Pumpkin Apple Muffins Recipe
These Pumpkin Apple Muffins are the perfect combination of two favorite fall flavors! They’re moist, warmly spiced, and filled with little bites of fresh apple. If you love pumpkin muffins and apple desserts, you’re going to want to make these easy pumpkin apple muffins all season long.
When fall arrives, I find myself reaching for pumpkin and apples constantly. So why choose between the two?
These homemade Pumpkin Apple Muffins bring them together in one delicious fall muffin. The pumpkin makes the muffins tender and flavorful, while chunks of Granny Smith apple add little bursts of fresh apple flavor throughout.
And because the apples are coated in a little flour before being folded into the batter, they stay nicely distributed throughout the muffins instead of sinking to the bottom.
I love pumpkin and apple baked goods during the fall months and these muffins combine my love of both. I used my Pumpkin Spice Bread recipe as the base and added some apple chunks to create these delicious muffins.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Apple Muffins
- Two favorite fall flavors in one muffin – pumpkin and fresh apple are a perfect pairing.
- Easy to make – this is a straightforward homemade muffin recipe with simple ingredients.
- Warm fall spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves give these muffins that classic pumpkin-spice flavor.
- Fresh apple in every bite – Granny Smith apples add a little tartness and texture.
- Perfect for fall mornings – serve them for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon snack.
- Great for sharing – make a batch for family, friends, school events, or fall gatherings.
What Do Pumpkin Apple Muffins Taste Like?
Think of your favorite pumpkin muffin with a delicious apple surprise tucked inside.
The pumpkin gives these muffins a soft, rich texture, while the Granny Smith apple adds a slightly tart, fresh flavor. Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg round everything out with warm spices that make the kitchen smell amazing while they bake.
They’re especially good served slightly warm with a cup of coffee or tea.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- muffin tins
- nonstick flour spray
- pumpkin puree
- sugar
- oil
- water
- eggs
- flour
- baking soda
- baking powder
- salt
- cinnamon
- nutmeg
- cloves
- apple
How to Make Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Mix the wet ingredients
In a mixing bowl, the oil and water.
Add your pumpkin puree. I like to use canned pumpkin, just make sure it’s just the puree and not the pumpkin pie in the can.
Then I add the granulated sugar to the bowl. Then mix it on low just until the batter starts to come together.
Then I add the eggs and mix those into the batter.
Mix the dry ingredients
Time for the dry ingredients. I take a large bowl and I like to put a sifter on top to put my dry ingredients through, that way you have beautiful muffins.
I start with my all purpose flour. Then I add the baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Then add all those delicious smells spices: cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. I love using fresh nutmeg and grate it, but dried nutmeg works great too. These ingredients add so much great flavor to the apple and pumpkin.
Give the sifter some taps until all the ingredients get through. I use a spoon to help press out any clumps, etc.
Combine the batter
Then turn the mixer on low and slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Let it mix until it combines. Then I like to take the bowl off the mixer and give it a quick stir by hand just to make sure all the edges and bottom are incorporated.
Prepare the apple
Then I peel a medium size Granny Smith apple and cut it into bite-size pieces. Then sprinkle some flour to the apples and toss them around to get the apples coated with flour. This will help the apples not to sink to the bottom of your muffins. Fold the apples into the pumpkin muffin batter.
Baking Instructions
I spray my muffin pans generously with the nonstick flour spray. This spray is great for helping baked goods pop out nicely. You definitely could use cupcake/muffin liners instead of the spray though.
Fill the muffin cups about 3/4 full with the batter. Bake in your preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a couple crumbs.
I let them cool in the muffin pan for about 15 minutes before flipping them out and letting them cool another 15 minutes on a wire rack.
Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Equipment
- muffin pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree I prefer canned pumpkin
- 1½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup oil
- 2 eggs
- 1¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon heaping
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 medium size apple I prefer Granny Smith apple
- ⅕ cup flour to coat apples
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spray your muffin pans with nonstick flour spray or use cupcake/muffin liners.
- Pour the oil and water into a mixing bowl.
- Add the canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) to the mixer bowl.
- Add granulated sugar to the bowl.
- Mix on low until the batter is combined.
- Add eggs and mix again on low.
- Place a sifter over a large bowl. (if you don't have a sifter you can just whisk your dry ingredients well before adding to the wet ingredients) Add the flour to the sifter.
- Add salt, baking powder, and baking soda to the sifter.
- Add cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg to the sifter.
- Tap the side of the sifter with your hand to help the ingredients to make their way to the bowl below.
- Turn the mixer on low and slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in the mixer. Mix until combined.
- Peel and cut the apple into bite-sized pieces. Add the coating flour to the apples and toss until coated.
- Pour coated apples into batter and fold until evenly dispersed.
- Use a ladle and fill use muffin cup about ¾ full with the batter.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 23-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs.
- Allow muffins to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing and allowing to cool on a wire rack for another 15 minutes.
Tips for Making the Best Pumpkin Apple Muffins
Use Granny Smith apples
I especially like Granny Smith apples in this recipe because their slightly tart flavor balances the sweetness of the pumpkin muffin.
You can experiment with other apples, but choose one that holds its shape well when baked.
Cut the apples into small pieces
Small apple pieces work best in muffins. They distribute more evenly through the batter and make it easier to get apple in every bite.
Don’t skip coating the apples
Tossing the chopped apples with flour before folding them into the batter helps keep them from sinking to the bottom.
Don’t overmix the batter
Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing. Overmixing can result in tougher muffins.
Check them with a toothpick
Ovens can vary, so start checking around the 23-minute mark. The muffins are ready when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
When to Serve Pumpkin Apple Muffins
These are especially good during the fall months, but there’s no reason to wait for a special occasion.
Serve them for:
- Fall breakfast
- Weekend brunch
- Thanksgiving breakfast
- School or office treats
- Afternoon coffee
- Apple-picking weekends
- Halloween gatherings
- Thanksgiving morning
- Holiday brunch
They’re also an easy way to use that combination of pumpkin and apples that seems to take over the kitchen every fall!
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin Spice Bread
- Pumpkin Spice Pancakes with Cream Cheese Maple Icing
- Pumpkin Spice Poke Cake
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
More Apple Recipes
- Easy Apple Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
- Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Galette
- Air Fryer Apple Hand Pies
- Apple Bread Pudding Loaf
- Caramel Apple Poke Cake
Pumpkin Apple Muffins Recipe
These easy Pumpkin Apple Muffins combine pumpkin puree, warm spices, and fresh Granny Smith apples for a moist, flavorful fall muffin that’s perfect for breakfast, brunch, or snacking.
These pumpkin apple muffins look delicious! I love trying different breakfast options, especially during the fall season. Sometimes, when I’m looking for a quick breakfast on busy mornings, restaurant options are convenient too. I recently came across this helpful guide to Wendy’s breakfast menu and prices for 2026, which is useful for checking breakfast choices and prices. Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe!
These pumpkin apple muffins look perfect for fall! I love how pumpkin and apple combine with warm spices to create a comforting breakfast or snack. Homemade treats like these are always a nice change from grabbing a quick breakfast on a busy morning. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
I just made these pumpkin apple muffins and wow, they are a fall dream come true! The spices are really lovely together and the apples give such a nice scratch game texture. Great for relaxing mornings with coffee! And, I adore how easy these are to whip up.
Pumpkin and Granny Smith apple sound like an especially good fall pairing, with the tart apple adding some contrast to the warm spices and pumpkin. I also like the simple technique of coating the apple pieces in flour first it’s a small step that helps keep the fruit evenly distributed through the muffins. For another kind of satisfying pattern based activity all blox fruits offers plenty to explore.