Want a delicious, moist chocolate muffin but don’t have the time to gather a dozen ingredients and dirty multiple bowls? This is your recipe. These 3-ingredient pumpkin muffins take all the work out of baking. A one-bowl treat, devil’s food cake mix is moistened with pumpkin and dark chocolate chunks for a delicious morning treat for yourself and your family. These are simple, quick, and as far as muffins go, a pretty healthy alternative to the original recipe with all the flavor.
In this recipe, the pumpkin adds earthiness, richness, and complexity without being overwhelming. Dark chocolate and pumpkin is a delicious combination, but one that not everyone likes. Because the pumpkin is subtle and adds more moisture than flavor, it’s a recipe that almost anyone will enjoy. I suggest pairing this with an earthy, chocolaty coffee roast—something robust to counter the depth of flavor in these muffins.
The only thing that makes this recipe tricky is having the cake mix and pumpkin in your pantry! Both cake mix and canned pumpkin have a long shelf-life, so consider grabbing a few extra next time you’re at the grocery store so you always have some on hand. Because these are so easy, they are a great activity to do with young kids to introduce them to baking and making things in the kitchen.
What You Need to Make 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
These 3-ingredient pumpkin muffins require devil’s food cake mix, pumpkin puree, and a dark chocolate bar. You can also use dark chocolate chips, but I like the texture and irregularity of a roughly broken-up chocolate bar. The box of cake mix I use is 15.25 oz. You can eyeball around half a bag to use for this recipe.
Ingredients:
- Devil’s food cake mix (your favorite brand)
- Canned pumpkin
- Bar of dark chocolate (60% cacao)
Tools:
The equipment list for this muffin recipe is nearly as short as the list of ingredients! You will need a muffin tin and liners, a bowl, and a spatula. You don’t even need a measuring cup. When I say this is easy, it is!
How To Make 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
Prepare the chocolate: Break up the chocolate into roughly ½-inch pieces with your hands. Don’t worry about making them look perfect.
Mix the batter: Place the pumpkin and half a container of devil’s food cake mix in a bowl and mix with a spatula until well combined. Add in 2/3 of the chocolate, and stir to distribute.
Bake the muffins: Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Fill the muffin tins nearly to the top of the liner. These muffins will not rise quite as much as those with eggs in them. Press 2-3 pieces of the remaining chocolate into the tops of the muffins.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Allow the muffins to cool before serving. Enjoy!
How long can these muffins be stored?
Because these muffins do not have any additional oil or butter, you will want to consume them in 3-4 days. I recommend wrapping them individually in plastic wrap and storing them in the fridge. These muffins can also be frozen and defrosted if you make a big batch.
I love that these muffins have three ingredients, but what can I do to make these a little more special?
You can make these muffins even better without more baking. Add a 1⁄2 tablespoon of Dutch-processed cocoa to the batter. Using Dutch-processed cocoa will mean that no matter the rising agent in your cake mix, it should not impact the rise of the bake. That extra punch of chocolate will add a deeper flavor to the muffins. Dutch-processed also has an earthy flavor that plays well with the pumpkin. You could also add in a few chunks of crystallized ginger. Chocolate, ginger, and pumpkin are a match made in heaven, and the addition of the crystallized ginger adds a nice chewy texture.
3-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- ½ box Devil's food cake mix
- 1 can pureed pumpkin (15-ounce)
- 4 oz dark chocolate 60% cacao
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ºF.
- Line and grease nine slots in a standard-sized muffin tin.
- Roughly break apart one 4 oz bar of chocolate into ½-inch pieces.
- Place half a box of devil’s food cake mix and one can of pumpkin in a bowl and mix until just combined. Add 2/3 of chocolate and stir until evenly distributed.
- Fill the muffin tins almost to the top.
- Press additional chocolate chunks on top of the muffins.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are a few other recipes you might enjoy!
- Muffins Recipes
- Halloween Recipes
- Almond Flour Banana Muffins
- Halloween Waffles
- Pumpkin Chai Latte
- Pumpkin Toast
- Spooky Pop Tarts
Arielle is a food and drink photographer based in Washington, D.C. She was previously a social science researcher before she fell in love with photography.