I’m partnering with Bob’s Red Mill® to bring you today’s recipe! I absolutely love all of their products, especially their flours, and use them every day. Bob’s Red Mill products are so perfect for baking!
Towards the end of August, I flew to Northern California to visit my parents for a week. In the late morning on that particular Saturday, we hopped in the car and headed to our favorite brunch spot for a healthy meal of eggs, steamed veggies, home-style hash browns, and (not so nutritious but still delicious!) blueberry streusel coffee cake.
Partway through the drive, my dad mentioned that he couldn’t believe Labor Day was just around the corner. “It feels like summer just started… I’m not ready for it to end!” he shared with us.
I quickly jumped in. “Well… Summer doesn’t officially end until September 22nd, right?”
My mom responded too. “Now that we don’t have kids in school anymore, I’ve decided that my summer doesn’t end until October 1st!”
We all agreed that our warm California weather makes it feel like summer until at least October (if not Thanksgiving, here in Southern California where I now live!), so there was nothing wrong with extending the relaxed, laid back, sunshiny summer vibes until the temperatures actually dipped below 70°F. But then…
When I returned home and ran some errands, I spotted all sorts of fun fall decor in stores. Twiggy wreaths with crimson, tangerine, and golden leaves… Cinnamon-scented pinecones and brooms… Hand-painted wooden signs with cute pumpkin sayings…
And I realized that as much as I love the long hot summer days, I didn’t want to miss a single moment of pumpkin season. The warm spices, the cozy flavors, the comforting baked treats… I love them all and wish pumpkin season could last year round!
So the morning after Labor Day, I cracked open my first can of pumpkin to make these Healthy Small Batch Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting! They’re deliciously moist with plenty of pumpkin flavor and cozy spices, and the sweet swirls of luscious cream cheese frosting on top are such a delicious finishing touch.
And even though it’s still 90°F here… My neighbors and I polished off the entire batch in record time — and called them the best pumpkin cupcakes they’ve ever had! So I’m already planning on making many more rounds of these amazing gems this fall!
HOW TO MAKE HEALTHY MIINI PUMPKIN CUPCAKES
Let’s go over how to make these healthy mini pumpkin cupcakes!
You’ll start with one of my favorite pantry staples: Bob’s Red Mill® Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour. Bob’s Red Mill makes this amazing flour by finely grinding organic soft white wheat. Because of that soft wheat’s lighter flavor and texture, it acts and tastes very similar to all-purpose flour… But it still has the same health benefits (like extra fiber!) as regular whole wheat flour.
So in a nutshell… Whole wheat pastry flour is perfect for baking recipes! Especially ones where you want a light and tender texture but still want to sneak in those extra health benefits — like with these healthy mini pumpkin cupcakes!
Hint: You can use Bob’s Red Mill® Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour in all of these recipes of mine, too — not just these cupcakes!
You’ll also mix a quartet of spices into the whole wheat flour: cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. These are the four main spices found in pumpkin spice, but I almost always prefer to add them individually, rather than use store-bought pumpkin spice. This lets me control the ratio of each spice, and I typically like to mix in a bit more of the last three compared to most store-bought mixes for a stronger, fuller, and more robust spice flavor.
What can I say… I’m both pumpkin and pumpkin spice obsessed!
Hint: If you can find this variety of cinnamon, it’s definitely worth it! It tastes stronger and sweeter than regular cinnamon. Yum!
Unlike traditional cupcake recipes that often call for creaming a stick or two of butter with granulated sugar… You won’t do any of that! You only need a mere teaspoon of butter or coconut oil, which definitely helps keep these healthy mini pumpkin cupcakes low calorie and low fat. And with that small of an amount, I just melt the butter or coconut oil. Super easy!
That and… I rarely remember to set out butter far enough in advance to let it soften properly on its own. So melting it works much better for my forgetful brain! 😉
Then instead of granulated sugar, you’ll use two plant-based, no-calorie sweeteners: liquid stevia and confectioners’ style erythritol. Neither one contains anything refined or artificial (aka they’re clean eating friendly!), and both work really well in baking recipes.
Liquid stevia is very concentrated, so a little bit goes a long way. You only need 2 teaspoons for this entire batch of healthy mini pumpkin cupcakes! Since different stevia brands and products tend to have somewhat different sweetness levels, I recommend using the same one I do (here!) for the best results.
However, confectioners’ style erythritol sweetens cup-for-cup like regular powdered sugar! I found that adding just 2 tablespoons to the batter really boosted the sweetness level of these healthy mini pumpkin cupcakes. It made them taste exceptionally sweet and delicious!
Hint: You’ll use liquid stevia in all of these recipes of mine and confectioners’ style erythritol in all of these recipes of mine!
Of course, it would be impossible to make healthy pumpkin cupcakes without the pumpkin! I used store-bought pumpkin purée as an easy shortcut, rather than make my own from scratch. Just make sure you use regular canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie mix! The latter contains added sugar and spices, which aren’t necessary for this recipe. You want to use the kind that contains pumpkin and nothing else!
It adds flavor (obviously!), but the pumpkin purée (and a little bit of Greek yogurt!) also adds lots of moisture to the batter. This is key, especially since you used so little butter or oil! The extra moisture coming from the pumpkin and yogurt make your healthy mini pumpkin cupcakes taste just as tender as traditional cupcakes but for a fraction of the calories.
Such a handy trick, right??
Before you bake these, remember to coat your mini cupcake liners with cooking spray! Low fat batters (like this one!) stick to cupcake liners like superglue. Generously misting them with cooking spray first helps the liners peel away much more easily. (If the liners still don’t peel away easily, seal your cupcakes inside of an airtight container for 24+ hours to help loosen the liners even more!)
Once your healthy mini pumpkin cupcakes have finished baking and completely cooled, then it’s time to top them with healthy cream cheese frosting!
If you want to pipe pretty swirls like I did, then use this cream cheese frosting recipe of mine. I love how those frosting swirls make these cupcakes look so fancy and elegant — and they’re definitely perfect for anyone who loves a big frosting to cupcake ratio! 😉
If you’d rather spread your frosting on top with a knife, then use this cream cheese frosting recipe of mine instead! It’s simpler to make, and it doesn’t require chilling for 2+ hours. If you prefer a smaller frosting to cupcake ratio, then spreading your frosting on top of your healthy mini pumpkin cupcakes is probably a better route, too.
Then enjoy every bite of your fall-themed treats! Even if it’s still 90°F and you have to turn on the air conditioning to bake, just like I did… 😉
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ????) I’d love to see your healthy mini pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting!
| Healthy Small Batch Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting | Print |
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp (135g) Bob’s Red Mill® Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp ground ginger
- ⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tsp coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg white, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp liquid stevia (see Notes!)
- 2 tbsp (18g) confectioners’ style erythritol (see Notes!)
- 6 tbsp (92g) pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie mix!)
- 2 tbsp (30g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 7 tbsp (105mL) nonfat milk, divided
- cream cheese frosting, for topping (see Notes!)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 19 mini muffin cups with paper liners, and coat the liners with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, egg white, vanilla, and liquid stevia. Stir in the erythritol. Stir in the pumpkin purée and Greek yogurt, mixing until no lumps remain. Stir in ¼ cup of milk. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and the remaining milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, and stirring just until incorporated. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 4 equal parts.)
- Divide the batter between the prepared paper liners. Bake at 350°F for 10-13 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cupcakes have fully cooled, top with the cream cheese frosting.
For the gluten-free flour, use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour! Remember to measure it like this.
Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour or All-Purpose Flour may be substituted in place of the whole wheat pastry flour.
It’s extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out your cupcakes and give them a crumbly texture, instead of having them turn out moist and tender!
For a stronger spice flavor (I always prefer stronger spice flavors!), then increase the ginger, nutmeg, and cloves by ⅛ teaspoon each (for a total of ¼ teaspoon each).
I highly recommend using the liquid stevia! It’s one of my pantry staples (you’ll use it in all of these recipes of mine!), and I buy it online here. If you prefer not to use stevia in the cupcakes, substitute 6 tablespoons (90mL) of agave, honey, or pure maple syrup for the liquid stevia. Reduce the milk to 1 tablespoon (15mL). (The batter should be fairly thick, similar to muffin batter.)
Coconut sugar, brown sugar, granulated sugar, or regular powdered sugar (24g is 2 tablespoons for these sweeteners!) may be substituted for the confectioners’ style erythritol.
Any milk may be substituted for the nonfat milk.
For the cream cheese frosting, use this first recipe of mine if you’d like to pipe it on top of your cupcakes in swirls (like I did in the photos above this recipe!). This second recipe of mine is a clean eating version, but it works better when spread on top of the cupcakes with a knife (it doesn’t pipe very well).
This recipe is easily doubled to yield 12 standard size cupcakes! Remember to coat the cupcake liners with nonstick cooking spray first. Bake the standard size cupcakes at 350°F for 20-23 minutes or until the centers feel firm to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Do not store your pumpkin cupcakes at room temperature, even if they’re unfrosted! Pumpkin baked treats tend to spoil very quickly, so always keep leftovers refrigerated.
{gluten-free, clean eating option, low fat, low sugar, sugar free}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
This post was sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill®. As always, all thoughts, opinions, text, photos, and recipe are my own. To find Bob’s Red Mill® products at a store near you, use their handy store locator here!
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Bundt Cake
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Spice Latte Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Pound Cake
♡ Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy pumpkin recipes!
Is there a way to use any nut flours for these? Thanks !
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe! I actually don’t recommend using nut flours (ie almond flour) for these cupcakes; that makes them turn out really dense. However, I’ve provided a gluten-free alternative, if that’s your main concern! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think if you try making these cupcakes!