They taste like a cinnamon-sugar-coated pumpkin donut hole, but you’ll bake these mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins in a mini muffin pan. Made with pumpkin and whole-wheat flour, then dunked in melted butter and rolled in cinnamon-sugar… these treats are satisfying and nice, with a big dose of pumpkin spice! 😉
I originally published this recipe in 2012 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips. A timeless favorite!
Today’s mini pumpkin muffins are totally pop-able—one-bite wonders, if you will. They’re a fun favorite and I haven’t changed the recipe at all in the past 12 years.
Consider them the mini pumpkin version of these baked apple cider donuts.
One reader, Loraine, commented: “So delicious! I was surprised with the whole wheat flour (which I never use) that these were so good. And yes, donut-like! ★★★★★”
Another reader, Denise, commented: “I took these for a gathering with friends and they were quite a hit! Easy to make and delicious. A cross between a muffin and a donut hole. ★★★★★”
Why You’ll Love These Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- They’re moist, soft, and dense but not heavy—like the texture of a cake donut.
- The recipe is based off of my Nutella-stuffed cinnamon sugar muffins, and if you’ve made those before, you know they’re good!
- Bite-sized like my whole wheat mini pumpkin muffins. And definitely acceptable as a snack, breakfast, or dessert.
- A dunk in melted butter and a generous roll in cinnamon-sugar gives these pumpkin muffins a scrumptiously sweet coating that will make you think they came from the donut shop.
- And they’re easy to make! A fun recipe for beginner bakers to try, or to make with young helpers.
- A great place to use homemade pumpkin pie spice if you have some.
Overview: How to Make Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
They’re quick and easy. You don’t even need to break out your electric mixer.
- Mix the dry ingredients together. Whole wheat flour gives these a slightly denser texture, but you can use all-purpose flour if you prefer, or a mix of both.
- Mix the wet ingredients together, which includes the pumpkin puree. If you have some leftover, here are some recipes to make with leftover pumpkin puree.
- Combine wet & dry ingredients. And don’t be alarmed at how thick the batter is. You want a cake-like dense muffin.
- Fill mini muffin pans and bake. No need for muffin liners, and no frying in oil.
- Melt butter and make cinnamon-sugar coating.
- Dunk, roll, and enjoy.
Here are all of the ingredients you need. A couple of these ingredients are repeated in the topping, plus some granulated sugar.
Expect a very thick batter:
Try Them Regular Size
Instead of mini muffins, you can bake regular-size cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins using this muffin batter. I will say that today’s version isn’t quite as soft and pumpkin-forward as my regular pumpkin muffins, though. Still, you’re going to get some excellent pumpkin spice flavor and a nice hearty texture.
For 12 regular-size muffins, prepare batter as instructed below and fill a 12-count muffin pan. For tall muffin tops, try my favorite trick: Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C); then, without opening the oven door, reduce the temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 16 minutes, or until the surface bounces back when lightly pressed and/or a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these regular-size muffins take in the oven is about 20–21 minutes.
The initial high temperature helps create tall, beautiful bakery-style muffin tops. I use this trick in just about all of my regular-size muffin recipes!
Storage Tip:
Because of the (delicious!) dunk in melted butter, these mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins taste best on day 1. To keep that tasty coating from turning mushy, don’t store them in an airtight container. Instead, loosely cover them, which will allow a little airflow.
More Fall Breakfast Recipes
- Apple Cider Donuts (baked not fried)
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- Pumpkin Scones
And homemade pumpkin coffee creamer for your fall cup of joe!
Print
Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 24 mini muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Made with pure pumpkin, whole wheat flour, and extra cinnamon spice, these mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins are a cross between a muffin and a dense cake-style donut. No need for an electric mixer or muffin liners, and no messy frying in oil.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (220g) whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour, or mix of both*
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (170g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk (any kind)
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 24-count mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt together. In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar together. Add the egg, vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, and milk and whisk to combine. Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk until just combined. Avoid over-mixing. Batter is thick.
- Using a small spoon, spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Bake for 12-14 or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or when lightly poked, the muffin bounces back. Remove from the oven and cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes.
- For the coating: In a small bowl, mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon together. Use a spoon to help remove the warm muffins from the pan. Lightly dunk a muffin (they can still be a bit warm) in the melted butter. Submerge in the cinnamon-sugar to coat the surface generously. Set upright on cooling rack and repeat with remaining mini muffins.
- Muffins taste best eaten on the same day. Cover and store leftover muffins at room temperature for up to 1 day, or in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To help prevent the coating from turning mushy and wet, only loosely cover them, which will allow a little airflow.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: It’s best to freeze the mini muffins before coating in butter and cinnamon-sugar. After cooling completely, place muffins in a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before coating. If needed, you can freeze after coating the muffins but the coating gets a little moist as they thaw.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Mini Muffin Pan (like this one or this one) | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Cooling Rack
- Flour: You can use whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, or a mix of both. I usually make these with 1 cup (125g) all-purpose and 3/4 cup (95g) whole wheat flour.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/2 teaspoon each: ground allspice and ground ginger AND 1/4 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg and ground cloves. This is in addition to the 1 teaspoon of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Regular Size Muffins: Makes 12 regular size muffins. Line a 12-count muffin pan with liners or spray with nonstick spray. Fill muffin cups all the way to the top with batter. Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C), then keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce temperature to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total times these muffins take in the oven is about 20-21 minutes. The initial high temperature helps create tall muffin tops. You’ll love it!
- Donut Pan: To make these in a donut pan, grease a donut pan generously. Spoon the batter into the donut cavities—for ease, I highly recommend using a large zipped-top bag. Cut a corner off the bottom of the bag and pipe the batter into each donut cup, filling about halfway. Bake for 10-11 minutes or until the edges and tops are lightly browned. To test, poke your finger into the top of the donut. If the donut bounces back, they’re done. Cool donuts for 2 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. Re-grease the pan and bake the remaining donut batter. Continue with step 5 above.
This looks amazing! Could you fill these with a cream cheese filling?
Hi Trish, I’m sure you could. Just like these cream cheese pumpkin muffins.
So delicious! I was surprised with the whole wheat flour (which I never use) that these were so good. And yes, donut-like!
Woah. These are awesome. I didn’t have milk so I used sour cream and some water and they turned out great.
Can I make these in a regular muffin tin?
You bet! See the heading in the post above “Try Them Regular Size”.
I took these for a gathering with friends and they were quite a hit! Easy to make and delicious. A cross between a muffin and a donut hole.
Good but add another tsp of pumpkin pie spice. If not, rather bland.
How would they be in a silicone donut pan?
Hi Theresa, you could definitely use one. I’m unsure of the best bake time though.
I made these with my silicone donut pan and the cook time was the same!
These were amazing! perfect texture and the right amount of cinnamon. I do have a suggestion for your next recipe(if you are open to suggestions) Earl grey vanilla scones!
Grandkid Zoe & I loved these. We had fun making them together & even more fun eating them.
Has anyone tried replacing the egg with a flax egg? Does it still rise well?
We haven’t tested this recipe with a flax egg, but let us know if you do!
I have it works okay if you are allergic to eggs but if not i recommend using the real thing…
Made these yesterday (using regular flour because it didn’t have whole wheat). They were amazing!! My husband and mother were big fans. We are about to eat them day two. Will definitely make them again!
Hi Sally! If all I have is a bronwie pan (no bread pan or muffin tin), could I use the batter for pumpkin cake/cupcake/muffin/bars? Are there some batters that won’t work well for the pan?
Hi SK! You can use this pumpkin muffins batter for that pan, but it depends on the size. I also have this iced pumpkin coffee cake, this pumpkin cake batter which is baked in a 9×13 pan, and this pumpkin bread recipe can be baked in a brownie pan, too.
Hi Kristin, You can make a DIY pumpkin spice – see recipe notes and simply leave out the nutmeg. Enjoy!
I use Sally’s Baking addiction a lot, it’s my go to baking website. I have to say that I’m a tad disappointed on this recipe. There’s a very faint pumpkin flavor to this recipe and I was hoping to get more of that fall pumpkin flavor that I think about all August and go in on autumn treats September 1st. any tips to achieve that without messing with the muffin texture?
Hi Morgan, Thank you for trying this recipe! You may wish to try this newer Pumpkin Muffin recipe (it’s my personal favorite!). There are instructions for making mini muffins in the recipe directions (see step 5) and you can skip the crumb topping and use cinnamon sugar if you wish. Let us know if you try them!
Can I use your trick to get the tall muffins by turning up the oven for 5 mins, then turning down to 350 with mini muffins. Love your trick but I prefer the mini sized muffins. How long to bake with minis?
Hi Colleen! That trick doesn’t work as well with tiny mini muffins– just bake at 350F the whole time. This recipe is written for the mini size. 🙂
Flavorful, moist, and So cute.
Hi Sally, I love these muffins right after I make them, but I can’t seem to keep them “dry” after storing. The cinnamon sugar always turns to mush the next day after being in a container over night. Is there a trick to keep the sugar dry and keep that “crunch”?
Hi Laura! If you only cover them loosely (not in a sealed container), I find they maintain the same texture as day 1. Yum!
I had the same problem and was so sad, because the ones I ate the day of baking were DELICIOUS! I was so disappointed to have to trash a whole container of mushy, watery minis.
Made these exactly following the recipe in cute little fall-shaped molds and they are delicious, perfect autumn treats. Moist, but not dense, and the cinnamon- sugar adds the perfect touch.
Made these, following the recipe exactly and they were pure pumpkin perfection! Thank you so much Sally!
Just made these mini muffins and they’re amazing. So cute because of their size and the texture and flavor is perfect! The cinnamon sugar topping adds a delightful crunch and compliments them so well. Thank you for another great recipe Sally!
These were so delicious and easy to make! My mom who HATES pumpkin ate about 6 on her own can’t wait to make them again.
So easy and SO good!!! Not too sweet and just perfect! super easy to make too! I got 51 out of doubling the recipe! 😀 another amazing recipe Sally!!
Can I use Bobs Gluten free all purpose flour?
You can try! I’m not a pro at GF baking, so I’m unsure. I can’t see it being an issue though.
It’s starting to feel a bit fall-ish here in the south and I was craving something pumpkin. Lo and behold I found these little gems of pumpkin-y goodness! The only change I made was to butter the mini muffin tins and sprinkle them with cinnamon-sugar. This, combined with the butter-cinnamon-sugar topping, equals a little bite of pumpkin heaven surrounded by cinnamon-sugar crunch. It made it resemble a donut hole even more. Yum! Another winner, Sally (why am I not surprised?).
Hi Sally
I’ve just made a double batch of these beautiful babies for my daughter to take to work this evening (I squirreled away 4 to have with my afternoon cup of tea!). They are a crowd favourite and apparently frequently requested (just found that out last night). I always use fresh pumpkin (cooked and well mashed) because I have never seen canned pumpkin where I live in Australia. It’s got to the point that I buy and cook extra pumpkin to keep on hand in the freezer! Thank you for this wonderful recipe (and many others). I have also made a banana version that went down well. Cheers 🙂
These are so damn good! I’ve made them about four times now and my kids are nuts about them. I use regular flour and add 2 tlb of ground flax for a little extra fiber. I use cinnamon, clove and fresh ground nutmeg. I don’t even really like muffins but these are so perfect. I’m going to try adding a little molasses to the batter next for an even richer flavor. Best muffins ever!
I managed to wait until September to break out the pumpkin. This was the first recipe I used some of my can for 🙂 I woke up early this morning to make these (I made them in a regular size muffin tin and got 10) and was excited to eat them fresh from the oven with coffee at 9am! I had half of my cinnamon sugar topping leftover but that just guarantees that I will make them again!
Delicious! I used applesauce instead of butter. Came out great!!
I just made these muffins this morning….SO GOOD! Perfect fall recipe!
My daughter and I had a great time making these this morning. They were absolutely delicious…thanks for a great recipe!
If I don’t have wheat flour, can I use regular all purpose flour?
Yep, all-purpose flour is just fine. Enjoy!