Rich and moist Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins with amazing texture and the best combination of seasonal pumpkin spice and classic chocolate flavors. Flourless, dairy-free, and gluten-free!
A few weeks ago, I shared a recipe for healthy Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins, and just couldn’t get enough of their warmly-spiced essence.
Feeling a little naughty and needy, I decided to take it up a notch by throwing some extra chocolate in the recipe, creating a double chocolate adventure.
So here we are with moist, chocolatey muffins that happen to use wholesome ingredients for a more mindful treat.
Heat one up and enjoy it with breakfast alongside some quality protein, or indulge for a little afternoon snack or dessert!
For a grain-free option, make my Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins or my Flourless Chickpea Pumpkin Muffins!
Let’s dive into the simple ingredients for double chocolate pumpkin muffins. You can find the full ingredients list at any grocery store.
Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients:
Oats: Taking the place of all-purpose flour, we blend whole grain oats in a high-powered blender to form oat flour.
I like using whole grains instead of bleached flour because it contains fiber, which helps blunt the blood glucose response and also aids with healthy digestion.
I like using quick oats, but rolled oats or old fashioned oats work too.
If you need the muffins to be gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats. I use gluten-free sprouted oats in all of my oatmeal recipes.
Canned Puréed Pumpkin: One of the main reasons we’re all here! Canned pure pumpkin puree adds classic pumpkin flavor, volume, and moisture to these healthy muffins.
Did you know pumpkin is low in calories and contains a boost of Vitamins and antioxidants? Its health benefits alone make me so drawn to it.
Be sure to read the ingredient label on the can to verify its contents are pumpkin only. Pumpkin pie filling includes additional ingredients that we don’t need in this recipe. Use homemade pumpkin puree if you have it!
Eggs: Regular chicken eggs help the muffins rise into a fluffy texture. Bring the eggs to room temperature prior to baking.
I haven’t tested the recipe with an egg-replacer like flax eggs. If I were to guess the result, I would say the muffins would turn out very dense, but delicious nonetheless.
If you try an egg-free version, drop a comment below letting us know how it turned out.
Avocado Oil: We need some fat for the moist crumb we all love so much in baked goods. I like using avocado oil because it has a neutral flavor and contains a decent source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Melted butter, olive oil, or coconut oil works too.
Pure Maple Syrup: Used to sweeten the muffins, we use some pure maple syrup. This adds a slight maple flavor to the treat, which enhances its fall essence.
For sweeter muffins, add 1 to 3 tablespoons of brown sugar in addition to the pure maple syrup.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: A good portion of the chocolate flavor comes from cocoa powder. I like using raw cacao powder because it tastes less bitter than regular cocoa powder.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: The flavor that tells us we’re eating a pumpkin treat. All pumpkin recipes require pumpkin pie spice because this combination of warm spices convinces our taste buds it’s autumn and it’s time to get cozy.
You can make homemade pumpkin spice or buy it from the grocery store.
Pure Vanilla Extract: a splash of vanilla extract adds warm flavor to this pumpkin muffin recipe.
Baking Powder: The leavening agent here. Baking powder helps the muffins rise and keeps them held nicely together when peeled from the muffin papers.
Sea Salt: Salt is a major flavor enhancer so be sure to add it!
Chocolate Chips: The gooey chocolate portion of the recipe! We add chocolate chips for sweetness and rich chocolate flavor.
While optional, I recommend adding chocolate chips for the best results. Use semisweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, sugar-free chocolate chips or your chips of choice.
Now that we’ve discussed the wholesome ingredients for these delicious muffins, let’s make them!
How to Make Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with muffin papers.
Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender and blend for 30 seconds or until a flour forms.
Add the cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and sea salt to the blender and blend for a few more seconds to combine all of the dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract until completely smooth.
Pour the dry mixture into the large bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
Stir in the chocolate chips.
Transfer the muffin batter to the muffin tin, filling the muffin cups ¾ of the way up. If you’d like, sprinkle the top of each muffin with extra chocolate chips.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the muffins are cooked through.
To check for doneness, insert a digital thermometer into the center of one of the muffins. The ideal final internal temperature for muffins is between 190 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool completely before peeling off the muffin liners to enjoy. I like to heat muffins up in a microwave with some butter, almond butter, or peanut butter for the best way to start the day!
Store muffins in an airtight container or a large zip lock bag in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months.
These yummy chocolate muffins taste even better the next day, after the flavors have more time to develop.
Chocolate lovers, pumpkin lovers, muffin lovers, true believers in celebrating autumn colors in baked good form, these oatmeal pumpkin spice chocolate muffins are a sensational bite!
Enjoy them alongside some form of protein (like Greek yogurt) for a healthy breakfast.
Looking for more healthy muffin recipes that are similar to these healthy chocolate pumpkin muffins? Here are some reader favorites:
Explore More Muffin Recipes:
- Healthy Peach Baked Oatmeal Muffins
- Blueberry Protein Muffins
- Double Chocolate Sweet Potato Muffins
- Spiced Apple Carrot Muffins
- Blueberry Almond Flour Muffins
Chocolate + pumpkin, let’s GO!
Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ⅓ cups pumpkin puree
- ½ cup avocado oil
- ½ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract optional
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a muffin pan with muffin papers.
- Transfer the oats to a high-powered blender and blend for 30 seconds or until a flour forms. Add the cocoa powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and sea salt to the blender and blend for a few more seconds to combine all of the dry ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs, pumpkin puree, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, and vanilla extract until completely smooth.
- Pour the dry mixture into the large bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until a smooth batter forms.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Transfer the muffin batter to the muffin tin, filling the muffin cups ¾ of the way up. If you’d like, sprinkle the top of each muffin with extra chocolate chips.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the muffins are cooked through. To check for doneness, insert a digital thermometer into the center of one of the muffins. The ideal final internal temperature for muffins is between 190 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool completely before peeling off the muffin liners to enjoy. I like to heat muffins up in a microwave with some butter, almond butter, or peanut butter for the best way to start the day!
Nutrition
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How much oat flour would I use in place of the rolled oats?
Hi Amanda! I would use 1 2/3 cups of oat flour and add more if the batter seems too runny. I’m pretty sure 1 2/3 should do the trick though 🙂
I made these with ground flaxseed and water to replace the egg, as my daughter is gf and vegan.
As you suggested, they were more dense than with egg, but not overly so. I would make them again
Amazing! Thank you for sharing, Katie! This is super helpful to others who want to make the recipe without eggs 🙂
Can these be made with almond flour?
Hi Veronica! You can make my Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins (linked above too): https://www.theroastedroot.net/almond-flour-pumpkin-muffins/ and add 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 4 tablespoons of any milk you like.