Pawpaw Muffins
🧁 Pawpaw Muffins: Moist, Fruity & Perfect for Fall Mornings
If you’ve ever wished banana bread had a little more mystery, these pawpaw muffins are your answer. Made with ripe American pawpaw (Asimina triloba) — a fruit native to Wisconsin forests but tropical in flavor — these muffins are soft, naturally sweet, and full of comforting fall flavor. They’re the perfect grab-and-go breakfast or afternoon snack with a story baked in.
Did you know? Pawpaws are the largest edible fruit native to North America. Although they look like mangoes and taste like banana custard, they’re more closely related to tropical fruits like cherimoya and soursop — and they’ve been foraged and loved by generations across the Eastern U.S.
At Dee’s Nutz and Berries in Brodhead, WI, we’re growing over 1,300 pawpaw trees with our public opening scheduled for 2028. We can’t wait to offer U-pick fruit, orchard tours, and baked goods like these. Check our event page for seasonal experiences and sign up below for farm updates and future recipes.
For more inspiration on pawpaw baking, KSU’s official pawpaw recipe guide is a wonderful resource.
Recipe Title
🍽️ Ingredients for Pawpaw Muffins
- 1 cup pawpaw pulp (fully ripe, strained)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup neutral oil or melted butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (or dairy-free option)
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- Optional: ½ cup chopped nuts or raisins
- Optional: Turbinado sugar for topping
🥄 Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together pawpaw pulp, eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk until smooth.
- In another bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir gently until just combined.
- Fold in nuts or raisins, if using.
- Divide batter evenly into 12 muffin cups.
- Sprinkle tops with turbinado sugar if desired.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool slightly before serving.
🍁 From the Orchard Tip
- These muffins freeze well! Let them cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months.
- The riper the pawpaw, the richer the flavor. Use fruit that’s soft and deeply fragrant.
- Add a small pinch of cardamom for a slightly more tropical twist.
- Serve with honey butter or warm with a drizzle of maple syrup for a rustic farm breakfast.
More to Savor from the Orchard
- Education & Research
- Harvest & Farm Life
- Preserving & Storage
- Recipes
- Sustainable Farm Living
- Wellness & Herbal Remedies
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