Sandra Ina Garten Pumpkin Muffins Recipe is an American bake made with pumpkin purée, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, brown sugar, and vegetable oil folded into a tender batter and baked until golden.
The first time I made these, I used tinned pumpkin pie filling instead of plain purée and they came out cloyingly sweet with a weird spiced aftertaste. Now I check the tin carefully and only use pure pumpkin with nothing added.
Don’t overmix once the wet ingredients go in. A few streaks of flour in the batter are fine. Keep folding and you’ll end up with tough, dense muffins instead of light, tender ones.
Ina Garten Pumpkin Muffins Recipe Ingredients
- 250g (9oz) plain flour
- 300g (10½oz) caster sugar
- 100g (3½oz) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 240g (8½oz) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 120ml (4fl oz) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 60ml (2fl oz) full-fat milk
Optional Add-ins
- 70g (2½oz) chopped walnuts, pecans, or dark chocolate chips
How To Make Ina Garten Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the plain flour, caster sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger until evenly combined.
- Mix wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk the pumpkin purée, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, and milk until smooth and well blended.
- Combine wet and dry: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently with a spatula until just combined. Stop as soon as you don’t see any large pockets of flour. A few streaks are fine.
- Add optional mix-ins: Fold in the nuts or chocolate chips if using. Do this gently to avoid overworking the batter.
- Fill muffin cups: Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cases, filling each one about three-quarters full.
- Bake: Bake for 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. The tops should spring back when lightly pressed.
- Cool and serve: Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Tips
- Use pure pumpkin purée. Tinned pumpkin pie filling is pre-sweetened and spiced. It makes the muffins too sweet and throws off the balance.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stop as soon as the flour disappears. Overmixing develops the gluten and makes the muffins tough.
- Fill the cases evenly. Use an ice cream scoop or a large spoon to portion the batter. Uneven muffins bake at different rates.
- Check them early. Ovens vary, so test the centre at 20 minutes. Overbaking makes them dry and crumbly.
- Let them cool before removing. Taking them out of the tin whilst they’re hot makes them fall apart. Give them 5 minutes to set.
- Store them properly. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The fridge dries them out.
What To Serve With Pumpkin Muffins
These work well with a cup of black coffee or tea for breakfast. The warm spices pair naturally with something bitter without needing anything else on the plate.
They also fit into a brunch spread alongside scrambled eggs and fresh fruit. The sweet muffins balance the savoury eggs without being too heavy.
How To Store Pumpkin Muffins
Fridge
Keep cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. The fridge makes them go stale faster, so only refrigerate if your kitchen is very warm.
Reheat
Warm individual muffins in the microwave for 10-15 seconds or in the oven at 160°C (325°F/Gas Mark 3) for 5 minutes. Don’t overheat or they’ll dry out.
Freeze
Wrap cooled muffins individually in clingfilm, place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for about an hour or microwave straight from frozen for 30 seconds.
Ina Garten Pumpkin Muffins Recipe Nutrition Facts
Per serving (1 of 12):
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Protein: 3g
- Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 43g
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 200mg
Estimated. May vary based on ingredients and cooking methods.
FAQs
Yes. Roast 450g of pumpkin until soft, then purée it until smooth. Make sure it’s thick, not watery, or the muffins won’t set properly.
The muffins turn out tough and dense instead of light and tender. Stop mixing as soon as the flour disappears.
Yes, but the muffins will be slightly denser. Use the same amount of melted, cooled butter and mix it in the same way.
Ina Garten Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Description
Tender pumpkin muffins spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, made with pumpkin purée and brown sugar for a moist, warming crumb.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- Whisk together flour, both sugars, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a large bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk pumpkin purée, oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk until smooth.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Stop when large pockets of flour disappear. A few streaks are fine.
- Fold in nuts or chocolate chips if using. Do not overmix.
- Spoon batter into muffin cases, filling each about three-quarters full.
- Bake 20-25 minutes until a skewer inserted in centre comes out clean and tops spring back when pressed.
- Cool in tin 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
