I just know these Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins are going to be one of your go-to fall baking recipes. There’s no better combination than chocolate and pumpkin. Moist, fluffy, sweet with a little hint of pumpkin spice. They’re a bit like a cross between pumpkin bread and chocolate cake! The pretty marble swirl looks like they came straight out of a bakery oven. As a bonus, they’re also vegan friendly with no eggs or dairy (not that you would ever know).
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Ingredients You’ll Need
Here’s a quick list of everything you’ll need, with the full measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
It looks like a lot but a bunch of them are spices – if you have pumpkin pie spice mix you can use that instead.
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground nutmeg
- Ground cloves (or use pumpkin pie spice blend instead of all the spices above)
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Light brown sugar
- Pumpkin puree
- Oat milk
- Neutral oil
- Salt
- Cocoa powder
Instructions
Making Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins is easy – you basically just make two separate batters then dollop a bit of each into the muffin trays and swirl with a toothpick. It’s so simple but looks so cute and everybody will think you’re a bit of a pro baker 😉
I’ve popped a photo of every step below to make it easy but you can also jump straight to the recipe card at the bottom of this post to get all the exact measurements and temperatures, timings etc.
Step One: Preheat your oven and line or grease your muffin tin. While that’s warming up, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl and give it a good stir to make sure everything’s evenly mixed.
Step Two: In another bowl, whisk together your wet ingredients until smooth.
Step Three: Now, slowly add the dry mix to your wet ingredients, stirring as you go.
Step Four: In a separate bowl, whisk together the cocoa, milk, and sugar until smooth.
Step Five: Add a portion of the pumpkin batter and stir until fully combined into a chocolate batter.
Step Six: Alternate spooning the pumpkin and chocolate batters into the muffin tin, and give them a quick swirl with a skewer, toothpick or knife.
Step Seven: Pop those in the oven and bake until a skewer comes out clean.
Substitutions & Variations
- Chocolate chips: More is more when it comes to chocolate! I have tested this recipe again with the addition of 1/2 a cup of chocolate chips and let me tell you it works VERY nicely. The only downside is that the marble effect isn’t quite as bold when you can see the little flecks of chocolate throughout. Depends how important the marble effect is to you 🙂
- Non-dairy milk: Oat milk works great here, but any milk works. Dairy (if you’re not vegan), or any neutral unsweetened plant milk like soy, almond or rice will all get the job done. I don’t recommend using coconut milk though – it will impart too much flavor.
- Oil: I normally use sunflower or canola but avocado oil is also mild enough to work. Avoid olive oil or anything with a strong flavour.
- Sweetener: Brown sugar has a nice slightly caramel note that pairs beautifully but it can be swapped with granulated sugar or coconut sugar if needed. Don’t use liquid sweeteners like maple syrup as the batter will become too wet.
- Spices: If you live in Australia like me, sadly, pumpkin pie spice blend is not readily available, so I have listed the recipe with all the separate spices needed. But, if you can get your hands on some pumpkin spice blend then that’s perfect too.
Storage
Like all muffins, Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins taste best on the day of baking, but they’ll keep in an airtight container for up to 3 – 4 days in the fridge or at room temperature for 2 days.
They freeze well too, just wrap them individually in cling film and pop them in a freezer bag for up to a month. Leave them on the bench to thaw or microwave them 10-15 seconds until warm. You can also splash them with a few droplets of water on the tops and and warm in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes.
Expert Tips
Canned pumpkin puree is the most convenient and reliable option for all pumpkin recipes. Libby’s pumpkin puree is the best. If you’re in Australia though like me, it can be hard to find! Luckily it’s easy to make your own pumpkin puree at home with a blender and oven – check out this simple guide from Minimalist Baker. I like to make my puree in bulk and freeze it so I always have some ready to go.
FAQ
Yes you can! I like to roast mine before pureeing – check out this useful guide from Minimalist Baker. Just make sure it’s a sweet variety like butternut squash. Roast it, blend it (or mash it very well), and if it looks watery, cook it on the stove for 10-15 minutes on very low heat until it is looking a bit thicker (this is important).
You can! They’ll still be delicious with just the spiced pumpkin batter. But if you’ve got cocoa on hand, I say go for the swirl – it only takes a few seconds and makes them feel extra special.
You can easily make your own. I’ve included the measurements of the individual spices in the recipe card. It’s a simple mix of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.
More Pumpkin & Baking Recipes
If you’re on a roll with your fall inspired baking try my Pumpkin Bundt Cake – it would be perfect as a Thanksgiving or Christmas centerpiece. Or for more everyday snacking, my easy Vegan Pumpkin Bread is moist, fluffy and has a salty sweet maple drizzle that is so satisfying.
For cookies, I can’t go past Pumpkin Snickerdoodles for fall. Or try my viral Sweet Potato Brownies for something more chocolatey and rich.
I hope you love these Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins – I guarantee they’ll impress!
Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins
Ingredients
Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend (or sub with 3 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend)
- 2 tsp Cinnamon ground
- 1/2 tsp Ginger ground
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg ground
- 1/4 tsp Cloves ground
Muffins
- 2 cups All-purpose flour plus 2 tbsp
- 2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 cup Light brown sugar packed, divided
- 1 cup Pumpkin puree
- ½ cup Oat milk plus 2 tbsp
- 6 tbsp Neutral oil
- ½ tsp Salt
- 3 tbsp Cocoa powder
Instructions
- Add all the Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend spices into a small jar and stir or shake until combined.
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175 C. Line ½ cup/120ml muffin tin with liners or grease well
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to evenly distribute.
- In a medium bowl combine the cocoa powder, 2 tbsp/30ml oat milk, and 1 tbsp/13g brown sugar. Whisk to form a paste. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, oil, and remaining brown sugar. Whisk until smooth.
- Add ½ cup/120ml oat milk and whisk.
- Add the flour blend and stir until mostly smooth. A few lumps may remain.
- Divide 1/3 of batter into the bowl with the chocolate paste. Stir until mixtures are well incorporated.
- Fill the muffin cups, alternating the batters. Start with the plain pumpkin mixture and then a dollop of the chocolate, then more pumpkin. Repeat until batter is used up and liners are filled. Swirl a knife or skewer through the mixtures to create more a blending.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Allow to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before serving. Best the same day. Can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Can be frozen up to 1 month. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Tine says
Soft, chocolatey, and full of cozy pumpkin spice. these muffins taste like fall ♥️