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Pumpkin Muffins do not get easier than this, a yellow cake mix, a can of pumpkin, and a handful of fresh cranberries and apple stirred together in one bowl, which is exactly why I bake them on busy October school mornings when the girls want something warm before the bus. If you are stocking the fall breakfast rotation, our pumpkin bread with streusel belongs right next to these.
The cake mix does the heavy lifting while tart cranberries and sweet apple keep every bite interesting.
Pumpkin Muffins Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 28 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 38 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 12 muffins
- ⚡ Calories: 178kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Cozy pumpkin spice with pops of tart cranberry and sweet apple
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our easy chocolate chip muffins
Quick Answer
Stir together a box of yellow cake mix, a 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until no dry lumps remain, then fold in chopped fresh cranberries and apple. Divide the thick batter between 12 greased muffin cups, sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar, and bake at 350F for 23 to 28 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Pumpkin replaces the eggs and oil. A full can of pumpkin puree brings all the moisture and binding the cake mix needs, so there is nothing else to measure.
- Cake mix means foolproof texture. The mix already has the flour, sugar, and leavening balanced, which makes these muffins nearly impossible to overwork.
- Fresh fruit cuts the sweetness. Tart chopped cranberries and juicy apple balance the sweet cake mix base so the muffins taste bakery style, not boxed.
- Extra spice wakes up the mix. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves added to the batter give it that from scratch pumpkin spice depth.
- Coarse sugar bakes into a crunchy lid. A sprinkle of coarse sugar on each muffin caramelizes into a sparkling, crackly top as they bake.
- A thick batter holds the fruit up. Because there is no added liquid, the batter is sturdy enough to keep the cranberries and apple suspended instead of sinking.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Five minutes of mixing, one bowl, and no eggs, oil, or butter needed.
- The tart cranberry and sweet apple combo makes them taste way fancier than a cake mix shortcut.
- They are the muffin version of our frosted pumpkin cookies, cozy pumpkin spice in grab and go form.
Key Ingredients
Five simple ingredients plus warm spices.
- Yellow cake mix: The shortcut base. Any 15 to 18 ounce box of yellow or spice cake mix works.
- Pumpkin puree: One 15 ounce can of 100 percent pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Fresh cranberries: Chopped so their tartness spreads through every muffin. Frozen work too, no need to thaw.
- Honeycrisp apple: Sweet, crisp, and it stays a little firm after baking. Any sweet crisp apple works.
- Coarse sugar: Demerara or turbinado sprinkled on top bakes into a crunchy, sparkly crust.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
This one bowl base loves a remix.
- Use a spice cake mix and skip the added spices for an even faster version.
- Swap the cranberries for chocolate chips or chopped pecans.
- Stir in a teaspoon of orange zest, cranberry and orange are made for each other.
- Prefer chocolate in the mix? Our pumpkin chocolate chip cupcakes scratch that itch.
How to Make Pumpkin Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 350F. In a large bowl, stir together the yellow cake mix, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves until combined and no dry lumps remain.
- Fold in the chopped cranberries and chopped apple until evenly distributed through the thick batter.
- Evenly divide the mixture between 12 greased or lined muffin cups. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with coarse sugar.
- Bake for 23 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool 10 minutes in the tin, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Do not add the extras on the box. No eggs, oil, or water, the pumpkin is the only wet ingredient this recipe needs.
- Chop the cranberries. Whole berries create sour pockets, chopped ones spread the tartness evenly.
- Leave the apple peel on for a little texture, or peel it for a softer bite, both work.
- Grease the tin well or use liners. The pumpkin makes these muffins extra moist and a little clingy.
- Check at 23 minutes. Ovens vary, and an extra five minutes is the difference between moist and dry.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pan first. They finish setting up in the tin and release much cleaner.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Serve these pumpkin muffins warm with a pat of salted butter and a hot coffee, that crunchy sugar top is unbeatable in the first hour out of the oven.
They are perfect for a fall brunch spread next to our 30 minute pumpkin cinnamon rolls and a batch of banana cream cheese muffins.
Pack one in a lunchbox or freeze a batch, our chocolate chip oatmeal muffins use the same make ahead trick.
Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for up to 5. Freeze them individually wrapped for up to 3 months and thaw on the counter overnight.
Pumpkin Muffins FAQs
Yes, that is the base of this recipe. One box of yellow cake mix plus one 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree makes a complete muffin batter with no eggs, oil, or water. The spices, cranberries, and apple are what take these pumpkin muffins from good to great.
Cake mix pumpkin muffins are naturally denser and more moist than standard muffins because pumpkin replaces the eggs and oil. Overmixing makes it worse, so stir just until the dry mix disappears, and make sure your muffins bake the full time so the centers set.
Absolutely. Add frozen cranberries straight from the freezer, do not thaw them first or they will bleed pink streaks into the batter. Roughly chop them while frozen and fold them in at the end.
They keep at room temperature in an airtight container for about 2 days. Because these pumpkin muffins are extra moist, refrigerate them after that for up to 5 days, or freeze them wrapped individually for up to 3 months.
Yes. Spice cake mix is the classic swap and lets you skip the added spices entirely. White or butter yellow mixes also work, and even a chocolate mix makes a fun chocolate pumpkin muffin.
Honeycrisp is our pick because it stays sweet and slightly firm after baking. Gala, Fuji, or Pink Lady all behave the same way. Skip softer apples like Red Delicious, they turn mushy inside the muffin.
Made these Pumpkin Muffins? I would love to hear how they turned out, leave a comment and a star rating below!
And for dessert, our simple pumpkin cake with praline frosting seals the deal.
For dessert, our creamy pumpkin cheesecake bars finish the fall menu.
If you love a bakery style breakfast, our cranberry orange muffins bring big domed tops and a cream cheese glaze.
The same muffin tin also makes our mini pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving.
When pumpkin season rolls into the holidays, our gingerbread muffins take over.
These are incredible topped with a swipe of my real maple frosting.
Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 18.25 oz pkg. yellow cake mix
- 1 15 oz. can pumpkin purée
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- 1 cup fresh cranberries chopped
- 1 cup Honeycrisp Apple chopped
- 2 tbsp coarse sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients except for coarse sugar until combined and there are no dry lumps.
- Evenly distribute mixture between 12 greased muffin tins or lined with liners. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar on top of each muffin.
- Bake 23-28 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes in the tin, take out and let cool completely on wire rack.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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I have never paired cranberries with pumpkin but that’s an incredible idea!
These look incredible. I’ve always loved cranberry orange but never tried cranberry + pumpkin.