These Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are perfectly spiced, fluffy, and moist. Best of all, they’re easy to make in one bowl in just 30 minutes!
Looking for more vegan muffin recipes to try? I know you’ll also love my Vegan Apple Muffins, Vegan Banana Muffins, and Cranberry Orange Muffins.
“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!” -Nikki
I know that fall is the perfect time of year to bake a fresh batch of these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins, but I could truly eat them all year long. I don’t think I’ve ever had a muffin that was so soft, fluffy, and moist before!
Their irresistible texture and cozy fall flavors are all thanks to simple baking staples, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spices. Just mix them all together in one bowl and bake! In no time, you’ll be left with an ultra-cozy treat to enjoy right away or freeze for later.
Why these are the best vegan pumpkin muffins
- Moist and fluffy – Pumpkin puree not only makes these muffins orange and tasty, but also makes them incredibly moist! Every bite melts in your mouth.
- Warm fall spices – This wouldn’t be a pumpkin muffin recipe without plenty of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in the batter.
- Easy 1-bowl recipe – Just like my Vegan Apple Cake and Vegan Pumpkin Cake Bars, these vegan pumpkin muffins are always on my fall baking list because they come together so easily!
How to make vegan pumpkin muffins
Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.
Whisk the pumpkin, melted vegan butter (or oil), non-dairy milk, and brown sugar together in a large bowl. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices over the wet ingredients in the same bowl. Mix until just combined.
Recipe Tip
Do not overmix the batter! This will almost always give you dense and rubbery muffins. Instead, gently mix the wet and dry ingredients together until the flour is absorbed.
Finish the muffin batter by gently folding in the mix-ins of your choice with a spatula.
Divide the batter evenly between the muffin cups, then bake the muffins until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Set them aside to cool for a few minutes, then enjoy!
Recipe Tip
Do not overbake the muffins. This is the second reason for dry, dense muffins! My muffins were light and fluffy after baking for 22 to 25 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center—if it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached, the muffins are done.
Frequently asked questions
Customize these muffins with your favorite add-ins, like dairy-free chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, raisins, chopped pecans, dried cranberries, or pumpkin seeds. You could even top them with the pumpkin pie-spiced streusel from my Pumpkin Coffee Cake recipe for extra sweetness!
Absolutely! Bake your mini pumpkin muffins for 15 to 18 minutes instead.
I tried this when I was testing my Vegan Pumpkin Bread, and it didn’t work well. My advice? Go make that bread instead!
Sure. A quality gluten-free flour mix (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill) will work as a substitute for the all-purpose flour here.
For oil-free, replace the butter or oil with an equal amount of applesauce or non-dairy yogurt. The texture will be different, but the muffins will taste good.
Transfer the cooled muffins to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Thaw the frozen muffins on the counter before serving. I love to warm them up in the microwave for 30 seconds or even pop them in the air fryer for a few minutes until warm. YUM!
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.
If I double the recipe, bake half tonight, refrigerate the dough and bake half tomorrow, think that will be okay?
The muffins will probably come out a bit different with batter that has been refrigerated overnight, but it might work out okay.
These are the bomb and so easy! Honestly any time I want a recipe Nora is the go to! Excited to see the cookbook!
Hi Debby. I’m so glad that you are loving the muffins! Thank you for your support and recipe love! I appreciate you letting me know how much you love the pumpkin muffins, and for sharing your glowing review! Happy cooking, Debby!
I made these for my coworkers and family and they were a hit! Thanks, Nora, for your awesome recipes!
You are welcome, Amanda! I’m so glad that everyone loved the pumpkin muffins! I appreciate your fantastic review! Happy cooking to you!
I’m not sure what went wrong but my muffins came out dense and gummy 🙁 I used canola oil, almond milk, store bought canned pumpkins puree and reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup as noted in the recipe. I baked them for almost 35 minutes as the toothpick kept coming out a little moist. I was hoping for fluffy muffins so this was a disappointment. Nora—any ideas what might have gone wrong?
Gummy muffins usually happen from over mixing the batter. It could happen from too watery pumpkin puree; was your very runny? 35 minutes is also a long time for these, and over baking will also cause dense, gummy muffins. Some crumbs on the toothpick is fine, and they can even be moist, you just don’t want the toothpick to have runny batter on it.
Hi Nora! Just made these and they are delicious! Used King Arthur flour 1:1gluten free flour, vegan butter, lactose free milk. Put one cup dairy free chocolate chips.
What’s the difference between cupcakes and muffins?! These were sooooo good (if a bit sweet for my taste), great texture, one bowl!! I think next time I’d play around with less sugar and maybe mixing in some oat or almond flour. Have you made them gluten free?
You can play around with the recipe, and lower the sugar if you want less-sweet muffins, no problem. I haven’t personally tried them gluten-free, but I have had comments about it working for folks. Thanks!
Do I have to use non-dairy milk? Will 2% milk work?
Of course they won’t be vegan if you don’t use non-dairy milk, but it might work okay.
A little tip for people who can’t buy canned pumpkin puree. I made pumpkin puree by putting it in the microwave and mashing it, added no milk and a small amount of extra flour to mimic the texture in the picture of the recipe. Oven on 175 celsius for about 30 to 35 minutes or until dry on the inside. This worked well 🙂
I love these muffins. I made them for my daughter while we were visiting her, and made two batches, one for now, and one to freeze for later. Thank you so much, Nora! I love your recipes. 😋
Hi Kim. These muffins are so wonderful, especially this time of year! I am so glad that you are loving them, and I appreciate you letting me know how much you are enjoying the recipe! Thank you for your fantastic review, and I wish you happy cooking!
Great recipe and super easy – always a crowd pleaser! I typically bake the muffins for 25-33 minutes as I do not like them to be “mushy”.
Hi Michelle. I’m so glad that you are enjoying the pumpkin muffins! Thank you for sharing your awesome review and recipe feedback! Happy cooking!
Can I make more muffins if I fill them less full?
You could, but you will also need to bake them for less time.
These are very good. I followed pretty much to a T. I used coconut oil as my fat and did add 1/2tsp cardamom just because I love it. I’m just surprised that no one has mentioned how nutmeg forward these are. I was really afraid to add an entire tsp to my double batch, but I followed the process, and while I do like them, I may cut back just a bit on that nutmeg for my next batch, as I’m making them for a group of friends.