Easy Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

These moist, tender, lightly spiced vegan pumpkin muffins require just one bowl and 8 simple ingredients to create the perfect fall grab-and-go treat! Several mix-ins, like raisins and pecans, are listed below, PLUS refined sugar-free, gluten-free, and more options!

Spiced Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are The Perfect Fall Treat

Muffins are one of my favorite portable bakes. During spring, I love carrying mini chocolate chip banana muffins; for summer, blueberry zucchini muffins are great, and for fall, cinnamon apple muffins and these vegan pumpkin muffins have my heart! They’re fluffy, moist, and flavorful, and baking them makes the house smell AMAZING!

Even without a single drop of dairy or egg, these pumpkin raisin muffins are moist, tender, and fluffy, packed with pumpkin flavor and lightly spiced with cinnamon, and with no complicated or hard-to-find ingredients. Instead, this recipe relies on 8 simple pantry-friendly ingredients.

For this version, I’ve added even more flavor and texture with the addition of raisins and walnuts (optional), but keep reading for plenty of substitutes and add-ins to adapt these muffins to your liking! I.e., cranberry pumpkin muffins, vegan pumpkin cream cheese muffins, etc.

This easy pumpkin muffins recipe can also be tweaked to fit your dietary requirements. This includes making delicious gluten-free vegan pumpkin muffins, using unrefined sugars only, whole wheat flour, etc. Best of all, you only need one bowl, 6 low-effort steps, and 30 minutes to prepare the most delicious vegan pumpkin walnut muffins!

The Ingredients

The base vegan pumpkin muffins recipe requires just 8 simple, easy-to-find ingredients to prepare, with a couple of optional add-ins for extra texture and more flavor.

• Pumpkin: You can use homemade (check FAQs) or canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling, as it contains spices and sugar).
• Sugar: I used regular granulated sugar. However, use light brown sugar for more molasses flavor. For an unrefined sugar recipe, coconut sugar works well.
• Dairy-free butter: Use your favorite vegan butter at room temperature.
• Flour: I use regular all-purpose flour. However, you could also use 50/50 AP flour with whole wheat flour. To make gluten-free pumpkin muffins, use your favorite all-purpose gluten-free flour, like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur’s.
• Vanilla extract: Use natural vanilla to avoid an artificial aftertaste.
• Salt: You won’t taste it, yet it makes a lot of difference in flavor depth.
• Leavening agents: These eggless pumpkin muffins rely on baking powder and baking soda for lift and texture.
• Cinnamon: For a more robust flavor, use pumpkin pie spice (or add some nutmeg, ground ginger, and a tiny pinch of cloves to the cinnamon). Adjust the amount to taste.
• Raisins: (optional) Alternatively, use chopped dates or even make cranberry pumpkin muffins, both of which pair amazingly with pumpkin and cinnamon.
• Walnuts: (optional) Use raw or lightly toasted unsalted walnuts (or pecans) for crunch. For nut-free pumpkin raisin muffins, use pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds instead.

What could I add To Vegan Pumpkin Muffins?

Here are a few of my favorite ways to experiment with this easy muffin recipe.

Mix ins:

• Vegan chocolate chips: Make delicious vegan pumpkin chocolate chip muffins with dairy-free milk, dark chocolate, or white chocolate)
• Orange zest: Add the zest of one orange for a bright and aromatic citrus flavor.
• Pumpkin spice latte muffins: Add either 1-2 teaspoons of espresso powder or slightly more instant coffee powder based on how strong you want the flavor.
• Shredded coconut: Add 2-3 tablespoons to the batter for texture and subtle coconut flavor in the egg-free pumpkin muffins.
• Vegan cream cheese: Make a hidden ‘cheesecake’ center to the vegan pumpkin muffins by adding a dollop of vegan powdered sugar-sweetened cream cheese to the middle of each muffin when adding the batter to the pan. Make this filling first and store it in the freezer to firm up slightly until it’s needed.

Topping Options:

• Cinnamon sugar: Combine coarse granulated sugar (white or demerara) with cinnamon and sprinkle over the pumpkin raisin muffins before baking.
• Cinnamon streusel topping: Borrow the streusel topping from this peach crisp to add a buttery, crunchy, sweet topping to the eggless pumpkin muffins. I recommend mixing in some crushed pecans to the streusel.
• Vegan cream cheese frosting: Combine vegan cream cheese, powdered sugar (regular or an alternative like erythritol), vanilla, and a splash of vegan milk into a frosting you can dip the muffins into.
• Maple glaze: Combine powdered sugar (or erythritol) with maple syrup, vanilla, and plant-based milk until it’s a ‘drizzle’ consistency. Add cinnamon or pumpkin spice for extra flavor.

How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Muffins?

• 1) First, preheat the oven to 375F/190C and lightly grease a muffin tin (or silicone muffin liners).
• 2) Next, in a large mixing bowl, mix the room temperature vegan butter with the sugar and pumpkin puree. Whisk with an electric mixer until light and creamy.

• 3) Next, add all the dry ingredients (salt, cinnamon, flour, and leavening agents) and the vanilla extract, and mix until combined, being careful not to overmix.

• 4) Fold in any optional mix-ins (raisins and walnuts) into the vegan pumpkin batter.

• 5) Next, divide the batter between the muffin tin, filling each to the top.

• 6) Bake the vegan pumpkin raisin muffins for 25 minutes, or until the top is golden brown, they’re fluffy, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (or with a few crumbs).

Finally, remove the eggless pumpkin muffins from the oven and allow them to cool for 15 minutes in the muffin pan before transferring them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

FAQs

Top Recipe Tips and Notes

• Measure the flour correctly: Rather than scooping your measuring cup directly into the bag, first, fluff up the flour with a fork/spoon, then use a spoon to scoop it into your cup without packing it down. When full, use the back of a knife to level the top. This will help avoid dense muffins.
• Don’t overmix the batter: Overworking the gluten in these vegan pumpkin muffins could lead to a dense and rubbery texture.
• Adjust the sweetness: Reduce the amount of sugar to taste.
• Adjust the size: Use a jumbo muffin tray (30+ mins), regular muffins, or make mini pumpkin muffins (12-15 mins ish) and adjust the baking time accordingly.

Serving Recommendations

You can enjoy these vegan pumpkin walnut muffins either warm (or even toasted), or room temperature chilled. Enjoy one plain or spread with some vegan butter, vegan cream cheese, or even vegan chocolate spread, along with a cozy cup of tea or coffee.

You can even make these vegan pumpkin muffins into more of a dessert by slicing a muffin in half, toasting it, and serving it topped with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream.

How to Make Ahead and Store?

Make ahead: Prepare the batter minus the leavening agents up to a couple of days in advance. When you’re ready to bake, remove the bowl from the fridge for 30 minutes, stir in the baking soda and powder, and continue with the recipe.

The taste of these egg-free pumpkin muffins will be even better on day two once the ingredients have melded.

Store: Allow the muffins to cool and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-6 days.

Freeze: Wrap the muffins with plastic wrap, then freeze for up to 3 months. Allow one to thaw in the fridge, at room temperature, or thaw and warm up in 15-second increments until ready (should take around 40 seconds).

More Vegan Dessert Recipes

• Easy Vegan Lemon Cake
• Vegan Blackberry Orange Cupcakes
• Vegan Peanut Butter Blondies [PB&J Blondie Bars]
• Vegan Raisin Oatmeal Cookies
• Vegan Peanut Butter and Jelly Thumbprint Cookies

If you try this easy vegan pumpkin muffin recipe, I’d love to know what you think in the comments below. I’d also really appreciate a recipe card rating!

Photos by Alfonso Revilla