Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins Recipe

These pumpkin chocolate chip muffins bake up moist and tender with a domed, slightly crunchy top and pockets of melty chocolate in every bite. They come together in one bowl, no mixer required.

Moist, tender, and finished with that domed top, these muffins strike the balance between warm spice and chocolate. If chocolate isn't your thing, leave the chips out and you still have a classic pumpkin muffin.

I developed this recipe from my cream cheese frosted pumpkin bread, adding brown sugar and chocolate chips. The brown sugar gives the muffins an even deeper flavor, and the result feels indulgent enough for dessert while still working for breakfast or an afternoon snack.

The batter comes together by hand in one bowl. Muffins are a quick bread, so there's no mixer and no waiting, which makes them an easy bake on a busy morning. If you want more pumpkin in your rotation, my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin coffee cake are two more favorites.

Ingredients You Will Need:

• All-purpose flour: Fluff it first, then spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off or use a scale for best accuracy. Packing the cup adds too much flour and dries the muffins out.
• Baking soda: The only leavener in this recipe, so make sure yours is fresh. Expired baking soda leaves you with flat, dense muffins.
• Warm spices: Cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and ginger, the same lineup in my homemade pumpkin pie spice. Together they give the muffins their fall aroma.
• Salt: A little salt sharpens both the spice and the chocolate.
• Vegetable oil: Oil is what keeps these muffins moist and tender for days.
• Granulated and brown sugar: I use a mix for sweetness and depth. Dark brown sugar adds a deeper, almost caramel note, though the recipe works with light brown too.
• Pumpkin puree: The star of the recipe. Use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. Libby's is my go-to.
• Eggs: Room temperature eggs blend into the batter more evenly. Set them out while you measure everything else.
• Milk: Any milk works here. I used 2%.
• Chocolate chips: I use semi-sweet. There's no right amount, so add as much or as little as you like depending on how much chocolate flavor you want.

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins:

Prep the pan and oven. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or brush each cup with butter. Set your rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F. That high starting temperature is the key to a tall, domed top, so let the oven come fully up before the batter goes in.

Muffins are a quick bread, which means you mix the wet and dry ingredients separately, then bring them together at the end. Everything is done by hand with a whisk and a spatula, no mixer required.

Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Whisking does double duty here and sifts the flour as it combines everything.

Combine the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients until evenly blended.

Bring the two together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and fold with a rubber spatula just until you no longer see streaks of flour. Stop there. Over-mixing develops the gluten and gives you dense, tough muffins instead of tender ones. Fold in the chocolate chips at the end.

Fill the cups high. Divide the batter evenly among the cups, filling each almost to the top. I start with one ice cream scoop per cup, then spoon in the rest. Filling them full is part of what gives these muffins their bakery-style domed tops.

Bake hot, then low. Bake at 400°F for 5 minutes, then, without opening the oven, drop the temperature to 325°F and bake for another 12 to 15 minutes. That first blast of heat sets the rise and the dome; the lower finish bakes them through without drying them out. They're done when a toothpick in the center comes out clean with no wet batter.

Cool. Let the muffins rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use pumpkin pie filling instead of pumpkin puree?
No, reach for pure canned pumpkin rather than pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, which throws off both the sugar and the spice balance in the recipe. The label you want reads only "pumpkin" or "100% pumpkin," like Libby's.

How do I store pumpkin chocolate chip muffins?
Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for one to two days, or in the refrigerator for five to seven days. Keeping them sealed is what preserves their soft texture.

Can I freeze pumpkin chocolate chip muffins?
Yes, these muffins freeze well for up to two months in an airtight container, which makes them easy to bake ahead. Thaw them at room temperature or warm one briefly in the microwave before serving.

What can I do with leftover pumpkin?
This recipe uses just over a cup of pumpkin puree, so you will likely have some left from the can. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge and use it within a few days. Leftover pumpkin works well stirred into soups like my Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, or added to pancakes, oatmeal, or a smoothie.