Something about fall fills me with an overwhelming desire to bake pumpkin-y things. But, being who I am, I knew that the only thing that could make my heart sing more than pumpkin muffins (or pumpkin bread) was pumpkin muffins WITH BEANS. Enter these delightful Healthy Pumpkin Muffins, and the batter also works well for Healthy Pumpkin Bread.
These Pumpkin Muffins are super moist with a subtle sweetness and delicious fall notes from the spices and pumpkin. Plus, they are made using white beans and whole wheat flour. Essentially health food, friends. Also, they are naturally vegan and refined sugar free, because they are sweetened with maple syrup. I know that Beany Buddy certainly enjoyed these bean muffins, and I hope you do, too!
Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
Course: Snack, DessertDifficulty: Easy12
servings10
minutes20
minutes193
kcalThese Healthy Pumpkin Muffins are super moist with a subtle sweetness and delicious fall flavors. The recipe also works perfectly for Healthy Pumpkin Bread. Cheers to baking with beans!
Ingredients
- Wet Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups (the amount in one 16-oz can) cooked white beans (like cannellini, great northern, or navy beans)
1 cup (244 g) pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1/4 cup (50 g) olive oil
1/2 cup (165 g) pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
- Dry Ingredients
1 and 1/2 cups (180 g) whole wheat flour
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt (if using unsalted beans, you may want to add an additional small pinch of salt)
- Other
1/2 cup add-ins of your choice, like chopped walnuts, pecans, or pepitas (we love walnuts in these!). You could also use chocolate chunks/chips if you want.
Cooking spray or muffin papers
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F / 190 degrees C.
- Drain and rinse white beans, draining again. Add to a food processor or high powered blender.
- Add all other wet ingredients (pumpkin puree, olive oil, maple syrup, vanilla extract) to the food processor/blender with the beans and puree until very smooth.
- In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together, trying to only mix until moistened and not overmix.
- Add in your desired add-ins and mix.
- This recipe makes 12 muffins or 1 loaf of pumpkin bread. For muffins: Spray/grease a muffin tray with cooking spray or line with muffin papers. Divide batter evenly. This is a thick batter, so you may need to slightly smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake for ~18-20 minutes. Every oven is different, so start checking around 15 minutes. Muffins are done when set in the middle and a light golden brown around the edges. For bread: spray/grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper. Add batter and smooth the top. Bake for ~45-50 minutes. Bean pumpkin bread is done when set in the center and a toothpick (or whatever you like to use to test bread) comes out without wet batter stuck to it.
- Allow to cool slightly before moving from the muffin tray or loaf pan to a cooling rack. Enjoy!
- After they have cooled, store leftovers in the fridge. We like to warm leftovers slightly before eating them, but they are also good cold. Leftovers also freeze and reheat well.
Notes
I took a lot of photos and it was hard to choose, so here are some more photos of bean muffins and bean bread, aka Healthy Pumpkin Muffins and Healthy Pumpkin Bread.
Putting this cute little pumpkin candle to use in the background here. And pop quiz – what bean do you think that is in the background??
Every year at fall, I break out my beautiful pumpkin-shaped baking loaf. This year I used it for this recipe to make a delicious loaf of Healthy Pumpkin Bread. And let me tell you, that was a good decision.
Nutrition Facts for Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
I created these nutrition facts in Nutritionist Pro. Numbers may vary slightly with factors like different brands. For the add-ins, I used walnuts to calculate these nutrition facts. If you make 12 muffins, then these are the nutrition facts for one muffin. The fat is healthy fat from the olive oil and walnuts. Plus, no cholesterol and a good amount of fiber, protein, and vitamin A. Way to go, Healthy Pumpkin Muffins!
Want to do some fun math? Of course you do. I mean, who doesn’t want to do math for fun… Okay, so let’s just say that based on these nutrition facts, I supposedly got at least one-third of my daily iron requirement in muffin form. That means that I didn’t stop at just a couple muffins. An accomplishment? Why yes, I think so. In fact, here is my hand, pictured about to shove another bean muffin in my mouth.
More Baking with Beans
Baking with beans is ALWAYS a good idea. I could be biased, but truly – there’s no going back after you’ve tried baking with beans! Here are some recipes that always seem to hit the spot:
