Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins (Healthy!!)
Super moist and lightly sweetened with honey, these healthy chocolate chip pumpkin muffins make the perfect fall breakfast or on-the-go snack! Made all in one bowl with coconut oil and white whole wheat flour.
The best Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Soft and lightly spiced healthy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are a favorite during this time of the year. They make the best take-and-go breakfast and can double as a snack or even dessert.
They are sweetened only with honey and bananas, and instead of white flour, made with white whole wheat flour. And did I mention you only need one bowl, a whisk, and a spoon to make them? That’s right! No mixer is required.
Make a double batch to enjoy now and freeze for later. These pumpkin muffins keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Love pumpkin everything? Try our 5-Ingredient Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Healthy Ingredients
A big part of what makes these healthy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins so amazing is simply a combination of ingredients.
Even though you can make substitutions to some of the ingredients, which I do cover below. But for best results, follow the recipe as written:
- Coconut Oil: Refined coconut oil is neutral and ideal to use in this recipe. It has no distinct coconut taste or aroma like virgin or unrefined coconut oil.
- Honey: Honey provides sweetness to the muffins. Maple syrup can be used as a substitute.
- Eggs: You’ll need two large eggs for this recipe.
- Bananas: Bananas make the muffins sweet and extra moist. Make sure to use ripe bananas and measure out the banana mash before adding it to the batter.
- Pumpkin Puree: Canned pumpkin is the same as pumpkin puree. It simply means 100% pureed pumpkin. I had a reader ask if pumpkin pie filling and/or mix can be used instead. Normally pumpkin pie filling has added sweetener and other ingredients, therefore, I do not recommend it.
- Milk: I used dairy milk for this recipe but non-dairy milk, such as almond milk will work as well.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Also known as pumpkin spice, is a spice mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice.
- Baking Soda: It helps the batter rise and make the muffins light. I do not recommend a substitute.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla enhances the flavor of the muffins and makes them taste yummy.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt but a sea salt is a great option too.
- White Whole Wheat Flour: Is a great middle between all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour. It’s mild in flavor and pale in color than whole wheat flour as it’s made with a different variety of wheat. But the nutritional value is similar.
- Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips work. Keep in mind if using semi-sweet chips, the muffins will be sweeter.
How to make Pumpkin Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Grab a large mixing bowl, a whisk, and a wooden spoon, and let’s make the batter:
- Whisk together the coconut oil and honey. Then add in the eggs.
- With a wooden spoon, stir in the bananas, pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Gently stir in the flour just until combined. Do not overmix. And lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan and divide the batter evenly between the cups, filling all the way to the top.
5. Bake for 5 minutes at 425 F, then keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 F, and bake for additional 17-20 or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove and cool on a cooling rack.
Gluten-Free Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Yes! Simply use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Some of the readers had luck with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, as well as almond flour.
I personally made these pumpkin muffins with oat flour and they were as equally delicious.
How to store Banana Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Thereafter, keep them stored in the refrigerator in a sealed container.
These muffins also keep well in the freezer in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Simply defrost individual muffins overnight in the refrigerator and then for a warm, just baked taste, pop them into a microwave for a few seconds or until gently warmed through.
Leftover Pumpkin Puree?
Here are more recipes to make with canned pumpkin puree:
Video: How to Make Healthy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
Watch step-by-step on how to make these easy healthy pumpkin muffins.
Healthy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins
- Prep Time: 12 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 37 mins
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Super moist and lightly sweetened with honey, these chocolate chip pumpkin muffins make the perfect fall breakfast or on-the-go snack! Made all in one bowl with coconut oil and white whole wheat flour.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, in liquid form
- 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup mashed ripe banana, about 2-3 bananas
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour, measured correctly
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, semi-sweet or dark chocolate
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Grease 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray or if using liners, line with liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk coconut oil and honey. Whisk in eggs.
- With a wooden spoon, mix in the mashed banana, pumpkin puree, milk, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Add the flour and mix just until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan. You should be able to fill all 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425 F degrees, then keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350 F degrees, and bake for additional 17-20 or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Place the muffin pans on a cooling rack to cool. Store cooled muffins, covered, at room temperature for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
- Ingredient Substitutions: See post for all substitutions, including gluten-free options.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 259
- Sugar: 21.6 g
- Sodium: 218.2 mg
- Fat: 9.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 40.5 g
- Protein: 4.4 g
- Cholesterol: 31.1 mg
I’m looking forward to making these. The reviews and comments look amazing. I typically stick to the recipe, but I appreciate that you provide swaps as I’m trying out gluten free recipes.
Throughout the comments, I didn’t see anyone ask about swapping agave for the honey/maple sugar. What are your thoughts? Would agave work for a lower glycemic index? I have both honey and maple syrup, but I’m wondering about baking with agave. Thank you!
Hi Deb: Honey can be replaced by directly substituting it with agave in equal measure. Hope that helps! Let me know how they turn out for you.
They turned out perfect with the agave! Thank you for the response. I swapped equal measurement as you recommended and they tasted the same as when I made them with honey. Perfectly moist and delicious.
I made mine gluten free with a mix of almond and oat flour. I used 1 cup oat flour and 3/4 cup almond flour. I have not tried them with whole wheat flour yet. The gluten free version is phenomenal. I’ll need to stock up on canned pumpkin so I can make these all year!
Thank you for the great recipe!
I love these so much. They’re amazing! I gave some to a friend who doesn’t usually like pumpkin treats and she loved them. I’ve switched out pumpkin for sweet potato too and they’re just as delicious!
Thank you for this recipe! I have made twice now and the fam loves them! I substituted apple sauce and almond flour on the second go and they turned out just as delicious as the original recipe. 🙂
Can I substitute the wheat flour with all almond flour or do I need to use it in combination with another flour?
Thanks!
I’ve never tried making these with almond flour but I did with oat flour and they turned out great! Simply substitute the same amount of oat flour of white whole wheat.
Thank you! If I don’t have pumpkin pie spice, can I just use 2 tsp cinnamon or would that be too much?
It should be okay.
Hubby just requested these and it’s not fall so that pretty mucha sums up how yummy these are!! We love these and make them for family and friends ALL THE TIME. We like to use maple syrup instead of honey but I’m sure both are just as delicious.
So happy to hear that!
These are the best healthy muffin. This is the second year I’ve made them for holiday parties and they are a hit again! I use my own parchment paper as muffin cups and i don’t need any PAM or extra oil for the pan. I have cut back the oil to 1/4 cup as most of it was ending up in the muffin pan. Also I used 1/4 peanut butter chips and 1/4 chocolate chips and it was a nice variation. Next time I will try adding more allspice or pumpkin pie spice. Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you!
Would it be possible to use coconut flour instead of wheat flour?
I’ve never tried it with coconut flour so I can’t answer with certainty.
Thank you for this recipe! I love all things pumpkin and made these for my son (9 yo) and I. He raved about them. Best ever muffins he said and I make a lot of muffins.
I substituted applesauce for the bananas bc we didn’t have enough and I also substituted canola oil for the coconut oil. Yummy!
Everyone in our house LOVES these muffins! Instead of chocolate chips I use peanut butter chips in the mix and I sprinkle some on top and it is sooo good! Shared this recipe with some friends and they all agree that these muffins are the best and pretty healthy!
Thank you Amanda! So happy to hear you enjoyed the muffins.
These turned out so well! They were so fluffy. I didn’t have enough banana but so I made up the rest of the cup with maple syrup and they were great. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s great! Thank you Emma for your feedback.
This is a recipe that has been on repeat in my household, SO good
I’m not one to make healthy versions of baked goods; they almost never taste as good. But I decided to make an expectation with this recipe, to feed my toddler a healthy breakfast. These were fantastic! They do not taste like a healthy version of a regular muffin at all. Light and fluffy, and a good muffin-y texture. Next time I’ll leave out the chocolate chips, because I don’t think we’d even miss them.
A few changes I made based on the reviews – I added an extra tsp of pumpkin pie spice, sprayed the muffin liners with PAM, and used while wheat pastry flour. Delicious! I also froze most of them for easy breakfasts – just 25 seconds in the microwave will do it.
Thank you Amy! I’m so happy to hear that.
I made these with a gluten free flour/oat flour combo, and with no chocolate chips as I had none. Turned out great, next time I will add raisins!
(I also didn’t have pumpkin pie spice, so added a mix of cinnamon/ginger/allspice/nutmeg)
Thank you for a great recipe ‘base’!
Thank you for this great, healthy recipe! I was using a similar recipe that didn’t have banana, and I always added cranberries to it, so I will be trying that next week once I get some more baking bananas and cranberries!
This batch, I needed to use butter as I didn’t have any coconut oil left. It made 20 muffins and they sunk a bit once I took them out of the oven. But the taste and texture is great! Will definitely be making these again. Will also be trying them as mini muffins with the cooking directions someone posted in the comments.
WOW this recipe is good. Delicious, light, moist. I made it without choco chips and my toddler and I are LOVING it. Just ate two right out of the oven—sorry not sorry.
I just made these and they were PERFECT! I am bookmarking as my go-to muffin recipe. I subbed 100% whole wheat flour and it didn’t make any difference at all, they were light and so moist and delicious. THANK YOU for this recipe that doesn’t make me feel bad because it doesn’t have cups of refined sugar or tons of butter! <3
So happy to the recipe was a success. Thank you Serena!
Thanks for the recipe! I just made these and they were amazing. I didn’t have white whole wheat flour so I used unbleached white flour instead. I also didn’t have enough honey so I substituted maple syrup instead. The muffins tasted great, the only issue was that they were a little gooey at the bottom and completely stuck to the liners. Anyone else have this problem? Not sure if I did something wrong or if one of my substitutions was the culprit. Next time I’ll skip the liners and see what happens.
Glad you enjoyed these. I would give the liners a quick spray next time to ensure nothing sticks.
I added double the pumpkin spice and it was super bland to me idk what I did wrong ????????
Hi Lizzie…I’m not really sure. Two teaspoons of pumpkin spice should be more than enough.
I just made these with my 5 year old – total hit and this kid is picky as picky can get! I love how easy they were to make and that I didn’t have to bust out the mixer! Going to double the batch next time and freeze some.
Thanks!
Thank you! So happy to hear that!
These muffins are delicious and surprisingly moist and tender. Thanks for a great recipe!