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This healthy chocolate muffin recipe tastes like a cross between a chocolate cake and a brownie. You’d never know that there’s pumpkin puree hidden inside! (It’s for texture, not flavor.)
There’s no flour or oil required, so they are naturally gluten-free, and kids love them!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Featured Review
“I make these muffins all the time! Healthier version of a chocolate, chocolate chip muffin! Love them! Dense, moist, and rich! Everything you would desire in a chocolate muffin!” -Christine
Chocolate Pumpkin Muffin Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Almond Butter. Use an almond butter that doesn’t have a strong, roasted flavor for the best results. I like the “raw” almond butter from Trader Joe’s or homemade almond butter. Cashew butter also works similarly, if you have that.
- Pumpkin Puree. I use canned pumpkin puree for convenience. This adds a fluffy texture and extra nutrients to the muffins, but the flavor isn’t noticeable.
- Cacao Powder. This adds a rich chocolate flavor, but regular cocoa powder should work, too.
- Natural Sweeteners. A combination of maple syrup and coconut sugar works together to make these muffins have structure and a brownie-like flavor.
- Pantry Staples. Vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt complete the muffins to make sure they are flavorful and rise as they bake.
- Chocolate Chips. These are optional, but make a fun addition for a “double chocolate” muffin.
How to Make Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
Step 1:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 parchment paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the almond butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, coconut sugar, maple syrup, cacao powder, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt.
Mix well until the batter looks smooth.
Step 2:
Fold in the chocolate chips if you prefer a double-chocolate muffin. Then, use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop the batter into each muffin liner. You should get 12 muffins from this recipe.
Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top, if you’d like.
Step 3:
Bake in the oven at 350ºF for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins rise and look dry on top. If the center of the muffin sinks significantly, that means they probably didn’t cook quite long enough.
You can also test the center of the muffin with a toothpick, if you prefer.
Serving and Storage Tips
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
Serve the muffins at room temperature, then store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can store the muffins in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, place them in the fridge for up to 48 hours so they can soften again.
You can replace the maple syrup with honey if you prefer, but the honey flavor will be slightly more noticeable. I don’t recommend replacing the granulated sugar with a liquid sweetener, as you might not achieve the same texture. However, you can use another granulated sugar if needed.
If you grease the pan with cooking spray or coconut oil, the muffins will not release quite as nicely. (The muffin liners guarantee they’ll come out of the pan easily.) Without the liners, you’ll probably need to run a knife around the edges to help them release from the pan.
Healthy Chocolate Muffins (with Pumpkin!)
Ingredients
- 1 cup creamy almond butter
- ½ cup pumpkin pumpkin puree
- 2 whole eggs
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips , plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners. In a large bowl, stir together the almond butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, maple syrup, coconut sugar, cacao powder, vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Once the batter looks smooth, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Use a ¼ cup measure to divide the batter between the 12 prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips on top, if you like.
- Bake at 350ºF until the muffins have risen, and the center looks dry, about 25 minutes.
- Let the muffins to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. You can serve them at room temperature, or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition information is for 1 of 12 muffins, including the chocolate chips. This information is automatically calculated and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
- See the full post above for substitution tips. You can use any other nut butter or fruit/veggie puree in this recipe for a similar texture, but the flavor will change depending on what you use.
- I haven’t had the chance to test a vegan version of this recipe yet, so I’m not sure if there’s a successful swap for eggs.
Nutrition
More Recipes to Try
- Blender Banana Oatmeal Muffins
- Raspberry Chocolate Chip Almond Flour Muffins
- Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
If you try these healthy chocolate muffins, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like them.
These are amazing! My husband is always skeptical of these slightly healthier/hidden veggie recipes but he loved these! And, of course, the kids did, too! Will definitely be making these again! So GOOD.
These muffins are delicious! The only thing I don’t like about them is having to deal with almond butter! lol
What a mess.
Hi, I never have almond butter on hand. Could I substitute peanut butter? Thx!
Texture wise, peanut butter will be fine, but the flavor really competes with the chocolate in my opinion. But if you don’t mind the competing peanut butter/chocolate flavor, feel free to experiment with it!
What ingredient can be used in lieu of coconut sugar
Using flax eggs doesn’t really work with this recipe. They come out sunken.
I’ve made this several times now. The kids love it and it is a healthy recipe!
I did most recently reduce the sugar to 1/3cup and the recipe turned out great. Though I miss having “pumpkin” in the title as when I open a big can of pumpkin puree and I’m looking for recipes to use it, I passed this one over initially as it didn’t jump out at me.
Thanks for the feedback, Brooke! I just added pumpkin to the name. 🙂
Amazing, thank you!
I made this recipe back in 2018 when I was on a sensitivity diet. I ate 2 a day and still dropped weight lol. It is my go to sweet when I am being super healthy/losing weight. I have done so many substitutes and it still is amazing. I have given this recipe out so much lol.
I made these yesterday. I was slightly skeptics so I only made a half batch. I should have made a full batch. They were so good. My family loved them. Back to the kitchen to make more. Thank you!
Have loved these for years! I recently made them for my daughter’s birthday cupcakes and everyone raved about them. I have shared this recipe more than any other Detoxinista recipe- these muffins are magical. Thank you so much for creating and sharing your genius with us!
Omg! I totally loved your recipe . It’s super moist and there is so much flavor my kids couldn’t tell that it was a healthy dessert thanks for a great cake