Pumpkin Muffins with Cake Mix (3 Ingredients)

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Enjoy pumpkin muffins with cake mix any time the craving strikes with this simple recipe! Who says pumpkin treats are only for fall? These 3 ingredient pumpkin muffins make a wonderful on-the-go breakfast, snack or dessert year round with items found in your pantry.

This is more of an idea than actual recipe. It’s so basic with just a yellow cake mix, canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice. Mix them up and you get a moist, flavorful pumpkin muffin. It’s crazy that you need no dairy, eggs or oil at all!

The simplicity of this cake mix pumpkin muffins recipe means that you can keep the ingredients available in your pantry and ignore the cost of eggs or vegetable oil to still get a delicious muffin for a quick breakfast or special breakfast treat. While it is a wonderful fall recipe, you can enjoy them year round.

3 Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins

As the title suggests, there are only 3 ingredients in this pumpkin muffin recipe.

• yellow cake mix (standard size boxed cake mix)
• canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling/pumpkin pie mix)
• pumpkin pie spice

You can bring this down to just two ingredients by using just a can of pure pumpkin puree and a spice cake mix. Spice cakes mixes aren’t always available and you may be more likely to have a yellow cake mix on hand. This three ingredient pumpkin muffin recipe works just as well!

If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice you can substitute the following:

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

How to Make Pumpkin Muffins with Cake Mix

There are not many steps to making pumpkin muffins with a cake mix. With just three ingredients, that probably isn’t surprising.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line muffin tin with liners if desired, or grease cups with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix together yellow cake mix, canned pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice.

You can do this by hand with a spoon or a whisk but it does take some effort to fully incorporate the pumpkin puree into the cake mix. The batter is very thick. Alternatively, you could mix with an electric mixture to get less of a workout.

Drop the pumpkin batter into a 12 cup muffin tin evenly. I like to use a cookie scoop for this step.

Because the batter is so thick, I recommend using the back of a spoon to level the batter in the muffin cups so your muffins cook more evenly and have a similar appearance.

Your muffin cups will be about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the muffin tin for a couple minutes before placing on a wire rack to cool completely. You can serve these cake mix muffins slightly warm out of the oven or at room temperature. (If you serve them too quickly out of the oven they are likely to stick to the muffin liners.) Be sure to store in an airtight container to keep them moist.

Do these muffins have a different texture?

Yes, pumpkin muffins using cake mix do have a slightly different texture than traditional pumpkin muffins. I would describe it as a subtle gummy or doughy texture near the top. It isn’t surprising since they are missing oil. My 16 year old son absolutely loves the texture and says they are a favorite recipe. I prefer the texture on these chocolate chip pumpkin muffins but it all comes down to personal tastes. I still enjoy these muffins and really love how easy it is to make and keep all ingredients on hand.

Pumpkin Muffin Ideas:

Looking for some ways to enjoy these cake mix and pumpkin muffins? Here are a few ideas:

• Plain or Warm: Enjoy straight out of the oven or warmed slightly in the microwave. Top with butter or even a smear of cream cheese.
• Frosting or Glaze: Drizzle the top the muffins with your favorite white icing or glaze. You can also try a dollop of cream cheese frosting and turn these into pumpkin cupcakes.
• Toppings: Consider trying your favorite streuesel, crumb or cinnamon sugar topping before baking.
• Mix-ins: Add in some raisins, chocolate chips or your favorite nuts for added crunch.
• On-the-Go: Wrap individually for a portable snack or make mini muffins for bite sized treats for parties or lunch boxes.

More Canned Pumpkin Recipes

Love recipes with canned pumpkin? Here are some more easy and delicious options!