Healthier Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (With Applesauce) (2024)

October 8, 2021 By Brandy 20 Comments

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Our healthier pumpkin muffins are filled with the tastes of fall, and made with applesauce instead of oil. Perfect for school lunches, quick breakfasts, or an afternoon snack.

You might also like these pumpkin recipes: quick rise pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin pretzel bites and pumpkin cinnamon swirl bread.

My kids get bored with sandwiches in their lunch so I often find myself baking a batch of muffins in the evening to add to lunches the next day. We love all varieties; blueberry, apple cider muffins, and poppyseed, but pumpkin reigns supreme this time of year. Today I’m sharing our cinnamon pumpkin muffins that are packed with of the flavors of fall. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, walnuts for crunch, and sprinkled in a cinnamon and sugar topping. This recipe is an adaptation of the one that I use for pumpkin mini loaves and pumpkin bread. It is so versatile! This version is made with all applesauce instead of applesauce + oil and has acinnamon and sugar topping. Yum.

Healthier Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (With Applesauce) (2)

You can use oil or melted butter in this recipe, but I really like substituting applesauce (1/2 cup applesauce = 110 calories. 1/2 cup vegetable oil = 960 calories). Applesauce adds moisture to the recipe and cuts out calories, fat, sodium, and cholesterol at the same time. I don’t cut out any sugar so they aren’t aren’t as healthy as they could be, but still delicious and lower in fat just the same.

Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffin Ingredients

Makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (can be made with half whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
Topping: 2 Tbsp. sugar + 2 teaspoons cinnamon

(can use 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice in place of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg)

Healthier Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (With Applesauce) (4)

In a large bowl, whisk dry ingredients (flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, baking powder, salt).

Add wet ingredients.

Healthier Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (With Applesauce) (5)

Give batter a nice stir.

Healthier Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (With Applesauce) (6)

Nuts are completely optional, but you’d be crazy not to add them 😉

Healthier Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (With Applesauce) (7)

Line a muffin tin with 12 baking liners. Divide batter into 12 muffin liners. Sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Let muffins cool in muffin pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Store in an air tight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Can also be stored in the freezer for a month or two.

Nothing smells better than fall baking. My house smelled like I was burning all sorts of amazingly scented candles while these were in the oven.

Healthier Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

Healthier Pumpkin Muffins

Our healthier pumpkin muffins are filled with the flavors of fall, and made with applesauce instead of oil. Perfect for school lunches, quick breakfasts, or an afternoon snack.

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 22 minutes minutes

Total Time: 32 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 muffins

Calories: 220kcal

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup applesauce
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts optional
Topping: 2 T. sugar + 2 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients (flour, sugar, spices, baking soda, baking powder, salt).
Add eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and pumpkin.
Give batter a nice stir. Stir in nuts (optional).
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Line a muffin pan with 12 baking liners. Divide batter into 12 muffin liners. Sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes (or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean). Let muffins cool in muffin pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Notes

Store in an air tight container at room temperature up to 3 days. Can also be stored in the freezer for a month or two.

Nutrition

Calories: 220kcal

Here is another healthier pumpkin recipe to try.

Brandy

Website | + posts

Welcome! I'm Brandy, mother to 5 darling kiddos and a cute black lab named Toby. My husband is in the Coast Guard so we've lived all over the place, turning each house into a home. I love baking, sewing, making cute things with my kids, and sharing what I've learned with all of you!

Reader Interactions

Comments

thefirsttastekc says
October 31, 2016 at 7:30 am
Great recipe! I can’t wait to try it, thanks for sharing!
Reply
Emily says
November 1, 2016 at 6:06 pm
I’m visiting from Your Whim’s Wednesday. These look great! I bet my kids would love them, too; and I’m all for my house smelling fallish!! Thanks for sharing!
Reply
Emily says
November 1, 2016 at 6:27 pm
My mouth is watering right now! These sound like a perfect bite of fall flavors! Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday this week.
Reply
Easy Peasy Life Matters says
November 3, 2016 at 4:18 pm
See Also
Balsamic Roasted Vegetables Recipe
This sounds so perfect for breakfast or dessert!!! 🙂
Reply
JESS44903 says
November 3, 2016 at 8:19 pm
This sounds so tasty! PINNED! 🙂
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Reply
Christine @ www.rustic-refined.com says
November 4, 2016 at 5:52 am
That looks wonderful Brandy! Thanks so much for joining us at the DI & DI Link party.
Reply
Miz Helen says
November 7, 2016 at 12:26 pm
We will just love your Cinnamon Pumpkin Muffins, they look awesome. Hope you have a great week and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
Miz Helen
Reply
Carrie says
September 15, 2017 at 8:36 am
Those looks delish! Pinning.
Reply
Simone Emery says
September 17, 2017 at 5:50 am
These look great and perfect for lunchboxes 🙂
Reply
Florence says
September 18, 2017 at 5:08 pm
Why is it that I’m always looking at recipes, when I’m starving…LOL! These muffins look so good, and I know they are good b/c I see those ingredients, and they are my faves too. Love that it’s made with applesauce, which tastes just as good as oil, IMO. Thanks for sharing at Sweet Inspiration!
Reply
Kim says
September 19, 2017 at 4:30 pm
I so didn’t know you could trade applesauce for oil! I’ll have to try it! Thank you for sharing on Merry Monday! Hope to see ya next week!
Kim
Reply
JESS44903 says
September 20, 2017 at 12:54 pm
Pinned! These sound amazing!
I would love for you to share this with my Facebook Group for recipes, crafts, tips, and tricks: https://www.facebook.com/groups/pluckyrecipescraftstips/
Thanks for joining Cooking and Crafting with J & J!
Reply
Dawn Beaver says
September 30, 2017 at 12:02 pm
Just made these…substituted stevia for the sugar to reduce the Weight Watchers points. So good!!!! I’ve been craving all the pumpkin baked goods and these were perfect!
Reply
- Brandy says
  October 2, 2017 at 5:14 am
  This is so good to know! I JUST had a reader ask if she could substitute the sugar for sweetener for another pumpkin recipe that I have, but I hadn’t ever tried and wasn’t sure what to tell her!
  Reply
  - Dawn says
    October 28, 2017 at 9:41 am
    Yes! They were delicious!!
    Reply
victoria james says
June 1, 2018 at 2:07 pm
Great recipe. I didn’t know you substitute apple sauce for oil. Thanks!
Reply
Amy says
October 2, 2018 at 7:42 pm
I love cinnamon and pumpkin and these muffins sound delicious. Thank you for sharing at Wonderful Wednesday.
Reply
Cortne Trout says
October 3, 2018 at 4:05 pm
Pinned for later! Thanks for sharing!!
Reply
Joyce says
November 3, 2020 at 7:39 am
Can I use in mini loaf pans?
Reply
- Brandy says
  November 3, 2020 at 12:08 pm
  Hi Joyce! You can definitely use mini loaf pans. You’d just need to adjust the baking time to probably 25 minutes or so.
  Reply