How to Make EASY Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

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Fluffy, spiced Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are a delicious fall breakfast. This pumpkin muffin recipe doesn’t require any specialty ingredients and is loved by both kids and adults! Whether you make them for a family breakfast or to share with friends, this muffin recipe tastes amazing. Makes 12 muffins.

Love pumpkin for breakfast? Don’t miss Vegan Pumpkin Biscuits with Maple Butter, The BEST Pumpkin Muffins for Pumpkin Season and Pumpkin Waffles with Cinnamon Maple Syrup!

Close up of a vegan pumpkin muffin with a bite taken out of it

We first made these muffins a few weeks back for my younger one’s playgroup because y’all should know I have a thing with vegan muffins.

I absolutely love entertaining and often host people who have dietary restrictions, as well as diets different than my own.

As a host, I always want to make sure I have a great recipe for these friends—which led to me developing a vegan muffin recipe years ago when I realized I had nothing to feed vegan friends for brunch.

Why I love this recipe:

Simply put, this Vegan Pumpkin Muffin recipe is delicious. The muffins are delightfully fluffy on the inside and have incredible mouth feel.

In fact, all of our taste testers agreed on the taste, texture and flavor of these muffins.

Our 1-year-old walked around the room and requested bites from everyone, as if I hadn’t already fed her two muffins.

When my friend Madison and her family were visiting, we baked these muffins and photographed them. They were gone by the next morning, and Madison’s direct feedback was: “PILLOWY FALL GOODNESS. YOU NEED THEM. THAT IS ALL.”

So. There’s that. You should bake these immediately.

Not only do they taste incredible, but they’re also simple to make and probably won’t require you a trip to the store to get a specialty ingredient. Which, in my book, is a massive win.

Other vegan breakfast recipes we adore: Coconut Oil Southern-Style Biscuits | Orange Cranberry Vegan Muffins | Vegan Breakfast Apple Crisp | Vegan Thin Mint Smoothie | Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats

Need some breakfast or brunch inspiration? Head on over to my Breakfast Recipe Index for more ideas.

Ingredients are shown in bowls, before mixing

What you need to make this recipe:

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Let’s talk ingredients!

In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Pumpkin puree—please read the label on your can and ensure that you’re using this, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already has spices and sweeteners added to it.
Light brown sugar—this is going to sweeten our pumpkin mixture, and I love it. You may also use dark brown sugar if that’s what you have in your pantry.
Unsweetened non-dairy milk—use your favorite brand and kind here! I do not suggest using a coconut cream, but any other type of non-dairy milk should work.
Avocado oil—or another neutral, unflavored oil like vegetable oil, canola oil or corn oil.
White vinegar—this is going to cause a chemical reaction in the muffin batter to help it rise! You may use apple cider vinegar in a pinch. Please do not worry that your muffins will taste like vinegar.
Vanilla extract—pure vanilla adds such a lovely aroma and flavor. If you’ve got it, please use it.
All-purpose flour—we keep unbleached AP flour in our house, but the regular kind works here, too. I have not tried to make this recipe with a gluten free blend and do not recommend it.
Leaveners—this pumpkin muffin recipe calls for both baking soda and baking powder. Make sure yours are fresh or the muffins will not rise.
Spices—we’re using a combination of ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground cloves to make a homemade pumpkin pie spice blend. If you have pumpkin pie spice in your spice cabinet, use that!
Kosher salt—I like to use a finer grain kosher salt for baked goods. A fine grain sea salt would also work here.

Collage showing how ingredients being poured into each other, in two images

How to make Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Preheat the oven, and line a muffin tin with baking cups* (affiliate link).

Measure out the dry ingredients—the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves—into a large bowl. Whisk together until combined, and set aside.

Measure the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, non-dairy milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract into a bowl or liquid measuring cup. Use a hand mixer or a whisk to beat them together, ensuring they’re well-combined.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a rubber spatula to stir until just combined.

Be careful not to overmix because overmixing will cause the muffins to become rubbery.

Immediately dollop the batter into the prepared muffin tin with a cookie scoop, and pop them into the preheated oven.

I put about 2-3 tablespoons of batter into each muffin cup, but eyeball yours because you want them to be as even as possible.

Pro tip!

You do not want to let this batter sit out because the moment the baking soda and vinegar hit each other, they begin fizzing. We want the muffins to go into the oven immediately after they are mixed so that this reaction can help the muffins rise sky high!

Bake the muffins until golden brown and fluffy, then remove from the oven.

Cool slightly on a wire rack before enjoying with your favorite breakfast beverage and sides.

Collage showing how to stir the batter and the batter in a muffin tin, before baking

Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips

Vegan muffins are one of my favorite things to make for an at-home brunch because they are so easy to make and eat! They’re also a fan favorite of both vegans and non-vegans alike, so you can feed ’em to a crowd quite easily.

Since these beauties bake up quickly, too, you won’t have to stress about their timing with their bake. Wake up, turn on the oven, mix the ingredients and bake!

What are some occasions you can make vegan pumpkin muffins for?

Play dates and play groups: We have friends with severe food allergies and intolerances, so vegan muffins have been a go-to of ours with the friends who have milk and egg allergies. You can make these in a mini muffin tin, too, for smaller kids!
Brunch with friends: Everybody loves brunch, and hosting one at home is easier than you’d expect!
After-school snacks: This is a sweet treat that’s perfect after a long day of school, so bake ’em in the morning and let the kids enjoy ’em in the afternoons.

Overhead of Vegan Pumpkin Muffins on a cooling rack

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes these vegan muffins rise?

I use a combination of baking soda and vinegar for my vegan muffins because when the two get together, they fizz and fuzz and make the muffins rise.

That’s what I use in my vegan muffins, even though I know a flax seed or vegan egg substitute could work here, too. The problem with those is I don’t have those on hand most of the time, so I go with something I have on hand that works!

The one downside of the baking soda and vinegar is that if you do not bake the muffins immediately after mixing the wet and dry ingredients, they might not be as fluffy. They’ll still taste good, though.

Why aren’t my muffins rising?

Because there are several different factors that might go into this, here are a few things to check:

Is your baking soda old?
Is your baking powder old?
Does your oven run at the correct temperature? (Vegan muffins struggled to rise in my 1960’s oven because the oven never ran at a consistent temperature.)

What milk should I use?

We’re partial to unsweetened oat milk and unsweetened cashew milk in our house, but you could use any type of non-dairy milk, so long as it’s not coconut cream or something that’s really thick.

Just make sure it’s not sweetened, as your muffins might become too sweet otherwise.

Can I use a different type of oil?

Yes, you can. I recommend an unflavored, neutral oil, like vegetable oil, if you’re going to replace the avocado oil. You can also use coconut oil or olive oil, though those two have more flavor than avocado or vegetable oil.

Quick Tips and Tricks for the best Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Bake them immediately. Since the muffins rely on baking soda and vinegar to rise, they begin bubbling and rising when the ingredients meet. Because of this, they need to bake immediately after they are mixed.
Make them in advance! The beauty of muffins like these is you can bake ‘em the evening before you have friends over for brunch or a play group or a play date. They make entertaining a breeze because they require no fuss the morning of.
Pumpkin spice alert: If you like nutmeg, feel free to add 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon to the dry ingredients when you add the other spices. Personally, I am not a nutmeg fan, so I leave it out.

Baked muffins in the muffin tin, after baking

More vegan muffin recipes:

Now who’s ready to bake this Vegan Pumpkin Muffin recipe?

Close up of a Vegan Pumpkin Muffin on a cooling rack, with text

12 muffins

Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Fluffy, spiced Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are a delicious fall breakfast. This pumpkin muffin recipe doesn't require any specialty ingredients and is loved by both kids and adults! Whether you make them for a family breakfast or to share with friends, this muffin recipe tastes amazing.

Ingredients

¾ cup pumpkin puree
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup unsweetened non-dairy milk
3 tablespoons avocado oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with baking cups, and set aside.
In a large glass mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves together. Set aside.
In another large bowl, measure out the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, non-dairy milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla extract. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, beat until well combined.
Sprinkle the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, and stir until just combined.
Dollop the batter into the prepared baking cups using a tablespoon measure or a cookie scoop. (I put 2-3 tablespoons in each muffin.)
Bake for 20-23 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through, then enjoy warm!

Notes

Tips and Tricks for the best Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

Bake them immediately. This batter should NOT sit around after you mix it up or dollop it into the muffin tins. Since the muffins rely on baking soda and vinegar to rise, they begin bubbling and rising when the ingredients meet. They need to bake immediately after they are mixed.
Make them in advance! The beauty of muffins like these is you can bake ‘em the evening before you have friends over for brunch or a play group or a play date. They make entertaining a breeze because they require no fuss the morning of.
Pumpkin spice alert: If you like nutmeg, feel free to add 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon to the dry ingredients when you add the other spices. Personally, I am not a nutmeg fan, so I leave it out.
What milk should I use? We're partial to unsweetened almond and unsweetened cashew milk in our house, but you could conceivably use any type of non-dairy milk, so long as it's not coconut cream or something that's really thick.