These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are perfectly moist, and delicious and slammed with nutrition— hi pumpkin, chia seeds, flaxseeds and brewer’s yeast. Perfect for nursing moms (eeerr… hungry dads) + a list of foods that supports nursing.
Breastfeeding. Boy do I have a lot to say about the subject right now… but in effort not to go off on a rant, I will stick to nutrition today and save the social discussion for a later date. Nursing your baby is not all roses people and I’ll leave it at that.
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Lactation Muffins
As a new mom, I’ve been trying to do what I can to eat foods that support a healthy milk production so that baby Parker can be fed the good stuff. When Sonali from The Foodie Physician reached out about her latest book, Natural Pregnancy Cookbook, my first hope was that she had a good lactation cookie or muffin recipe and ohhh.m.geee this muffin is a winner.
These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins are perfectly moist, and delicious and slammed with nutrition. Hi!
pumpkin,
chia seeds,
flaxseeds
and brewer’s yeast.
I’ve seriously made these muffins over and over and over gain. Welcome to the land of milk and… j/k not all the batches were for myself. I love how this recipe uses honey, applesauce, and coconut oil rather than sugar and butter… so you can feel good about munching on these goodies.
Milk supply is very individualized some moms naturally produce more milk and/or baby’s have more affinity to nursing. Personally, I nursed my first 23 months and currently going strong with nursing my second at 16 months. Maybe I’ve eaten one too many lactation muffins, but most likely it’s just what works for us.
There are definitely some things mamas can do to help with supporting their diet for nursing, in fact I wrote a whole post on that here if you’re interested: breastfeeding foods guide on what to eat and what to avoid while nursing.
Breastfeeding moms need to get more nutrients into their diet especially fluid and calories. Because nursing can burn up to 500 calories per day, restrictive diets can put a damper on mom’s supply. Drinking enough water is essential to milk production too.
While eating when hungry and drinking when thirsty are the two most important factors to producing enough breastmilk, incorporating oats, flaxseed and brewers yeast in the diet may also help boost supply. All the more reason to eat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Lactation Muffins right?
Brewer’s Yeast for Breastfeeding?
Many moms swear by brewers yeast for boosting milk supply. Brewer’s yeast is considered a galactagogue, which is basically just an herb, food, or medication that might increase milk production in some women.
The increase production of milk is seen as a result of an increase in prolactin levels, which initiates the letdown reflex of the breast and aids in milk ejection. You can buy brewer’s yeast in tablets, or add 1-2 tablespoons of a powdered form to smoothies or baked goods to see if it works for you! Brewer’s yeast contains significant amounts of B-vitamins, essential amino acids, and chromium.
While nature does a good job at preserving quality of breastmilk if mom is slacking, there are some key nutrients that baby may be missing if mom isn’t getting enough– specifically Vitamin D and Omega 3s. For those of you that know nutrition, these are two shortfall nutrients that we ALL need to be getting more of because they both have very important roles in health and longevity. Along with daily sun exposure for adequate Vitamin D levels moms should work to balance their diet with these foods.
Foods that help with lactation:
- oily fish (salmon, low mercury tuna, sardines, anchovies, mackeral)
- seaweed
- nuts/seeds (chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts)
- oats
- omega 3 enriched eggs
- variety of fruits and veggies
- lean meats
Hope you enjoy this recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Lactation Muffins as much as I have and do share it with a nursing mommy friend. And for the men out there, trust me… if you take a bite of these muffins you will not start squirting milk. 🙂
If you love these muffins, check out more of our best muffin recipes:
Healthy Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
And for those nursing mamas that are getting back in the swing of a workout routine, check out our list of 20 Pre Workout Snacks to Fuel Busy Moms on the Go.
More motherhood resources:
How To Feed Peanut Butter to Baby: 8 ways on early introduction to peanuts
Natural Birth Story: I had a baby on the elevator
“Pump Up Your Milk” Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 18 muffins 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
This recipe for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Lactation Muffins is delicious! Perfect for nursing moms + list of foods that support breastfeeding.
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 cup pureed pumpkin
- 1/2 cup melted coconut or grapeseed oil
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2/3 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips plus extra to top muffins (or dried fruit like raisins or cranberries)
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds (optional)
- 3 tablespoons flaxseed meal (optional)
- 2 tablespoons brewer’s yeast
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk together the wet ingredients (eggs through vanilla).
- In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients (whole wheat flour through brewer’s yeast).
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix well.
- Line muffin tins with paper. Fill each to the top with batter and top with chocolate chips (optional).
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes for regular muffins, 22 minutes for mini muffins, and 55 minutes for a loaf.
- They are ready with toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool for a few minutes in the pan on a rack. Then, remove from the pan and cool completely on a rack.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 196
- Sodium: 231mg
- Fat: 12.1g
- Saturated Fat: 1.8g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 2.9g
- Protein: 4.6g
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
Did you make one of my recipes?? Leave a review in the comments and tag @loveandzest #loveandzest on Instagram!
If you’re a modern mama– I’d love for you to join my Facebook group A Modern Motherhood Collective!
Hi there! Can I add oatmeal into the recipe? Perhaps in lieu of the almond flour? I was thinking I’d blend them. Thank you!
★★★★
These are so yummy…I memorized the recipe after making them so often when I was struggling with my milk supply. I felt like they helped quite a bit. Pretty versatile too, I made them with half normal white flour one time and subbed almond flour for coconut flour another time (different quantity, I had to look up the conversion), forgot the healthy flour completely once… always turned out. Have given the recipe to my nursing mama friends! One tip – don’t leave the batter in the fridge overnight. I did this after running out of time to bake the whole batch….The brewer’s yeast gets stronger in flavor and that’s definitely not a flavor you’re trying to accentuate.
Another awesome benefit of these is glowing skin!
★★★★★
Hey Sally! I’m like super impressed you’ve memorized the recipe! I think the only recipe I know by heart is my favorite chocolate chip cookies. But I agree this recipe is so yum and super adaptable. I’m so glad that you’ve enjoyed it and that it’s helped with supply too!! Thanks for your feedback.
★★★★★
This recipe looks absolutely amazing! No doubt it will turn out good and delicious!
Made these today and they are delicious!! Omitted the flax since I don’t like playing with my estrogen levels. Used grape seed oil. I didn’t have almond flour on hand so I put the wheat flour and a bit more almonds than the recipe called for in the blender on the ice crush mode. The flour kept it from turning into almond butter, and worked wonderfully! Also, no brewers yeast so used nutritional yeast since it’s also high in B vitamins. So, I guess you could say I made a version of these. Still, they’re delicious, and it says something about a recipe that a person can make so many modifications and still have them turn out. I do have to say I don’t really taste the pumpkin, but still delicious.
As to how they’ll effect my supply, I. Sure I’ll need more than just one muffin before I know. So, I’d better go eat some more…for science.
★★★★★
Hi, if I don’t have almond flour, how can I make an adjustment and substitution?
You can just use more whole wheat flour.
You can put the whole wheat flour and a little more than a cup of almonds in a high power blender on ice crush mode. The flour will keep it from turning into almond butter, and that way you still get the nutritional boost of the almonds.
★★★★★
I made a double batch of these to take to the hospital with me in a couple days when I have a repeat c-section. A friend made a different recipe muffin for me last time and it helped get my milk in faster after the surgery. These muffins are delicious! They are super moist and have a great flavor. The only change I made was using cranberries instead of the chocolate chips and I snuck in some extra brewers yeast. I found a brewers yeast that claimed to be less hitter and even increasing the amount I couldn’t detect it. thanks for sharing a great recipe!
So glad to hear Deirdre!!! 🙂 They are super moist that’s for sure.
Does it matter if you use nutritional yeast versus brewers yeast?
They have different flavors… you can totally omit the brewers yeast if you don’t have it on hand!
I made these I found them to be very dense and not muffin like. They were crunchy on top and gooey inside.
★★
Awww. So sad. I’ve made these several times and just love them. Wonder what went wrong? Curious, do you live at a high altitude?
Since there is no milk in these muffins, do the leftovers have to be refridgerated? Or can they just be kept in a sealed container?
★★★★★
will using coconut oil give these a coco-nutty taste? sometimes cooking with coconut oil you dont really taste it. thats why i’m asking.
I don’t think it has a coconut flavor– it’s pretty chocolate and pumpkin loaded! They are super good.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Instead of coconut oil however, would I be better to substitute with butter or a different oil like veg oil?
Hi. Can I use canned pumpkin?
My sister is about to give birth any day and is nervous about breast feeding. Ill have to give her this recipe and article!! She’ll die over these muffins for sure!
I just can’t say no to pumpkin and chocolate anything. And I love that you put raisins in these muffins. I never would have thought of that!
Great post with lots of important information about breastfeeding! Thank you so much for the wonderful review. I’m so happy that you liked the book and feel that it would be a good resource for new moms. The muffins look terrific- I’m so glad you enjoyed them! 🙂