It’s that time of year when we want all things pumpkin! This is a pumpkin version of my favorite Quinoa Banana Oat Muffin recipe. These are a dense filling muffin with all the fun flavors of pumpkin spice. If you prefer you can even bake them up as cookies! Can’t decide – then make half into muffins and the rest into cookies. I aim to please.
Since these are oil free, refined sugar free and flour free – they are not light and fluffy. No – these are a dense hearty muffin that will surely fill you up for hours. They are made with all nutrient dense ingredients for optimal nutrition and yet they are delicious!
Simple pantry items are used in this recipe – you might already have everything on hand to make these. Local Spicery has all of my favorite spices and they have a nice selection of SOS free spice blends. like Pumpkin Spice and more. Put Nutmeg Notebook in the message box at checkout and get 2 free samples with your order.
You can make muffins or cookies. These don’t rise so they will be whatever shape they are when you put them in the oven.
You can use a 2 ounce food scoop or a 1/3 cup measure cup for making the cookies. I pat them down to make them a uniform shape and size.
I love the cookie shape – perfect with a hot cup of herbal tea or the Warm Chai Almond Milk.
These are perfect for taking with you on the go. Great for hikes, bike riding, in your lunch box. Wonderful for children and adults alike. They freeze well too. Make a double batch and freeze them so you will always have some on hand.
You can order these dark chocolate no sugar added chocolate chips from Santa Barbara Chocolate. You can use some of these instead of raisins in this recipe if you wish.
Use our Affiliate Code “Nutmeg 15” to receive 15% off your order, Enjoy!
Time Saving Tip: Make your own muffin/cookie mixes. While you have all the ingredients out go ahead and batch prep a couple extra containers of just the dry ingredients. That way you can make muffins or cookies quickly whenever you want! Just add the wet ingredients and in just a few minutes you have muffins and or cookies in the oven!
Pumpkin Spice Oat Muffins & Cookies
Equipment
- Blender, Mixing Bowl, muffin pan, baking sheet
Ingredients
- 14 ounces very ripe banana or about 1 3/4 cups mashed banana
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree no sugar added
- 1/2 cup applesauce no sugar added
- 6 each Medjool dates, pitted or to taste
- 1/2 cup quinoa flakes or ground quinoa or ground millet or ground oats
- 2 cups quick cooking steel cut oats if you only have regular steel cut oats just process them in a food processor to make them smaller
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats or old fashioned oats
- 1/4 cup golden flaxseed meal
- 1 -1 1/2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice – start with 1 tbls and add more if you wish. I like 1 1/2 tablespoons.
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder
- 1/2 cup golden raisins or unsweetened chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a blender container add banana, pumpkin puree, applesauce and dates and process until smooth and creamy. Set aside while preparing the dry ingredients.
- In a large bowl combine the quinoa flakes, quick cooking steel cut oats, rolled oats, golden flaxseed meal, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla powder and raisins. Stir to combine.
- Add the contents of the blender to the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- If the muffin batter is too wet add more oats until it is the right consistency. See the video to see how I like the batter to be.
- If making muffins use a 1/2 cup measure cup to measure out the batter into each muffin cup. I like silicone muffin pans but you can also use regular muffin tins with parchment liners.
- If making cookies I use a 2 ounce food scoop, you can also use a 1/3 cup measuring cup. Portion the cookies onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat mat. Using a silicone spatula flatten the cookies so they are a uniform shape.
- Bake muffins for 30 minutes, cookies for 25 minutes.
Notes
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We are also Holland Bowl Mill Affiliates. The 15 inch Holland Bowl Mill Cherry fruit bowl has a permanent home on our kitchen island. It’s beautiful and useful. The heart shaped bowl makes me happy – I love everything heart shaped! We use our 15 inch Beechwood & cherry bowl (his and her’s) to chop our salads everyday. Eating a salad for one meal every day helped me lose weight and become a size 4. I still eat a salad for one meal a day but now it’s a Big Beautiful Chopped salad and it helps me stay a size 4! See the Chopped Salad Blog Post to find out how you can incorporate a chopped salad into your daily food plan and how you can get a free mezzaluna knife with your Holland Bowl order when you use our Holland Bowl affiliate link as well as free engraving and free shipping.
You muffin pan looks a little different, with the raised circle. I like yours better.
My muffin pan is no longer available. It’s 5 years old.
These look so delicious. Any idea on the calorie density of a muffin or a cookie?
No I don’t know. With the exception of the dates the ingredients are 600 calories per pound or less. Oats, pumpkin, quinoa, banana, applesauce are the main ingredients all under 600 calories per pound!
Tried this recipe yesterday. Very dense texture as you stated. The muffin definitely kept me satisfied all morning. I froze the remaining muffins for an easy breakfast in the future. They were just sweet enough. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Great Rachelle – they are dense and filling! I am so glad you like them. They freeze very well. Enjoy!
Muffins are literally cooling as I write. 1st day of vegs for b’fst so muffin will be 2nd b’fst!
Enjoy Pat!
I noticed you did not add baking powder and baking soda. I am guessing you don’t need it for this recipe. Thank you. I am attempting to make some right now.
Melanie – the baking powder doesn’t seem to make much difference in these very dense muffins so I don’t see the need to use it.
Happy Baking! Enjoy!
Thank you Tami.
Hi Tami! I’m wondering if you have tried dehydrating the cookies made with this recipe?
Hi Norah,
I have not tried to dehydrate these cookies but it should work fine without raisins.
Happy Cooking!
I just want to thank you for this recipe. I love to take one of these in my backpack when taking a hike.
I’m so glad you like these!
Hi Tami,
Really appreciate all your work developing delicious recipes. These cookies/muffins are especially tasty and filling. I like that baking powder and/or soda are unnecessary, The golden raisins add such a nice flavor. Recently I’ve been trying to avoid sulfured fruits, and haven’t been able to find un-sulfured golden raisins. Do you have a source for unsulfured golden raisins? Many Thanks!
I am so glad you like it!
Thank you for your kind comments. I don’t have a source for the raisins. I used to buy them at Whole Foods but not since tha pandemic began, they no longer have them.
Just made these, used dried blueberries added oat flour and chopped walnuts.
I used the mini muffin pan from pampered chef.
That sounds amazing!
I just made these, I used the mini muffin tin from pampered chef to bake them in. I added oat flour and chopped walnuts. I did not have any raisins so I used dried blueberries. Can’t wait to see how they are there in the oven! Thank you so much for all that you do love your channel etc..
Hello, these look amazing. I was needing something for my sweet tooth and my afternoon coffee. I’m sure these will do wonderfully!. I just made these, I used the mini muffin tin from pampered chef to bake them in. I added oat flour and chopped walnuts. I did not have any raisins so I used dried blueberries. Can’t wait to see how they are there in the oven! Thank you so much for all that you do love your channel etc..
These are Tasty!! Easy to make and are super healthy cookies–Lots of fiber, no oil, refined sugars, white flours, Salt or baking powder/soda. Will be making them often. Thanks, Tami, for this recipe!!!
I am so glad you are enjoying this recipe!
This is one of our favorite recipes – they are so simple to make and freeze beautifully! We follow the directions for cookies and add both chocolate chips and raisins so we store them in the freezer and defrost a few at a time for a weekend treat.
Thank you so much fur your review! I’m delighted that you enjoy this recipe!
Happy Healthy Cooking.
I really love these muffins. I make them so often, I have the recipe memorized. I make them with 100% cacao chips instead of the raisins. I also freeze them since I’m the only one in my house that eats them. (The cats aren’t allowed to eat them!)
Thanks for another great recipe, Tami! Now off to make that butternut squash soup recipe that you give to subscribers. (Yet another great creation!)
Thank you so much Randi. This makes me so happy! I don’t even have this recipe memorized!
These sound delicious! Do you have a specific brand of vanilla powder that you use? Thank you!
Hi Diana, I like this one.https://amzn.to/3Zmepfr