Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips are the BEST fall breakfast. These fluffy, bite-sized Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are easy to make and share. They freeze well, too! Makes 32 mini muffins.
Pumpkin breakfast lover? I’ve got you covered! Don’t miss The BEST Pumpkin Muffins for Pumpkin Season, Pumpkin Overnight French Toast Casserole and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread!
If I had to tell y’all about one recipe my entire family is currently obsessing over, it would be these muffins.
I’ve made them several times in the last months for our weekly playgroup because they’re a hit with both the mamas and the toddlers. (These are great for mama entertaining.)
I also baked them again two weeks ago so I could photograph them for this recipe… and I made ’em for our playgroup a second time.
Our daughter and her friends went wild for them. (Hi. Yes. We have a food blogger baby.)
Why I love this recipe:
Lady Baby is not wrong in her love of these mini muffins. They’re incredibly delicious and strike the perfect balance of pumpkin and chocolate.
The Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe also makes 32, so it’s more than enough for a crowd. (Again: This is a great food for a playgroup.)
Also? Bite-sized foods are super fun for toddlers to eat.
Also? This muffin recipe isn’t chock full of sugar to where you can’t taste the pumpkin. It simply sings when paired with the applesauce, cinnamon and chocolate chips.
These muffins are also easily frozen, so you can make a double batch and freeze some to reheat later!
Other fall breakfasts we love: Vegan Orange Cranberry Muffins / Apple Chai Spiced Yogurt Parfaits / Baked Maple Bacon Donuts / Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits with Maple Butter / Southwestern Breakfast Burrito Bowls
Need some breakfast or brunch inspiration? Head on over to my Breakfast Recipe Index for more ideas.
What do I need to make this recipe?
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- Mini muffin tin
- Large Mixing Bowl
- 1 tablespoon cookie scoop
- Nonstick cooking spray, like this avocado oil spray
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe for Mini Pumpkin Muffins:
- Pumpkin puree — please read the label on your can and ensure that you’re using this, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already has spices and sweeteners added to it.
- Eggs — these give our muffin batter structure and will help them rise in the oven. We need it for the muffin batter.
- Granulated sugar — also known as white sugar, this is going to be what sweetens our muffin batter.
- Unsweetened applesauce — I love using applesauce in muffins instead of vegetable oil because it adds great moisture. Most applesauces are sweetened, so read the label.
- Vanilla extract — pure vanilla adds such a lovely aroma and flavor. If you’ve got it, please use it.
- All-purpose flour — we keep unbleached AP flour in our house, but the regular kind works here, too. I have not tried to make this recipe with a gluten free blend and do not recommend it.
- Leaveners — this pumpkin muffin recipe calls for both baking soda and baking powder.
- Ground cinnamon — cinnamon and pumpkin work beautifully together. If you want to use the same amount of pumpkin pie spice if you’d like.
- Kosher salt — I like to use a fine grain kosher salt for baked goods. You can use the same amount of a fine grain sea salt.
- Chocolate chips — your favorite kind of chocolate chips are what you should use here. I’m partial to darker chocolate, but you can easily add milk or semisweet chocolate chips here if you prefer those.
Pro tip!
Don’t love chocolate chips? Leave ’em out!
How to Make Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Prepare. Preheat the oven, and spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
Combine the wet ingredients. Measure out the pumpkin, eggs, sugar, applesauce and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth. (You may also use a hand mixer.)
Combine the dry ingredients. In a smaller bowl, measure out the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk to combine.
Mix the batter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Gently mix until just incorporated. (Don’t worry about lumps!)
Measure in the chocolate chips. Use a rubber spatula to fold them into the batter.
Measure out the batter. Use a cookie scoop to dollop the muffin batter into the prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle some extra chocolate chips on top for fun.
Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
When the muffins are all in the prepared tin, transfer them to the oven, and bake.
Cool on a wire rack. You may pop the muffins out of the baking tin 5-10 minutes after they come out of the oven.
Enjoy with your favorite breakfast sides and beverage.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
Entertaining with muffins? Absolutely!
Brunch is one of my favorite events to host because it’s laid back and your kids can be involved. I even wrote a post about it for you: How to Host Brunch at Home.
Also, these Mini Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins are perfection for a playdate at home because they’re bite-sized! (And we all know kids dig bite-sized foods.)
Here are some more ideas and thoughts about entertaining with mini muffins at home:
- These muffins are perfect for sharing with adults and kids! Bake ’em up an hour or two in advance so little (and big) hands can handle them with ease.
- Make them in advance. You can bake these the night before if you don’t want to fuss with them in the morning. Let them come to room temperature, and then cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel to sit overnight.
- Double the recipe. They’re great for sharing, and if you want to share with a lot of people, double the recipe. Just be sure to have two mini muffin pans on hand to make the baking process a little faster. (It takes time when working with a single pan.)
What to pair with these muffins:
- Blended Mimosas (and don’t forget to put together a Mimosa Bar if your crowd is into this!)
- Baked Bacon
- Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew
- Sage Browned Butter Homemade Home Fries
Frequently Asked Questions
Applesauce adds moisture and some natural sweetness to these muffins without the extra fat that an oil would add.
Canned pumpkin puree is simply baked pumpkin, blended up and thrown into a can for our use. 🙂 It’s similar to pumpkin pie filling, but not the same.
Pumpkin pie filling is already sweetened and spiced… and since we sweetened and season our muffins in this recipe, we don’t need the extra that pumpkin pie filling would add.
Absolutely! Check your chocolate chips to ensure they’re the dairy free variety because the rest of this recipe is already dairy free!
Of course! The cooking time will be a little longer in a regular-sized muffin tin instead of a mini one. Keep your eye on them as you bake them, and then test them with a toothpick to ensure they’re baked through.
Quick tips and tricks to the best Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins:
- Double the recipe for a crowd. You can also double the recipe and freeze some for later!
- Use your favorite chocolate chips. While I love bittersweet and dark chocolate, milk and semisweet chocolate chips are great here, too.
- How to store: Once they have completely cooled, transfer to an airtight food storage container. Keep at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- How to freeze: Freeze on a wax paper-lined baking sheet. When frozen solid, transfer to a freezer bag. Keep frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the microwave until warmed through. You may also toast in a toaster oven.
More pumpkin muffin recipes to try:
- Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins with a Nutella Swirl
- Pumpkin Brown Butter Streusel Muffins with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
Armed with this information, are y’all ready to make these beauts?
Here’s how I pulled them together:
Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup applesauce unsweetened
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a mini muffin pan with nonstick baking spray. Set aside.
- In a large glass bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, eggs, sugar, applesauce and vanilla extract until smooth.
- In a medium-sized glass bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Whisk together.
- Sprinkle the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
- Add chocolate chips to the batter and stir until mixed in.
- Dollop the batter into the prepared mini muffin pan using a cookie scoop.
- Transfer the muffin pan to the oven.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the muffins have risen and an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
I can definitely see why your family loves these mini muffs! They’re so perfect for popping in your mouth, one after the other…looks like my next food addiction!
We love these as well and our granddaughter does too. Mighty good, tasty and moist, perfect size. And i imagine they are good without the chocolate chips … but why do that?
We love these as well and our granddaughter does too. Mighty good, tasty and moist, perfect size. And i imagine they are good without the chocolate chips … but why do that?
Wow! This looks super yummy for something that is incredibly easy to make!
How much cinnamon should I put in the recipe? It’s not listed in the ingredients.
Thanks!
Hey Megan! Thanks for catching this error. It should be 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. I’m adding it onto the recipe now.