Seriously the best vegan pumpkin muffins I’ve ever tasted! Perfectly spiced, soft and moist. Best of all you only need 1 bowl and 30 minutes to make them!
Vegan pumpkin muffins are perfect for fall but I could seriously eat them all year long. They are perhaps the most fluffy, moist and flavorful muffins that ever existed.
Pumpkin puree gives them that beautiful orange hue and incredible flavor, especially alongside warming autumn spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. Pumpkin is also what makes these muffins SO moist and irresistible.
I love to keep a few in my freezer at all times, if I can stop myself from eating the whole batch fresh! Along with my popular Vegan Pumpkin Bread and Pumpkin Coffee Cake, these muffins are one of my favorite fall treats.
Ingredients you need (with substitutions)
- Canned pumpkin puree – I’ve never made them with fresh pumpkin, but it should work just fine. Use quality canned pumpkin for the best results.
- Melted vegan butter or oil – You only need 1/3 cup for the whole batch. I prefer the taste melted vegan butter adds, but a neutral oil works as well, such as avocado, vegetable or melted coconut oil. For oil free, substitute applesauce or non-dairy yogurt.
- Non-dairy milk – I usually use soy, but sometimes I will use almond, cashew or even oat milk. Use your favorite.
- Brown sugar – To make the muffins extra rich tasting. Feel free to use less for a less sweet muffin, or substitute coconut sugar instead.
- All purpose flour – If you need gluten free vegan muffins, use a quality gluten free mix. Almond flour will NOT work here though.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves – If you have it, substitute 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice mix instead.
- Add ins – Sometimes I stir in some vegan chocolate chips, chopped nuts or dried fruit. But most of the time I like to keep them purely pumpkin.
How to make pumpkin muffins
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Prepare the muffin pan with paper liners. Spray the inside of the liners with non-stick spray. I always do this for muffins so they don’t get stuck.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, melted vegan butter or oil, milk and brown sugar.
Sift in the flour, baking powder, salt and spices. I use a fine mesh strainer for this. You can skip the sifting, but you may find little chunks of flour in your muffins. Not the end of the world really, but I prefer sifting here.
Stir until just combined, but do not over mix the batter or your muffins will be dense and rubbery. Stir in any optional ad ins, if using.
Fill the liners all the way to the top for nice big muffins. You should get 12 good sized muffins.
Bake for 22-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out with no wet batter.
It’s best to let the muffins cool for at least 30 minutes before enjoying. The flavors mingle together and settle, and the texture gets better as they sit.
How to store leftover muffins
Leftover pumpkin muffins will keep at room temperature for 3-4 days, or a week in the refrigerator. Cover them or keep in a container so they don’t dry out too fast.
You can also freeze them. Freeze in a large container or ziplock type freezer safe bag.
I love to warm them up in the microwave for 30-40 seconds or even pop them in the air fryer for a few minutes until warm. YUM!
Tips
- Add frosting! These muffins are totally sweet enough to pass as cupcakes if you swirl some Vegan Vanilla Frosting on top.
- Don’t accidentally use pumpkin pie mix! You have to use pumpkin puree, which is just plain old canned pumpkin.
- Do not over mix the batter. This is almost always the reason your muffins turn out dense and rubbery. Mix gently until just combined, and carefully fold in any optional ad ins.
- Do not over bake. This is the second reason for dry, dense muffins! Only bake them until a toothpick comes out clean.
Can I turn these muffins into pumpkin bread?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well. I tried it when testing my Vegan Pumpkin Bread and it wasn’t good. My advice? Go make that bread instead!
You can, however make mini pumpkin muffins! Bake for only 15-18 minutes.
Want more pumpkin recipes?
- Pumpkin French Toast
- Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars
- Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Pecan Frosting
- Vegan Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
And check out all my Vegan Fall Recipes!
1 Bowl Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 15 ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup melted vegan butter OR vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup soy or almond milk, unsweetened
- 1 1/4 cups brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Optional ad ins:
- 1 cup non-dairy chocolate chips, raisins, cranberries or chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and lightly grease a muffin pan. If you use paper liners, also make sure to spray the cups lightly with oil so the muffins don’t get stuck to the paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the pumpkin, melted vegan butter (or oil), non-dairy milk and brown sugar. Whisk until well combined and smooth.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and spices over the wet mixture (I use a fine mesh strainer for this or use a sifter).
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet gently using a large wooden spoon until just combined, being careful not to over mix.
- Fold in any optional ingredients, if using, and fill the muffin cups full. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- For oil free, replace the butter/oil with applesauce or non-dairy yogurt. They won’t be quite the same though.
- If you want less sweet muffins, you may lower the brown sugar amount to 3/4 cup. Or feel free to substitute coconut sugar if desired.
- For gluten free, use a quality gluten free flour mix.
- If you have pumpkin pie spice mix, you may use 3 teaspoons of it and omit the single spices. Either way works!
- These muffins freeze well, simply let them cool completely and place in a freezer bag.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in August 2018 and has since been republished with improved photos and writing.
Could you make these with a crumble topping?
Sure, I’d make the crumble topping from this recipe: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
da BOMB! BEST PUMPKIN MUFFINS I’VE EVER HAD
*note: used coconut oil + coconut sugar + cashew milk (allergies). Added chock chips and a 2x batch was eaten in 20 min.
Thank you so much! <3
You bet, Katarina! I’m glad you loved the muffins! Thanks for sharing your great review and recipe experience! Happy cooking!
These seriously are the best vegan pumpkin muffins! I make them a few times every year, and without fail at least one person that tries them for the first time asks me for the recipe – both vegans and non-vegans! Thank you for sharing these with us so that we can enjoy them and share the tastiness!
You are welcome, Nikki! Thank YOU for using my recipes, and for sharing them with others! I’m thrilled the muffins are a hit! I appreciate you sharing your awesome review and feedback! Happy cooking to you!
Is this recipe correct one whole 15 ounce can? My muffins are like pumpkin pie. I even baked longer and it did not change
The recipe does call for one 15 ounce can of pumpkin. The muffins should not be dense or too moist, but rather moist and fluffy. I bake this recipe as written weekly during the fall, and the muffins always turn out fluffy. What brand of canned pumpkin did you use? I wonder if that could be the culprit, or if you used homemade pumpkin puree. Homemade can work but results will vary. Are you absolutely sure all measurements were correct? And you didn’t substitute a different flour for all purpose?
I followed the recipe exactly, other than adding a light streusel topping which would not have affected the interior. I’ve added a sprinkle of streusel to many muffin recipes and it’s never been an issue. Maybe this is the intended result but they were very dense, moist, and stodgy, even though they rose as pictured. I used about 1/2 c walnuts and 1/2 c chocolate chips as the optional add-ins. Not like the light fluffy pumpkin muffins I was hoping for. My oven is brand new and calibrated correctly, but I put them in for 24 minutes and they were completely raw. I had to add like 15 minutes. I also made sure my baking powder was still good; it doesn’t expire for another year. The flavor is good but the texture is not. The reviews are making me a little confused. Do people just really like stodgy baked goods? Anyone have the same experience?
Nope, that doesn’t sound right at all. They should not be dense or too moist, but rather moist and fluffy. What brand of canned pumpkin did you use? I wonder if that could be the culprit, or if you used homemade pumpkin puree. Homemade can work but results will vary. Are you absolutely sure all measurements were correct? And you didn’t substitute a different flour for all purpose? I make these every week or so in the fall and they are always fluffy.
Nora I always love your recipes! I used a gluten free flour…mine didn’t rise as beautifully as shown so I made a glaze to hide the imperfections and they were a hit! Will definitely make again!
Best pumpkin muffins ever! Omni friends devoured them! Thank you!! 🧡
I agree with Sharla Parsons. These are pretty unbelievable. Great flavor (I added dried cranberries and walnuts) and texture. Super easy. I just ate one and really feel like I need another.
Made these for a bake sale at work…wow, they sold out in no time! Added a light powdered sugar icing drizzle on top, with roasted pumpkin seeds, beautiful and so moist, plus soooo easy to make!
That’s so great, thanks for sharing!!!
Perfect autumn treat. I made half a batch. I do wish I could change that on the website though because I kept losing track and would accidentally pour the recipe amount instead of half, but maybe next time I’ll have to write it out to avoid that. I added less sugar and it was the perfect sweetness for me. I shared with my family & they loved these too.
I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins! I will look into getting the option to 1/2 the recipe, that would be helpful at times. Thank you!
This recipe looks wonderful! Do you think it would it be possible to add protein powder to it without compromising the outcome of the muffins? If you think it could work, how much would you recommend adding and what other modifications would you suggest making (to account for the protein powder being added in)? Thank you!
I’m really not sure as I’ve never tried it, but I wonder if replacing some of the flour with protein powder would work. Hard to say without testing it myself though. Hope you enjoy them, let me know if you do try it!
This is a great recipe! The kids helped bake it and everyone liked the muffins. I used cooked acorn squash instead of canned pumpkin with no issue. The spices were just right.
Hi Rochelle. I love that the kids helped you bake the muffins! I also love the acorn squash idea! Thanks for sharing that idea, as well as your fabulous review! Happy cooking!
I made these as 6 jumbo muffins and they are so delicious 🤤 I added 1/2 cup chocolate chips and increased the baking time to ≈40 minutes. You NEVER disappoint, Nora!
Hi Cierra. Your kind comments are so heartwarming and encouraging! Thank you for sharing your review and feedback! Your muffins sound amazing! I appreciate you using my recipes, and taking time share your ideas and comments! Happy cooking!
Tonight I made these with a cup of fresh cranberries. I used Miyoko’s oat milk butter for the oil & I used 1 cup of brown sugar with a splash of maple syrup to sweeten. I stirred the final mix as little as possible. They turned out amazing. The tart cranberry a great burst of flavor.
Hi Samantha. This recipes does sound delicious with the cranberries! Thanks for sharing this wonderful idea, as well as your great review! Happy cooking!
I made these for all my (non vegan) co workers and WOW. I got endless compliments from everyone. Everyone was in awe of how moist they were. I added a splash of maple syrup but other than that I just followed the recipe! Amazing!!!!!!!!
Hi Jennifer. How nice of you to bake these for your co-workers! I’m thrilled they were a hit! Thanks for taking time to share your wonderful review & feedback!
Good taste and moist, but my family found them dense and chewy. I used about a cup of loosely packed brown sugar and did not overstir. I would add a flax egg or aquafaba next time to help texture. Otherwise, easy recipe and still very good! I like the ease of your recipes.
Just made these today! They are moist and delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Made a batch of these with 1/2 cup of brown sugar and came out nice! Was a hit in our house. Thanks Nora!
I just made these muffins, using a bit less than 3/4 c brown sugar and a combo of vegan butter and applesauce to cut down on the oil, and added chopped cranberries and walnuts. Oh my goodness! I have never produced such tall, fluffy muffins before. Thank you so much for this easy, delightful recipe!
You are welcome, Adriene! I am thrilled that you loved the muffins! Thanks for your awesome review and feedback!
Extremely delicious!!! Made a doz today and not one is left! Lol. Will be making more asap.
I made these using coconut oil and coconut sugar and added some chopped walnuts. They were delicious!