I finally did it! I’ve been wanting to bake with some alternative flours for some time, and this weekend I finally made this pumpkin muffin recipe using whole spelt flour. And I must say, they are deeeelicious! We’ve definitely been missing out ... the texture is much more cake-like and the taste is milder than regular whole-wheat flour.
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It was super easy to make the 1:1 substitution … I have no idea why I kept putting it off! But if you don't have spelt flour you could definitely use whole-wheat pastry or regular whole-wheat flour instead.
For a gluten-free option, make this Healthy Pumpkin Bread or these Pumpkin Protein Muffins!
Baking Tips
This recipe is super simple to make and it would be really fun to kids to help out. Best of all, you can make the batter in just one bowl—less to clean up! I recommend making a double batch of muffins to have ready in your freezer for a quick breakfast or school snack on busy days.
You can also bake these in mini-muffin tins if you'd like (be sure to check them at around 10 minutes) or bake them in festive muffin cups or paper liners depending on the holiday or season.
For more baking tips, check out this Teaspoon to Tablespoon Conversion!
What Makes These Pumpkin Muffins Healthy?
Whole Grain Flour
Spelt may sound like a “new” grain (at least it did to me), but it’s actually been around for more than 9,000 years. As I mentioned, the flavor is “lighter” than wheat and even though it contains gluten, some with an intolerance to wheat find that they are able to enjoy spelt.
Just like with wheat though, you want to be sure to select “Whole" spelt products as opposed to the refined (white) version. And to keep your whole spelt flour fresh, it’s best to stick it in the freezer (or fridge) along with your other whole grain flours.
Natural Sweeteners
When it comes to sweeteners, I use the least processed sweeteners available, which are honey and 100% pure maple syrup. You won't find any refined sugar in these muffins. But, like with any recipe that calls for sugar or sweeteners, moderation is key ... because "sugar is sugar" no matter how you look at it (learn more in my "Sweeteners 101" post).
Can I Use Halloween Pumpkin?
The simple answer is yes. Once you're done carving your pumpkin for Halloween you can turn it into pumpkin puree, but there are some major differences between your jack-o-lantern and a "pie" pumpkin that you might want to consider.
One of the most common methods of homemade pumpkin puree is roasting it, so a large Halloween pumpkin might not be the best size to fit in your oven. They are also a lot more stringy and have less flesh than the baking ones. And from my experience, the flavor just isn't the same since carving pumpkins have less natural sugar, resulting in less sweetness for those yummy fall desserts.
By all means, you can still turn those festive Halloween pumpkins into a puree if you'd like, but I definitely recommend using a smaller pie pumpkin for the best outcome. Whichever you choose, try one of these two simple methods we explain in this post.
Check out these Fall Breakfast Ideas for more great recipes!
Pumpkin Puree Tip
If you use canned pumpkin, make sure you purchase a can of pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. While they may seem similar, pumpkin pie filling is a blend of squash, sweeteners, and spices—and I've already mentioned how I like to stay away from refined sugars!
What Is Pumpkin Pie Spice?
Whether it's the famous Pumpkin Spice Latte or a holiday Pumpkin Pie at Thanksgiving, the main flavor is Pumpkin Pie Spice. This fall flavor is generally a blend of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and sometimes allspice. You can find a variety of store-bought blends or easily create your own using these measurements (makes about three ounces):
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
How to Store Pumpkin Muffins
After you've let the muffins cool completely on a wire rack, transfer them in a single layer into an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 4 days.
If you're worried about soggy muffins, one trick is to line the bottom of the container with a paper towel, add the muffins, then place another paper towel on top. This is supposed to help absorb any moisture, resulting in your muffins staying fresher, longer.
As I mentioned before, I always make a double batch of any kind of muffins to store in the freezer. They are a great time saver for school lunches, on-the-go breakfast, or snacks.
For these pumpkin muffins, or any bread item, there are two ways you can freeze them:
- Freeze them in one layer on a baking sheet. Then once they are frozen, transfer them to a big Ziploc bag or other freezer-safe containers.
- Eliminate a step by separating the layers of food with pieces of wax paper in your freezer-safe container/bag (so nothing sticks together). With certain foods (like muffins) I find that I don’t even need the wax paper.
I recommend only storing them for up to 6 months this way. When you're ready to enjoy them, take your desired amount out of the freezer the night before and let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight, or on the counter at room temperature. If you're in a hurry, you can always pop it in the microwave for a few seconds, too.
Video: How to Make Pumpkin Muffins
I was in LA and got to visit Catherine McCord (of Weelicious) in her kitchen where I showed her how to make these muffins. Check it out in the video below!
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Oat Scones
- Pumpkin Fluff Dessert
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Whole-Grain Pumpkin Waffles (and Donuts)
- Pumpkin Pie Green Smoothie
- "Pumpkin Spice" Hot Chocolate (or Mocha or Latte)
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bread
More Muffin Recipes
- Whole-Wheat Lemon Raspberry Muffins
- Apple Walnut Muffins
- Whole-Wheat Banana (Nut) Muffins
- Fruit, Nut, or Berry Whole-Wheat Muffins
- Whole-Wheat Carrot Applesauce Muffins
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups whole spelt flour (can substitute whole-wheat flour)
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup honey
- ⅓ cup butter (melted)
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin pan with liners and set aside.
- Using a whisk or fork, mix together the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and drop in the eggs, honey, and melted butter. Mix together until well combined.
- Fold in the pumpkin puree. Do not overmix.
- Pour the batter into the muffin pan so it’s evenly distributed.
- Bake until golden brown and a toothpick comes clean, about 18–20 minutes. Store at room temperature or freeze for a rainy day.
JENNIFER says
HELLO,
I WAS WONDERING WHAT SPELT FLOUR DO YOU RECOMMEND THERE ARE A LOT AT VITACOST?
JENN
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jennifer. There is not a particular brand we recommend. Arrowhead Mills organic is the one I typically buy. ~Amy
Dina says
Best !!! Thank you so much !
Sue says
This recipe looks delicious and I can't wait to try it. One question. If I am using coconut oil as a few other readers have done, would I melt it or use as is? I am new to using coconut oil so I'm not sure. Thanks,
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Sue. You melt the coconut oil. ~Amy
Sue says
It was mentioned on the video that coconut oil could be substituted for the butter. Would that be a 1:1 sub?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Sue. It is 1:1. ~Amy
Amanda says
I made these (just now!) and they are really delicious. I can't believe how cake-like the spelt flour makes these muffins. Consider me sold, I'll be buying more of this flour in the future. Thank you!
Emily's Mommy says
Hi! I just made these with whole-wheat flour. I made mini-muffins! 16 minutes and it made 24 big mini-muffins! My daughter loves them! So does my husband and he is picky! They are though... I didn't have any Spelt but it worked out well! :-)
Emily's Mommy says
I meant to say they are *NOT* TOUGH though. Excellent!
Sarah says
Made these with organic sprouted whole wheat flour, rolled oats and added frozen blueberries. Delicious!
Anna says
Made these pumpkin muffins last night. SO GOOD. This is the first time I've used spelt flour and I think I like it better than whole wheat. Will definitely be making these again!
Karris says
These pumpkin muffins are really yummy. I used regular whole wheat flour and I think the whole wheat taste really compliments them well. My 3 year old calls them "cakes" and could literally eat 5 of them if I let him. He is not the picky eater though. My husband however, is, and complains when I make healthier versions of foods he likes, but even he liked them.
Jen says
LOVE the pumpkin muffins using spelt flour!! I use coconut oil instead of butter and add some chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand). SOOO YUMMY!!! Thank you for yet another delicious, easy, real food recipe :)
Angela Winn says
I made these a couple of weeks ago and loved them! I did like the texture a lot more than the white whole wheat flour. Can spelt be used in any baking recipes in place of wheat?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Angela. Spelt can be substituted for wheat 1:1. I've used it in several recipes and have yet to be disappointed. Enjoy. ~Amy
Kristin says
Great! I have a pumpkin muffin recipe that is nearly identical to yours except it contains 1 1/2 cups pumpkin, and 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. I was wondering if I should add an extra half cup of pumpkin into your recipe or swap spelt flour for the white wheat in my recipe. Based on your recommendation, I'll try the latter. I like your recipe, but just can't pass up the opportunity to get more pumpkin into our diet.
Kristie says
Could I use agave nectar instead of honey? I don't have any honey or maple syrup!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kristie. I imagine it would work, however, agave is not something we recommend. This helps explain why: http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/. ~Amy
Tracey says
I tried the pumpkin muffins a few days ago... used whole wheat flour, and maple syrup (instead of honey) and also added a chopped apple. They are great. I made them in a mini-muffin pan, and my 14 month old loves them (and the mini-muffins are a good portion size). I love the recipes that you post, and have been trying alot of them since we are doing the "October unprocessed" from eatingrules.com :) I'm also a dietitian, so I always love a healthy recipe! Keep them coming, and thank you!
Montse says
Hi, I love this recipe, but I would like make non-GMO corn muffins, and blueberry bran muffins, do you have any tip?
Thank you, best regards!!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there. This site will you identify non-GMO sources: http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/sweetcorn/. Also, here is a muffin recipe that you can add blueberries (or whatever) to: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/12/recipe-fruit-nut-or-berry-or-whatever-you-want-them-to-be-whole-wheat-muffins/. ~Amy
Brianne says
These muffins look delicious! Do you think I can substitute pure maple syrup for the honey and would you put in the same amount?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Brianne. I think that will work fine. ~Amy
Kerri says
I love the pumpkin spelt muffins! Thank you for the recipe. Today I switched it up and used the very ripe bananas I had instead of pumpkin. I also added 1 tsp of vanilla in place of the spice mix. They are very tasty!
Jennifer says
Pumpkin Spelt Muffins -- I just made these and they really have a nice flavor. When baking with spelt, I have found it to be crumbly, and the addition of a pinch of guar gum helps. (Bob's Red Mill line has it.) I added 1/4 tsp to this recipe and the texture is perfect. I plan to make these again!
Krystal says
I love the website!!! I just made these muffins. They are in the oven now! I used butternut squash and yam puree (leftover from the daughters purees). I also used maple syrup instead of honey and I used I cup of spelt and 1/2 cup whole wheat. And cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spices.
Krystal says
sooooo good!!!
Lisa says
I just made these for the first time and they are awesome!!! I made them into mini muffins (cooked for about 10 min, made about 45 muffins). I did add a few mini chocolate chips to each muffin. I know this is cheating, but it will virtually guarantee that my picky eater will like them. Otherwise she may not even try them! At least these do not have other refined flour and sugar and like the ones I made last fall (before finding this blog). I am so appreciative of all the hard work you do making this information available. It has changed our family's diet for good!
Judy says
For anyone looking to buy spelt flour, you can buy it on Vitacost.com, that is the cheapest place I have found it. Our grocery store carries it, but it's $10 for a 28 oz bag!! Eek! Arrowhead Mills 28 oz bag on Vitacost was $5 last time I bought it. And if you haven't made homemade spelt bread yet, you should!! It's AMAZING! It's very tempting to eat the whole loaf!!!! :)
Misty says
I must say - the Spelt Pumpkin muffins are really quite fantastic! I need to make more as they don't last long around here ;) Thank you!!!!
Jenny says
Did you use canned pumpkin puree for pumpkin spelt muffin?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Jenny. Yep, canned is just fine. ~Amy
Summer says
I have a big problem with this muffin recipe - it only makes 12!!!
Confession: I made these today and our family of three has already finished half of them. Oops!
robin says
Thanks. They came out great. The only thing I did was add a tablespoon of olive oil to the batter because everywhere I looked it said the difference between pancake & waffle batter was the addition of oil or butter. They were really fluffy & tasty. They browned nicely but did not crisp up like other waffles do. Any ideas on why I couldn't get them crisp?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Robin. Did you butter your iron? That definitely helps crisp the outer layer. ~Amy
C. Loera says
I was wondering the lemon blueberry maple syrup can be made ahead, bottled, and refrigerated? If so, details? Thanks!
Alexandra says
Can I use regular wheat flour if I don't have spelt?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hello Alexandra. Yes, you can use wheat in its place. Try spelt sometime, though. It is quite good. ~Amy
robin says
Thanks Amy,
I was pretty sure the ricotta would work for the cottage cheese, but what I was really looking for is what other changes would I need to make the pancake batter into a waffle batter?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Robin. Well, we've never converted it in that way so I can't say for sure. This might help a little: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/674849. ~Amy
Sarah says
Have you tried using the Whole Spelt flour for any of the other muffin recipes? I am thinking that if the texture is more cake-like then my kids may prefer all muffins made with spelt! Can you make a 1:1 substitution in anything that calls for whole wheat flour?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi there Sarah. I have used spelt in place of whole wheat 1:1 in many baking recipes. I've never been disappointed. :) ~Amy
Elisa says
These pumpkin muffins are delish! We can't stop eating them, I'll definitely need to make a double batch next time. Oh and only alteration was that I added another 1/4 cup of pumpkin. They were nice and moist!
robin says
How would I change this to spelt lemon ricotta waffles instead of pancakes? Could I substitute ricotta for cottage cheese?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Robin. Ricotta and cottage cheese are enough alike that you should be able to exchange it 1:1. I have not, however, tried to pour these as waffles. Let us know how it goes. ~Amy
Olga says
Lisa, thank you for posting kids' lunches with pictures and recipes. You are an inspiration! Please keep on doing that!
christy says
Hello! My family loves cinnamon, so I wanted to tweak the pumpkin muffin recipie to make cinnamon muffins. If I use 1 tsp of cinnamon instead of pumpkin pie spice, can I use maple syrup instead of honey? And if I omit the pumpkin will they still turn out ok? Maybe I could add 1 cup of applesauce? Thoughts? Thanks for your input!
Christy
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Christy. I assume you mean leave out the pumpkin pie SPICE not the pumpkin puree? Or are you suggesting replacing the pumpkin with applesauce altogether? Anytime you make adaptations to a recipe with one of its main ingredients, we cannot predict how that might turn out. :) ~Amy
nicole says
How do you freeze your leftover muffins so they don't get freezer burn on them? It seems like no matter how I package them they always get freezer burn :( Thanks for any pointers :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Nicole. Be sure they are completely cool and then put them in a freezer bag getting as much air out as possible. I use the "space bag philosophy" and "vacuum" seal them by sucking out as much air as possible. Really, that's what I do. :) ~Amy
Amy says
Has anyone tried with rice flour? Or do you have any rice flour recipes that kids will eat? Trying to use some of what I already have in pantry. I do have whole wheat flour and almond meal (from energy bites). Thanks!
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Amy. We do not have any rice flour recipes. We encourage readers to experiment, however. We just can't predict outcomes. :) ~Amy
Megan says
These are wonderful! I substituted coconut oil for the butter due to an allergy and they turned out great. Thank you for the amazing recipes!
Jenny says
While I was making these I discovered that I did't have enough honey. I made up the difference (about 1/4 cup) with pure maple syrup. They turned out just fine.
Charlene says
Thank you so much for posting this comment! I ran into the same thing and then just added the maple syrup to the measuring cup to make it a full 1/2 cup. Phew! As a novice baker that could have been scary :)
Kaity says
These sounds amazing! Could these be made with one of the GF flours (oat, almond, GF all-purpose, etc) and still get the same taste/texture?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Kaity. The texture will be different but many readers have substituted gluten free flours in many recipes. Millet, almond, coconut, and GF oats are all good whole GF choices. ~Amy
Jessica (Guam) says
Hey, I am wanting to try these, however, I have not been able to find spelt flour so I was wondering if it would still be a 1:1 swap if I use organic all purpose flour?? My choices of ingredients are pretty slim so I have to take what I can get at the time. :(. Thanks ... :)
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jessica. I think that will work if you can't get your hands on more nutritious and unrefined flours like spelt or whole wheat. Good luck. ~Amy
Vicki says
I am very interested in one of the other recipes posted below, the blueberry syrup. My children love blueberry syrup, but it is so hard to find without HFCS and other junk in it. I am excited to give it a try, but how do you store it? It seems like it's more than enough for one meal. Any insight or tips would be great.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Vicky. You can store it in the fridge or for longer term storage you can store it in freezer safe glass jars in the freezer. ~Amy
Stacey R says
These pumpkin spelt muffins are so good. I made them using 'flax eggs' (my son has an egg allergy) and substituted coconut oil for the butter. I usually bake with whole wheat flour, but was able to find some whole grain spelt flour at the farmer's market this weekend. I've tried a bunch of different pumpkin muffin recipes, but I think that this one will become my go-to recipe.
Stacey R says
Forgot to mention that I also substituted maple syrup for the honey.