Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffin - Healthy Muffin Recipe (2024)

Published: Sep 26, 2012 · Modified: Oct 15, 2022 by Dara · This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 50 Comments

This whole wheat pumpkin spice latte muffin recipe is reminiscent of your favorite fall drink. Great for an on-the-go breakfast or enjoy it as an afternoon snack.

Inspiration can come in the strangest places. Such as the drive-thru line at Starbucks. Okay, that's not quite as romantic or whimsical as a wildflower-strewn meadow or the foot of the Eiffel Tower. But hey, this is real life. So, when I'm rushing between work and the kids' school, stopping en route for a quick afternoon pick-me-up, the Starbucks menu is all I've got.

It's hard to ignore a 3-foot tall picture of a steaming pumpkin spice latte, so I did what any logical person would do (ahem). I stole those flavors and turned them into a muffin recipe.

Cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and, of course, pumpkin and espresso. That's a lot to stuff into one little pumpkin spice latte muffin. The spices were easy enough and, for once, I was thankful for the multitude of spice bottles, lying askew in my pantry. The pumpkin? Well, I cheated and used the canned version. Just plain pumpkin, please - not pumpkin pie mix.

As for the espresso...well, I could easily have asked for an extra shot at Starbucks, but decided to save my wallet $2.05 by using some of the instant espresso powder in my stash of baking supplies. It's also fantastic for chocolate cakes, adding a depth of flavor with just a couple of teaspoons, without turning it into a mocha cake.

In keeping with all-things-healthy-and-light (you remember the blasphemy I wreaked on the , right? Hey, those were darn good.), I used whole wheat pastry flour in place of all-purpose flour.

Gratuitous fall photo. I just can't resist those leaves.

Instead of the large glugs of oil typically found in muffins (cakes masquerading as breakfast fare), I used just 2 tablespoons of hearty-healthy canola oil, along with some fat-free plain Greek yogurt for moisture.

My kids adored this pumpkin spice latte muffin recipe. If you want to make them even more enticing to the younger crew, add some dark chocolate chips as a treat.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffin:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place 12 liners in a muffin tin and spray the liners with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and salt.

Whole wheat pastry flour produces a much lighter muffin than one made with regular whole wheat flour. (Um, nope - this is not an ad for the product in the picture...just an example of a pastry flour you can use.)

In a small bowl, stir together espresso powder and hot water until espresso powder dissolves. Let it cool to room temperature.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer), combine pumpkin, yogurt, brown sugar, canola oil, egg and espresso powder mixture. Mix on medium speed until well combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and beat on low speed until just combined.

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Spoon the muffin batter into the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean, about 25 minutes.

Remove muffins from the pan and allow to cool on a wire rack. Serve.

Other whole wheat muffins:

Whole Wheat Apple Spice Muffins
Whole Wheat Carrot Muffins
Whole Wheat Banana Nut Muffins

Printable Recipe

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