120-Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins You’ll Devour

Name: 120-Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins You’ll Devour
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup pumpkin puree; 1/4 cup maple syrup; 1 egg; 1 tsp vanilla extract; 1 cup whole wheat flour; 1 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp cinnamon; 1/4 tsp nutmeg; 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Author: Sarah

Published: August 13, 2025

Updated: August 13, 2025

Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins.

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You know those mornings when you’re craving something sweet, but you don’t want to derail your whole day? That’s exactly why I created these Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins. I’ll never forget the look on my husband’s face when I told him they were only 120 calories each – he couldn’t believe something so moist and delicious could actually be good for you too!

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Table of contents:

What makes these muffins special is how they satisfy that pumpkin spice craving without all the sugar and butter of traditional recipes. The secret’s in the pumpkin puree – it keeps them incredibly moist while cutting calories naturally. I’ve been making this recipe every fall since 2019, and honestly? My kids beg for them more than the full-fat versions now. That’s when I knew I had to share them with you!

Why You’ll Love These Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Let me tell you why these little guys have become my go-to treat. First off, they’re so ridiculously easy to whip up – we’re talking one bowl, no fancy equipment, and ready in 30 minutes flat. But the real magic is how they deliver on flavor without the guilt:

Moist like nobody’s business – The pumpkin puree works overtime here, keeping every bite tender and delicious (no dry hockey pucks here!)
Just sweet enough – Maple syrup gives that perfect hint of sweetness without sending your blood sugar soaring
Breakfast-worthy nutrition – At just 120 calories each, you can actually enjoy these as part of a balanced morning

Freezer-friendly magic – I always double the batch and stash some away for busy days (they thaw perfectly in the microwave)
Kid-approved healthy – My picky eaters gobble these up without realizing they’re eating whole wheat flour and real pumpkin

Honestly, the hardest part about this recipe is stopping at just one muffin – good luck with that!

Ingredients for Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Okay, let’s talk ingredients – and I mean the right ingredients. You wouldn’t believe how many times my friends have texted me asking why their muffins came out wrong, only to find out they used pumpkin pie filling instead of puree. (Spoiler: Not the same thing!) Here’s exactly what you’ll need:

1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree – That’s plain pumpkin, folks! The can should say “100% pure pumpkin” with no added spices or sugar. Libby’s is my go-to brand.
1/4 cup pure maple syrup – The real stuff, please! None of that pancake syrup business. Grade A works beautifully here.

1 large egg – Take it from my many failed experiments – size matters. Large eggs give the perfect structure.
1 tsp vanilla extract – Splurge on the good vanilla if you can. I can always tell when I’ve used imitation – the flavor just falls flat.
1 cup whole wheat flour – I use white whole wheat for a lighter texture, but regular works too. Just don’t pack it when measuring!

1 tsp baking powder – Check the date! Old baking powder is why so many muffins don’t rise properly.
1/2 tsp baking soda – This reacts with the pumpkin’s acidity – crucial for that perfect rise.
1 tsp cinnamon + 1/4 tsp nutmeg – My secret spice blend. Freshly grated nutmeg makes all the difference if you’ve got it.

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips – I prefer 60-70% cacao for balance. Mini chips distribute better, but regular work too if that’s what you’ve got!

See? Nothing weird or hard to find. Just simple, real ingredients that come together to make something magical. Pro tip: Measure everything before you start mixing – it makes the whole process so much smoother!

How to Make Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Alright, let’s get baking! I’ve made these so many times I could probably do it in my sleep, but I’ll walk you through each step so yours turn out perfect on the first try. Just wait until you smell these baking – your kitchen will smell like pumpkin spice heaven!

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or give them a light spray. Trust me, nothing’s worse than muffins sticking to the pan!
Whisk together the wet ingredients in a large bowl – that’s your pumpkin puree, maple syrup, egg, and vanilla. Mix until it’s smooth and gorgeous orange. The batter should look like a creamy pumpkin milkshake at this stage.
Sift the dry ingredients together in another bowl – flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. I know sifting seems extra, but it prevents those little flour lumps we all hate.

Combine wet and dry ingredients gently. Pour the dry mix into the wet and stir just until the flour disappears. A few small lumps are totally fine – overmixing makes tough muffins!
Fold in those chocolate chips with a spatula – about 10 gentle folds max. You want them evenly distributed but not beaten into the batter.
Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. I use an ice cream scoop for perfect portions – no uneven muffins here!

Bake for 18-20 minutes until the tops spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter). Watch them closely at the end – they go from perfect to overdone quickly!
Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack. This waiting period is crucial – if you try to eat them too soon, they’ll fall apart on you. The chocolate chips stay molten hot too – ask me how I know!

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Tips for Perfect Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

After burning, dropping, and overmixing more batches than I’d like to admit, here are my hard-won secrets:

Room temp egg is non-negotiable – A cold egg can make the batter seize up. Just let it sit out for 30 minutes or float it in warm water for 5 minutes.
The fold-and-stop method – When combining wet and dry ingredients, stop stirring the second you stop seeing flour. Those last few streaks will disappear as you fold in the chocolate chips.

Oven thermometer is your best friend – So many ovens run hot or cold. Mine’s off by 15 degrees! A $5 thermometer prevents over- or under-baking.
The toothpick lie – Sometimes chocolate melts onto the toothpick making it look wet even when done. Look for actual batter vs melted chocolate.
Rotate at 15 minutes – Ovens have hot spots. Giving the pan a 180° turn ensures even baking.

Second batch boost – If making multiple batches, let the tin cool completely between uses or the muffins will bake unevenly.

Follow these tips and you’ll have bakery-worthy muffins every single time. Now go enjoy that first warm bite – you’ve earned it!

Ingredient Substitutions for Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Look, I get it – sometimes you’re halfway through a recipe and realize you’re out of something. No panic! After years of testing, here are my approved swaps that actually work (and a few I’ve learned the hard way to avoid):

Safe Swaps That Keep the Magic

Maple syrup alternatives: Honey works beautifully – just use the same amount. Agave nectar does too, though it’s sweeter so you might reduce it to 3 tbsp. Coconut sugar syrup? Surprisingly great! But skip white sugar substitutes – they throw off the moisture balance.
Flour options: Almond flour can replace whole wheat flour cup-for-cup, but your muffins will be denser (still tasty though!). For gluten-free, I’ve had success with 1:1 baking flour blends. Oat flour works too, but add an extra tablespoon of pumpkin to compensate for dryness.
Egg replacements: Flax eggs (1 tbsp ground flax + 3 tbsp water) work in a pinch, though the texture becomes more crumbly. Applesauce (1/4 cup) can substitute in a bind, but your muffins won’t rise as high.

Chocolate chip variations: Any chocolate works here! I’ve used chopped dark chocolate bars, cacao nibs for less sugar, even white chocolate chips when that’s all I had. Raisins or dried cranberries make a fun twist too.

The Non-Negotiables

Some ingredients just can’t be messed with if you want these muffins to turn out right:

Pumpkin puree is sacred – No substituting mashed banana or applesauce. The pumpkin’s unique moisture and flavor are irreplaceable here.

Baking powder/soda must stay – These aren’t just for rise; they react with the pumpkin’s acidity. Without them, you’ll get dense, gummy muffins.
Spices are essential – Skip the cinnamon and nutmeg, and you lose that cozy pumpkin spice soul. If you’re out of nutmeg, at least keep the cinnamon!

Remember: Every substitution changes the final product a bit. My first batch with almond flour tasted great but looked, well, let’s just say my kids called them “pumpkin hockey pucks.” The flavor was there though! The beauty of this recipe is its flexibility – play around and find what works for your pantry and taste buds.

Serving and Storing Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Now comes the best part – enjoying your muffins! But first, a word of warning from someone who’s burned their tongue too many times: let them cool for at least 15 minutes before digging in. I know it’s hard when that pumpkin spice aroma fills your kitchen, but molten chocolate chips are no joke. (My husband still teases me about the time I burned the roof of my mouth and couldn’t taste anything for two days!)

When they’ve cooled to the perfect warm-but-not-scalding temperature, here’s how to keep them fresh:

Room Temperature Storage

If you’re like me and these muffins disappear within 24 hours (no judgment!), just pop them in an airtight container at room temp. They’ll stay perfectly moist for:

2-3 days in a sealed container – I use my trusty glass Snapware
Place a paper towel underneath to absorb any excess moisture
Keep them whole – slicing accelerates drying

Freezer Magic

This is my secret weapon! I always make a double batch because they freeze like a dream:

Cool completely first – warm muffins create freezer burn
Wrap individually in plastic wrap then place in a freezer bag

Label with date – they’ll keep for up to 1 month
Thaw overnight in fridge or 30 seconds in microwave

My favorite trick? Taking a frozen muffin straight to work in my lunchbox – by coffee break, it’s perfectly thawed and tastes fresh-baked. The chocolate chips get that just-melty texture that makes everyone in the breakroom jealous!

Reheating Like a Pro

Want that fresh-from-the-oven experience days later? Here’s how:

Microwave method: 10-15 seconds restores that warm, gooey texture
Oven refresh: 5 minutes at 300°F crisps the edges beautifully

Air fryer hack: 2-3 minutes at 320°F gives them new life

Just avoid the toaster – trust me, it’s a chocolate-y mess waiting to happen. Ask my poor toaster that still has chocolate stains from 2018!

Nutritional Information for Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Now, let’s talk numbers – because knowing exactly what you’re eating makes enjoying these muffins even sweeter! Here’s the breakdown per muffin (because yes, I’ve actually weighed and calculated this more times than I’d like to admit):

Calories: 120 – That’s less than half what you’d find in most bakery muffins!
Fat: 3g (1.5g saturated) – Thank you, dark chocolate chips!
Carbs: 20g – With 2g of fiber to help balance blood sugar

Sugar: 8g – Naturally occurring from the maple syrup and chocolate
Protein: 3g – More than you’d expect from a sweet treat
Sodium: 100mg – Much lower than processed snacks

A quick but important note: Nutritional values are estimates and can vary based on brands and measurements. For example, using a different maple syrup brand might change the sugar count slightly, or if you go wild with the chocolate chips (no judgment!), the fat grams will increase. That said, these numbers are based on my standard recipe with the exact ingredients I listed earlier.

What makes me happiest about these stats? Seeing how they stack up against regular pumpkin muffins. A typical coffee shop pumpkin chocolate chip muffin clocks in around 400-500 calories and 30g of sugar! With these, you get all that cozy pumpkin spice flavor for a fraction of the calories – meaning you can actually enjoy seconds without guilt. (Not that I’ve ever done that… okay, maybe once or twice.)

Pro tip: If you’re tracking macros closely, I recommend:

Weighing your flour for most accurate carb counts
Counting chocolate chips if you’re being precise (about 12-15 per muffin)
Using the exact brands listed if possible

At the end of the day, what matters most is that these muffins let you indulge smartly – satisfying cravings while nourishing your body. Now that’s what I call a win-win!

FAQs About Low Calorie Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I’ve gotten so many questions about these muffins over the years – some pretty hilarious, some super smart! Here are the ones that pop up most often, along with my tested answers:

Can I use canned pumpkin pie filling instead of puree?

Oh honey, no! I made this mistake exactly once and ended up with weirdly sweet, oddly spiced hockey pucks. Pumpkin pie filling has added sugars and spices that’ll throw off the whole recipe. Always grab the can that says “100% pure pumpkin” – it’s usually right next to the pie filling in the grocery aisle.

How can I make these even lower in sugar?

I’ve played with this a lot! Try reducing the maple syrup to 3 tablespoons instead of 1/4 cup – they’ll still be sweet enough thanks to the chocolate. You can also swap half the chocolate chips for chopped walnuts or pecans. Just don’t cut the syrup entirely – the muffins need some sugar for texture and browning.

Why did my muffins sink in the middle?

This happened to me the first time too! Usually it’s one of three things: 1) You overmixed the batter (stop at “just combined”), 2) Your baking powder/soda is old (check those expiration dates!), or 3) You opened the oven door too early. They need that steady heat to set properly – I always wait until at least the 15-minute mark to peek.

Can I make these as a loaf instead of muffins?

Absolutely! Pour the batter into a greased 8×4 loaf pan and bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes. The edges get beautifully caramelized this way. Just do the toothpick test – when it comes out clean, you’re golden. Let it cool completely before slicing or it’ll crumble apart (another lesson from my impatience!).

My muffins turned out gummy – what went wrong?

Ah yes, the dreaded gummy texture! Nine times out of ten, it’s because you used too much pumpkin puree. Make sure to level off your measuring cup – that extra tablespoon or two makes a huge difference. Also, resist the urge to underbake them; they need that full 18-20 minutes to set properly, even if they look done on top.

Got more questions? Drop them in the comments below – I love troubleshooting baking adventures with you! And if you discover any brilliant tweaks, share those too. Some of my best recipe improvements have come from reader suggestions.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing your muffin creations! Seriously, I still get giddy when photos pop up in my Instagram feed – it’s like we’re all baking together in one big virtual kitchen. If you try this recipe (or put your own spin on it), I’d absolutely love to hear about it!

Here’s how we can connect:

Snap a pic of your muffins – bonus points if you catch that perfect melty chocolate chip shot
Tag me @[yourhandle] on Instagram – I feature reader bakes every Friday!

Leave a star rating below – Did they turn out perfectly? Would you tweak anything? Honest reviews help other bakers
Share your modifications in the comments – Your creative swaps might inspire someone else’s new favorite version

You can also find more delicious recipes on Pinterest.

And if your family goes crazy for these like mine does? Well, welcome to the pumpkin muffin obsession club – we meet whenever the craving strikes (which is basically every weekend from September through December in my house!).