These pumpkin oatmeal muffins are tall and tender, with a spiced crumb that stays soft for days. We soak the oats in the batter before baking, so they give the muffins chew without turning them dense. They take less than 15 minutes of hands-on time, and freeze beautifully.
I’ll be honest with you. It took a couple of tries to get these pumpkin oat muffins right.
The first batch had great flavor, but they were heavy and dense the way that oatmeal muffins can often get. So I kept working at it. The fix was simple, and it changed everything about the texture.
These muffins are a delicious fall treat, hearty enough for breakfast on the way out the door. I like to bake a batch on Sunday and enjoy them throughout the week.
The Secret to Moist Oatmeal Muffins
I’ve made tons of pumpkin muffins, so this recipe surprised me. But here is what I learned: oats drink up a lot of moisture.
When you add them to the batter and bake right away, they pull moisture right out of the crumb. They start drier and are crumbly by the next day.
The fix is simple. We stir them into the wet mixture and let them sit for 15 minutes. The oats soften and swell, soaking up the liquid they need. They add chew and body, instead of stealing moisture from the muffin.
Blooming Pumpkin Spice
To keep the pumpkin flavor strong, whisk the spice into the melted butter and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
The warm fat wakes the spices up and gives them a deeper flavor.
Ingredient Notes
Make sure that you reach for pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is sweetened and spiced and will throw off the recipe.
I recommend using room-temperature eggs so they don’t cause the butter to clump. If you forget to pull them out, just put them in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes and you are good to go.
The Key to Pumpkin Muffins with Bakery Tops
We start the oven hot and bake for 8 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, we reduce the heat.
The high heat in the beginning sets a fast rise, so the tops dome up. Lowering the temperature lets them cook through without burning.
How to Make Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
Checking for Doneness
Both the clock and the toothpick were a little unreliable when judging doneness. Because of the oats, a toothpick can come out clean when the center is still gummy.
My favorite way to judge doneness is an instant-read thermometer. They are done when the center reads 205°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, press the tops lightly. They are done when the tops spring back.
Make sure you let them cool on a rack before serving. The crumb needs that rest to set.
If you’re on a pumpkin kick, don’t miss my Ninja Creami Pumpkin Ice Cream, Pumpkin Banana Bread, and Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats plus 2 tablespoons for the tops
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 180 grams
- 1 cup light 215 grams brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the pumpkin pie spice and whisk for 30 seconds to 1 minute to bloom. Remove from the heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin, maple syrup, eggs, vanilla, and the spiced butter until smooth. Stir in the 1 cup of oats and let sit for 15 minutes.
- While the oats soak, preheat the oven to 425°F and line 12 muffin cups.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry and stir just until combined. Stop as soon as the flour disappears, or you'll toughen them.
- Scoop into the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle the reserved oats over the tops.
- Bake for 8 minutes. Without opening the oven door, reduce the heat to 350°F. Cook for another 15 minutes, until the tops spring back and the center reads about 205 °F. The oats hold moisture, so check the middle rather than trusting the clock.
- Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes.
Notes
- Letting the oats sit matters. The oats drink up the batter now so they don't pull moisture out of the crumb later.
- When combining the wet and dry ingredients, stir until the flour disappears and then stop. Overmixing will make the muffins tough. Some lumps in the batter are fine.
- Fold in ¾ cup chocolate chips, chopped pecans, or dried cranberries at the end if you like.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
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