Healthy Food Recipeub October 30, 2026 0 Comments

Fluffy Brown Butter Pumpkin Orange Muffins

I was scrolling through my favorite pumpkin recipes recently and stumbled upon these beauties. OMG, these muffins. I can’t believe I haven’t re-shared them in 6 whole years! Today you’re in luck — we’re about to bake some fall muffin magic.

These fluffy orange pumpkin muffins are infused with brown butter, orange juice, and pumpkin pie spices, and finished off with an orange glaze. If you’ve never paired pumpkin with orange before, you’re in for a real treat.

The only way to describe these muffins is exceptional. Serve them for a holiday brunch, or to just keep on hand when you want a delicious snack to pair with a cup of coffee.

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Ingredients in orange pumpkin muffins

You won’t need any unique ingredients for these muffins, and each one makes them perfectly fluffy, warming, and bright. Here’s what you’ll need:

Butter: we’re browning the butter to make the muffins extra cozy and delicious. Never browned butter? Check out my tutorial here.
Pumpkin puree: you can use canned pumpkin puree or make your own using this tutorial! Or feel free to use butternut squash puree!
Eggs: you’ll need 2 eggs in this recipe to keep the muffins fluffy. I have not tested them with flax eggs, but let me know if you do!
Honey: these pumpkin orange muffins are naturally sweetened with honey. You can also use pure maple syrup if you’d like.
Orange juice & zest: we’re infusing these muffins with freshly squeezed orange juice and zest for that ultimate orange flavor. Remember to zest your oranges before squeezing them!
Flour: we’re using whole wheat pastry flour for the perfect. You can also use white whole wheat flour or a ratio of ¾ cup whole wheat flour + 1 cup all purpose flour.
Baking staples & spices: don’t forget the vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt. Bring out the pumpkin flavor with cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger & allspice.
For the glaze: the easy orange glaze is made with powdered sugar, orange juice & orange zest.

Can I make them dairy-free or gluten-free?

Please note that I have not tested these options, but there are swaps that I think will work well:

To make dairy-free: feel free to use coconut oil, olive oil, or vegan butter instead of butter. Most vegan butters don’t have milk solids that can be browned, so for any of these options, skip the browning step!
To make gluten-free: I think a 1:1 gf all purpose flour would work well in these muffins. You may need to add a splash of milk to the batter if it feels stiff, as gluten-free flours can sometimes be drier. I also think that chickpea flour would work well, or possibly oat flour.

Add your fav mix-ins

These pumpkin orange muffins are incredible on their own, but feel free to jazz them up with yummy mix-ins! Here’s what I can suggest:

Tips for making healthy orange pumpkin muffins

Follow the recipe. The best way to ensure baking success is to follow the recipe and use the exact ingredients as written (unless I note specific substitutes).
Use room temp ingredients. If your eggs are too cold, you risk the butter coagulating. To bring your eggs to room temp, simply place them in a bowl of warm water for 3-5 minutes before you use them.
Do not overmix the batter. If you overmix batter, you’ll end up with muffins that are dense and gummy instead of fluffy and soft.
Use fresh baking soda. If your baking soda is older than 3 months, I suggest grabbing a new one for the best baking results.

Want to make orange pumpkin bread instead?

Pour the batter in a greased 8×4 inch loaf pan.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
Let the bread cool completely before drizzling with the glaze!

Try a mini muffin version

I love to make mini muffins for my kiddos, and it’s so easy:

Pour the batter into a mini muffin pan with mini muffin liners.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 9 to 14 minutes! Mine are usually perfect around 12 minutes.

Storing & freezing tips

To store: you can keep these muffins at room temperature for one day, then I recommend storing them in an airtight container or reusable bag in the refrigerator. Feel free to warm them up in the microwave.
To freeze: allow the muffins to cool completely, then put them in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Once ready to reheat, you can thaw at room temperature, or heat up in the microwave in 30-second intervals. I recommend freezing them without the glaze.

Baking tools you’ll need

Get all of my kitchen essentials here!

More pumpkin recipes to try

Get all of my pumpkin recipes here, and my muffin recipes here!

I hope you love these amazing brown butter pumpkin orange muffins! If you make them, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!

Print Recipe

Brown Butter Pumpkin Orange Muffins with Orange Glaze

Gorgeous brown butter orange pumpkin muffins with a luscious orange glaze. These healthy orange pumpkin muffins are naturally sweetened with fresh orange juice and a touch of honey, and have plenty of cozy pumpkin spices. Option to add chocolate chips for an even more decadent treat!

Prep Time20 minutes

Cook Time25 minutes

Total Time45 minutes

Course: Breakfast, Nut Free, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: orange pumpkin muffins, pumpkin orange muffins

Servings: 12 muffins

Calories: 216cal

Author: Monique Volz of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Ingredients

For the wet ingredients:
⅓ cup (75 grams) butter*
1 heaping cup (244 grams) pumpkin puree
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup (168 grams) honey (or sub pure maple syrup)
⅓ cup (67 grams) freshly squeezed orange juice
Zest from 2 large oranges
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the dry ingredients:
2 cups (226 grams) whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour**
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon salt
Optional:
½ cup (90 grams) dark chocolate chips (or your favorite chocolate chips)
For the glaze:
¾ cup (90 grams) powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons orange juice, plus more to thin if necessary
1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

Prep your pan: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin liners and spray the inside of the liners with nonstick cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Brown your butter: Add butter to a saucepan and place over medium high heat. The butter will begin to crackle and then after a couple minutes, foam. Make sure you whisk constantly during this process. After a couple of minutes, the butter will begin to brown and turn a nice golden amber color on the bottom of the saucepan. Continue to whisk and remove from heat as soon as the butter begins to brown and give off a nutty aroma. Immediately transfer the butter to a medium bowl to prevent burning. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes or until cool enough to touch.
Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, add the pumpkin puree, eggs, honey, orange juice and zest, and vanilla extract. Whisk together until smooth.
Whisk the dry ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk together the whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in the cooled brown butter and mix until batter is just combined. Divide batter evenly between the muffin liners.
Bake: Bake for 23-27 minutes or until the tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the orange glaze: in a small bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon orange juice and zest smooth. Add more orange juice to thin glaze if necessary, but you do want it thick. Spoon about ½ tablespoon glaze onto each muffin or dip muffin tops into the bowl. Place on a wire rack to set the glaze. Enjoy! Makes 12 muffins.

Notes

**If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour or white whole wheat flour, you can mix 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 cup all purpose flour together.
To make dairy-free: feel free to use coconut oil, olive oil, or vegan butter instead of butter. Most vegan butters don’t have milk solids that can be browned, so for any of these options, skip the browning step!
To make gluten-free: I think a 1:1 gf all purpose flour would work well in these muffins. You may need to add a splash of milk to the batter if it feels stiff, as gluten-free flours can sometimes be drier. I also think that chickpea flour would work well, or possibly oat flour.
See the full post for tips, tricks, and ways to customize these muffins!

Nutrition

Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats

This post was originally published on October 5th, 2020, and republished with ingredient weights and a new video on October 28th, 2026.