Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

You’ll love our vegan pumpkin muffins because, flavor-wise, they are every bit as delicious as classic pumpkin muffins.

They come out tall, soft, tender, and perfectly moist.

And they stay like that for days, which allows you to make them ahead and enjoy them during the week. Their flavor gets even better the day after!

Also, they are so easy to make – they are done in 30 minutes total – with simple ingredients you already have in your pantry, without eggs, dairy, and unnecessary ingredients like flaxseed or flax egg.

Here, you’ll get the best pumpkin muffin recipe without eggs and dairy. Let’s see how to make them!

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Pumpkin Puree

We use your standard store-bought canned pumpkin puree. It’s perfect for this recipe.

You can also use homemade pumpkin puree. To make it, roast a pumpkin or kabocha squash in a preheated oven at 400°F or 200°C for about 30 minutes or until you can mash it with a fork.

Flour

We use all-purpose flour or a mix made of half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.

We haven’t tested gluten-free flour yet, so we can’t advise on that.

Sugar

Pumpkin puree is not as sweet as you think, so you’ll need some white or brown sugar to make those muffins taste good.

Substitute coconut sugar for regular sugar.

We tested them with different quantities, and you can safely go as low as 1/2 cup of sugar for mildly sweet vegan pumpkin muffins with a natural flavor to 1 1/4 cup of sugar for sweeter muffins.

We add 1 cup of brown sugar.

Non-dairy milk

We use almond milk or soy milk for a nut-free recipe, but you can use any non-dairy milk, like rice milk or oat milk.

If you are not vegan and just looking for an egg-free pumpkin muffin recipe, you can use regular milk.

Oil

We use olive oil; it’s healthy and produces soft and moist muffins. Another healthy oil is avocado oil.

You can also use canola oil, sunflower oil, and vegetable oil.

I would avoid melted coconut oil or vegan butter for muffins; their saturated fat content makes them less soft.

Spices

We make our pumpkin spice flavor by adding cinnamon, ground cloves, grated nutmeg, allspice, and ground or fresh grated ginger.

You can substitute a store-bought pumpkin pie spice mix for those spices.

Optionally, you can add a tablespoon of vanilla extract.

Baking powder and baking soda

Add both for best results.

Salt

Sea salt, just a pinch to bring the other flavors together.

Optional add-ins

You can easily customize and enrich our vegan pumpkin muffin recipe by adding your favorite add-ins. Our favorites are:

• Dark chocolate chips
• Chopped walnuts or pecans
• Raisins or dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C. Line your 12-muffin tin with muffin liners.

To a large mixing bowl, add pumpkin puree, sugar, almond milk, olive oil, cinnamon, ground cloves, grated nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.

Whisk until well combined.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix with a spatula until combined but without overmixing.

At this stage, you can stir in the add-ins if you like.

With the help of a spoon, pour the batter into your muffin liners.

Then, you can top them with half a teaspoon of sugar mixed with cinnamon for an extra yummy and crunchy top.

Tip: we usually do six muffins without add-ins, then I stir 1/3 cup of dark chocolate chips in the remaining batter and make six muffins with dark chocolate chips.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F or 180°C for 23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry.

Let them cool down for 10 minutes in the muffin tin, then transfer them to a cooling rack and let cool down completely.

Vegan pumpkin bread

Vegan pumpkin bread uses the same recipe as our vegan pumpkin muffins, but it’s baked for 50 to 60 minutes in a loaf pan. It’s soft, moist, and packed with fall flavors.

Check out our vegan pumpkin bread recipe.

Don’t overmix the batter

Overmixing the batter will activate the gluten in the flour, which will develop a gluten network, making your vegan pumpkin muffins heavier, gummier, and less soft. So mix with a spatula to remove lumps, but don’t overmix.

Adjust the sugar based on your tastes

Sugar is highly personal, so we tested this recipe with different amounts. You can use as little as 1/2 cup of sugar without affecting the texture of the muffins. Of course, they’ll be less sweet. If you like a sweeter muffin, add up to 1 1/4 cups of sugar. We add 1 cup for a mild sweetness.

Reheat them in the microwave

Just 30 seconds in the microwave does wonders to bring out the moisture and make the muffins as good as freshly baked.

Make ahead: this is an excellent recipe to make ahead as the vegan pumpkin muffins keep well for five days.

Room temperature: keep them in an airtight container or a plastic bag in a dark and cool kitchen corner for up to 5 days. Reheat them in the microwave for 30 seconds to bring them back to life.

Freezer: these muffins freeze well. Let them cool down completely, then transfer them to a freezer-friendly bag and freezer for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature or in the microwave.