WW Recipe of the Day: Easy 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Muffins
My fascination with all things pumpkin continues.
After our great success mixing chocolate cake mix and a can of pumpkin (or make your own pressure cooker pumpkin puree) together to make 2-Ingredient Chocolate Pumpkin Muffins, Mini Muffins and Cookies, we wanted see what would happen with using a spice cake mix instead.
It seemed like the perfect easy, sweet and delicious way to welcome fall.
How Many Calories/WW Points in these Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins?
According to my calculations, each mini muffin has 90 calories and: To see your WW Points for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!
4 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
4 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
2 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
Mini Muffin Ingredients
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree (or make your own homemade pumpkin puree)
- 15 - 18 ounces spice cake mix
- optional toppings or mix-ins: mini chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped raisins or dried cranberries, icing, etc.
How to Make Mini Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Muffins, Step-by-Step
Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.
Step 2: Preheat oven to 400F degrees line 24 mini muffin cups with paper liners or lightly coat muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.
Step 3: In a large mixing bowl (affiliate link), stir together the cake mix and pumpkin puree. This will take some effort and the mixture will be very, very thick. (I gradually sifted in the cake mix which made the stirring a little easier.) Stir in any optional mix-ins.
Step 4: Divide the batter evenly among the prepared mini muffin cups. Top with any optional toppings and gently press into the batter.
Step 5: Bake at 400F degrees, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10-12 minutes for mini muffins.
Step 6: Remove from oven and allow to cool for a minute or two in the pan before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 7: Store any leftover mini muffins in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes & Variations
This time I decided to make mini muffins, dividing the batter among 24 mini muffin cups.
If you don't have mini muffin tins, divide the batter among 24 regular muffin cups to keep the WW Points at 4.
Or you can make bigger Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Muffins by using all the batter to make 12 regular size muffins. In this case, each regular size muffin would have 4 PointsPlus and 7 WW Points.
Turn them into kid-friendly cupcakes with a little icing.
Fill muffin cups using a small ice cream scoop (affiliate link) for more uniform looking muffins. I used two spoons and since the batter is very thick, my muffins didn't turn out as smooth on top—but they still tasted great! For a smoother top, smooth them out with damp fingers!
You could also spread the mixture into a cake or loaf pan (affiliate link) and just adjust your baking time, cooking until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
This is a very flexible recipe so go ahead and experiment.
The last time I made it I didn't have spice cake mix, so I used a yellow cake mix with 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice whisked into it which worked great too. Which is what Katie Lee did on the Today Show Thanksgiving Morning to make this quick pumpkin cake. Carrot cake mix would also work well.
Optional Additions: Raisins, Craisins, Chocolate Chips, Cinnamon Chips, Chopped Nuts
If you like these pumpkin spice cake mix muffins, be sure to check out my other easy, healthy Weight Watchers friendly recipes including: Easy Healthy Low Fat Pumpkin Cake Recipes, Healthy Low-Fat Pumpkin Cookie Recipes, Weight Watchers Easy No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake, Healthy Baked Pumpkin Doughnuts and Weight Watchers 2 Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake, 2-Ingredient 7-cup Cake Mix Cupcakes,
If you've made these low-fat Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Mini Muffins, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
2-Ingredient Spice Cake Mix Mini Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 box (15 - 18 ounces) spice cake mix (I substituted a yellow cake mix with 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice whisked in)
- 1 can (15 ounces) canned pumpkin puree
Optional Mix-ins and toppings:
- mini chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped raisins or dried cranberries, cinnamon chips, icing, etc.
Instructions
- Position an oven rack in the center of the oven.
- For mini muffins, preheat the oven to 400F degrees and line 24 mini muffin cups with paper liners or coat them with non-stick spray. (You can also use regular muffin tins for smallish regular muffins.)
- Make the batter in a large bowl by mixing just the two ingredients together, ignoring the instructions on the cake mix. This will take some effort and the mixture will be very very thick!
- Divide the batter evenly among the mini muffin cup tins.
- Bake at 400F degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 10- 12 minutes for the mini-muffins.
- Remove and place on wire racks to cool.
Recipe Notes
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
Here's a great video from Hungry Girl showing How to Make these Pumpkin Spice Cake Muffins...
More Lightened Up Baked Muffin Recipes for WeightWatchers
- Gingerbread Banana Yogurt Muffins (DrizzleMeSkinny)
- Berry French Toast Muffins (EmilyBites)
- Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins (SkinnyTaste)
- Banana Breakfast Muffins (EatYourselfSkinny)
- Chocolate Caramel Apple Muffins (DrizzleMeSkinny)
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or other (affiliate links), I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thank you for your purchase!
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Meal Preppies
Yes tthat was awesome news! These muffins look good and simple. Also looks good for a thanksgiving party or potluck!
Carolyn
I am new to weight watchers and plugged this recipe into my app. 12 muffins equals 1pt on the new plan, So we get a bit more in one serving without sacrificing the points.
Carolyn
I stand vorrected and sorry for the confusion. These muffins equal 5 pts each if dividing the batter into 12 muffins. I just noticed when I plugged in the cake mix that I accidentally scrolled the Wong amount. I hope you enjoy
Renae
Hi, is the points for the Freestyle Plan?
Myrna Stephens
How many Smart Points are these cupcakes?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Myrna,
According to the WW Recipe builder each muffin/cupcake has 4 SmartPoints. I've updated the recipe. Hope this helps!
Tina McNeal
Hi there, when I put it in the recipe builder, I get 1 point. So I am confused lol Help!
Martha McKinnon
Hi Tina, Can't really explain it, lol. Maybe you are using a different serving size???
Debra
Does this recipe make more then 24 minis, I have a lot of batter left.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Debra, I got 24 when I made them. Maybe your mini muffin pans were smaller than mine? How many muffins did you end up with?
Christina
I made 45 mini muffins with my pan. How many calories are in each one now?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Christina, If 24 muffins x 90 calories per muffin = 2160 total calories per recipe. 2160 calories/45 muffins = 48 calories per muffin. Hope this helps. - Martha
Adrian
These are delicious, I added dried cranberries and chopped, unsalted walnuts, but raisins and other nuts are probably just as good.
Martha McKinnon
Thanks Adrian! I love the addition of dried cranberries and chopped nuts!
Jessica Morlet
These were great I just had a hard time getting the tops smooth because the consistency was so thick! Any tips on how you got the tops smooth? Mine looked like king bowsers turtle shell LOL
Martha McKinnon
Hi Jessica, these probably won't win any beauty awards, you are right! I would try to smooth them out with wet fingertips. Hope this helps.
Nikki
Made these with carrot cake mix, added raisins... OMG they were awesome!!!
Martha McKinnon
Gotta remember to try carrot cake mix next time! Thanks for sharing Nikki!!
Momo
Glad I read the comments about being hard to spread. I added a splash of diet ginger ale to it. They came out GREAT!
Chana
Hi I want to make the loaf bread but wasn't sure how long to cook for
Martha McKinnon
Hi Chana, I've never baked these muffins as a loaf so I'm really not sure. If you try it, we'd love to have you share what you learn about cooking time!
Lisa
Made this muffin in i put in zucchini in it
Martha McKinnon
Thanks for letting us know Lisa! Zucchini is a great alternative to pumpkin!!
Jim Stockert
How many points are the regular size muffins? I don't have a mini muffin pan.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Jim,
The number of SmartPoints will depend on how many muffins you make. If 24 muffins have 4SP each, then 12 muffins would have 8SP each. Hope this helps!
Kelly
The wording here is confusing to me because a standard muffin tin would make 24 muffins. A mini muffin tin would make 60 cupcakes.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Kelly, Sorry for the confusion. The recipe is designed to make 24 mini muffins. If you make 12 regular-size muffins instead, the points would be double. Hope this helps. - Warmly, Martha
Lori
These will come in handy for when I need something on the road!!
Liz
Would it turn out the same if I used a gluten free cake mix?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Liz, I'm really not sure because I haven't tried it. If you do, please let us know how it turns out!
Brooke
Hi there! Is this 1 cupcake for 2 points? Thank you! Cant wait to make these!
Jen Griffin
Martha, I want to thank you for your information that you could substitute Super Moist Yellow cake mix + 1 tbsp pumpkin spice for this recipe because I could not find the Spice cake mix after searching 4 supermarkets!. I chose to make them in a regular muffin tin. They are delicious. My husband (Mr. Sweet Tooth) loved them and couldn't believe it was a WW recipe. Thanks again for all the work you do.
Dautie
I added 1/3 cup of unsweetened applesauce and it made a big difference in smoothing out the tops and making it a little easier to work with.
Martha McKinnon
Hi Dautie, Thanks for letting us know!
Paula
Is Libby’s canned pumpkin the same as pumpkin purée?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Paula, yes canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same. You don't want pumpkin pie mix which has sugar and spices added.
Lynn
I made these and they are really good, the only problem I have is I have tried to enter the recipe into the Weight Watchers app and don't have all the info required like the sugar, guess I will have to get another cake mix and try them again. I also used my own home made pumpkin puree. Thank you again.
Tina
I used Betty Crocker super moist spice cake 15 oz and our family 100% natural pumpkin 15 oz. I made 14 average muffins and when adding nutritional information from both ingredients and then dividing by the servings: 2 grams of protein 127 calories one gram of fat one gram of saturated fat 27 carbohydrates 15 grams of sugar. This equals 6 points on the new freestyle.
Kimberly
THANK YOU, TINA! I was going nuts trying to figure out how many SP for each regular size muffin.
Terri
This recipe gave me 24 mini muffins and 12 regular. Most cake mixes give you 24 regular muffins, so be prepared for more than expected.
Mary Rose
I made these.
What a disaster!
I used a Duncan Hines spice cake mix and Libbys Pumpkin.
Should have came out great right.
They were heavy and dense and like lead.
Tasted ok.
Wrote to Duncan Hines regarding need to modify every recipe due to the snall size cake mixes. I blamed the size as the muffins were heavy, too much liquid (pumpkin) to cake mix . The ratio must be off.
Oh well I will wait for my money back from Duncan Hines:)