Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blender Muffins {Gluten Free}
These easy pumpkin blender muffins (chocolate chips delicious but optional!) take just a few minutes to whip up and are fluffy and delicious. They are also easily gluten-free!
Well, I know you probably have about a million other things to do today (Halloween! Hello! Love it or hate it?) than check recipe blogs for the latest and greatest.
So after you finish rifling through the candy buckets of unsuspecting children (that may or not be blood related to you) and hoard all of the fun size midnight Milky Ways, come back here for a little rendezvous with some healthy, hearty whole grains to offset all.the.sugar.
I’ve made no secret over the years that Halloween is one of my lesser favorite holidays, but I’ll still use any excuse to indulge in a good-for-you muffin that also tastes amazing.
And since it seems appropriate today, on this ultimate day of jack-0-lanterns and fluffy pumpkin costumes, to celebrate another pumpkin recipe, let’s talk muffins. Delicious muffins. Easy Muffins. Muffins wherein the chocolate chips are totally optional (but be warned that whatever you choose will say a lot about you).
These easy pumpkin blender muffins are so, so simple to make. And there’s no worrying about over mixing the batter or fussing with unusual ingredients. Nope, not here. Similar to these popular blender banana chocolate chip muffins, today’s pumpkin version is just as easy and just as tasty.
After lightly processing the oats in the blender (I’m sure a food processor could work, too), all the other ingredients are piled in, blended, scooped into muffin tins and baked.
Somewhere in there you’ll want to stir in some chocolate chips, too! I mean, if that’s your thing. You all know me well enough to know chocolate chips are always my thing. But I’ll love your guts no matter what you decide.
It’s amazing to me how awesomely light, fluffy, and moist these easy pumpkin blender muffins are! You can’t beat how simple they are to make. But then to have them turn out so perfect?? It’s a muffin miracle. And one that we will happily indulge in long after pumpkin season is over and it is no longer deemed acceptable among some circles to use it in baking (who are those people??).
These tasty pumpkin chocolate chip muffins keep very well at room temperature for several days. I keep them in a ziploc bag on the counter; the tops will get a little bit wet like a lot of baked pumpkin goods do when covered, but it doesn’t affect the taste. They also freeze great, too.
Easy breakfasts! Simple snacks! Healthy lunch options!
I would maybe suggest you whip up a batch or two and pass these out to trick-or-treaters but then the thought: why give up something so delightfully delicious to kids who are just as happy with marshmallow peanuts and dum dums? And also, homemade baked goods on Halloween from potential strangers is just maybe a little bit slightly creepy.
If you’re looking for a healthy snack today, these easy pumpkin blender muffins should do the trick! Happy Halloween!
One Year Ago: Pie Making Boot Camp: Week #4
Two Years Ago: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread {The Best of the Best}
Three Years Ago: Slow Cooker Lasagna {Perfected}
Four Years Ago: Crusty Artisan No-Knead Bread
Five Years Ago: Pumpkin Cream Sandwiches
Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Blender Muffins {Gluten Free}
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200 g) old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten free, if needed)
- 1 cup (227 g) canned pumpkin puree (see note)
- ¾ cup (170 g) plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- ⅓ to ½ cup pure maple syrup, honey, or sugar (see note)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a blender (or food processor), process the oats a minute or two until they are ground to the consistency of coarse flour.
- Add the remaining ingredients, except the chocolate chips, and process until combined, scraping down the sides of the blender jar as needed.
- Stir in the chocolate chips, if using.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 15-18 minutes until the top of a muffin springs back lightly to the touch. Let the muffins cool for a few minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack. They keep well for several days at room temperature (in a sealed bag or container) and freeze great, too.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from lots of recipes online (here and here and here) and also using these delicious blender banana chocolate chip muffins as inspiration
The whole family loved these muffins! I added a 1/2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice to give it some extra “fall” flavor.
Next time I will get mini dark chocolate chips and blend only the oats. My blender was a pain to clean out; so hand mixing for the rest.
Thanks for the healthy muffin option that doesn’t use a lot of different flours!
I used pumpkin spice powder instead of cinnamon and 1/2 cup maple syrup for the sweetener. I would not recommend the blender as the batter is too thick, so next time I’ll just use it for blending the dry oats and then mix everything in a bowl. But oh. my. gosh. I made one batch only a few hours ago and it’s almost all gone, with my bf. 😂. I’ve been looking for a good recipe I didn’t feel guilty about eating and this is it!! Fall is here! 🍁. Thank you! 🙏🏽
We have no me these two days in a row. And honestly, I haven’t even tried one yet, because my kids have gobbled them up. They said they really liked that it was a pumpkin muffin that didn’t taste too “pumpkin-y”. I think the little bit of cinnamon helps, but they aren’t loaded with a pumpkin spice mix. Winners at our house. I also love how easy and quick they blend up and it makes just 12, which is always nice for our family.
These were really good, they came out better than some other blender muffins recipes I’ve tried. I’m a pumpkin purist so I omitted chocolate chips and feel like 1/4 tsp of cinnamon in a pumpkin recipe is sacrilege. I added 1/2tsp of cinnamon and 1/2tsp of pumpkin pie spice and felt like I could have used more haha. The taste is nice and light and not too sweet. They stick to the wrapper a lot but peel off easier the next day.
I made these this morning, my family loved them. Would this recipe work with white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour? I always have that on hand.
Yes! The muffins are a bit more dense using whole wheat flour, but they still work great!
Super delicious! Next time I’ll use slightly less chocolate chips and fill the muffin cups more. Also, I learned I don’t like scooping from the blender.
I made these a while ago and they were great! I mixed them up again tonight using oat flour I ground myself from steel cut oats and just stirred everything together in a bowl. They were even yummier! Thanks for another fabulous recipe Mel! I cook from your site several times a week and often share your recipes with family and friends. It all started years ago when I saw your double chocolate cheesecake on Pinterest and told my husband that was what I wanted for my birthday!
I’m so glad you’re here, Teresa! Thank you!
OMG…i was gonna send you a message about this very thing. My favorite muffin is the blender banana you mention here. I make it ALL. THE. TIME. More then any other muffin. I wanted to ask if I could just swap out the banana for the puree and add some spice. VOILA…you already done it. Cannot wait to try these. So I made puree the other day, and froze it. Do I need to do anything to it, as I am sure it might not be quite the same as in the can.
So I made both your banana blender muffins and these in the last few days. Is there a reason why I need to make the oats into flour first (as listed in this recipe) instead of dumping everything in all together (as in the banana recipe)? Btw – I made this as a double batch in my vitamix blender… I know on the banana recipe, there was a commenter who did that and said that her vitamix wasn’t happy. I had to do an awful lot of tamping, but it was doable.
You could probably dump everything in together with this recipe, too! Grinding up the oats first (for either recipe) gives a finer texture if you don’t want an “oaty” texture.
Got it! Thanks!!
These are SO easy, healthy, and delicious! I used 1/3 cup sugar, pumpkin pie spice, subbed low-fat buttermilk for the yogurt, and only 2/3 cup chocolate chips. My picky eater 6 year old can’t get enough. I’m about to make my 3rd batch in one week!
Hi Mel! I made your pumpkin choc chip muffin. It tastes great! Only thing is that the centre comes out mushy. I thought it might be under-baked so I popped it back in for a while longer. But it still came out the same. Any idea?
Hmmm, I would think it’s the same thing – more time in the oven. If that didn’t fix it, maybe next time try adding a few more oats to the blender mixture.
I just made these for the first time and the same thing happened to me! I only had quick oats, so I’m not sure if that is the culprit. I agree they’re delicious, but I’m a bit puzzled. I baked them for 20 minutes , took them out and tested one because they felt heavy when I moved them to a rack, then decided to bake for five more minutes. The outside starting browning too much, but the middle is just under-baked. We are happily eating them still, so I’m sure we’ll make them again. I just wanted to validate this comment!
Made these this morning! Easy to make and really yummy. I love a good blender muffin. I did not skip chocolate chips because how could I? Ha
Any thoughts about whether it would work to bake this in a bread pan to make bread instead of muffins? Thank you so much for your recipes and all your work!
I worry a little about it cooking all the way through just based on the density of ingredients, but I also think anything is worth a try!
I added milk and made these into pancakes for my kids and I.
I added milk and made these into pancakes for my kids and I.
Love these babies! So perfect
Love this recipe except can I do it without chocolate chip
I love this recipe. My kids love this recipe, only one son can tell that it is not your original recipe with lots more butter and sugar. ( We love that one too) But I need new muffin tins, so I have to ask for your suggestion/favorite?
By far, my favorite muffin tins are the USA brand!
Do you have a good regular chocolate chip muffin recipe? I’ve been searching for one similar to Costco’s, but I haven’t found one yet. Chocolate chip muffins are my favorite. Followed by cinnamon streusel, then double chocolate chip. I’m sure you wanted to know all that!
Hey Katrina – I don’t think I have just a regular chocolate chip muffin posted but it sounds intriguing!
Delicious, healthy and easy to make
My new favorite healthy muffin! I’ve made them a few times since you posted the recipe. THANK YOU!!
We absolutely loved these! My son has celiac disease, so it’s wonderful to find recipes that are easily gluten-free. BUT, not all recipes are created equal! This one jumps to the top with great taste, ease of preparation, and major thumbs-up from the youngsters. 🙂 Thanks, Mel!
Thanks so much, Nancy! Glad these were enjoyed by your family!
So, I made these for my breakfast this week, and as I’ve been eating them I was a little surprised because although they were edible, I was thinking they lacked flavor, which was surprising for me. I figured it must have been my error, because I have made almost all your recipes and you haven’t steered me wrong yet. As I looked over the recipe, I realized I was right, I had forgotten to add the sweetener!! I’ve never done anything like that in a recipe before, but I’m my defense when I made them I was in the midst of making 3 batches of Gloria’s cinnamon rolls for our school bake sale! Anyway, I squirted a little honey on the muffin and it was delicious. Can’t wait to make them again, the right way! Thanks for everything you do for all of us Mel!
Thanks, Jill – glad they aren’t horrible, but I’m excited for you to try them with the sweetener! And you are amazing for making that many cinnamon rolls. Holy moly!
Delicious! Made them mini, and now they go down wayyy too fast.
Mini! Fun!
Had some left over pumpkin after making a batch of pumpkin choco chip cookies for Halloween. We are on dinner duty for my in-laws this week. My FIL is GF, so I thought these might be the perfect little snack or breakfast item for him. I baked them up before work today..and ate two for breakfast and plan to take the rest of them tonight when we drop off food. So filling…so dense…so yummy…not too sweet. I’ll be making these again soon. Thanks again for another tasty, easy recipe.
I hope your father-in-law likes them!
Yummy! My kids loved these! I *might* cut down the ratio of chocolate chips next time as I think 1 cup was a little decadent, but then again…maybe not.
🙂
Made these for Halloween. They were good and the leftovers are still moist and YUMMY! When I make again, I will blend the flour a little more and add more spice. Maybe Pumpkin Pie Spice. I feel healthy eating them! Thanks for a great Pumpkin recipe. BTW….I am a Halloween Lover, but not the scary Halloween. I love to see all of the trick or treaters and love the fall foods that accompany this holiday!
Omg my kids loved these! I gave some to my celiacs friend too and she raved. I ❤️ my Vitamix and ❤️ blender muffins. Win win
Thanks, Renee!
I subbed cottage cheese for the yogurt just because it’s what I had on hand and they turned out awesome! Kiddo and I have already eaten several and they just came out of the oven!
That’s awesome that cottage cheese worked so well! Thanks for the comment!
These look yummy! Can quick oats be substituted? I assume that they can because they get ground in the food processor.
Yes, but I’d probably use a bit less than called for in the recipe.
Delicious! I made these this morning for breakfast and they turned out great! Thanks again for another great recipe!
Thanks, Julianne!
Home run recipe! We all loved these.
Thanks, Jessica!
Usually just love your recipes and have made several. These however were just dense and flavorless. If it weren’t for the chocolate chips they would have been a total fail.
Darn! Sorry you didn’t love these, Peggy!
Can you sub the greek yogurt/sour cream out with something dairy free? My regular dairy free alternatives aren’t great for yogurt and sour cream.
I don’t know, Tricia – sorry! I haven’t tried making these dairy free.
I used an almond milk, dairy-free yogurt and they turned out great.
Also, as a side note, these make great baked donuts. (My kids will NOT eat a muffin, but make it a donut and it’s magically better…go figure).
Yay, that’s awesome!
I used coconut milk yogurt and they turned out great. You could also try almond milk (or other dairy free milk) – add 1/2 TBS vinegar to 1/2 cup dairy free milk and let it sit for a few minutes. I may try that some time!
I made these today. I only have the big cans of pumpkin so I decided to triple it, which I generally do when making another of your pumpkin recipes. The blender didn’t like that so much though so I dumped it into a bowl and mixed it that way. 🙂 I took several over to a neighbor as I returned a borrowed item and heard that these muffins were delicious. I can’t wait to get some nutrition in my kids bellies prior to trick or treating tonight. Thanks again for another winner!!
Thanks for the review, Stacy! Glad a tripled batch worked well!
So I really want to make these, but we only have blueberry, raspberry and peach yogurt… would any of these work? Or is there a good substitute for the yogurt?
Thanks!
Do you have sour cream? That would work. Otherwise, I’d just toss in the peach and see how it goes.
Yes! Yes! Yes! I was JUST wondering if I could switch out the banana for pumpkin in your blender muffins. I am super excited to give these a try!
Do you think your applesauce carrot muffins can be a blender applesauce carrot muffins?
I haven’t tried it so I don’t know – sorry! Usually typical muffin batters (like that one) won’t fare well in the blender because the tender muffin batter gets overmixed.
Made these for breakfast this morning! They were delicious. Quick, easy and not too ‘spicy’ as sometimes pumpkin things are. Also, we love blender muffins (especially on school mornings)!
Thanks for making them so fast and reporting back, Juli! So happy they were a hit!
Thanks, Mel! My dad eats gluten free and I regularly make him your blender banana chocolate chip muffins. Now I can add these to the rotation! Love your blog and its tremendous contribution to our family’s meals and snacks. I make at least one of your recipes every day and my kids know you by name. 🙂 Happy Halloween!!
Thank you so much, Jacqui! Your comment made my day. 🙂
Yum! I just got done making your pumpkin pancakes for my kiddos Halloween breakfast! It paired great with your buttermilk syrup just FYI. I only had a large can of pumpkin so have plenty leftover to make these too! They look delicious! And Halloween is not my favorite either! I think my kids look so cute dressed up and I love the fun things like library and school parties, but I hate scary things and especially when people in masks come close staring at me and/or my kids! I get all queasy feeling inside and hate that it brings fear to my kiddos and they run clinging to me (although not going to lie, I love the snuggles, just hate that it’s fear that brings so many of them on this day.) Thanks for all you do! Your recipes make our holidays so yummy!
Misty – that sounds incredible to pair the pumpkin pancakes with the buttermilk syrup. YUM! Enjoy Halloween with your cute kiddos!
Ok, so I gotta know where this syrup recipe is on your site. I searched and searched for it but couldn’t find it! And it sounds SO GOOD!
It’s on this post! https://www.melskitchencafe.com/german-pancake-butter-syrup/
Oh YUM! Thank you, Mel!
You always pull through for me. I woke up wanting to make a pumpkin muffin and the one I was looking for wouldn’t pull up for some strange reason. I thought ‘Mel always has good muffins,’ so I came here and whatta ya know?! You posted a new, fast, yummy recipe just today!! They are delicious and perfect for breakfast. My family and I thank you for saving me on a daily basis. Happy Halloween!
Hey, that’s great timing! So happy you loved these!
Mel! I have been WAITING for another blender muffin recipe from you since the banana ones! I’m happy 🙂
Haha! Yay!
These look amazing! My four boys love your other pumpkin chocolate chip recipe so I’m certain this will be a hit as well. Thanks Mel!
Thanks, Erin – hope you and your boys love them!
No applesauce or oil?
Nope!
Question: when you say the 1/2 cup sugar is just about perfect for your family – do you like muffins on the sweeter side, or is that just a regular amount? I’d hate to skimp and then it not taste sweet… these look amazing! Can’t wait to try them!
Good question, Deanna – I think the 1/2 cup is just “regular” for us – not overly sweet but definitely sweet enough to be super yummy. Does that help at all?
I tolerate Halloween for my kids’ sake but…it’s far from my favorite. The more painful it is for me, the more candy I get to take as my share after trick or treating!
Haha, this is the best way to deal with it. 🙂