Easy Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Soft pumpkin muffins loaded with dark chocolate, sweetened with banana, applesauce and honey or maple syrup. This version skips the granulated sugar and leans on honey or maple syrup.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Without the Granulated Sugar
Every recipe on Everything Muffins starts in our kitchen and finishes in yours. Our team of bakers developed these healthy pumpkin chocolate chip muffins batch by batch, building on our healthy pumpkin muffins and testing how much chocolate the batter could carry. Then we shared the recipe with our community of home test bakers, who made it in their own kitchens with their own ovens, pans and ingredients.
What they told us went straight into the recipe below. [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Pumpkin and chocolate: Warm spice and melty chocolate in every bite.
- No granulated sugar: Honey or maple syrup is the only added sweetener in the batter.
- Community tested: Our bakers built it, then home bakers tested it in their own kitchens before it went live.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Full amounts are in the recipe card below. Here’s what each ingredient does and what you can swap.
- Flour: all-purpose or pastry flour, or swap up to half for white whole wheat. The recipe card lists cups and grams.
- Honey or maple syrup: the only added sweetener. Honey browns a little faster.
- Baking powder and baking soda: baking powder does most of the lifting, and the soda helps the tops brown.
- Eggs: two, at room temperature, for rise and structure.
- Greek yogurt and olive oil: moisture and a tender crumb.
- Pumpkin puree: plain canned pumpkin, not pie filling.
- Pumpkin pie spice: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove in one jar.
- Chocolate chips: semisweet or dark. Most chips contain some sugar, so use stevia sweetened chips if you want none.
How to Make Easy Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Step 1: Make the batter
Whisk the pumpkin with the remaining wet ingredients until smooth. Whisk the dry ingredients separately, fold together, then fold in the chocolate chips.
Baker’s Tip: Blot homemade pumpkin puree with a paper towel. It holds more water than canned.
Step 2: Rest and fill
Let the batter rest for 15 minutes while the oven heats. Then use a large cookie scoop or 1/3 cup measure to fill all 12 liners to the top.
Tester Tip: [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
Step 3: Bake
Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then lower the oven to 350°F without opening the door and bake 15 to 18 minutes more.
They’re done when the tops spring back, a toothpick comes out clean and the centers read 200 to 205°F.
What Our Test Bakers Learned
Before a recipe goes live, our community bakes it and reports back. Here’s what they found and what we changed because of it.
- Ovens and pans our testers used: [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
- What testers changed or asked about: [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
- Their favorite way to serve them: [TESTER NOTES: add after the community bake]
Tips for Perfect Muffins Every Time
- Weigh your flour, or spoon it into the cup and level it. Extra flour makes thick batter and dense muffins.
- Use room temperature eggs and dairy. Set eggs in warm water for 5 minutes if you forget.
- Do not open the oven when you lower the temperature. That first blast of heat is what gives you tall tops.
- Check your oven with an oven thermometer. Many ovens run hot or cold.
- Dark pans bake faster, so start checking 2 to 3 minutes early.
- Honey and maple syrup brown faster than sugar. If the tops darken early, tent with foil for the last few minutes.
Storing and Freezing
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. To freeze, wrap them individually and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight or warm in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Pie filling already has sugar and spice. Use plain pumpkin puree.
Yes. Mix 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and a pinch of clove.
Usually underbaked. Bake until the centers read 200 to 205°F.
Yes. Use 3/4 cup sugar in place of the honey or maple syrup and add 1/4 cup more milk.
Naturally Sweetened Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with parchment liners, or lightly spray paper liners with oil so the muffins release cleanly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, mashed banana, applesauce, honey or maple syrup, olive oil, milk, eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently fold just until no dry flour remains. Fold in the chocolate chips. Do not overmix. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes before scooping for taller tops.
- Use a large cookie scoop or 1/3 cup measure to divide the batter evenly among the 12 liners, filling them to the top. Press the remaining chips on top.
- Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the door, lower the oven to 350°F and bake 15 to 18 minutes more, until the tops spring back, a toothpick in the center comes out clean and the center reads 200 to 205°F.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then move the muffins to a wire rack. Let them cool completely before peeling off the liners.
Notes
| Calories | 268 |
|---|---|
| Total fat | 10 g |
| Saturated fat | 4 g |
| Cholesterol | 32 mg |
| Sodium | 249 mg |
| Total carbohydrate | 40 g |
| Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugars | 17 g |
| Protein | 5 g |
