3 Ingredient Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

These 3 ingredient pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are about to blow your mind!

You literally only need 3 things to make this delicious, grab-and-go treat:

1 box spice cake mix
dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can pumpkin

That’s it!

This recipe was passed down to me by my mom. She is the person who inspired my love of baking.

Ironically, my mom doesn’t actually like to bake that much. She is the queen of multitasking, so likes to have multiple projects going on in the kitchen at one time. She is an incredible cook and loves to experiment and create delicious masterpieces. But baking takes a lot of precision, time, and direction following….and she just does not have the patience for it. It is easy to make a misstep in the baking process if you do not give it your undivided attention. Thus, she took charge of the savory dishes and requested I do the baking. I happily obliged and developed a passion for the craft.

When my mom does bake, she wants it to be simple and quick. That is why she loves these pumpkin muffins. I won’t lie – at first I was VERY skeptical about this recipe. I prefer baking things from scratch and was hesitant to use a box mix. I will be the first to admit I was totally wrong. These muffins are incredible! They taste homemade (and there is no reason to tell anyone anything otherwise 🙂 ).

Putting the batter together takes about 5 minutes. Pour the spice cake mix into a bowl. Dump in the pumpkin. Fold in the chocolate chips. Easy as 1,2,3!

The great thing about the spice cake mix is it already contains all those great warm, Fall spices that pair perfectly with pumpkin. You don’t have to buy an assortment of spices such as cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves (which can get very expensive). You just have to buy one box of cake mix. And I find that spice box mix actually has a perfect balance of spices. They really shine through in the finished product.

These muffins are also a guilt free dessert! You do not need oil, eggs, or butter. You just need one can of pumpkin. Pumpkin is a highly nutrient dense food. It is low in fat and calories but rich in vitamins and minerals. Yes! Plus, it makes these muffins super moist and flavorful.

Finally, the chocolate chips take these muffins to the next level. Let’s get real….chocolate makes everything better! I prefer the dark or semi-sweet chips because the bitter, richer chocolate flavor balances out the sweetness from the muffins.

Since you are not adding eggs to the batter, the muffins will not rise as much as a typical muffin/cupcake. Therefore, you need to add more batter to each muffin cavity so you get a decent size muffin. I divided all the batter between 12 muffin cavities (usually a cake mix makes 24 muffins). Before baking, I also smooth out the the batter with a knife so the muffins have a smooth, even top layer after they bake (this step is not necessary, but the top will be a bit rigid and not as pretty if you skip this step).

You may be wondering why these are called muffins since they are made from a cake mix. And that is a good question. It is a fine line between a cupcake and a muffin. I call these muffins because they are still on the healthy side and not too sweet since made with only pumpkin, the texture is slightly denser than a cupcake, and I like to eat them for breakfast (so it makes me feel good to call them a muffin instead of a cupcake!) Whatever you want to call them, they are delicious!!

I promise, it will be hard to only eat one of these! I made these on a Sunday and by Wednesday, they were already all gone! And it was just my husband and I eating them….

I am so glad my mom taught me this recipe. It has become a staple in my kitchen and I make it all the time during the Fall season.

It is also great to have a simple, quick, and good tasting baking recipe in your arsenal. Have you ever needed to make a treat last minute for a party/event? Or suddenly were hit with a sweets craving late at night? Then you will want to remember this recipe. They take no time at all and taste AMAZING! The perfect treat to make in a time crunch.

Next time you are at the store, remember to pick up the 3 ingredients for this recipe and give them a try. I promise you will love it!