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These easy 2-Ingredient Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Muffins are made with nothing more than a box of spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree. Moist, warmly spiced and surprisingly satisfying, they’re a longtime Weight Watchers favorite for good reason.
No eggs. No oil. No butter. Just stir together the cake mix and pumpkin, spoon the thick batter into your muffin pan and bake.
I’ve been making these easy pumpkin muffins for years, and they continue to be one of our most popular Weight Watchers recipes.
And I understand why.
They’re inexpensive, easy to keep on hand, freezer-friendly and endlessly adaptable. Make them plain or add a few mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries, raisins, cinnamon chips or chopped nuts.
You can also make them as mini muffins, regular muffins, cupcakes, a loaf or even a simple pumpkin cake.
For a two-ingredient recipe, there’s a lot you can do with it.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Muffins
- Ingredients
- How to Make Mini Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Muffins, Step-by-Step
- Recipe Notes, Variations & Substitutions
- Storing & Freezing Pumpkin Muffins
- How Many Calories and WW Points?
- Why This Old Weight Watchers Favorite Still Works
- 2-Ingredient Spice Cake Mix Mini Muffins Recipe
- More Easy WW-Friendly Baked Treats
- Discover More WW-Friendly Recipes
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Muffins
- Just 2 ingredients. All you need is a box of spice cake mix and a can of pumpkin puree.
- Quick and easy. No mixer required—just stir, scoop and bake.
- Moist and flavorful. Pumpkin keeps the muffins tender while the spice cake mix provides plenty of warm fall flavor.
- Easy to customize. Add mini chocolate chips, dried cranberries, raisins, nuts or cinnamon chips, or enjoy them plain.
- Freezer-friendly. Make a batch and stash some away for an easy grab-and-go treat.
- A longtime WW favorite. There’s a reason this simple recipe has remained popular with Weight Watchers members for so many years.
Ingredients
You need just two basic ingredients to make these easy pumpkin muffins:
Spice cake mix – A standard box of dry spice cake mix provides the flour, sugar, leavening and warm fall spices all in one.
Canned pumpkin puree – Be sure to use 100% pure pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. You can also use homemade pumpkin puree.
Optional Additions
These muffins are delicious plain, but you can also add or sprinkle them with:
- Mini chocolate chips
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries (Craisins)
- Cinnamon chips
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- A little icing or glaze
How to Make Mini Pumpkin Spice Cake Mix Muffins, Step-by-Step
Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients
Step 2: Preheat your oven and prepare your baking pans
Preheat oven to 400F degrees line 24 mini muffin cups with paper liners or lightly coat muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.
Step 3: Combine the Cake Mix and Pumpkin
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: Fill the muffin cups
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared mini muffin cups. Top with any optional toppings and gently press into the batter.
Step 5: Bake
Bake at 400F degrees, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 10-12 minutes for mini muffins.
Step 6: Cool your baked muffins
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 your muffins
Store any leftover mini muffins in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes, Variations & Substitutions
Make regular-size muffins: You can divide the batter among regular muffin cups instead. Baking time will need to be increased slightly, so bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Make 12 larger muffins: Divide the batter among 12 regular muffin cups for bigger, bakery-style muffins. Keep in mind that the calories and WW Points per muffin will be higher.
Make the tops prettier: Because the batter is so thick, the muffins can look a little rough on top. Smooth the batter with damp fingers before baking if you want a more even appearance.
Make pumpkin cupcakes: Add a small amount of icing or cream cheese frosting for a simple fall cupcake.
Make a cake or loaf: Spread the batter into a prepared cake or loaf pan (affiliate link) and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The baking time will vary depending on the pan.
No spice cake mix? Use yellow cake mix and add about 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice. I’ve done this and it works great. Carrot cake mix would be another tasty option.
Add chocolate: Mini chocolate chips are especially good because you get little bits of chocolate throughout without needing very many.
Storing & Freezing Pumpkin Muffins
Store leftover muffins in an airtight container. Because pumpkin keeps them quite moist, I like to refrigerate them if they’ll be around for more than a couple of days.
They also freeze beautifully.
Let the muffins cool completely, place them in a freezer-safe container or bag and freeze. Then pull out one or two whenever you want an easy breakfast, snack or little something sweet.
How Many Calories and WW Points?
When made as 24 mini muffins, each muffin has approximately 90 calories.
To see your current WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App.
Because cake mixes vary by brand and formulation, your exact calories and Points may vary.
Historical Points reference: 2 PointsPlus per mini muffin on the old PointsPlus program.
If you want to lower the Points, you can substitute a sugar-free white or yellow cake mix for the spice cake mix and add your own spices:
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves or allspice
Or simply add 2 to 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
Why This Old Weight Watchers Favorite Still Works
Recipes don’t get much simpler than this.
A box of cake mix. A can of pumpkin. One bowl.
And while these muffins have been floating around Weight Watchers circles for years, I think their staying power has less to do with being “diet food” and more to do with being genuinely useful.
They satisfy that desire for something sweet and pumpkin-spiced without requiring a sink full of dishes or a dozen ingredients.
Sometimes the simplest recipes really are the ones we return to again and again.
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.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 2 PointsPlus (Old plan) 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 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! You could also spread the mixture into a cake or loaf pan 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Here’s a great video from Hungry Girl showing How to Make these Pumpkin Spice Cake Muffins…
More Easy WW-Friendly Baked Treats
If you enjoyed these easy pumpkin spice cake mix muffins, you might also like:
- Guiltless 2-Ingredient 7-Up Cupcakes – These refreshing lemon-lime cupcakes come together with just a cake mix and soda for a sweet treat that feels indulgent without all the extra calories.
- Baked Pumpkin Spice Latte Donuts – If you love the classic fall coffeehouse drink, you’ll adore these soft, 3-ingredient baked donuts full of pumpkin and warm spices.
- 2-Ingredient Pineapple Angel Food Cake – A long-time Weight Watchers favorite, this light and fluffy cake is made with just a box of angel food mix and crushed pineapple.
- 2-Ingredient Apple Spice Cake Mix Cupcakes – Another fall favorite, these apple spice cupcakes are moist, delicious, and a perfect companion to your pumpkin muffins.
Discover More WW-Friendly Recipes
Make dinnertime and dessert easier with my Slow Cook Yourself Slim Ultimate eBook Bundle. It’s packed with simple, satisfying WW-friendly recipes designed for busy cooks who love comfort food without the guilt.
These were delicious! Really satisfied my fall pumpkin spice craving! I used my cookie dough scoop which filled my mini muffin pan precisely and I ended up with 32 mini muffins. Calculated at 2 Freestyle SmartPoints each which I was very happy with! I will definitely make them again!
These were incredible! I did the mini muffins and they made 48 which was fine with me since my husband devoured them and ate almost all of them! Thanks for the recipe!!
I made these and once I logged it, it comes out to be 7 points inn WW freestyle for 1 muffin..
I added this recipe to the WW app and mine were 4 points per muffin. Still really yummy though.
I made these but added 2 eggs and 3/4 cup of water to the spice cake mix and can of pumpkin. Beat the mixture on low for 30 seconds and then on high for 2 minutes. I also added a cup of dark chocolate chips. Baked at 350 for 24 min. I used an ice cream scoop to fill the tins and it made 18
So simple and YUMMY!!
This is my favorite muffin recipe. I added a few white chocolate chips. Also, I made regular sized muffins (12). Thank you for sharing.
I followed the recipe and mine turned out super dense and did not spread well. They looked nothing like the photo. I had such high hopes for a yummy fall muffin.
I have made these a few times with spice cake mix & pumpkin puree. I also add
1 egg and 1/3 cup of water. Mix well.
Makes 24 reg. muffins (fill 1/2 full). Cook 18-20 mins.
Hope this helps those who find it too dense….muffins come out moist.
I baked these muffins with 2 eggs& 1/2 cup water, they were dense taste okay, but after 3 days on counter I thought they were getting moldy?, where do you store these muffins ?
Thank you, I followed your recipe and added 1/3 cup of water and an egg. They look perfect and smell delicious, but I won’t know until this evening when we try them. I made them for my husband and I’s
30th anniversary.?
Congratulations on 30 years together!
I only added the two ingredients and they were very moist and delicious.
Recipe was very dense but they actually turned out not too bad being that they’re diet friendly. I had some left over icing I melted and drizzle on top.
I had so much batter.(I wonder if it made a difference in how long you beat it. After hearing that the batter was hard to spread, etc, I beat it a lot). I ended up making 48 mini muffins. I put it into the ingredients into my ww app and according to that- 4 muffins is 1 point on freestyle.
How did you log it?? I cant find it anywhere!! And when i try to create the recipe or a food it isnt logging correctly
I had too much batter also. Made 48 mini muffins.
Same for me! I liked them and my family also.
I wish I would have liked these, but they were very heavy and dense, I even added some raisins and walnuts. I am always a bit cautious when it looks that easy, and this is no exception. I was extremely disappointed and ended up throwing them out. A long time ago a friend of mine had a delicious ww pumpkin muffin recipe that used applesauce, I wish I could find it. I also only had a 12 muffin pan, but I doubt that was the problem.