What’s a more fall-like food than these pumpkin muffins with cake mix? Make these moist, healthy and easy muffins for breakfast and welcome the appetizing smell of fall spices at home before the season is over.

Pumpkin muffins with homemade cake mix topped with roasted peanuts photographed on a cooling wire rack.

Fall is my favorite season of all seasons. I love the combination of golden, scarlet and mustard color leaves on the floor. It looks like the work of an expressionist. And I love the rustling sound they make when I step on them. And their dance in a cool breeze. But no fall is perfect before the smell of freshly baked spicy pumpkin muffins fills home and the warm muffin bites melt in your mouth.

I know there are several pumpkin muffin recipes around which call for only two or three ingredients. They are made just with a box of yellow cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree, maybe with an addition of nuts or chocolate chips. Well, I’ve tested a few of them and ended up with muffins that are not moist or fluffy enough. So these are NOT two-ingredient pumpkin muffins. I created my own recipe by adding the necessary ingredients for fluffiness. Hello eggs, oil and buttermilk! Yet, it is still easy to make because I use my diy cake mix, so my dry ingredients are already whisked and ready.

What Goes In This Easy Pumpkin Muffin Recipe?

eggs
oil
pumpkin puree for cake
buttermilk
cake mix
cinnamon
nutmeg
roasted peanuts

These pumpkin muffins make perfect party food, snack or breakfast. You will never worry about what to do with the leftovers of pumpkin muffins. Make a fresh cup of coffee next morning and your breakfast is ready. Or they make great after school/work snacks to be swallowed with a cup of tea or a glass of milk. Anyways, having leftover pumpkin muffins is a rare case.

Pumpkin muffins with yellow cake mix on a cooling rack

Which Cake Mix For Pumpkin Muffins?

You can simply make pumpkin muffins with yellow cake mix or white cake mix. These cake mixes are almost the same. If you want richer muffins, you can use spice cake mix or chocolate cake mix too.

As for me, I use my homemade cake mix. As I do in several other recipes. It is my basic cake mix and I hardly ever buy a cake mix from store.

In this pumpkin muffin recipe, I added two spices in the batter to make these muffins more fall inspired: nutmeg and cinnamon. If you like the taste of intensive spice, pumpkin spice might be another alternative.

Tip: If you use a store bought spice cake mix, you need to leave these spices in my ingredients list out.

What Is Pumpkin Spice?

Pumpkin spice is a mixture of nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and ginger. You can easily find it in the supermarkets or make it yourself.

Alternative Add Ins For This Pumpkin Muffin Recipe With Cake Mix

Here in this recipe I use roasted peanuts but we can be very flexible here. I also love using walnuts. It goes very well in muffins with cinnamon. You can also try raisins for a sweeter and soft add-in. Or you can go for chocolate chips if you are one of those who cannot give up on chocolate taste in muffins. Cinnamon chips also make a great option if you can find any.

If you like the taste of coconut (I am a big fan!), you can make a delicious twist in your muffins. 1/3 cup of coconut oil would be a wonderful substitute for olive oil.

My muffins don’t have a frosting because I wanted to keep them light. I just top them with extra peanuts before baking. If you like, you can also sprinkle sugar instead on the top of each muffin before they bake. You will get a beautiful sweet crunch on the top.

How To Make Pumpkin Muffins Using Cake Mix

This recipe has five super easy steps.

Eggs in a large bowl with a hand whisk accompanied by pumpkin puree, cake flour mix and roasted peanuts.

Whisking the wet ingredients and pumpkin puree in a large bowl accompanied by cake flour and roasted peanuts.

First, combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, oil, buttermilk and pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin muffin batter in a large glass bowl with a hand whisk.

Mixing pumpkin muffin batter in a large bowl with a spatula.

Second, add in the cake mix and spices.

Third, fold in chopped peanuts.

Pouring pumpkin muffin batter into muffin tins using an ice cream scoop

Pumpkin muffin batter poured in muffin pan topped with chopped roasted peanuts.

Fourth, share the batter into muffin tin using an ice cream scoop.

Fifth, sprinkle extra peanuts over them and bake.

That’s all! Now just enjoy the growing smell.

How Long Do These Spice Cake Pumpkin Muffins Last?

They can last up to five days refrigerated in an air-tightened container. If you want to keep it longer, it is better to freeze your muffins.

Do Pumpkin Muffins Need To Be Refrigerated?

You can store your muffins in room temperature for a few days. However, it is better to refrigerate them after a few days.

How Many Cups Are In A Can Of Pumpkin?

In a can of 15 ounces there are 2 cups of pumpkins.

Pumpkin breakfast muffins on a ceramic plate accompanied by dried flowers and roasted peanuts.

FAQs About These Cake Mix Pumpkin Muffins

Can I use canned pumpkin?

Yes, you can. However, I always use homemade pumpkin puree which is quite easy to make, and simply healthier.

Is pumpkin in a can cooked?

Yes, it is cooked so you can directly use it without cooking again.

Can I use fresh pumpkin instead of canned?

Of course. You just need to cook and make a puree out of it before using it in your baking. It is a ridiculously easy process.

Is pumpkin puree the same as canned pumpkin or pumpkin pie filling?

Canned pumpkin is cooked pumpkin like the pumpkin puree and it has no sugar, sweeteners or spice in it. However, pumpkin pie filling has sweeteners and spice.

Other Cake Mix Recipes

Other Pumpkin Breakfast Muffins

Other Easy Pumpkin Breakfast Recipes