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.
Wonderful recipe! I added a crumble topping with 1/4 cup oates, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and they cooked evenly and had a nice little added crunch.
Hi Nat. I’m happy you loved the recipe! Your topping sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing your great feedback and review!
I am the least competent person in the kitchen (seriously, most of my cooking/baking endeavors end in tears), but I made these for my roommates to mark the start of fall and they were INCREDIBLE! So easy and delicious and they tasted marvelous reheated with a little vegan butter. Will definitely be making again. Thank you!!!!!!!!!
These are great! My daughter was diagnosed with an egg allergy and a possible milk allergy, so we had to try vegan baking. Can’t even tell with these! My older son said they are his favorite recipe. We used oat milk.
Hi Jennifer. I’m so glad your daughter was able to enjoy the muffins! Thanks for sharing your great feedback!
If you add frozen berries, make sure that you increase the cook time!! I wish this recipe would have provided details on how long to cook these muffins with fruit. I just wasted an hour and a half and a bunch of ingredients. They looked perfect but sunk all the way down once I took them out of the oven.
uh well this isn’t a pumpkin muffin w/ fruit recipe so not sure why you blame Nora for that with a 3/5 rating? These muffins, like the rest of her recipes, are extraordinary, a gift to vegans, and really deserve a 5/5.
Why are you rating her recipe three stars because YOU messed with it and YOU are the reason they didn’t work out? She shouldn’t have to add tips for every possible addition, substitution or omission. And everyone knows berries equal juices.
I made these to the recipe with the vegetable oil instead of melted butter and they came out perfect. I made sure to spray the inside of the paper liners and they did not stick. Baked for 23 minutes and toothpick came out clean with no tough/hard bottom.
Hi Tamra. I’m so glad the muffins came out perfect for you! Thank you for sharing your experience and wonderful feedback!
Really enjoyed these! Used real butter as it’s what I had on hand. They’re moist and delicious! I added a bit of glaze (just powdered sugar and water) since I cut out some of the sugar. So good. Will make again.
Hi Kathy. Your muffins sounds really delicious! I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks for sharing your wonderful feedback!
These were so delicious, but most of the liners peeled away. Any tips? The toothpick did come out clean so I don’t think they were underdone?
Do you mean they stuck to the muffins? I always like to spray the liners with oil to prevent sticking, so I would recommend that. Especially when making vegan muffins, I find they like to stick if I don’t spray. Hope that helps!
Easy and delicious. I used white whole wheat flour, about half of the sugar, pumpkin pie spice, no mix-ins, and topped with a maple glaze. It made 18 medium -sized muffins.
I’m so glad you found the muffins easy and Delicious! Thank you for sharing your great feedback and ideas!
Another question, instead of substituting applesauce for the oil, could you just substitute more pumpkin puree for the oil?
Probably! They might be a little gummy but hopefully not too bad.
Could a sweetener like Lakanto (monkfruit/erythitrol mix) be substituted for the sugar?
I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure how it would affect the outcome, sorry!
Absolutely delicious! I added 5 minutes for my oven & they are perfect. My husband said he could eat 100 of them haha 🙂
Hi Ash. Thank you for sharing your fantastic feedback! I’m so glad you guys loved the muffins!
Delicious and heavy. Made with coconut oil and got a nice moist crumb. Used only 1 cup of sugar and it was still very sweet.
Thanks so much for your feedback and review!
Used Bobs Red Mills 1:1 GL flour, baked an extra 20 mins and still too gooy in the middle. This flour sucks with pancakes and waffels as well, I don’t recommend it. I’ll try the recipe again with another flour.
Excellent! I cur the sugar way down though, too about 1/2 cup. So soft and the perfect amount of spice!
Thank you for sharing your feedback! I’m glad you loved the muffins!
This was a great base recipe! I made lots of allergy adjustments for my daughter who has ALL the ALLERGIES. Flour: blend of cassava, brown rice and old fashioned oats. 1/4 cup of maple syrup sub for some of the sugar, and olive oil in place of vegan butter. Baked for 12 minutes in a mini muffin pan and they were DELICIOUS.
Thank you for sharing your feedback! I’m so glad the muffins turned out delicious with your substitutions!
Yummy! I added walnuts to mine. I did find I needed to keep them in my oven longer – an extra 10-15 mins.
Hi Lucy. Thank you for sharing your feedback and ideas! I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins!
These were seriously the easiest and yummiest muffins I ever made! I just made a batch right before a road trip and oh my! The hardest thing was to stop eating after one and not be tempted to eat the whole batch! I am already thinking of making another batch and adding raisins or dried cranberries. Thanks for an amazing recipe!
You are welcome, Betty! Adding raising or cranberries sounds amazing! I’m really glad you loved the muffins! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and feedback!
These were amazing! And my grandchildren (ages 8 to 3) loved them!!!
I used pumpkin pie spice and cut it down to 2 tsp for the kids.
I’m sending the recipe to my daughter-in-law now.
Hi Marlene. I’m so glad the muffins were a hit with your grandchildren! They are moist and delicious muffins for sure! Thank you for sharing your fun and wonderful review and feedback! Happy cooking!
Love this recipe, l use it all the time!
Made these muffins twice now, and they still come out mushy on the inside ?
Made sure to sift, and bot over mix and place in the middle rack. Used a smaller muffin tray, left it in longer and yeah no.
I dont know where I went wrong.
Hi Val! Are you using all purpose flour, or did you substitute a different flour? Did you make any other changes to the recipe? I’ve never had them not cook through all the way, so I’m not sure what’s happening for you.
Absolute perfection!
Thank you! I’m so glad you love them!
Your recipes are awesome. Thank you! I made this one with Pamela’s gluten free flour blend and made some mini loaf cakes out of them. They were divine. Even my parents who prefer muffins with gluten and dairy absolutely loved these. Thanks again!
Made them GF for Christmas morning – actually made them Christmas morning. Everyone like them and I used 1C Brown sugar – not the full amount – turned out ! I used mini Chocolate chips, and pumpkin seeds on top – a hit!
Tasty muffins! When I removed them from the oven they looked perfect, but then they sank 🙁 I thought it was an over mixing issue so I made them again being very careful not to over mix. Is there anything else I could’ve done wrong? I cooked for the full 25 minutes as well.
I don’t think they were cooked long enough. Oven temperatures can vary, and you should always check with a toothpick in the middle to make sure no wet batter comes out and they are cooked through. Hope that helps!
Best muffins ever. So moist and fluffy! Spices were on point.
Thanks! I’m so glad you loved the muffins! Thank you for sharing!