A word of advice: don’t go into these muffins expecting a fluffy, super sweet muffin. Think of them more like an energy bar in muffin form. That’s not to say they aren’t delicious- they are super yummy. But with only half a cup of sugar in the whole batch (honey or maple syrup can also be used) and a ton of chopped walnuts in every bite, they are crunchy, dense, and only slightly sweet. This recipe was inspired by oatmeal. It seems that at any given point in October or November, I always have a small amount of canned pumpkin leftover from a recipe that I somehow need to use up. I usually make oatmeal with it by mixing together some oats, a spoonful of the pumpkin, walnuts, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt, microwaving it, and adding in some maple syrup. Oh boy- it’s delicious (and if you need to use up some pumpkin, I recommend you try it!).
These muffins use almost the exact same ingredients as the oatmeal- oats, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts (pecans can also be used). If I weren’t on a “baby budget” right now, I’d have sweetened them with maple syrup, but I used brown sugar instead. It’s like oatmeal, in muffin form, to go! Speak of oats- this recipe requires oat flour. You can buy oat flour at many stores, but if you want to, you can also make your own very easily. Just put some oats in a food processor and blend until powdery. Boom. Done. It couldn’t be easier.
The star ingredients of these muffins are pumpkin, oats, and walnuts, all of which pack a high nutritional punch. They’re full of fiber from the oats, full of protein and healthy fats from the nuts, and full of vegetables from the pumpkin. You can feel great about eating one of these for breakfast or sending your kids off to school with one for a breakfast on-the-go.
I used butter and brown sugar when I made this recipe, but if you want to make these muffins even healthier, you can swap out the butter for coconut oil and the sugar for honey or maple syrup.
Other Pumpkin Recipes- sweet and savory!
Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili Chai Spiced Pumpkin Bread Pumpkin Fettuccini Alfredo Pumpkin Oatmeal Healthy Pumpkin Pancakes Dark Chocolate and Cranberry Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies Pumpkin French Toast Casserole Pumpkin Pudding from Scratch
Recipe for Gluten Free Pumpkin Oat and Nut Muffins below!
