Simple 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
These Simple 3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins are a quick and easy fall treat made with just pumpkin puree, spice cake mix, and hot water. Moist and flavorful, they bake up with a perfect tender crumb, making them ideal for breakfast, snacks, or dessert. The recipe requires minimal ingredients and effort but delivers deliciously moist muffins with warm autumn spice notes.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15-17 minutes
- Total Time: 25-27 minutes
- Yield: 12 standard muffins 1x
- Category: Baking
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 box spice cake mix (such as Duncan Hines)
Wet Ingredients
- 15 oz unsweetened pumpkin puree (canned or homemade, not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup hot water
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Muffin Pan: Preheat your oven to 425° F. While it heats, line a muffin pan with baking cups, parchment paper, or spray the cavities with nonstick cooking spray to prevent the muffins from sticking and to ensure easy removal after baking.
- Mix the Muffin Batter: In a large bowl, combine the spice cake mix, unsweetened pumpkin puree, and hot water. Stir gently until the batter is just combined and free of large lumps. Avoid overmixing to keep the muffins tender. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to fully incorporate the dry mix.
- Fill Muffin Pan: Using a cookie scoop, spoon, or measuring cup, fill each muffin cavity about 3/4 full with batter. For a taller, bakery-style muffin, fill cavities to the top (about two scoops), but extend baking time by 3–5 minutes accordingly.
- Bake the Muffins: Place the muffin pan in the oven and bake at 425° F for 5 minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350° F and bake for an additional 10–12 minutes. The muffins are done when they spring back to a light touch, tops lose gloss, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the muffins from the oven and cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and allow to cool completely to room temperature. These muffins are delightful slightly warm with a smear of butter if desired.
Notes
- Do not overmix the batter to keep muffins light and fluffy.
- Use unsweetened pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, to control sweetness and consistency.
- For taller muffins, fill muffin cups completely and increase baking time by 3-5 minutes.
- Muffins continue to absorb moisture as they cool, so slight overbaking is not an issue.
- These muffins freeze well; thaw and warm before serving.
Keywords: pumpkin muffins, easy pumpkin recipe, 3 ingredient muffins, fall baking, quick muffins, pumpkin spice muffins
