Pumpkin muffins have to be one of my favorite fall treats! I’ll eat them for breakfast or dessert, they’re delicious either way. Instead of paying for the version at a chain coffee shop, I’ve opted to make air fryer pumpkin muffins at home now. They’re quick, easy, and best of all: delicious!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Pumpkin muffins are so simple to make! Just grab a can of pumpkin puree, or even leftover cooked pumpkin, add some pantry ingredients, and there you have it!
The air fryer does a great job of cutting down the cooking time to under 15 minutes, saving you time over the oven! That also makes it easier to make a batch when you’re short on time, and you still get to grab and go and enjoy them for days.
I like to season mine with pumpkin pie spice, but you can use any variety of warm spices you like for that fun fall flavor. These muffins come out sweet, moist, and delicious, with a more dense texture than their cupcake counterparts!
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Ingredients List
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup oil (canola or vegetable)
- ¼ cup milk
special equipment note:
You will need a small muffin tin or individual silicone muffin cups that fit into your air fryer’s basket for this recipe. Feel free to add paper cupcake liners into silicone cups if you’d like the decorative look (they just need the additional support and cannot be used on their own).
Ingredient Notes and Variations
- In place of pumpkin pie spice you can use a combination of cinnamon, and any other warm spices such as ginger, nutmeg, allspice, or cloves
- If you want more spice flavor, double the pumpkin spice amount, as these muffins are more pumpkin-forward as written
- Instead of all purpose flour, you can use whole wheat flour if you’d like, but it will create a slightly different flavor and a denser texture overall
- The brown sugar can be swapped for granulated sugar if preferred
- Vanilla extract may be substituted by maple extract for a twist on the traditional
- Chocolate chip variation: Fold in ½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips before baking. You could also do raisins, pepitas, or chopped walnuts or pecans
- Streusel topping: Mix ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, and ¼ cup softened butter together to form crumbs and add to the top of muffins before baking
Step By Step Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until just mixed
- Preheat your air fryer to 360°F (or the closest setting your specific air fryer has)
- Fill your muffin pan or cups about ¾ full with muffin batter (try to keep them even and smooth the tops)
- Place the muffin cups into the preheated air fryer basket, with some air space between them to promote even cooking
- Cook on the air fry setting for 10 minutes at 360°F. Add additional time in 2-minute increments as needed, until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean (some moist crumbs are fine, just no raw batter)
- Cool on a wire rack before removing from the tin or silicone liners, then enjoy!
- Oatmeal Blackberry Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Strawberry Muffins
Recipe FAQs
Can I Use Fresh Pumpkin Instead of Canned for These Muffins?
Yes, fresh pumpkin can be used. Ensure it’s pureed to a similar consistency as canned pumpkin for optimal baking results.
When using canned, make sure to use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling, which has a lot of additions to the basic pumpkin and won’t work the same.
How Do I Adjust the Baking Time if I’m Making Mini Muffins Instead of Regular Sized?
Mini muffins generally cook faster. Reduce the baking time by 5 minutes to start, then add small increments and check for doneness using a toothpick.
The time naturally varies based on the overall size of your muffin cups, as well as your particular air fryer.
Can You Use Paper Muffin Cups in an Air Fryer?
Yes, you can use paper muffin cups in an air fryer. However, they will not hold shape on their own, so should be used in conjunction with something with more substance.
This could be a small muffin tin, or individual silicone muffin cups.
Tips For the Best Pumpkin Muffins
- I ended up cooking my muffins for about 12 minutes in total in a Ninja air fryer. Your exact time will vary based on your specific air fryer, as well as the size of your muffin cups, as they can vary widely
- The tops of my muffins did crack, which is a semi-frequent occurrence with convection cooking (which is basically what an air fryer is). To help with this, you can lower the temp to 325°F and cook for 12-15 minutes instead. They taste great either way!
- I can fit one dozen muffins in my 8-qt air fryer at a time. If you have a smaller model, cook in batches if needed
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Store pumpkin muffins in an airtight container or zippered bag at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer term storage, refrigerate for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months (thaw overnight in the fridge, or reheat in the air fryer to defrost)
- To reheat if desired, microwave for about 30 seconds, or air fry for 1-2 minutes until warmed to your liking
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Air Fryer Pumpkin Fritters
Final Thoughts
These air fryer pumpkin muffins are moist, and packed with pumpkin flavor that’s perfect for fall. They’re an easy grab and go breakfast, but I also enjoy them for a snack or sweet treat sometimes.
Thanks to the air fryer, you can cut the cooking time to less than 15 minutes! I can still make a full dozen at a time, so I’m not missing out on anything this way.
Of course, you can jazz up the recipe with some chocolate chips or other add-ins to really tweak the flavor to your liking, or to please the pickier eaters in the house. It’s a great base recipe to make your own!
Homemade Air Fryer Pumpkin Muffins
Equipment
- 12 Silicone muffin cups (or muffin pan that fits in your air fryer)
Ingredients
- 2 Cups all purpose flour
- 1 Tsp baking powder
- 1 Tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ Tsp salt
- 1 Large egg
- 1 Cup pumpkin puree
- 1 Tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Cup brown sugar
- ⅓ Cup canola or vegetable oil
- ¼ Cup milk
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until just mixed2 Cups all purpose flour, 1 Tsp baking powder, 1 Tsp pumpkin pie spice, ½ Tsp salt, 1 Large egg, 1 Cup pumpkin puree, 1 Tsp vanilla extract, 1 Cup brown sugar, ⅓ Cup canola or vegetable oil, ¼ Cup milk
- Preheat your air fryer to 360°F (or the closest setting your specific air fryer has)
- Fill your muffin pan or cups about ¾ full with batter (try to keep them even and smooth the tops)
- Place the muffin cups into the preheated air fryer basket, with some air space between them to promote even cooking
- Cook on the air fry setting for 10 minutes at 360°F. Add additional time in 2-minute increments as needed, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean
- Cool on a wire rack before removing from the tin or silicone liners, then enjoy!
Notes
- In place of pumpkin pie spice you can use a combination of cinnamon, and any other warm spices such as ginger, nutmeg, allspice, or cloves
- If you want more spice flavor, double the pumpkin spice amount, as these muffins are more pumpkin-forward as written
- The brown sugar can be swapped for granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract may be substituted by maple extract
- Chocolate chip variation: Fold in ½ cup of semisweet chocolate chips before baking. You could also do raisins, pepitas, or chopped pecans
- Streusel topping: Mix ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, and ¼ cup softened butter together to form crumbs and add to the top of muffins before baking
- I ended up cooking my muffins for about 12 minutes in total in a Ninja air fryer. Your exact time will vary based on your specific air fryer, as well as the size of your muffin cups, as they can vary widely
- The tops of my muffins did crack, which is a semi-frequent occurrence with convection cooking (which is basically what an air fryer is). To help with this, you can lower the temp to 325°F and cook for 12-15 minutes instead. They taste great either way!
- I can fit one dozen muffins in my 8-qt air fryer at a time. If you have a smaller model, cook in batches if needed
- Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand of ingredients, any toppings or additions, size of cups, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only
Nutrition
