Easy Protein Pumpkin Muffins
These quick and easy Protein Pumpkin Muffins are made with Kodiak pancake mix and a short list of simple ingredients. The results are a batch of healthy yet decadent cinnamon-spiced pumpkin muffins, perfect for breakfast, snack, and dessert!
If you’re looking for a low-fuss muffin recipe that’s equally as delicious as it is nutritious, these Kodiak Cakes pumpkin muffins are exactly what you’re looking for! In under 25 minutes, you’ll bake a warm, sweet, and tender batch of pumpkin protein muffins the whole family will love.
Instead of grabbing a bunch of dry baking basics from your pantry, all you need to grab is a box of Kodiak Cakes buttermilk power cakes mix. It’s made with 100% whole grain wheat flour, oat flour, wheat protein isolate, brown sugar, whey protein concentrate, milk protein concentrate, and buttermilk powder -and it doubles as a fantastic high protein muffin mix!
A can of pumpkin and a dash of cinnamon brightens these Kodiak pumpkin muffins with a warm and cozy fall flavor. They’re great to make ahead to have on hand for a grab-and-go healthy breakfast, pre-or-post workout snack, or whenever you’re craving something sweet!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It takes less than 25 minutes to make.
- Made with whole grain and protein-packed Kodiak Cakes pancake and waffle mix.
- The remaining ingredients are staples you probably already have on hand.
- It’s EASY. This is a great recipe for baking beginners.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Kodiak Power Cakes Buttermilk Flapjack Mix: This mix isn’t just for pancakes. You can also use it to make 100% whole grain, protein-packed pumpkin muffins. This recipe was tested specifically with Kodiak Cakes mix. I can’t guarantee the same success if you use a different pancake mix.
- Milk – This is the liquid element that moistens the dry pancake mix creating muffin batter.
- Maple sugar – Maple sugar is a refined sugar-free, natural sweetener. It’s naturally sweeter than regular sugar, so you don’t need to use as much in baked goods.
- Avocado oil & egg – This duo of wet batter ingredients helps create moist, melt-in-your-mouth muffins. For the best results, make sure the egg is at room temperature.
- Pumpkin puree – Canned pumpkin puree is cooked, blended pumpkin without any added sugar or flavorings. Be sure to use pumpkin puree and NOT pumpkin pie filling (pie filling is already sweetened and spiced).
- Cinnamon – For a touch of warming, cozy flavor.
- Vanilla – Enhances the sweet, cream-like undertones. For the best results, use a quality, pure vanilla extract here.
How To Make Pumpkin Protein Muffins
Step 1: Prepare for baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
Step 2: Whisk ingredients. Whisk flapjack mix, milk, maple sugar, avocado oil, pumpkin, egg, cinnamon, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl until smooth and combined.
Step 3: Pour batter. Divide the muffin batter evenly between the lined muffin cups filling each cup 3/4s full. Sprinkle with a little coarse raw sugar, if desired.
Step 4: Bake and cool. Transfer the muffin pan to the oven, and bake for 16-18 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove the lined muffins from the pan and enjoy warm, or place them on a wire rack to finish cooling before storing.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t overmix! Once the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined with the flapjack mix, pour the batter into the muffin pan, and get it in the oven.
- For fluffy muffins with a moist and tender crumb, don’t let the batter sit once it’s mixed. Instead, immediately pour it into your muffin pan, and get the pan into the oven asap.
Variations
Add chocolate – Gently fold milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, or dark chocolate chips into the batter before baking.
Enhance the warming flavor – In addition to cinnamon, you can add a dash of nutmeg, cloves, allspice, or ginger to heighten the fall flavors. Pumpkin pie spice is an option as well.
Add something crunchy – Sprinkle pepitas, sunflower seeds, or finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or pistachios over the top of each muffin before baking.
Toppings – These Kodiak pumpkin muffins are fantastic enjoyed warm, smeared with softened grass-fed butter, peanut butter, almond butter, pumpkin butter, or apple butter.
Switch up the squash – Instead of pumpkin puree; you can make these Kodiak Cakes muffins with any pureed winter squash like sweet potato, butternut squash, and kabocha.
Storing & Freezing
Storing: Refrigerating homemade muffins tends to draw out moisture and damage the texture. Instead, keep your Kodiak cakes pumpkin muffins in a paper-towel-lined airtight container or zip-top bag in a single layer at room temperature for 2-3days.
Freezing: If you don’t plan to serve your muffins within a few days, wrap individual muffins securely in plastic wrap and a layer of foil and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving, or pop a frozen muffin in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.
Recipe FAQ
When made with Kodiak Power Cakes pancake and waffle mix and the ingredients listed, each pumpkin muffin has 6 grams of protein.
No. Kodiak pancake mix contains wheat flour. For gluten-free pumpkin muffins, make these almond flour pumpkin muffins instead.
Pumpkin purée acts as a sweetener, tenderizer, and a great non-fat substitute for butter and oil in muffins and baked goods.
More Pumpkin Puree Recipes
If you have extra pumpkin puree, put it to good use in one of these delicious pumpkin recipes:
- Pumpkin Pie Custard
- Pumpkin Dip
- Avocado Pumpkin Muffins
- Pumpkin Pie Baked Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Oat Pancakes
If you love this protein pumpkin muffins recipe I would be so grateful if you could leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below. I love reading your comments and feedback!
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Easy Protein Pumpkin Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin Pan
- Oven
Ingredients
- 2 cups Kodiak Power Cakes Buttermilk Flapjack Mix
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup granulated maple sugar -can sub with light brown sugar or regular sugar here. The maple sugar, however, adds incredible flavor!
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- *Optional: raw turbinado cane sugar for sprinkling on top before baking
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place 12 cupcake liners in a muffin pan.
- Whisk all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups.
- Sprinkle the tops with a little raw turbinado sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
- Don’t overmix! Once the wet ingredients are thoroughly combined with the flapjack mix, pour the batter into the muffin pan, and get it in the oven.
- For fluffy muffins with a moist and tender crumb, don’t let the batter sit once it’s mixed. Instead, immediately pour it into your muffin pan, and get the pan into the oven asap.
- Add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or chopped walnuts to the batter for a delicious variation.
- Note: This recipe calls for maple sugar, NOT maple syrup. Maple sugar is dried, crystallized maple syrup and works great as a 1:1 swap for granulated sugar. Feel free to use regular granulated sugar or light brown sugar as a swap.
Nutrition
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I made these following the directions. I subbed light brown sugar and olive oil like was suggested in comments. I would probably sub for unsweetened applesauce next time as the oil made them dense and heavy. I did add a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg (and chocolate chips too of course) and it added a richer flavor. Still good overall
Thanks for the feedback, Beth! I’ve never tried these with olive oil, as we love them as written.