Easy 3-Ingredient Pumpkin Muffins Start With Boxed Cake Mix

When autumn rolls around, it's time for pumpkin lovers to bring out all of the best pumpkin-flavored recipes. If you're looking for a new dish to try out — and, specifically, an easy-to-make one that uses very few components — then you need to know about these three-ingredient pumpkin muffins. All you need is a box of spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin puree, and about a cup of chopped pecans. You can also keep this recipe even simpler by omitting the nuts, either to keep the focus on the flavor or to just use one less ingredient. Spice cake, for anyone unfamiliar, contains just about all of the elements that make up a pumpkin spice mix: cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger. With that in mind, it has a warm spice-forward flavor. The pumpkin puree will bring in a touch of extra sweetness, making for a tasty, cozy autumnal treat. If you include the pecans, you'll add in a rich, buttery, nutty flavor — as well as a satisfying crunch — to round out the dessert. 

If you don't have a spice cake mix on hand, but happen to own yellow cake mix, you can likely still make this work. It will mean that this is no longer a three-ingredient recipe, but it will still be nearly as simple and quick to construct. All you have to do is add your own pumpkin spice mix (about 1 or 2 tablespoons) to the yellow cake mix. If you don't have a premade mixture, you can use our recipe for homemade pumpkin spice. 

To make these easy pumpkin muffins, combine the boxed mix and the puree in a bowl. If you're using the pecans, fold in about ⅔ cups of those (and save the rest). Transfer the mixture to lined muffin tins and add the rest of the pecans to the top. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 22 minutes. Pierce the pastries with a toothpick to make sure that they're fully baked. If the toothpick comes out clean, they're ready to go; if not, pop them back in for a few extra minutes. The results are perfect pumpkin muffins with the delicious warmth of spice cake. 

These fall delicacies are also easy to customize and elevate. For one, you can simply swap out pecans for another type of nut, such as walnuts or almonds. You can also exchange them entirely for a sweeter option: chocolate chips. Alternatively, add both chocolate chips for the sweetness and pecans for the crunch. Other fun additions include cranberries, raisins, or coconut flakes. You can also top the dessert with some sort of glaze, like we do with our pumpkin muffins with maple icing. If the topping feels like a bit much for this dish, another idea is to dust powdered sugar over your treats. On the other hand, if you'd like to try a savory addition, you could try using shredded cheddar cheese for a unique but tasty spin.