These delicious pumpkin chocolate chip muffins are made with kodiak cakes pancake mix, for a boost of whole grains and extra protein. They are a great easy breakfast option to start your busy morning off right.

Two pumpkin chocolate chip muffins in the foreground, with a bowl of muffins behind them. One muffin is unwrapped from its wrapper and chocolate chips are scattered around.

I am always looking for healthy breakfast options for my kids. There is so much to get done, pack up, and remember in the morning before school, having a quick breakfast on hand is a life saver many days. The fact that these muffins are both healthy and delicious is a welcome bonus!

The main ingredient in these muffins is Kodiak pancake mix. This mix is widely available at local grocery stores. My local Costco has it in delightfully big boxes, and my kids never let me pass by that grizzly bear without putting one in the cart. I don’t mind.

As a general rule, I try to avoid processed foods, but this is one boxed mix I can get behind. The Kodiak mix I buy is made with 100% whole grains, and packs 14 grams of protein per serving. That is about the same amount of protein as a serving of greek yogurt or two eggs, and much more than found in regular muffins. Please note this post is not sponsored by Kodiak. I just love this recipe – my kids beg for these yummy muffins, and I get to enjoy that they are eating a sneakily nutritious breakfast.

Whip up a batch of these muffins on a Sunday afternoon, and your frazzled weekday self will thank you all week long. For more delicious muffin recipes, try my blueberry buttermilk muffins or whole wheat banana carrot muffins.

Seven pumpkin chocolate chip muffins on a cooling rack with a dish of chocolate chips and two cups of coffee.

Ingredients

Gather up your ingredients. For this recipe, you will need:

Pancake Mix: The Kodiak cakes mix I use for this recipe is Power Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix, the Buttermilk Flavor. There are other types of kodiak mixes available, including a new kodiak cakes muffin mix. I have not tried those in this recipe.
Baking powder
Pumpkin pie spice
Milk: I used 2% milk in this recipe, because that’s what I usually have on hand. You can substitute skim milk, almond milk, or other unsweetened milk of your choice.
Maple syrup: I love maple syrup in this recipe because it is a natural sweetener that adds a ton of moisture to the muffins. You could substitute honey or brown sugar. Just remember, the pancake mix already contains some added sugar, so you won’t need as much sweetener as a typical muffin recipe.
Olive oil
Pumpkin puree
Egg
Vanilla
Mini chocolate chips: completely optional! I love pumpkin and chocolate, but this recipe would also be great with chopped walnuts or pecans.

Instructions

Step One: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In the meantime, combine all dry ingredients (kodiak cake mix, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice) in a large mixing bowl.

A white bowl containing pancake mix and dry ingredients on a marble background.

Step Two: In a separate mixing bowl, combine all wet ingredients (milk, maple syrup, olive oil, pumpkin puree, egg and vanilla). Stir the wet ingredients to mix everything together. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and hand stir until just combined.

A white bowl of pumpkin muffin batter with no chocolate chips.

Step Three: Add the mini chocolate chips and fold them into the muffin mixture.

A bowl of pumpkin muffin batter being stirred with a spatula.

Step Four: Line a 12 cup muffin pan with muffin liners, or spray with cooking spray. Using a large cookie scoop or ice cream scoop, spoon the batter into the muffin pan, filling until the mix reaches just below the top of the cup. (Maybe you can get a cute little hand model to take a break from coloring and help you scoop).

A muffin tin with a bowl of pumpkin muffin batter and a hand using a cookie scoop to spoon batter into the muffin tin.

Step Five: Bake muffins for 26-30 minutes, until the top of the muffin springs back when touched and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

A muffin tin with baked pumpkin muffins scattered with chocolate chips with a bowl of chocolate chips on the side.

Storage

Muffins will keep for several days stored at room temperature. Make sure they are fully cooled, and then put them in an air tight container in a single layer for optimal freshness. Making sure the container is airtight will keep the muffins from drying out. Store the container in a cool dry place.
If I am storing muffins for longer than a few days, I put them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer. Muffins will last for up to three months in the freezer. When you are ready to eat, just remove one and let it come to room temperature, or microwave it unwrapped for 20-30 seconds.