Easy Pumpkin Muffins with Applesauce

Easy Pumpkin Muffins are made with applesauce instead of oil for a healthier twist on the classic pumpkin muffin recipe. These muffins are moist with a tender crumb and perfect for a quick fall breakfast or snack!

Pumpkin Applesauce Muffins

When fall rolls around, my kids start begging me to make pumpkin muffins for breakfast. Some of our favorite pumpkin recipes are 2 ingredient pumpkin muffins with cake mix and easy one bowl pumpkin spice muffins and pumpkin bread and even pumpkin soup!

But our favorite recipe for pumpkin muffins uses applesauce instead of oil, brown sugar instead of white, and is easy on the pumpkin spice. I wanted the pumpkin flavor to be the star.

It actually took several tries to get this applesauce pumpkin muffins recipe just right. The muffins were either too dense or had too much spice. So finally, after supplying the kids and their friends and family members with enough delicious muffins to last until Christmas, we got it right. These applesauce pumpkin muffins are hands down the family favorite!

Oh, these babies are made in just one large bowl — no separate bowls for wet ingredients and dry ingredients, so cleanup is super easy. And that’s why I’m calling these the BEST pumpkin muffins ever! We have been making these for years now, and everyone loves them!

How to Make Pumpkin Muffins with Applesauce

First, add the eggs to a large mixing bowl. Whenever I make one-bowl muffins or cake or anything with eggs, I add the eggs first. Then, I stir them up a little and add the remaining ingredients.

You can use a hand mixer for the muffins or make them with a stand mixer. If you want, you can mix the batter by hand.

Just be sure to mix until the batter is blended, about 1 minute. You don’t want to over mix the batter, or these delicious pumpkin muffins will turn out too dense and tough.

Next, add the batter to the muffin tin. You’ll want to use non stick spray or grease the cups with butter for easier removal.

You can also use paper liners or parchment paper liners if you want.

You want these pumpkin muffins to be as tall as possible. So, fill the muffin cups as high as you can. None of this two-thirds full stuff today!

Now, pop the muffin tin into the oven. The muffins take about 20 minutes to bake, and that’s it. When done, a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin should be clean.

Total baking time depends on your oven. Some people have to bake the muffins for 30 minutes.

Aren’t they gorgeous?!

Remove the muffins from the oven and allow to cool for about 20 minutes or until cool enough to handle. Then, place the warm pumpkin muffins on a wire rack to cool completely.

Bake some of these homemade pumpkin muffins on the weekend, and you have grab-and-go quick breakfasts or a healthy snack to pack in school lunches ready to eat during the week. This is such a great recipe for the fall season, and the warm spices make your home smell amazing!

Storage

Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature — no need to refrigerate them. They’ll keep fresh for about 4 days, if they last that long! These muffins tend to release a good amount of moisture, so I like to line the container with a paper towel to absorb the excess moisture. To freeze pumpkin muffins, just let them cool completely, then wrap individual muffins in foil or freezer paper, and place in a large zip top freezer bag. They can be frozen up to 3 months for best taste.

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