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These Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins are everything you love about fall, with rich chunks of chocolate and cozy spice in every bite. Even better, they’re a cinch to make. Total win!

Overhead shot of pumpkin spice chocolate chunk muffins, with bite taken out of one
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I know we hate the word moist, but for real: these pumpkin chocolate chunk muffins are so moist. That’s one of my favorite things about baking with pumpkin, aside from the amazing smell of pumpkin spice filling the house. Pumpkin puree is the secret to a moist, tender crumb in recipes like my pumpkin banana muffins and pumpkin cream cheese muffins and it adds delicious earthy sweetness. It’s a match made in heaven with the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg in these pumpkin chocolate chunk muffins!

Like most muffins, these come together quickly. Ten minutes of prep time, about 25 minutes of baking, and in under an hour, you’ve got a batch of warm pumpkin spice chocolate chunk muffins ready to be devoured. If you’re looking for the perfect recipe to kick off fall baking season, this is it!

Closeup of a pumpkin chocolate chunk muffin with a bite missing on a marble countertop.

What You’ll Need

I’m guessing you probably have most—if not all!—of the ingredients for pumpkin spice chocolate chunk muffins on hand in your kitchen already. Here’s what you’ll need to grab:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Granulated sugar
  • Pumpkin pie spiceHere’s how to make your own.
  • Baking soda
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Eggs – It’s always best to bake with room temperature eggs, so take them out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you plan on starting the recipe.
  • Pumpkin puree – You’ll need plain, pure, unsweetened, unspiced puree—not pumpkin pie filling. Sometimes the cans look pretty similar, so make sure you have the right one!
  • Unsalted butter – Melt it in the microwave or in a small saucepan. (I prefer the saucepan method because I’ve had one too many sticks of butter pop and splatter all over the microwave. Not fun to clean up!)
  • Semi-sweet chocolate – You can use chocolate chips, but I like chopping up a bar of chocolate instead so there’s a mixture of BIG chunks and little pieces in the muffins. 
A pumpkin chocolate chunk muffin unwrapped from a cupcake liner and torn in half.

How to Make Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins

You’ve got your ingredients ready—now it’s pumpkin time! Here are step-by-step instructions on how to make them:

  • Prepare. Preheat your oven to 350ºF, then line your muffin tins with baking cups.
  • Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
Chocolate chunks added to pumpkin muffin batter in a stand mixer.
  • Make the batter. Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the eggs, pumpkin and butter. Slowly add the dry ingredients and continue to mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate chunks.
  • Bake the muffins. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, then pop them into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  • Cool and serve. Remove the muffin tins from the oven. Let the pumpkin spice chocolate chunk muffins cool for 5 minutes, then carefully remove them from the muffin tins and let them finish cooling on a wire rack.
Close up of pumpkin chocolate chunk muffins in a muffin tin.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins

This recipe is pretty straightforward, but here are a few hints and tips that I’ve learned along the way:

  • Using a hand mixer. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can use an electric hand mixer instead, or make these muffins by hand. The only change I’d make to this recipe if you’re not using a mixer is to whisk the eggs first, then combine them with the pumpkin and melted butter.
  • Don’t overmix. This is really important with muffin recipes! If you’re a perfectionist, it might bother the heck out of you to see streaks of flour or lumps of sugar in the batter, and I get it! But if you stir the batter too much, you’ll end up with tough muffins.
  • Use the center rack. When baking, I recommend using the center rack in your oven. This ensures that your Pumpkin Spice Chocolate Chunk Muffins bake evenly every time.

Recipe Variations

The pumpkin-and-chocolate combination in these muffins is perfection, but if you want to play around with the mix-ins a bit, here are some ideas to try:

  • Add chopped pecans to your muffins.
  • Swap the semisweet chocolate for a high-quality white chocolate.
  • Lean into the fall flavors by using cinnamon chips instead of chocolate.
  • Scatter pepitas over the tops of the muffins before baking.

How to Store

These muffins should be stored in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll last for up to 4 days this way; if you’d like them to last longer than this, freeze them according to the instructions above.

Can I Freeze Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins?

For sure! Muffins are almost always good for freezing, and this recipe is no exception. Let the muffins cool completely, then pop them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. You can let them thaw at room temperature overnight, or heat them in the microwave 15 seconds at a time, until they’re warmed through.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Closeup of a pumpkin chocolate chunk muffin with a bite missing on a marble countertop.
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4.50 from 2 votes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chunk Muffins

These moist and tender pumpkin chocolate chunk muffins are filled with pockets of melty chocolate and warm pumpkin spice in every bite!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 1 dozen

Ingredients 

  • 1 ⅔ cup (208 g) all purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup (245 g) plain pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup (114 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 6 ounces (170 g) semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 °F (177 °C) and line muffin tins with baking cups.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together, flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together eggs, pumpkin, and butter.
  • Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
  • Fold in the chocolate chunks with a spatula.
  • Scoop batter evenly into muffin tins and bake 20-25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  • Let cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a wire rack.
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Video

Notes

Source: adapted from Cooking on the Side

Nutrition

Serving: 1Muffin, Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 13g, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 25g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

The default measuring system for this website is US Customary. Unit conversions are provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. While we strive to provide accurate unit conversions, please be aware that there may be some discrepancies.

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Photography by Jamie Vespa

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80 Comments

  1. Just letting your readers know, I made three full size loaves today, and they baked for about 45-50 minutes. Great recipe!

    1. Yay! So happy to hear this. This is one of my favorite recipes for Fall and I’m so glad you are going to be able to enjoy them!