Sweet Pumpkin Buttermilk Muffins

If you ask me, pumpkin muffins are one of fall’s best treats.

These buttermilk pumpkin muffins make a perfect breakfast or snack that’s packed with cozy autumn flavors. The buttermilk keeps them tender and moist, while warm spices like cinnamon and nutmeg complement the pumpkin perfectly.

They’re easy to whip up on a weekend morning when you want something special but don’t have hours to spend in the kitchen. The batter comes together quickly, and your house will smell amazing while they bake.

These muffins are the kind of recipe that makes everyone ask for seconds, and they’re just as good the next day with your morning coffee.

What Kind of Pumpkin Should I Use?

For these muffins, you’ll want to stick with canned pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling – they’re two completely different things. Pumpkin pie filling already has spices and sugar added, which would throw off the balance of your muffins. Plain pumpkin puree is just cooked and mashed pumpkin with nothing else added. You can absolutely use fresh pumpkin if you want to roast and puree your own, but honestly, canned pumpkin is convenient and works just as well. Just make sure the can says “100% pumpkin” or “pumpkin puree” on the label.

Options for Substitutions

These muffins are pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps, so here are some options if you’re missing ingredients:

• Buttermilk: No buttermilk? Make your own by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar to 1 cup of regular milk. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it curdles slightly. You can also use plain yogurt thinned with a little milk.
• Canned pumpkin puree: You can substitute with the same amount of sweet potato puree, butternut squash puree, or even unsweetened applesauce. Just make sure it’s not pumpkin pie filling, which has added spices and sugar.
• Brown sugar: White sugar works fine, though you’ll lose some of that molasses flavor. You can also use coconut sugar or maple sugar for a different taste profile.
• Canola oil: Vegetable oil, melted butter (cooled slightly), or even melted coconut oil will work. If using coconut oil, make sure your other wet ingredients aren’t too cold or it might solidify.
• Individual spices: If you’re missing some of the spices, you can use 2-3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Just add a pinch of extra cinnamon since these muffins love that warm spice.
• All-purpose flour: You can substitute up to half the flour with whole wheat flour for a heartier texture, but don’t go beyond that or your muffins might turn out dense.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Baking

The biggest mistake when making pumpkin muffins is overmixing the batter, which creates tough, dense muffins instead of light and fluffy ones – mix just until the dry ingredients are barely combined, even if the batter looks a bit lumpy.

Another common error is filling the muffin cups too full, which causes the tops to overflow and create uneven baking, so stick to filling each cup about 2/3 full for perfectly domed muffins.

Don’t skip the step of properly measuring your flour by fluffing it first and leveling it off, as too much flour will make your muffins dry and heavy.

Finally, resist the urge to open the oven door during the first 15 minutes of baking, as this can cause the muffins to collapse – instead, test for doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center, which should come out with just a few moist crumbs.

What to Serve With Pumpkin Buttermilk Muffins?

These spiced pumpkin muffins are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack, and they pair beautifully with a hot cup of coffee or chai tea. I love serving them warm with a pat of butter or a drizzle of honey, which really brings out all those cozy fall spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. For a more indulgent treat, try spreading some cream cheese or maple butter on top – the tangy cream cheese is especially nice against the sweet pumpkin flavor. They also make a great addition to a brunch spread alongside scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh fruit.

Storage Instructions

Keep Fresh: These pumpkin muffins stay moist and delicious when stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. I like to keep them on the counter so they’re ready to grab for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Just make sure they’re completely cooled before storing to keep that perfect texture.

Freeze: Pumpkin muffins freeze really well for up to 3 months! Wrap each muffin individually in plastic wrap or pop them in a freezer bag with parchment paper between layers. This way you can pull out just one or two whenever you want a quick treat.

Thaw: When you’re ready to enjoy a frozen muffin, just let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to thaw completely. For a warm muffin that tastes fresh-baked, microwave it for 15-20 seconds or pop it in a 300°F oven for 5 minutes.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 2100-2300
• Protein: 32-36 g
• Fat: 50-56 g
• Carbohydrates: 395-420 g

Ingredients

For the muffins:

• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar (265 grams)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (230 grams, not pie filling)
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil (50 grams)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (293 grams, leveled)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves, ground
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

For the coating:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Step 1: Preheat the Oven and Prepare Muffin Pan

• 1/4 cup canola oil (50 grams)

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

While the oven is heating, lightly grease 14 muffin cups with nonstick spray or a small amount of canola oil to prevent the muffins from sticking.

If you have paper liners, you can use those as well.

Step 2: Mix the Wet Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar (265 grams)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (230 grams, not pie filling)
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil (50 grams)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, combine the packed brown sugar, canned pumpkin puree, low-fat buttermilk, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.

Whisk the ingredients together until smooth and well incorporated.

I always make sure to fully blend the mixture at this stage so the muffins come out moist and flavorful.

Step 3: Add Dry Ingredients and Make the Batter

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (293 grams, leveled)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves, ground
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

To the wet mixture, add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground ginger.

Stir gently until just combined—be careful not to overmix, as this can make the muffins dense instead of fluffy.

Step 4: Fill Muffin Pan and Bake

• batter from Step 3

Divide the batter evenly among the 14 prepared muffin cups.

Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes.

The muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I always rotate the pan halfway through baking to ensure even cooking.

Step 5: Cool the Muffins

Let the baked muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

Then, carefully remove them and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before adding the topping.

This helps prevent soggy bottoms.

Step 6: Make Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar mixture.

Step 7: Add the Final Topping

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• cinnamon sugar mixture from Step 6

Brush the tops of the fully cooled muffins with melted butter, then dip each one into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat.

For an extra touch, I sometimes double-dip the muffin tops for a thicker cinnamon sugar crust—delicious for those with a sweet tooth!

Sweet Pumpkin Buttermilk Muffins

Delicious Sweet Pumpkin Buttermilk Muffins recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 12 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 37 minutes mins

Servings 4

Calories 2200 kcal

Ingredients

  

For the muffins:

• 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar (265 grams)
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree (230 grams, not pie filling)
• 1 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil (50 grams)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (293 grams, leveled)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves, ground
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger

For the coating:

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). While the oven is heating, lightly grease 14 muffin cups with nonstick spray or a small amount of canola oil to prevent the muffins from sticking. If you have paper liners, you can use those as well.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the packed brown sugar, canned pumpkin puree, low-fat buttermilk, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk the ingredients together until smooth and well incorporated. I always make sure to fully blend the mixture at this stage so the muffins come out moist and flavorful.
• To the wet mixture, add the all-purpose flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground ginger. Stir gently until just combined—be careful not to overmix, as this can make the muffins dense instead of fluffy.
• Divide the batter evenly among the 14 prepared muffin cups. Place the muffin tin in the preheated oven and bake for 18-22 minutes. The muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. I always rotate the pan halfway through baking to ensure even cooking.
• Let the baked muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then, carefully remove them and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling completely before adding the topping. This helps prevent soggy bottoms.
• In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar with 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon to make the cinnamon sugar mixture.
• Brush the tops of the fully cooled muffins with melted butter, then dip each one into the cinnamon sugar mixture to coat. For an extra touch, I sometimes double-dip the muffin tops for a thicker cinnamon sugar crust—delicious for those with a sweet tooth!