Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (Moist & Easy Recipe)

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These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are soft, moist, warmly spiced, and packed with melty chocolate chips. They’re easy to make with real pumpkin, maple syrup, and a handful of everyday baking staples, which means peak fall muffin energy without much fuss.

I’ve become fully convinced that pumpkin and chocolate belong together. The pumpkin keeps these muffins tender and moist, the pumpkin spice brings all those warm fall flavours, and then you hit a pocket of melted chocolate and, well… case closed. They’re sweetened with maple syrup and made with whole wheat flour too, so they have a slightly more wholesome ingredient list without tasting like they were trying too hard to be good for you.

And apparently I have no plans to stop pairing pumpkin with chocolate anytime soon. My pumpkin chocolate chip bread runs with the same very good idea, while these pumpkin banana muffins are perfect when ripe bananas join the fall baking situation. And when pumpkin season is over but the muffin craving is very much not, my banana chocolate chip muffins have you covered.

side view of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins on a wire rack.

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✳︎ Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Seriously moist and tender. Pumpkin purée, maple syrup, and coconut oil work together to give these muffins a soft texture that stays that way.
Pumpkin spice meets melty chocolate. Warm cinnamon-y fall flavour and pockets of chocolate in the same bite. I’m firmly on board.
No mixer needed. Two bowls, a little stirring, and you’re in business. Mixing by hand also helps keep the muffins tender instead of tough.
Made with more wholesome ingredients. Whole wheat flour, pure maple syrup, pumpkin, and coconut oil make up the base without sacrificing the fun stuff. Yes, the chocolate chips are staying.
Breakfast, snack, or dessert all work. Basically, there’s no wrong time to reach for one.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

ingredients for recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins - pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, vanilla extract, eggs, baking soda, salt, maple syrup, almond milk, coconut oil, whole wheat flour

These pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips are made with straightforward baking staples plus plenty of pumpkin, warm spice, and chocolate. Here’s what you’ll need:

Whole Wheat Flour: Gives the muffins their structure and adds a slightly hearty, nutty flavour. I haven’t personally tested other flours in this recipe, so I wouldn’t recommend swapping in almond or gluten free flour without expecting the texture to change.
Pumpkin Purée: Use 100% pure pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Besides bringing the pumpkin flavour, it adds moisture and helps give the muffins their soft, tender texture.
Maple Syrup: Sweetens the muffins without refined sugar while adding a subtle maple flavour that works especially well with pumpkin spice. Use pure maple syrup here, not pancake syrup.
Coconut Oil: Adds richness and helps keep the muffins moist. Melt it first, then let it cool slightly before adding it to the wet ingredients.
Almond Milk: Adds just enough extra moisture to bring the batter together. I use unsweetened almond milk.
Eggs: Give the muffins structure and help bind everything together as they bake.
Chocolate Chips: Semi-sweet chocolate chips are my go to because they balance the sweetness of the maple syrup nicely. Dark, milk, or white chocolate chips can work too if that’s what you’re craving.
Pumpkin Pie Spice: The warm, cozy part of the equation. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice pair ridiculously well with pumpkin and chocolate. Store bought works, or make a batch of my homemade pumpkin pie spice.
Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and rounds out the pumpkin, maple, and chocolate flavours.
Baking soda: Gives the muffins their lift and helps create those nicely domed tops.
Salt: Just a little sharpens all the other flavours and keeps the sweetness balanced.

Find the full ingredient list and exact measurements in the recipe card below.

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

The full instructions are in the recipe card below, but these few baking tips will help you get soft, moist muffins with nicely domed tops every time.

Mix by hand. You don’t need a mixer for this batter. A rubber spatula or wooden spoon gives you more control and makes it much easier to avoid overmixing.
Don’t overmix the batter. Once the dry ingredients go into the wet, stir just until you don’t see any obvious streaks of flour. Overmixing develops the gluten and can leave you with dense, tougher muffins instead of soft and tender ones.
Fold in the chocolate chips last. Gently fold them through once the batter is combined. You can save a small handful to scatter over the tops if you want a few extra chocolatey pockets showing after baking.
Fill all 10 muffin cups to the top. This recipe makes 10 generously sized muffins rather than 12 smaller ones. Filling the cups all the way gives them those bigger, nicely domed muffin tops.
Watch the toothpick, not just the clock. Start checking around the 23 minute mark. A toothpick inserted through the muffin should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Just make sure you haven’t stabbed a melted chocolate chip and mistaken that chocolatey toothpick for underbaked batter.
Let them cool before moving them. Fresh-from-the-oven muffins are delicate. Give them a little time to firm up in the pan before removing them so they don’t fall apart.

chocolate chip pumpkin muffins in a muffin tin

Storage & Freezing

Once completely cooled, store your chocolate chip pumpkin muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can also keep them in the refrigerator if you want them to last a little longer.

To freeze: Let the muffins cool completely, then freeze them in a single layer until firm before transferring them to a freezer safe container or bag. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 4 months, making them perfect for stashing away when a future muffin craving hits.

pumpkin chocolate chip muffins on a plate, front one cut in half

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins FAQs

No. Use 100% pure pumpkin purée for these muffins. Pumpkin pie filling already contains added sugar and spices, which would change the sweetness and flavour of the recipe.

Absolutely. I use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but dark, milk, or white chocolate chips can all work depending on how sweet you want your muffins. You can also use chocolate chunks for bigger pockets of melted chocolate.

Overmixing is one of the biggest culprits. Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir only until the flour is incorporated. The more you work the batter, the more gluten develops, which can make the muffins dense and tough instead of soft and tender.

Pumpkin purée naturally brings plenty of moisture to the batter, while maple syrup and coconut oil help keep the finished muffins soft and tender. Just be careful not to overbake them, which can undo all that good work.

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Soft, moist pumpkin muffins with chocolate chips, real pumpkin, warm pumpkin spice, and maple syrup. An easy fall muffin that's perfect for breakfast, snacking, or whenever the pumpkin craving hits!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 25

Total Time 35

Servings 10 Muffins

Video

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 cup pure pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
½ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup coconut oil (melted and slightly cooled)
¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease 10 cups of a muffin tin or line them with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, almond milk, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir gently until just incorporated and no obvious streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix.
Gently fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Divide the batter evenly between the 10 prepared muffin cups, filling each one all the way to the top.
Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Let the muffins cool in the pan before removing or moving them. They're delicate while they're still hot, so giving them time to firm up will help keep them intact.

Notes

Use pure pumpkin purée: Make sure you’re using 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains added sugar and spices.

Measure the flour carefully: Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off rather than packing it in. Too much flour can make the muffins dry and dense.

Let the coconut oil cool slightly: You want it melted but not piping hot before mixing it with the eggs and other wet ingredients.

Don’t overbake: Start checking at 23 minutes. They’re ready when a toothpick comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Watch out for melted chocolate on the toothpick!

Let them cool before removing: These muffins are delicate while hot, so give them time to firm up in the pan before moving them.

Storage: Keep completely cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Don’t skip the good stuff —

scroll up above the recipe card for ingredient notes, tips & tricks, and easy swaps/variations.

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