Mini Pumpkin Donut Muffins
These delightful mini pumpkin donut muffins are dipped in butter and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. They are soft, fluffy and so yummy!
Completely irresistible, these amazing little muffins are like a pumpkin-flavored donut hole smothered in cinnamon and sugar. I dare you to eat just one!
Pumpkin Muffin Batter
This one-bowl muffin batter is wonderfully simple, AND (high five!) it uses a full can of pumpkin.
First, mix together:
- canned pumpkin
- granulated sugar + brown sugar
- oil or melted butter
- eggs
- vanilla
Then, add the dry ingredients (no need to whisk together separately before adding):
- flour
- baking powder + baking soda + salt
- cinnamon + nutmeg + allspice + ginger
Pro Tip: you can ditch the individual spices and sub with about 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
Mix the batter together until no dry streaks remain.
Don’t over mix! If you want light and fluffy muffins, take a gentle approach to mixing the batter.
Mini Muffins
Scoop the batter into mini muffin tins and bake until puffy. It won’t take long! The batch makes about 48 mini muffins.
If that seems like a whole heck of a lot of muffins, remember that these babies are bite-size, which means it’s incredibly easy to just be living your life one moment…and then realize you just accidentally inhaled six mini muffins the next.
Also, don’t use paper liners for the muffins. They get greasy and weird in the dunking-in-butter process. Plus the muffins retain a fun and fanciful donut hole vibe if left unpapered.
How to Make Muffins Taste Like Donuts
After the muffins have baked and cooled, it’s time to donut-tize them.
- Dip the top of the mini muffin in melted butter
- Immediately roll the top in cinnamon and sugar
For a thicker coating, roll the top of the muffin around a second time in the cinnamon and sugar. Optional, but highly supported.
The Best Little Muffins
These are easily some of the best muffins to come out of my kitchen. Even my kids, who sometimes get a little weary of a mom who fully embraces every variation of pumpkin baked goods this time of year (ok, all year long), go crazy for them.
One batch doesn’t last long around here.
These keep for several days, well-covered (the tops of the muffins do get a bit softer after being stored overnight). And they freeze well, too. But nothing beats them freshly dipped and dunked.
They are cute, fun, festive, and delicious! And if you want an incredibly delicious plain pumpkin mini muffin, just leave off the butter + cinn/sugar topping. They are perfect!
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Mini Pumpkin Donut Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins:
- 15-ounce can (425 g) canned pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (106 g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (113 g) neutral-flavored oil or melted butter
- 2 large (100 g) eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cups (249 g) all-purpose or whole wheat flour (see note)
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Topping:
- 1 cup (212 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (113 g) melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease two mini muffin tins with cooking spray. Set aside.
- For the muffins, in a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil or butter, eggs and vanilla until well-mixed.
- Add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until just combined and no dry streaks remain.
- Scoop the muffin batter into the prepared pans, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full.
- Bake the muffins for 9-11 minutes until the tops spring back lightly to the touch. Remove the muffins from the tin and let cool completely on a cooling rack.
- For the topping, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon.
- Dip the top of each muffin in the melted butter followed by the cinnamon and sugar. (Roll the top of the muffin around a second time in the cinnamon and sugar for a thicker coating, if desired.)
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: muffin batter slightly adapted from this favorite recipe (used a combination of brown sugar and white sugar, swapped out pumpkin pie spice for individual spices, added butter and cinn/sugar topping, made them mini-size)
Yummy yummy yummy. These things are super delicious and easy to make. My kids loved them!! Makes a good amount too.
An absolute win!! They totally taste like pumpkin old fashioned donuts. My husband, teenagers, and littles can’t keep their hands out of the Tupperware I put them in!
These are amazing! I made them for a neighborhood apple cider making party, and they were a huge hit. The recipe made exactly 48 mini-muffins.
What a yummy recipe to kick off fall baking! There’s no way to just eat one. I can tell I’ll be making these babies again this month. Thanks, Mel!
Glad you enjoyed these, Julie!
These were great. Old-fashioned muffin tin so not mini but also not as large as modern tin perhaps. Though I had all the spices (thanks to store’s bulk section, though bulk means small amounts for me!) I did use pumpkin pie spice having bought it previously and not liking to waste it. I added some allspice and extra nutmeg to sum to 2 1/4 t. It was unscientific and fine. I used oil and not butter since they were going to get a buttery hit with the topping. I generally also find I don’t need so much of the latter so used a half or 2/3 stick of butter and cinn-sugar, can’t recall – I only dipped the tops, and did it while they still had some warmth.
Great recipe and not over-pumpkin-y (vegetal) despite using the whole can.
It is true they taste better the next day and so it’s a useful recipe for that alone.
These are amazing! So moist and delicious. The only thing I would change is the amount the recipe calls for the topping. It was way too much butter and cinnamon sugar and I had to throw it away and waste it. I would half it at least. I doubled the recipe but didn’t double the topping and it was still too much! 🙁
These are delicious! I baked them in the fall and froze them right away. We finally had them tonight for dinner and the muffins were so soft and tender…basically melt in your mouth!
I didn’t even have time to put cinnamon sugar on them – my kids devoured them before I could get to that step, they are that delicious. We made them twice in a few days and doubled the recipe the second time and same thing happened. They’re perfection!
Can this batter be piped into an air fryer to make them into donut holes? Like 350 10 minutes? Thank you
I haven’t tried that, but it’s worth experimenting?
Had my 5 year old help make these so the spices were, um, less than mixed in lololol. But the whole family loved them! Made regular sized muffins (following the pumpkin snickerdoodle muffin instructions) and they were perfect. Great baking project with kids! Already been asked if he can make them for his teacher, so you know it’s a winner when a 5 year old is that proud of his work. 🙂 Another win from Mel!
A few years ago my daughter and I had a pumpkin bake fest. We tested a dozen or so recipes for various websites. Today we made this amazing recipe. . This is in our top three pumpkin favorites, right along with Mel’s PUMPKIN WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CHEESECAKE and PUMPKIN CHOCOLATE CHIP STREUSEL CAKE. It was super quick and easy to make with fantastic results. Delicious!
Yay, Liz! So happy these made the top three!
So delicious. So easy! And it uses the whole can of pumpkin. Bonus they freeze very well. Thank you Mell for another homerun!
Light, fluffy, delicious!
I made these today and they were as delicious as I thought they would be!
These are dangerously delicious. I made a triple batch yesterday for an event, and I have no idea how many I ate, just walking past the cooling racks, snagging “just one.” Here’s a little cheater’s tip: While I’m sure they’re amazing dipped in butter and then the cinnamon-sugar, I just sprinkled the tops with cinnamon-sugar before baking, and they came out great! A lovely little crust of cinnamon-sugar on top, and so easy.
We have a honey bear that has since been turned into a cinnamon bear… I just make a little funnel of scrap paper and pour in alternating layers of cinnamon and sugar and shake it up right inside the bear. He’s perfect for making cinnamon toast or cinnamon-ing the tops of 144 mini pumpkin donut muffins.
Great idea, Laurie!
I am an avid baker and fan of the blog for many years. Six months ago I had to eliminate gluten from my diet for health reasons and haven’t been brave enough to try any baked goods yet. Someone posted what they used to make this recipe without gluten so I gave it a try. The results were outstanding!! Even the gluten loving in my family love them! I used 1:1 swap with King Arthur Gluten Free Flour and 1 tsp xantham gum. They were divine! I’m feeling so encouraged by how well they turned out! Thanks Mel!
I’m so happy to hear that this recipe has given you a bit of hope to bake gluten-free, Caitlin!
I made these this morning and then drizzled them with a maple glaze. Amazing!
These look amazing. I’ll be trying them soon!. I love your cinnamon sugar doughnut muffins…do you think you could use that recipe in the same way?
Thanks for all you do
Yes, I think so!
Fantastic recipe! Made exactly as written for Halloween (except vegan, non-dairy butter for topping) . Everyone loved them! Will definitely make again and might just use one spin in the sugar.
Mel, Any thoughts about adding the info you included about how well they store in the recipe card? That way it will be included in the printout for future reference.
Sure! Just added it in the recipe card.
Fantastic recipe! Easier than I imagined, although still takes some time with the butter/cinnamon/sugar. I made a double batch and brought them to a Halloween party last night with loads of kids. ALL the kids loved them and complimented me on them! How cute is that? These are definitely better room temperature. I tried one fairly soon after finishing them and it was good warm but not great. Room temperature was amazing!
delicious recipe!! easy and yummy
Made them into donuts today! And gluten free using King Arthur measure for measure flour. Yummy! I’m a weigher of ingredients (to me it’s easier ♀️). The granulated sugar measurement cups/g doesn’t seem to equate in the topping portion of the recipe. I went by cups and seems accurate based on the amount I used up!
You’re right, Carla! Sorry about that. The gram measurement was off for the sugar topping – just fixed it!
These are amazing. An absolute winner of a recipe.
I made these yesterday, as soon as we’d gotten back from fall break. They were sooooo good! Everyone has been popping them like crazy! I had to dip in margarine (I know) because of a dairy intolerance, but they were awesome!
Another awesome recipe! I used a light one cup of whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup of white flour, and they were so soft and delicious. My niece helped me dip the last few (“swirl swirl swirl swirl”) and they made such a sweet little gift for a friend. Thanks for all the instant keeper recipes at my house!!
So delicious!! I love that it uses a full can of pumpkin (seriously, what am I supposed to do with 1/4 of a can that’s always left over in recipes??). After making the muffins I was too lazy to dip them in butter and sugar and they were delicious without any topping, so I can only imagine how they would be with the sugar on top!
I used 3/4 C. sugar in total and half white half wheat flour and it worked great. I also have a dwindling spice cupboard at the moment but they were delicious just with the cinnamon!
Mine took a little longer to bake than recommended (about 13 minutes), and made great regular-sized muffins as well (these took closer to 20 minutes).
Another banger of a recipe!
These are amazing! Easy to make and so delicious!
This recipe was perfect for using up some of several extra cases of about-to-expire baby food from Costco. I used about 50/50 sweet potato puree and carrot puree instead of the canned pumpkin. Can you say amazing? My 8 month old ate almost a whole batch by herself, so I had to make a second batch. Let’s just say stick to the sweet potatoes and carrots and avoid the peas.
Can these muffins be made gluten free.
I suspect that an all-purpose cup-4-cup gluten-free flour should work well as a sub for the all-purpose flour.
Have you considered putting a “cook mode” button on your site? It would be extremely helpful.
BTW, I plan to make these this afternoon. They sound delicious and super easy.
Thanks for the recommendation, Jacquie. I’ll look into it!
Made these today and they were DELICIOUS! Like a tasty pumpkin donut at an apple orchard in the fall but better!
Love that description!!
These were so easy. And so delicious! One bowl! No mixer! I had my kids do the dipping and they had a blast. I suspect that if these soften too much over the next few days (which often happens with my pumpkin baked goods) they would be delicious crisped up in the air fryer for a few minutes. My mouth is watering thinking about warm, pillowy little pumpkin bites now.
Oh wow, my mouth is watering too. YUM. Great idea for warming them.
We could not stop eating these! We did not use the butter or cinnamon and sugar! They were still so good! Thanks Mel for another amazing recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed them. Thanks, Jessica!
Anyone tried homemade pumpkin purée in these? Got a lot of squash sitting on my counters staring at me…these are calling my name.
I think it would work just fine, Heather! Sometimes homemade puree can be a bit softer/more watery, so drain off as much excess liquid as you can. But otherwise, it should work great.
This was such an easy after school snack to whip up – THANK YOU for using the entire can of pumpkin! So yummy and a hit with my kids.
I have a great appreciation for recipes that use that whole darn can.
Super tasty muffins. I cut both the white and brown sugar in half, but left everything else the same. Delicious! Thanks Mel!
Awesome!
Just made these — so good! And so addicting!
Thanks, Marjorie! So glad to know you liked the recipe!
These are great! I added in a bunch of sourdough discard because I can’t help myself and normally that wreaks havoc on most recipes and the results are a mess but these turned out great and moist and very tasty! I am sure they will be gone in record time.
I’d love to know how much discard you added and whether you made any adjustments to cooking time or temp!
I added at least a cup but probably more. They did take a few minutes longer to cook but I filled the holes almost to the top.
So awesome you made these with sourdough and they turned out so well! Will definitely be trying that!
These are so good! The perfect little snack! Now I want to make your donut muffins the same way!
Great idea!!
These are SO good! I was waiting for them to cool to dip them in the butter and sugar and decided not to since I already ate almost half of them!
There’s something about mini-size anything that makes me think I can eat them all. Haha.
These were amazing!!! We made them first thing this morning and after trying them made another double batch to share with neighbors for a pick me up since we are already expecting snow! Thanks for always sharing your awesome recipes!
Oh my goodness, Shauna! I love that!
Just made these and trying to wait for them to finish cooling so I can dip them in the butter and sugar, but they’re just so good that I don’t know if there will be any left to dip! I’ve already had 6 …..
Haha, I hear you! They are kind of a (good) problem to have around. 🙂
Mel, you must’ve known I made the Snickerdoodle Pumpkin bars this weekend and had a bunch of pumpkin leftover in my fridge. These are so delicious! They basically melt in your mouth. I ended up adding about 5 minutes to the baking time for my mini muffins. I will 100% be making these again. Thank you!
Thanks for the review, Megan! I’m so happy you liked these little muffins!
Oh my! These are delicious! So so soft. Definitely on the sweeter side but fine by me. Another great recipe Mel!
You made them so fast, Tiffany! Thanks for letting me know what you thought!
I am wondering if you could use regular size muffin pans instead of the mini ones? If so, how long would you bake them?
Yes, you definitely can! The recipe will make about 16 regular-size muffins. Bake them for 18-22 minutes until the tops spring back to the touch.
Sounds delicious! Any idea on how many regular muffins this might make?
Right around 16