• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Loving It Vegan

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Breakfasts

    Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

    Published: Oct 8, 2019 Updated: Oct 16, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

    The best vegan pumpkin muffins packed with pumpkin spice flavor and pecans! Perfect for breakfast or dessert and divine with or without vegan butter. 

    Vegan pumpkin muffins topped with chopped pecans on a wooden board.

    These vegan pumpkin muffins came out so well.

    They have that beautiful domed top and they’re perfectly moist and deliciously spiced. 

    And…they’ve got pecans. I mean do I even need to say more? 

    They’re also seriously easy to make with simple everyday ingredients. And you don’t even have to wait for pumpkin season to make them since you can make these with canned pumpkin purée. 

    Though, if you’re all about fresh then you can make them with fresh homemade pumpkin purée too. 

    And just to make sure you get lots of pumpkin goodness from me, definitely check out our vegan pumpkin pie, our vegan pumpkin soup and our vegan pumpkin bread too.

    Vegan pumpkin muffins on a wooden board.

    How To Make Vegan Pumpkin Muffins:

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • This recipe is super easy! Sift some flour into a mixing bowl and add in brown and white sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. 
    • Prepare a flax egg by mixing 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed meal with 3 tablespoons of hot water and letting it sit for a minute to become gloopy. 
    • Then add pumpkin purée, vanilla, melted coconut oil and apple cider vinegar into your mixing bowl. Add in your flax egg. 
    • Mix into a thick batter. Add in your chopped pecans and stir in. 
    Step by step process photo collage of making the batter for pumpkin muffins.
    • Divide the batter evenly between the muffin partitions of your prepared muffin tray (spray with non-stick spray first).
    • Bake for 20-25 minutes and test for doneness with the toothpick test: a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins should come out clean.
    • Allow to cool for a few minutes in the muffin tray and then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.  
    Step by step process photo collage of making vegan pumpkin muffins.

    Fresh Pumpkin vs Canned

    You can use either fresh pumpkin or canned. Canned pumpkin purée is easiest and will save you time.

    Top Tip: Make sure you are using pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie filling. This is very NB. 

    However, if you can’t get canned pumpkin purée or would rather use fresh, then you can make it yourself. 

    Place peeled and chopped pumpkin onto a parchment lined baking tray and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes (no oil or spices) until soft and cooked. Then simply let it cool and then add it to the food processor and process into a purée. 

    Let the purée stand in a strainer so that any excess water can run off. Canned pumpkin isn’t ‘wet’ so your homemade version should not be either. A quite surprising amount of excess water will drip off from freshly made pumpkin purée. 

    Pumpkin Pie Spice

    Pumpkin pie spice is a delicious component of this recipe, but if you can’t easily find it then don’t worry at all, you can make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. This is what I use and it works wonderfully for all pumpkin desserts. 

    It’s a simple mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves and you can mix it up in about 2 minutes and be ready to go. 

    Pumpkin muffins topped with chopped pecans.

    Chef’s Tips For The Best Pumpkin Muffins

    Weigh your pumpkin purée and your flour. Weigh your pumpkin purée to make sure you use the right amount. And then weigh your flour too. This will give you the best chance of success in this recipe. I use an Oxo Good Grips Food Scale and it’s the most useful item in my kitchen (well, one of them!).

    A nice thick batter is also ideal for good muffins and this is what we have here. This is also why we use coconut oil, because it’s relatively thick. But if you want to switch for a different vegetable oil you can do so without any major impact. We’ve tested these with canola oil as well and it works great.

    Serve these beauties cut in half and spread with some vegan butter, or just eat them as is! They are perfect either way.

    Vegan pumpkin muffin on a wooden board.

    Storing and Freezing

    Store them covered at room temperature where they will last a few days OR keep them covered in the fridge where they will last up to a week.

    They are also freezer friendly! Let them cool completely before freezing. 

    Pumpkin muffin cut in half on a black plate.

    More Vegan Muffins

    1. Vegan Blueberry Muffins
    2. Vegan Banana Muffins
    3. Vegan Zucchini Muffins
    4. Vegan Chocolate Muffins
    5. Vegan Apple Muffins
    6. Vegan Chocolate Chip Muffins
    Vegan pumpkin muffin sliced in half on a plate.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan pumpkin muffins on a wooden board.

    Vegan Pumpkin Muffins

    The best vegan pumpkin muffins packed with pumpkin spice flavor and pecans! Perfect for breakfast or dessert and divine with or without vegan butter.
    5 from 36 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Breakfast, Dessert
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12
    Calories: 292kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
    • 1 cup Light Brown Sugar (200g)
    • ½ cup White Granulated Sugar (100g)
    • 1 tsp Baking Soda
    • 1 tsp Baking Powder
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • 3 ½ tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
    • 1 ½ cups Pumpkin Purée (337g) Canned or fresh
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
    • ¼ cup Coconut Oil (60ml) Melted
    • 1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 1 Flax Egg 1 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed Meal with 3 Tbsp Hot Water
    • 1 cup Pecan Nuts (109g) Chopped, plus more to place directly on top of the muffins
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Spray a muffin tray with non-stick spray and set aside.
    • Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the brown and white sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice.
    • Prepare your flax egg by adding 1 Tbsp of ground flaxseed meal to a bowl and then pouring in 3 Tbsp of hot water and allowing to sit for a minute to become gloopy.
    • Add the pumpkin purée, vanilla, melted coconut oil and apple cider vinegar to the mixing bowl.
    • Add your flax egg.
    • Mix together with a spoon until well combined. The batter will be thick.
    • Lastly, add the pecan nuts and stir in.
    • Divide the batter evenly amongst the muffin partitions in your prepared muffin tray. Add a few more chopped pecans directly to the top of the muffins.
    • Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.
    • Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes and then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. 

    Video

    Notes

    1. Weigh the flour on a food scale for accuracy or use the spoon and level method – spoon the flour into a measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife, don’t scoop it and don’t pack it into the cup.
    2. You can also use canola oil or vegetable oil in this recipe. 
    3. Keep muffins covered at room temperature and they will stay fresh for a few days or in the fridge where they will keep for up to a week. They are also freezer friendly if you want to freeze them.
    4. This recipe was first published in 2017 and has now been updated with new photos. The recipe itself is unchanged. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Muffin | Calories: 292kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 3.3g | Fat: 11.5g | Saturated Fat: 4.3g | Sodium: 250mg | Fiber: 2.4g | Sugar: 26.1g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!
    « Vegan Pepperoni
    Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes »
    2.9K shares

    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Terry says

      December 11, 2024 at 9:52 pm

      came out perfect! reduced sugar to one cup total and used walnuts instead of pecans. delicious will definitely make again5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        December 12, 2024 at 1:12 pm

        Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe Terry! Thanks for your great review.

        Reply
    2. Sara says

      October 14, 2024 at 7:29 pm

      This recipe does not disappoint! I’ve made these 3 times now and they always come out amazing. I use walnuts instead of pecans and I always add vegan chocolate chips. I usually have to bake these for 25 minutes to be fully done, so be sure to have toothpicks handy.5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        October 21, 2024 at 9:57 am

        Thanks so much for sharing and for your lovely review Sara! Happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
    3. Lis says

      July 24, 2024 at 3:03 pm

      Your recipes never disappoint! You are my go-to for anything vegan. I also added frozen blueberries to it and they still stayed fluffy and moist, not overly dense. A keeper.5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        July 25, 2024 at 11:05 am

        Awesome! Thanks so much for your lovely review Lis!

        Reply
    4. Sharon says

      January 18, 2024 at 12:57 pm

      Ah-mazing5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        January 23, 2024 at 2:15 pm

        Awe-some! 🙂 Thanks for your review Sharon!

        Reply
    5. Connie says

      June 04, 2022 at 6:51 pm

      These are my go-to muffins for our grown children’s families who have a variety of diet types and restrictions. I would call them “no fail” muffins as well. Always come out perfect and delicious! For variety and individual needs I don’t put the nuts in the batter, putting only on the tops for some, some in combination with mini chocolate chips, some with only mini chocolate chips, and some plain. I love this recipe because it doesn’t require non-dairy milk, which I don’t typically have on hand.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        June 06, 2022 at 12:37 pm

        Thanks so much for sharing Connie! So happy you find the recipe easy and versatile.

        Reply
    6. Debbie says

      January 22, 2022 at 5:22 pm

      I froze quite a bit of pumpkin purée (from Long Island cheese pumpkins— my favorite for pies and baking) in November and since then have been trying various vegan pumpkin bread and muffin recipes. They have all been decent, but I tried this today, and it is the clear winner! I am not 100% vegan yet but slowly working towards replacing non-vegan favorites with vegan ones. This has a texture and flavor that rival any pumpkin muffin made with egg. This is exactly what I have been looking for, and it will replace my recipe with egg. Thank you!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 24, 2022 at 9:50 am

        Thanks so much Debbie! So happy you enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply
    7. Erin Ryan says

      September 19, 2021 at 5:04 pm

      I love this recipe. Just wondering though, is there a way around the sugar? Thank you for your time!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 21, 2021 at 2:38 pm

        Hi Erin, you can try reducing the sugar by half and just see how you go.

        Reply
    8. Liz says

      January 06, 2021 at 9:38 pm

      They are perfect AND truly delicious!! I cooked them in silicon muffin trays..no need for oil.5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        January 08, 2021 at 11:15 am

        Thanks Liz!

        Reply
        • Lis says

          September 27, 2023 at 8:05 pm

          A great recipe! I did add 2 Tbsp of soy milk to the batter just because it did seem a bit thick. But that may have just been my flour not being perfectly weighed ( I did weigh it). Anyway, turned out fantastic. Perfect for Fall!5 stars

          Reply
          • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

            September 29, 2023 at 12:24 pm

            Thanks for sharing and for your wonderful review Lis!

    9. Lily says

      November 26, 2020 at 5:13 pm

      Made a batch of these today and they’re lovely! I used walnuts instead of pecans because that’s what I had in the house, and I added a couple of generous handfuls of raisins/sultanas because I like my muffins to feel crammed and with different textures.
      My mum declared them “absolutely delicious”, so I felt confident enough to drop some off for a neighbour (a chef and specialises in cakes) who had lent me some baking powder to make them (thanks to my mum accidentally mixing our remaining small amount of baking powder into our large container of baking soda….. Deary me!).

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 27, 2020 at 12:14 pm

        So glad you and your mum enjoyed them Lily! And hope your neighbor will too! They sound delicious with those additions. 🙂

        Reply
    10. Angie says

      November 25, 2020 at 9:51 pm

      Success! These muffins worked out perfectly. I was a little short on pumpkin purée, so I added a little mashed banana. They were moist, delicious, and the perfect fall treat. Thanks!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 26, 2020 at 9:56 am

        Wonderful! Thanks so much Angie!

        Reply
    11. Marianne says

      November 06, 2020 at 4:33 pm

      Delicious! A total hit 😀 just like ALL your recipes… yum!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 09, 2020 at 10:22 am

        Thanks so much Marianne!

        Reply
    12. Jordan says

      October 22, 2020 at 9:01 pm

      Amazing, as always. I used half whole wheat, half white flour and they are wonderfully hearty. They turned out a bit dense, which is delicious, but the tops fell flat when cooling! Do you recommend using a bit more baking powder to help fluff them up when using the whole wheat mix? Thanks!!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        October 23, 2020 at 8:56 am

        Hi Jordan, so glad they were good! You can definitely try some extra baking powder, I haven’t experimented with using whole wheat flour on these, but I don’t think it will do any harm to increase the baking powder a little.

        Reply
    13. Sarah says

      September 21, 2020 at 10:26 pm

      I never leave comments but these were seriously delicious. So moist and flavorful, and easy! I didn’t have pecans and I used a bobs red mill egg replacer instead of the flax egg cause I was feeling lazy. This is definitely something you could make for non vegans and they would love it and never know the difference. Thank you for the recipe!5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 22, 2020 at 9:54 am

        Thanks so much for the wonderful review Sarah!

        Reply
    14. Raechel says

      September 16, 2020 at 1:47 am

      I made these yesterday and they were so easy and sooo delicious! When I told my mom I made them from scratch, she was really surprised because of how good the texture and flavor were. She doesn’t even like pumpkin, but she’s eaten a few muffins and she really loves them! I will absolutely be making these muffins again. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe ✨5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 16, 2020 at 10:26 am

        So happy to hear that Raechel! Thanks for the great review. 🙂

        Reply
    15. Shante P says

      May 01, 2020 at 2:46 pm

      I made this yesterday without the pecans but added powdered sugar to top soooo delicious

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 01, 2020 at 3:03 pm

        Thanks for sharing Shante!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

    5 from 36 votes (2 ratings without comment)

    Leave A Comment & Review Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

    More about me →

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Popular Posts

    • Vegan tuna on an open faced sandwich on a wooden board.
      Vegan Tuna
    • Serving spoonful of vegan mac and cheese.
      The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese (Classic, Baked)
    • Vegan burritos stacked up on top of each other.
      Vegan Burrito
    • Vegan tofu scramble with sliced avocado and fried tomatoes on a white plate.
      Super Eggy Vegan Tofu Scramble
    • Thick slice of cashew cheese on a wooden board.
      Sliceable Cashew Cheese
    • Homemade vegan butter in a glass butter dish with a knife.
      Homemade Vegan Butter

    Veganuary

    • Vegan chop suey served in a black bowl.
      Vegan Chop Suey
    • Vegan German Potato Salad served in a black bowl.
      Vegan German Potato Salad
    • Vegan Italian Dressing
    • Vegan Thai Peanut Noodles in a black bowl.
      Vegan Thai Peanut Noodles
    • Slices of grilled vegan halloumi on a gray plate.
      Vegan Halloumi
    • Vegan stuffed mushrooms on a white plate.
      Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

    See all Veganuary Recipes →


    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    As Seen In

    Press logos black and white

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Contact

    • About
    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Loving It Vegan

    Get 10 fabulous dinner recipes!
    Absolutely free! Sign up below!
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.