If your pantry has a box of cake mix and a can of pumpkin purée, you have a muffin. That’s the whole premise. These 2 ingredient pumpkin muffins don’t need eggs, oil, milk, or even a mixer — the pumpkin does every job the wet ingredients usually do, leaving you with a dense, moist, bakery-style crumb that tastes far more involved than it is. Three flavor variations are below; pick the one that matches the box in your cabinet.
Two ingredients, one bowl, and a cooling rack. Photo credit: On My Kids Plate
The one rule for all three recipes: buy the small can labeled 100% pumpkin or pure pumpkin — never pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced, and it will completely throw off the texture.
Recipe 1: Spice Cake + Pumpkin (The Classic Pumpkin-Spice Muffin)
Single muffin hero shot — ready in 30 minutes. Photo credit: Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons
The most-spiced option. Spice cake mix already contains cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and allspice, so you get deep pumpkin-spice flavor with zero extra seasoning. This is the version that tastes most like a bakery “PSL” muffin.
| Prep Time | Bake Time | Yield | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5–10 minutes | 18–20 minutes | 12 muffins | ~189 kcal each |
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) spice cake mix (Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, Pillsbury — any brand)
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin purée (don’t use pumpkin pie filling)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (some sources bake at 375°F for a slightly taller muffin — both work; see tip below).
- Stir pumpkin and dry cake mix together in a large bowl with a spatula. Skip every ingredient on the back of the cake-mix box — you don’t need them.
- Scoop the thick batter into a lined or well-sprayed 12-cup muffin tin, filling each well about ¾ full. An ice-cream or cookie scoop keeps things clean.
- Bake 18–20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5–10 minutes, then move to a wire rack.
Bake-temperature tip: Momcrieff bakes at 350°F for a denser top; Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons and The How-To Home prefer 375°F for a slightly taller, domed muffin. Use the higher temp if you want bakery-style crowns — the lower temp if you prefer crackle-top, dense muffins.
Sources: Momcrieff · Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons · The How-To Home
Recipe 2: Devil’s Food / Chocolate Cake + Pumpkin (The Fudgy Chocolate Version)
If you don’t tell anyone there’s pumpkin in these, they won’t know. Photo credit: Simple Nourished Living
The chocolate lover’s pick. Pumpkin disappears entirely into Devil’s Food cake mix, so the result reads as fudgy, dense chocolate cupcakes. Lower in fat and calories than a regular cake-mix batch because pumpkin replaces all the oil and eggs.
| Prep Time | Bake Time | Yield | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 15–20 minutes | 12 muffins | ~133–150 kcal each |
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) Devil’s Food chocolate cake mix
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with liners. (Simple Nourished Living cranks it up to 400°F for a slightly thicker top — either works.)
- Whisk the cake mix and pumpkin in a large bowl until thick, smooth, and fluffy. It will be much thicker than a regular cake-mix batter; that’s correct.
- Scoop with an ice-cream scoop into the liners, filling each about ¾ of the way. The muffins don’t rise as much as traditional cupcakes, so filling higher is fine.
- Bake 15–20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the tin 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. They’re excellent plain, or dress them up with frosting, a dusting of powdered sugar, or a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice.
Cake-mix swaps that work: French Vanilla, yellow, white, or spice cake mix all pair beautifully with pumpkin purée. Chocolate and spice will always give you the deepest flavor.
Sources: Savvy Saving Couple · Simple Nourished Living
Recipe 3: Yellow or White Cake + Pumpkin (The Customizable Blank Canvas)
The yellow-cake version baked fresh from the oven. Photo credit: On My Kids Plate
The lighter base. Yellow or white cake mix lets the pumpkin flavor through more honestly, giving you a vanilla-pumpkin muffin that doubles as a canvas for whatever’s already in your pantry: chocolate chips, nuts, raisins, fresh fruit, even streusel.
| Prep Time | Bake Time | Yield |
|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 18–20 minutes | 12 standard muffins (or 24 smaller ones) |
Ingredients
- 1 box (15.25 oz) yellow or white cake mix
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin purée
- Optional add-ins (still pantry-only): ½ cup chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, apple chunks, or 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice for extra warmth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin.
- Add pumpkin to a large bowl, then add the cake mix in thirds — about a third at a time, mixing by hand with a silicone spatula each time — until a thick, slightly sticky batter forms. Don’t use an electric mixer — it overmixes quickly and toughens the crumb.
- Fold in any optional add-ins last, after the batter is fully mixed.
- Scoop into muffin cups, about ⅔ to ¾ full.
- Bake 18–20 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Tops will look a bit bumpy and may crack slightly — that’s normal and varies by cake-mix brand.
- Cool in the pan 5 minutes, then on a wire rack. Top with a simple glaze (¾ cup powdered sugar + 2¼ tsp milk + 1 tsp vanilla) if you want more sweetness.
Make-it-fluffier hack: The batter is naturally thick. If you’d like a lighter, more traditional-muffin texture, stir in ½ to 1 cup of water. (Counts as a “third” ingredient but doesn’t change the pantry-only premise.)
Sources: On My Kids Plate · Babaganosh
Why Two Ingredients Is Genuinely Enough
- Pumpkin replaces the eggs — it gives the batter structure and prevents the crumb from collapsing.
- Pumpkin replaces the oil — it provides all the fat needed to keep the muffin tender for days, not just hours.
- The cake mix carries the seasoning — for the spice-cake version, the cinnamon-nutmeg-clove blend is already inside the box. No separate spice jar required.
- The batter is thick on purpose — that’s what keeps the muffins from collapsing into dry, hollow shells. Forgiving for new bakers; hard to mess up.
FAQ
Can I use pumpkin pie filling? No. Pie filling is pre-sweetened and pre-spiced and will make your muffins too sweet and uneven-textured. Always use the plain orange can labeled “100% pumpkin” or “pure pumpkin.”
Do I need to add eggs or oil? No — that’s the whole point. The 15 oz can of pumpkin does the job of both.
Why are my muffins so thick and dense? Because there are no eggs to lift them. They’re meant to be dense and moist — that’s the signature texture. If you want them to rise more, add ½ cup to 1 cup of water, or use yellow cake mix + 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice for a lighter flavor profile.
How long do they keep? 3–4 days in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 1 week refrigerated, and up to 3 months frozen. Slip a paper towel into the container — it absorbs excess moisture from the pumpkin and keeps the muffins from going soggy.
Can I make these into mini muffins or cupcakes? Yes. Mini muffins bake in about 8–10 minutes. For cupcakes, just spread frosting on top — the same batter works; you don’t need a different recipe.
Can I use pancake mix or cornbread mix instead of cake mix? Cake mix is the most reliable pantry-only swap because it already contains sugar, fat, and leavening. If you try a pancake mix, expect a flatter, less sweet muffin and add ½ cup water to compensate. A blondie or brownie boxed mix also works for the chocolate variation above.
What if I don’t have spice cake mix? Use yellow, white, or vanilla cake mix and stir in 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (or just cinnamon).
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