The recipe for these Simply Perfect Pumpkin Muffins has been my go-to classic pumpkin muffin recipe for years. Lovely and moist, perfectly domed and with a lightly crispy top, they are my idea of the perfect pumpkin muffin.
When it comes to pumpkin muffins, I’m a purist. My go-to pumpkin muffin recipe for years has been these Simply Perfect Pumpkin Muffins. They are what I crave when the weather cools. Slightly warm. With butter. And a cup of tea.
So what makes this muffin simply perfect? It’s perfectly pumpkin, but simply spiced (just a good spoonful of cinnamon), so no worry about different tastes in spices or spice levels. It’s lovely and moist, but not greasy like some pumpkin muffins. It has a lovely light texture. It’s perfectly domed, so it’s always pretty (and pretty counts!). And finally, it has a lovely, lightly crispy top when enjoyed freshly baked. Perfect for pulling of pieces to enjoy.
Tried, tested and reliable, this is a great recipe to enjoy at home, or since it makes a large batch, to make for bake sales or to have lots to share with friends, family and/or neighbours :)
Cook’s Notes for Simply Perfect Pumpkin Muffins
This recipe makes a large batch. 18 muffins, to be exact. While I have never tried a half recipe, I suspect you could do so without problem. What I do though is bake the big batch and freeze some and gift some. A good pumpkin muffin in the Fall makes a great gift ;)
As mentioned, these muffins freeze beautifully!
As also mentioned, the yield of 18 muffins may be tricky for some. I use three 6-cup muffin tins that just barely fit side-by-side one one rack in my oven. A 12 and a 6 would also work, of course. If you need to bake two batches using a 12 cup muffin tin, be sure to fill the empty muffin cups half full with water before putting in the oven, to ensure even baking.
I especially love these muffins freshly baked, when they have a lightly crispy top. While the crispy top diminishes as they sit, the muffin itself is still lovely and moist and every bit as enjoyable.
When filling the muffin cups/liners, you’ll be filling them to almost the top of the liner, leaving just a bit of the liner exposed. If you divide the batter evenly between 18 muffin liners, you’ll have the perfect size.
Be sure to spray/grease the top of your muffin tin before lining and adding batter, so these large muffins release easily.
I always line the muffins cups with muffin liners, but if you don’t have any, as there is a good amount of oil in these, you probably could bake without paper lines without problem. Just allow to cool in the pan a little more before removing.
If you’re a raisin in pumpkin muffins fan, feel free to stir in some plumped raisins (see below!) before adding the batter to the tins.
How to Plump Raisins
When adding raisins to baking, it’s always nice to plump the raisins before adding. The process of plumping simply returns some moisture to the dried fruit and makes them especially pleasant and soft. To plump raisins, simply soak in very hot tap water for about 15 minutes, then drain and dry well between a couple of sheets of paper towel. If you’d like to infuse flavour while plumping your raisins, add a bit of alcohol or liqueur to the soaking water.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Love baking with pumpkin? Me, too! Here are a few more of pumpkin recipes from the Seasons and Suppers archives …
Soft Pumpkin Spice Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Biscotti
Pumpkin Spice Bagels
Simply Perfect Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups white granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable or canola oil
- 1 3/4 cups pure pumpkin puree not pie filling
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- 2 tsp. baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Prepare 18 muffin cups by greasing (both cup and top of tin) or lining with paper liners and lightly greasing top of tin. (These are fairly moist so paper liners are not really necessary unless you prefer.) Set prepared pans aside.
- Beat eggs slightly in a large bowl. Add sugar, oil and pumpkin and beat thoroughly. Combine dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until smooth.
- Divide the batter between 18 muffin cups. You'll be filling them almost to the top of the liners, with just a bit of the liner showing.
- Bake at 375° F. for 22 – 25 minutes, testing with a cake tester to be sure they are cooked before removing from oven (If undercooked, they will collapse as they cool, so be sure to test. They will look done even when they’re not actually). Muffins should be very lightly browned on top and around edges when cooked. My oven is usually 25 minutes.
- Allow to cool in pans at least 5 minutes before removing from pans, as they are quite soft when hot.
- These are at their best on the day they are baked. They lose their crunchy top as they sit too long at room temperature. If you aren’t eating right away, freezing is a good option to keep the crunch.
Lisa says
I halved this receipe and it turned out great! Made 10 large muffins. I did not reduce the cinnamon and added 1/2 tsp each of nutmeg and allspice. Lovely muffins! Will definitely make again!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Lisa :) Thanks!
Tori Smith says
I am missing October and the pumpkin flavored everything, was excited to find this recipe. My son and I love these muffins! Feels like fall in this freezing winter weather here. Thank you for sharing your recipe :)
Jennifer says
I miss October, too :) So glad you are enjoying these. Thanks!
Jen says
I made these muffins for the first time, and they were good. The second time: I added 1 tsp. vanilla and 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, and they were AMAZING! It’s a great recipe, thank you so much Jennifer!!!
Jennifer says
Sounds delicious, Jen! Thanks :)
Sarah says
These are amazing! I added a cup or so of gently crushed pecan nuts and they were awesome!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed them, Sarah :) Thanks!
Lindsay Silzer-Baldwin says
I had pumpkins I wasn’t able to carve for Halloween so I cooked them and pureed them. Not wanting to make generic pumpkin pie I searched high and low for a basic simple pumpkin muffin recipe.
Low and behold yours was the winner.
So simple. I had to double the recipe as I was short 1/4 cup of puree from what id thawed already so I made a tonne of minis along with the normal size.
10-12 mins for the minis seems sufficient to give them a nice golden brown colour!
Huge hit. My husband and 1 year old daughter put back so many! My husband even grabbed a big one straight out of the hot pan because he couldn’t wait!
Can’t wait to see what the real judge, my 10 year old son, thinks of the muffins when he gets home from his bio dad’s!
I have one more small pumpkin left to cook and I know what I’ll be using the puree for!!! ❤️
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Lindsay! Thanks :)
Scott says
These are wonderful muffins and so easy to make. I am a calorie counter, do you know how many calories are in a muffin.
Jennifer says
Thanks Scott and so glad you enjoyed them. My recipe card software calculates the calories to 202 (it’s displayed in the header of all the recipe cards as “Energy”). I would suggest running through your favourite calorie counting tool yourself though, as I can’t vouch for the accuracy (and would depend on how many muffins you got from a batch).
Nicole Shuglo says
Thank you for this amazing recipe- I have been making these muffins constantly since finding it- always a hit in my house!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Nicole :) Thanks!
Irene says
These are fantastic muffins! And easy to make!
I made these last year and they got rave reviews from the recipients. Decided to repeat this year with same comments!
Made 6 regular muffins (for us!) and 48 mini muffins.
Jennifer says
So glad you are enjoying them! These are the only pumpkin muffins I ever make :) Thanks!
Annika says
Lovely recipe. I had a can of pumpkin in the cupboard that I needed to use. Now I have bought more canned pumpkin just to make this recipe (plus my cat loves pumpkin). The muffins were very light and moist and tasty.
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Annika! So glad you enjoyed them :)
Sue says
Sorry Jennifer, in my previous comment I forgot to ask how many raisins do you recommend adding to this recipe?
Jennifer says
I think 1 1/2 – 2 cups of raisins would be good :)
Sue says
I plan to try this delicious sounding recipe. I love the idea of adding raisins that have been plumped up with added alcohol or liqueur. Can you recommend what alcohol or liqueur would taste best with pumpkin and how much of it to add with the hot water?
Jennifer says
Hmmmm … my first thought was some sort of nut-based liqueur (maybe hazelnut), or there’s the maple one (Sortilège) or some more basic ones – rum or whiskey. Depends on your taste :) Enjoy!