The muffin queen is HERE for Pumpkin Week day 4. You know I had to make you guys a new muffin recipe for this themed week and let me tell you, these babies are damn good.
I hope you’re ready for some nourishing almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins that seriously taste like a slice of your favorite chocolate cake! They have the perfect moist, cake-like texture thanks to creamy almond butter, pumpkin puree and oat flour, and pack plenty of nutrients you can feel good about.
Cake for breakfast? I won’t say no. The kiddos will love these incredible muffins and might just even want them for dessert. Plus, you can get extra fudge factor by storing them right in the fridge! Cold or warm they’re seriously going to be your new favorite chocolate pumpkin combo. Remember to scroll through the post for answers to all of your muffin baking Q’s!
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Everything you’ll need to make almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins
These wonderful double chocolate pumpkin muffins are filled with plenty of nutrients from natural almond butter, flaxseed meal and pumpkin puree, but they seriously taste like a decadent slice of cake. Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Pumpkin puree: be sure to use real deal pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, to give these muffins that true pumpkin flavor and boost of vitamins. You can also easily make homemade pumpkin puree with this tutorial!
- Egg: you’ll need 1 egg in this muffin recipe.
- Almond butter: I love the boost of healthy fats and texture that natural, creamy almond butter gives these pumpkin muffins. Chocolate almond butter is also delicious! I love Wild Friends — use the code ‘AMBITIOUS15’ for 15% off. See below for notes on other nut & seed butters.
- Sweeteners: we’re using coconut sugar and pure maple syrup to naturally sweeten these chocolate almond butter pumpkin muffins.
- Flaxseed meal: these muffins are made extra nutritious with fiber and omega-3s from flaxseed meal. The combo of flaxseed meal and oat flour makes them great for nursing mamas, too!
- Oat flour: feel free to use regular or gluten free oat flour in these muffins. You can easily make your own with this simple tutorial.
- Cacao powder: that double chocolate, cake-like flavor is thanks to wonderful cacao powder! It gives the muffins a rich chocolatey flavor and also provides a boost of iron.
- Baking staples: don’t forget to add both baking powder and baking soda, plus some salt.
- Mix-ins: make these muffins double chocolate with your fav chocolate chips mixed right into the batter and sprinkled on top!
Recommended ingredient swaps
The recipe is meant to be nutritious and perfect for a ‘healthy’ snack or treat for kids or adults. Using replacements or subs for the ingredients will change the texture and consistency of the muffins. Do so at your own risk. However, there are a few ingredient swaps in this recipe that will still make the muffins delicious and perfectly fluffy. Here’s what I can recommend:
- For the almond butter: as I mentioned, chocolate almond butter is absolutely delicious and gives these muffins even more chocolate flavor! Any nut butter should work okay, but I do think that almond butter gives them the best flavor and texture. Using 1/3 cup tahini or chocolate tahini would also be great and keep the recipe nut free. Use the code ‘ambitiouskitchen’ to get 10% Soom Tahini, our fav brand!
- For the coconut sugar: feel free to use brown sugar instead if you’d like.
- For the cacao powder: unsweetened cocoa powder will also work well!
Can I use a different flour?
I have not tested this recipe using any other flours. Please know that you can easily make your own oat flour using this tutorial, just be sure to grind it very finely.
Looking for extra fall flavor?
Feel free to add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for that extra boost of coziness!
One bowl almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins
That’s right, these nourishing and delicious muffins come together in just one bowl! Here’s how to make them:
- Prep your pan. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners and spray them with nonstick cooking spray. Trust me, they’ll come out much easier this way!
- Mix the wet ingredients. Mix together all of the wet ingredients until they’re nice and smooth.
- Add the dry. Mix in those dry ingredients until well combined, then fold in the chocolate chips.
- Divide & bake. Evenly divide the batter into your muffin tin and sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of the remaining chocolate chips. Then bake!
- Cool & enjoy. Let the muffins cool on a wire rack and then devour!
Store & freeze them for later
- To store: feel free to keep these almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins at room temp for one day, then I recommend storing them in the refrigerator. They seriously taste like fudge brownies when they’re stored in the fridge! Feel free to warm them up in the microwave.
- To freeze: allow the muffins to cool completely then put in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, you can thaw at room temperature, or heat up in the microwave in 30 second intervals.
Our go-to muffin baking tools
Check out our fav kitchen essentials here.
More pumpkin recipes you’ll love
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Latte
- Blow Ya Mind Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting (gluten free!)
- Oh So Good Chicken Meatballs in Pumpkin Coconut Curry Sauce
- Brown Butter Orange Pumpkin Muffins with Orange Glaze
- Healthy Soft Pumpkin Cookies (gluten free)
Get all of our delicious pumpkin recipes here!
I hope you love these nourishing almond butter chocolate pumpkin muffins! If you make them be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Nourishing Almond Butter Double Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- ½ cup creamy natural almond butter (chocolate almond butter is delicious!)*
- ¼ cup coconut sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup flaxseed meal
- ½ cup dairy free milk of choice
- ¼ cup melted and cooled coconut oil
- Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup oat flour, gluten free if desired (I used store-bought)
- ½ cup cacao powder (or sub unsweetened cocoa powder)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Mix-ins:
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips (dairy free if desired), plus 2-3 tablespoons for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners and spray the inside of the liners with nonstick cooking spray. This is just so they come out easier!
- In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin puree, egg, almond butter, melted and cooled coconut oil, coconut sugar, pure maple syrup, flaxseed meal, and milk until smooth and creamy.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients: oat flour, cacao powder, baking powder, baking soda, optional cinnamon and salt. Mix batter until well combined. Fold in ⅓ cup chocolate chips into the batter.
- Divide batter evenly into the prepared muffin liners. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with 2-3 tablespoons of the remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool and enjoy! Makes 12 muffins. Store these in the fridge for muffins that taste like fudge brownies. Feel free to warm up for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
55 comments
I just wanted to say that I’m excited to find you! Your recipes look AMAZINGLY delicious and I can’t wait to try some! Thank you for what you are doing ~ putting out healthy yet delicious recipes. This kind of support is invaluable. I like eating yummy food and also healthy food. So thank you!
Aw thank you SO much, Jeanne! I’m so happy you’re here. Can’t wait for you to try some recipes soon 🙂
Rating this directly after eating one fresh out of the oven!! My boyfriend and I were both craving dessert tonight and didn’t have anything on hand but then I remembered this recipe that came to my inbox this morning and was happy to find all of the ingredients in my cabinet! Super easy and really delicious. Looking forward to having one for a snack tomorrow morning or afternoon!!
Oh, nice!! So glad you had all the ingredients you needed 🙂 And happy you guys enjoyed them!
Incredibly delicious and easy! Will definitely make again and again!
Okay these are goooood! Easy to make and so fluffy with the perfect amount of sweetness. Legit tastes like chocolate cake. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
I love your recipes. What can I use in place of flaxseed meal? Can’t eat flax or soy for health reasons.
Hi, Kimberley! Feel free to leave it out, or add in another ground seed like hemp!
wondering if we can leave out the coconut sugar and only use the maple syrup? I might try and sub gluten-free flour blend for oat flour.
I had the same question! I don’t have coconut sugar. Can we just use the maple syrup, should we increase the amount?
Possibly, though I haven’t tried it so I can’t be totally sure if it would change the texture. If you try it, I’d do 1/2 cup of maple syrup.
I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure! If you do, I’d recommend doing the full amount of sweetener–1/2 cup of maple syrup. Not totally sure how the texture would come out, though.
Hi R
Did you try out these muffins with just the maple syrup? I would like to try them.
I love the idea of the Almond Butter Choc muffins, but I’m allergic to grains right now. Can I substitute with flours (Almond, coconut, etc)?
Hmm I haven’t tried subbing the oat flour so I’m not sure! Feel free to experiment, or you might like this recipe which can be turned into muffins!
Delicious! Kid and adult approved! Love that my kids get some nutrient dense ingredients with these muffins! Thank you!
I meal prepped these for breakfast. Very tasty & filling! I used a flax egg to make vegan and they turned out great.
Just ate a warm one out of the oven and they are delicious! Husband was a fan too! Love the pumpkin and chocolate combo here, will definitely make these again. Also can’t wait to try one out of the fridge tomorrow! Thanks for sharing!
Oh how I love these!! Can you make a non chocolate oat flour pumpkin muffin too?!
Haha I can add it to the list! Happy you loved them 🙂
I wanted to love these (texture was so moist!) but the flax was overpowering… I put some flax seed in my vitamix – is flaxseed meal different than flaxseed ground up in a blender?
Sorry to hear that! It’s technically the same but it sounds like the fresh ground meal had a really strong flavor–more than store-bought ground flax. Fine to reduce the amount next time or possibly even leave it out!
I made these in my food processor and the longest part was finding the flax seed in my freezer! They are very good. My 6 year-old ate 2!
Haha awesome, I’m so happy they were easy and delicious!
So moist, so delicious, so healthy, so easy……What else can I say!!!
Another amazing recipe!
These truly are divine!!! Super fudge, nutritious, and a quick breakfast option. Highly recommend microwaving for 15 seconds before eating. Kid and husband approved!
My husband said he didn’t like these muffins. He LOVED these muffins. AK is my go to for every recipe. Everything i have ever made has been amazing. The only change I made is the use of unsweetened cocoa powder because that is what I had. This recipe is a keeper!!
Ambitious Kitchen has given me recipes through many seasons of my life, and this is one of my new favorites! The muffins taste PHENOMENAL. I took them to work and no one guessed that they were healthy too! I also really enjoy knowing that I won’t suffer the sugar/gluten coma after eating these. Monique, you have outdone yourself!
Aw thank you, Sarah!! So glad to hear you’re loving these 🙂
These were SO good! Totally like eating chocolate cake but with so much more nutrient value. My kiddos devoured them and kept asking if it was okay to eat cupcakes at breakfast! Will definitely add these to my rotation.
Right?! And hahaha I LOVE that! Happy you guys all loved them, Adrienne 🙂
Unbelievable! So good. Truly tastes like cake. I used butterscotch chips bc I didn’t have chocolate chips on hand but everything else exactly as called for. Cannot recommend these enough.
Fabulous, healthy muffin! The muffins came out moist and full of flavor (added 1 tsp. of pumpkin spice). I also loved that it included almond butter, which made it a more wholesome breakfast.
Yay!! I’m so glad to hear you loved these, Crystal! Love the addition of pumpkin pie spice, sounds yummy 🙂
These are the BEST muffins I have made from AK website, so moist, dense and delicious!! And I have made and love many muffins from this site. I used dark chocolate cocoa powder and added cinnamon. My kids have no idea these muffins are packed with healthy ingredients because they do taste like cake! I will be making these again and probably a double batch.
YAY I’m so glad that you and the fam all love them!!
Great recipe – keeper for sure. Way to knock this out of the park!!
I added zucchini (cause…why not and always looking to include more veggies for the kiddo), and therefore added about 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour to absorb the extra moisture. Otherwise followed the recipe and will definitely make again. Thank you!!!
So easy – so delicious. A nice guilt-free treat for my toddler, that he was able to help make! Highly recommend if looking to make some muffins but do not have ripe bananas on hand.
I’m so happy you guys enjoyed these + making them together–so fun!
These are SO good! Super easy to make and they are delicious. So much flavor and a great way to use pumpkin! I had to bake them for more like 30-35 mins but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Thank you for another great recipe!
Woohooo! Glad you’re loving these, Gabbie!
Excellent muffins! We kept them individually wrapped in the fridge and heated for 10 seconds each morning. So chocolaty and perfectly moist. Great alongside a cup of coffee or a glass of milk! Thanks for the recipe! 😋
Amazing! So glad that you loved these 🙂
These muffins are phenomenal. Literally chocolate cake in a muffin 😍. My husband and my kids just gobble these up so fast! The addition of the pumpkin makes these so moist and delicious.
I made these last night with my 6 year olds help and she would’ve devoured them all if I let her. She asked for some in her school lunch today!
I made exactly as is, except I used chocolate almond butter. They’re so moist and fluffy. These honestly have a better texture than any regular flour muffin I’ve ever had.
I’ll definitely make again. And I love that there’s pumpkin, flax and better for you ingredients but still yielding a great flavor and texture.
Yum! I did not have any coconut sugar, so made them without any sugar at all, and I didn’t have very many chocolate chips, but they were still amazing! I don’t need muffins to be sweet so I loved them! Great texture too! I make muffins every week and these will be part of my regular repetoire!
Glad they still turned out great without the sugar! Thanks for letting me know 🙂 Excited for you to make them again!
Yum! How long do they keep in the fridge?
They should be good for around 3-5 days! Or you can freeze them 🙂
What a great recipe! I’ll be making these regularly. I used butter and white sugar but otherwise didn’t make changes. The muffins turn out light and fluffy, filling, and delicious. You don’t taste the pumpkin but I’m sure it contributes to the great texture. Making your own oat flour is super easy, just requires a blender.
Perfect, as always! I think I make one of your muffin recipes about once a week 🙂
Yay! I am so glad you are loving this recipe, Mindy ❤️
These were soooo delicious!! My kids love them too. I also had to bake for 30-35 min for a clean toothpick to come out, but other than that – perfection!
Can i add protein powder to this or any of your baked recipes for added protein? If so, would it substitute the flour or in addition to?
When adding in protein powder you’ll need to be aware that it’ll change the consistency of the batter for any baked goods so you’ll most likely have to adjust the liquid. It could also change the texture of the baked good itself. I wouldn’t suggest substituting it for the flour. Hope this helps.