These easy Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are soft, fluffy, and deliciously spiced with cozy fall flavor. They're naturally sweetened, gluten-free, and perfect for breakfast, snacks, or dessert! (Vegan, gluten-free, refined oil-free.)
These healthier vegan pumpkin muffins are soft, fluffy, and packed with cozy fall flavor!
They're made with both pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice for a delicious taste of autumn. They're also naturally sweetened without any refined oil, butter, or eggs. (And no mixer required!)
For an extra treat, you can fold in chocolate chips or dust them with the optional cinnamon-sugar sprinkle. They're great for breakfast, energizing snacks, or packing in lunchboxes (my daughter's favorite). They're also delicious for a healthy fall dessert.
Ingredients for Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
For this recipe, you'll stir together in a large bowl then bake in the oven:
- Pumpkin puree: I use canned pumpkin puree which comes in a 15-ounce can. (Be sure to find 100% pure pumpkin, not the canned pumpkin pie filling mix which has added sugar and spices.)
- Dairy-free milk
- Pure maple syrup
- Applesauce: I use unsweetened applesauce.
- Almond butter: This helps add richness and body. (I like almond butter best for its neutral flavor.) Be sure to use drippy almond butter so it mixes in smoothly.
- Pure vanilla extract
- Apple cider vinegar: This brightens the flavor and also reacts with the baking soda to give the muffins a fluffy lift and moist, tender texture. (Don't worry - the flavor bakes off and you won't be able to taste it.)
- Ground flax seed: Also called flaxseed meal. We'll whisk it with warm water to create a thickened "flax egg" which is a great egg replacer and binder in baked dishes.
- Gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour: I use Bob's Red Mill flour blend. You could substitute gluten-free all-purpose flour if that's what you have on hand, but I prefer the texture with the 1-to-1 baking flour.
- Oat flour: Use certified gluten-free if needed. It's best to weigh the two flours with a kitchen scale if you can, because they can vary a lot by volume. (Find my precise measurements by gram in the "metric" tab in the recipe card.)
- Pumpkin pie spice: This is a tasty blend of warm, cozy flavors. Pumpkin spice usually combines cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. But it can also include allspice, cardamom, black pepper, etc.
- Baking powder & baking soda: I use Bob's Red Mill double acting baking powder with no added aluminum. Be sure yours is fresh (not expired) for proper rising.
- Salt: I use fine grain salt for this recipe.
Customizing
Chocolate chips: For a decadent twist, fold in some vegan chocolate chips after the batter rests, right before scooping it into the pan. (Or you could also fold in pecans, pumpkin seeds, raisins, walnuts, or anything else that sounds good.)
Cinnamon-sugar topping: This is optional, but I include a quick recipe for a cinnamon & coconut sugar sprinkle. Feel free to top your muffins with this before baking! Or you could sprinkle them with turbinado sugar (which is more coarse) for extra texture and crunch.
Muffin size: These are small-to-medium muffins made in a standard muffin tin, which yields a dozen. I find with gluten-free & oil-free baking, slightly smaller muffins bake through more evenly resulting in a softer, fluffier texture rather than heavy and gummy.
Serving
Enjoy these healthy pumpkin muffins for breakfast, an energizing afternoon snack, packed in lunchboxes, gift-giving, or even as a healthy dessert.
Storing
Allow your muffins to cool completely for at least an hour before enjoying or storing. The texture will be very soft when they come out of the oven, but gradually firm up as they cool. Then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days, or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Freezing: These freeze great. Again, be sure they're fully cooled before storing in a freezer-safe container. Then freeze for 1-2 months. When ready to enjoy, I thaw them overnight in the fridge. Enjoy as is, or reheat in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
More Pumpkin Spice Recipes!
For more inspiration, also browse all vegan fall recipes or breakfast recipes.
Vegan Pumpkin Muffins (Gluten-Free!)
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree*
- 1 Tbsp. dairy-free milk
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/4 cup almond butter, drippy
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. ground flax + 1/3 cup water
Dry ingredients:
- 1 cup gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour**
- 1/2 cup oat flour (GF if needed)
- 1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
Cinnamon-sugar sprinkle (optional):
- 1 Tbsp. coconut sugar
- 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Flax egg: Make a flax egg by stirring together the 2 Tbsp. ground flax and 1/3 cup warm water in a small bowl. Set aside for 5-8 minutes to thicken. I give it another stir halfway through. (If using cool water, it takes about 15 minutes to gel, and hot water takes about 2-3 minutes.)
- Wet ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, add all wet ingredients. Whisk to combine. Then add the thickened flax egg and whisk again.
- Dry ingredients & rest: In a separate bowl, add all dry ingredients and stir to combine. Then add the dry ingredients to the wet. Stir with a spatula until just combined and no dry pockets remain. (Try to avoid over-mixing.) Set aside and let the batter rest for 15 minutes. This allows the oat flour to absorb moisture which creates a softer, less-crumbly texture.
- Oven: While the batter rests, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with parchment baking liners.
- Transfer: After the batter rests, portion the batter evenly throughout the lined cavities. (I use an ice cream scoop with thumb press for easy transferring.)
- Sugar sprinkle: If using, mix together the coconut sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it on top of each muffin (using about 1/4 tsp. for each muffin). Then gently tap down the sugar mixture with your finger to help it better stick to the muffin tops.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake for about 22-25 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbles).
- Cool: Remove from oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack and cool for about 60-90 minutes. (This is an important step because they're very soft when hot, but firm up as they cool. They also need to be completely cool before storing.)
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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Jennifer says
Today was a pumpkin spice day!! 😀 I made these right after making your pumpkin cookies...and wow did my kitchen ever smell glorious!! I followed your recipe exactly as written, including the cinnamon-sugar topping. To evenly disperse the sugary topping, I sprinkled 1/4 tsp per muffin, which was perfect. The muffins were moist and flavourful with a perfect amount of sweetness on top. I will likely add some chopped nuts or seeds into the batter next time for a bit of crunch. This is a great recipe for fall!
What size scoop/disher did you use to distribute the batter?
Kaitlin says
We've been having lots of pumpkin spice days too! So warm and cozy. Fun to hear these worked out for you and excellent call adding some crunch next time with nuts or seeds! The ice cream scoop I use for these is 2 1/4" or 2 oz. (Specifically the OXO good grips classic ice cream scoop.) So for me, it comes out to 12 medium muffins using 12 full scoops with that scooper. I'll add a note in the recipe so the size is more specific - thank you for asking! Wishing you a restful week and hope you're feeling & recovering well.