These Kodiak pumpkin muffins might just be the only pumpkin muffin recipe you need this fall. This recipe uses high protein pancake mix and a few other simple ingredients to make pumpkin muffins that are nutritious and so so incredibly good.
This post may contain affiliate links.
Why you’ll love these
As soon as the beginning of fall starts approaching, it’s officially pumpkin season and all I can think about is pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin treats!
There are so many reasons to love these pumpkin protein muffins made with higher protein whole grain pancake mix and simple ingredients.
Not only are these pumpkin muffins absolutely delicious, but they also have 7 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber per muffin! That means they’re going to keep you fuller and more satisfied longer than your standard pumpkin spice treat.
Using a higher protein mix like Kodiak pancake mix instead of adding protein powder means you still get more protein content without a weird taste or texture.
I love enjoying one of these muffins with a cup of coffee and vanilla Greek yogurt for a quick and easy healthy breakfast.
I promise your whole family will LOVE these. Let’s get into what you need to make these delish pumpkin protein muffins!
Ingredients
- Kodiak Buttermilk Pancake Mix: This high protein pancake mix is perfect for baked goods, like these high protein pumpkin muffins (have you tried my kodiak banana bread!?). It’s made with whole grains, higher protein and works perfectly as a “swap” for regular flour.
- Pumpkin puree: Make sure you grab real pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Keep in mind that some canned pumpkin brands have a higher moisture content than others- I typically use Libby’s. If your pumpkin has a higher water content you’ll likely need a couple of extra minutes of baking time. Pro tip: Save extra pumpkin puree in an airtight container in the fridge for yogurt, oatmeal or dip!
- Greek yogurt: I love using plain Greek yogurt in baked goods like these because it adds a few extra grams of protein and moisture to the muffins. Sour cream would work here too but doesn’t have the same protein content.
- Banana: Banana adds moisture and some extra natural sweetness to these muffins.
- Eggs: You’ll need eggs to add structure and moisture to the batter.
- Neutral oil: My favorite neutral oil to bake with is avocado oil (this one is my favorite!) because it’s neutral-flavored, has a high smoke point and is a great source of healthy fats! You can use any other cooking oil that you typically use for baked goods.
- Honey: Honey is my favorite for these muffins, but maple syrup or brown sugar would work as well.
- Vanilla extract: I love this vanilla extract best.
- Pumpkin pie spice + cinnamon: I love pumpkin pie spice seasoning, but I like to add extra cinnamon for even more fall flavor.
- Baking powder + salt
How to make Kodiak pumpkin muffins
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine pancake mix, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until fully combined.
- In a medium bowl, combine mashed banana, pumpkin, plain Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, eggs, honey, and oil. Mix well until fully combined.
- Slowly pour wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until combined well.
- Line a muffin pan with muffin liners (you can also use silicone muffin tins). Fill muffin wells evenly with pumpkin muffin batter and then smooth the top.
- Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of brown sugar.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick or fork comes out clean and tops are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack until just about room temperature and serve. Note: All ovens are different and baking times may vary slightly.
How to store
Store muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. To freeze, arrange in a single layer in an airtight container and freeze for up to two months.
Variations
- Add chocolate chips or white chocolate chips.
- Add chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds.
- Drizzle with peanut butter, almond butter or cashew butter before serving.
- Serve with pumpkin butter or apple butter for an extra indulgent treat!
- Easily turn these into a dessert by topping with some chocolate or vanilla frosting.
- Instead of regular size muffins, use a mini muffin pan for mini kodiak pumpkin muffins!
More recipes you’ll love
Kodiak Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups Kodiak buttermilk pancake mix
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1.5 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 banana mashed
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup avocado oil or any neutral oil
- brown sugar (optional) for sprinkling the tops of muffins
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine pancake mix, cinnamon, pumpkin spice, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until fully combined.
- In a medium bowl, combine mashed banana, pumpkin, plain Greek yogurt, vanilla extract, eggs, honey, and oil. Mix well until fully combined.
- Slowly pour wet ingredients into the large bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until combined well.
- Line a muffin pan with cupcake liners or use a sillicone muffin pan. Fill muffin wells evenly with pumpkin muffin batter and then smooth the top.
- Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a pinch of brown sugar.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick or fork comes out clean. Note: All ovens are different and baking times may vary slightly.
35 Responses
Delicious! I am loving all the Kodiak cake mix recipes, it really cuts down on shopping for ingredients and measuring them while making! I added sliced almonds in for some crunch plus a few chocolate chips.
So glad you’re loving them! I love them too- I always have some pancake mix on hand and it’s perfect for adding a little nutrition kick 🙂
Wonderful recipe. Love this fall treat. Ended up only using 1/3 cup of honey because that was all I had. It did not lack sweetness, especially with the little sprinkle of sugar on top. Next time I’ll add nuts!
Thank you for leaving a review Michelle 🙂 Happy to hear that they still had plenty of sweetness with a little less honey!
I made these today and they were delicious! I have made many Kodiak cake muffins but these are the best we’ve had! Will definitely be making another batch! 💛
I love these so much too! Thank you for the review Sue 🙂
These are the best pumpkin muffins I had and love the fact that there are healthier substitutes added to it. Easy to make too.
Yay! Thank you for leaving a review Christine 🙂
Omgggggg these are so delicious!!!! 10/10! I added 1/2 cup of chocolate chips, but they would have been perfect without. I am obsessed.
Yay! So glad you loved! Thank you for leaving a review 🙂
Could you make these without the banana?
I haven’t tried, so I’m not sure. You’d have to replace it with something else, like maybe a 1/2 cup applesauce.
Hey! I’ve actually made Kodiak pumpkin pancakes for just four ingredients! 2 cups, Kodiak pancakes mix, 15 oz Pumpkin pie purée, One egg, And 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips!
These are great – picky kid approved!
My picky kid decided they don’t like Kodiak pancakes after I bought a multipack size box at BJ’s so I’ve been looking for ways to use it and will definitely be making these again. I had Cabot Vanilla Bean Greek yogurt in so I used that instead of plain and it’s a lovely swap. Also added a cup of mini choc chips to the dry ingredients and sprinkled a few more on top of each muffin along with a little brown sugar-cinnamon. I got 12 regular sized muffins and 12 mini muffins out of the batch, which is great because they’re not going to last long in my house! (For the record, pick kid didn’t taste the banana.)
It’s always a major compliment when it’s picky eater approved :)! Thank you for leaving a review!
Great recipe! I did not have honey but I did add dark chocolate chips and pecans and they turned out great! Thanks for sharing.
Yum I bet these were amazing with pecans!! Thank you for leaving a review 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I made these twice already with a slight modification (swapping 1/2 the honey for maple syrup and 1/2 monkfruit sweetener). They did have to bake longer than the posted time (25-30 minutes vs the 18-20 minutes written). But they turned out delicious! Trying to get more protein in, and these are perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack topped with some butter or TJ’s maple butter with some coffee. Will be making these again 🙂
Happy to hear you enjoyed them! 🙂 Thank you for leaving a review!
How do you store these?
In an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week!
Ran out of oil so I did a simple swap of equal parts melted salted butter. Had no pumpkin spice seasoning so instead did a mix of cinnamon and nutmeg and measured with my heart. Absolutely delicious!
Yum!! I bet the butter swap was amazing!
The muffins are so delicious. I added pecans to mine and used maple syrup instead of honey. I also had to add about 10 minutes to my baking time, but was using silicone muffin pans so I think that is the reason fir the added baking time.
Yum! Pecans are such a great addition 🙂
I don’t have plain Greek yogurt. Would vanilla Greek yogurt be to sweet?
It would definitely add a little bit more sweetness but I think it would still be fine 🙂
We used the seasonal pumpkin Kodiak mix instead of the regular and they came out awesome! We also added half a cup of mini chocolate chips. We made mini muffins and got 55/56 perfect toddler snack!
Yum!! What a great idea- these must have been so good as mini muffins!
These muffins are delicious! I’m trying to get more protein into our diet, so these seemed “healthy”. No bananas so I added another cup of pumpkin purée. No honey so used brown sugar. No plain Greek yogurt so I used vanilla Greek yogurt. Topped the muffins with Trader Joe’s roasted pumpkin seeds. Perfect.
So glad you enjoyed them, and thank you for sharing your swaps! I find them to be so forgiving too if you have to tweak things 🙂
Super moist and delicious!
So happy you liked them! Thank you for leaving a review 🙂
With the egg shortage we are having right now how would you substitute for those?
Unfortunately I haven’t tested these without eggs!