumpkin muffins are coated in cinnamon sugar and are bursting with fall flavor! Even better, they’re fast, easy, and accidentally vegan!
Easiest Recipe for Mini Pumpkin Muffins
Mini food is my downfall. It’s so cute and easy to pop, one after the next. The cute and easy factor, combined with pumpkin, and look out. Impossible to resist.
These mini pumpkin muffins are soft, moist, fluffy yet pleasantly dense, and packed with fall spices. They’re so flavorful and make your house smell amazing. I’d scratch-and-sniff the walls if I could while they bake.
A nice bonus is that they’re on the healthier side, at least that’s what I tell myself. There are no eggs, dairy, or butter. Perfect if you happen to run out one of those ingredients, too.
I used my favorite, easy, and accidentally vegan pumpkin quick bread recipe because it never lets me down. I’ve made it as full-size muffins, as a cake, and as a loaf.
The muffins are great on their own, but I can’t resist tossing them in cinnamon-sugar. I find the cinnamon-sugar sticks just fine without dipping the muffins in melted butter, which keeps them lighter.
As I ate 5 in about 5 seconds.
Ingredients in Mini Pumpkin Muffins
You’ll find the exact measurements for this mini pumpkin muffin recipe in the recipe card below.
Here’s an overview of the ingredients needed to make the fall mini muffins:
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Spices
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- Coconut oil
- Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk
- Molasses
- Vanilla extract
The milk I used is Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk and I love it. It only has 30-calorie per 8 ounces, tastes great, and if I need a milk for baking, vegan or otherwise, it’s what I use most often.
All Silk products are dairy-free and gluten-free and I like that Silk is committed to and believes in the benefits of a plant-based diet.
How to Make Mini Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin mini muffins are as easy to make as regular sized muffins! Here’s a broad overview of the recipe:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugars, pumpkin, oil, milk, molasses, and vanilla.
- Pour the pumpkin mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. The batter is quite thick, but if yours is seemingly too thick, add a splash of milk to thin it out.
- Divide the muffin batter between 24 mini muffin cups and bake until the tops are set, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Once the muffins are out of the oven, roll them in cinnamon sugar as soon as they’re cool enough to handle.
Can I Use a Coconut Oil Substitute?
Coconut oil adds a nearly imperceptible undertone that’s sweeter and more fragrant than canola or vegetable oil and the muffins don’t taste coconutty, but substitute with another oil if you’d like.
Tip: I prefer baking quick breads with oil rather than butter because oil keeps them moister and springier.
Can I Use Another Type of Milk?
Yes, any unsweetened milk (dairy or non-dairy) will work in this mini pumpkin muffin recipe.
Recipe Variations
This is a super straightforward recipe for mini pumpkin muffins, but there are a few ways you can change up the recipe if you’re feeling adventurous.
- Make it gluten-free by using your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour. Don’t use all almond flour or all coconut flour or something like that. Use an actual all-purpose gluten-free baking flour for best results. Since these are mini muffins, I don’t think the textural difference will be that noticeable.
- Add mix-ins like chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruit. Just make sure any mix-ins are also mini or finely chopped since the muffins are already small.
- Customize the spices as you see fit. Add more or less depending on how flavorful you want your mini muffins. I love the depth of flavor the blend of spices add to the pumpkin mini muffins, but you could use just pumpkin pie spice if you can’t be bothered to measure out a bunch of spices.
- Use vegetable or canola oil if you don’t have coconut oil on hand.
Tips for Making Mini Pumpkin Muffins
Pumpkin: First of all, make sure you’re using pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced and will mess up the taste of these easy pumpkin muffins.
Bake time: When baking these pumpkin spice muffins, you’ll want to start checking on them at 8 minutes and keep a very close eye on them from then on because mini muffins cook quickly and all pan sizes and ovens vary. You definitely do not want to over bake these babies!
Cinnamon sugar coating: Note that the cinnamon sugar coating could liquify and ‘melt’ the longer the muffins sit on your counter. As the days pass, the muffins attract moisture and soften, which causes the coating to melt. Simply re-roll muffins through additional cinnamon-sugar if desired.
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Cinnamon Sugar Mini Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted (vegetable or canola oil may be substituted)
- ¼ cup Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk, other milks may be substituted including coconut, soy, rice, cow
- 2 tablespoons mild or medium molasses
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cinnamon Sugar Coating
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Spray two 12-count mini muffin pans (or use one Non-Stick 12-Cup Regular Muffin Pan) very well with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pans; set aside.
- Muffins
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, and optional salt; set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the sugars, pumpkin, oil, milk, molasses, and vanilla until combined.
- Pour the wet pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix. Batter is quite thick and if yours is seemingly too thick, add a splash of milk to thin it.
- Divide batter equally among the cavities of the prepared pans. Each cavity will be just under 3/4 full (don’t exceed 3/4 full or they could overflow).
- Bake for about 11 to 12 minutes (start checking at 8 minutes and keep a very close eye on them because mini muffins cook quickly and all pan sizes and ovens vary), or until tops are set, springy to the touch, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs dangling but no batter (if making full-size, baking time will be similar to this recipe).
- Allow muffins to cool in pans for about 10 to 15 minutes before removing and placing on a rack to cool completely. They can be dipped in the cinnamon-sugar coating as soon as they’re cool enough to handle.
- Cinnamon Sugar CoatingIn a medium bowl, add the sugar, cinnamon, and stir to combine.
- Gently roll each muffin through cinnamon-sugar until evenly coated. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Pumpkin Recipes:
If you haven’t already pre-ordered it, Cooking With Pumpkin: Recipes That Go Beyond the Pie is my second cookbook and the official release date is October 6. There’s over 50 pumpkin recipes including sweets, savory, drinks, and a photo for nearly every recipe. I’d be super grateful if you headed over to Amazon.
Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins — My favorite pumpkin muffin recipe, and it just happens to be vegan. Today’s muffins are adapted from this recipe.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake with Chocolate Ganache — It’s a cross between a pumpkin cake with just a bit of the buttery qualities of a yellow cake-mix-cake, but entirely from scratch, and there’s loads of chocolate in every bite.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies — — Rich, fudgy brownies topped with pumpkin and chocolate chips!! An EASY, no mixer pumpkin brownie recipe that’s FASTER than using a boxed mix!
Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies — The cookies are soft, thick, perfectly chewy and not cakey which is a problem that often plagues pumpkin cookies.
Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake — A FAST and EASY no-mixer coffee cake with rich pumpkin flavor!! Super soft, tender, and topped with the BEST crumble topping that you’ll fall in love with!
Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Bread — Super soft, tender, moist pumpkin bread with a slightly crunchy cinnamon sugar topping!! The mini loaves are EASY, brimming will fall flavors, totally IRRESISTIBLE, and accidentally vegan!
Oatmeal To-Go Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins — These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are essentially baked oatmeal bites. They’re the perfect grab-and-go breakfast or snack!
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
Originally published September 6, 2019 and republished October 7, 2022 with updated text.
Best and easiest pumpkin muffins on the planet. I have made mini’s and regular size many times.
Best and easiest pumpkin muffins on the planet. I have made mini’s and regular size many times.
Thanks for the 5 star review and I am glad that they’re the best pumpkin muffins on the planet for you!
great