This Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins recipe was originally published January 5, 2015, images were updated September 2017.
When I was in high school, my friend Christa’s mom would bake pumpkin spice muffins, amongst other things (she is a great baker!). I remember being so excited when I’d go over after school and she had just baked a fresh batch. Those muffins were AMAZING, and obviously memorable since I still think of them after all these years. They were spiced perfectly, they were loaded with chocolate chips, and they were my favourite thing to eat when I visited their house. Over the years, I’ve tried to re-create them and I think I’ve hit the mark with these vegan gluten free pumpkin spice muffins.
The major difference between these and the pumpkin spice muffins from my high school days is that these are vegan and gluten-free. But you wouldn’t even know it. They’re fluffy, flavourful, perfectly-spiced, and so good, you’ll want to make them all the time!
If you’re not gluten-free, I’ve got you covered because I’ve tested this recipe with regular, all-purpose flour as well, and that flour substitution works wonderfully. So feel free to try this recipe either way, you can’t go wrong with either version.
Because these muffins are a favourite in my home, I make them year-round—not just during the fall. This is all thanks to some smart pre-planning in the fall when I make and freeze a big batch of homemade pumpkin puree (it’s so easy!). You can learn how to do it too, you may want to after you try this recipe 🙂 Learn How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree.
When it comes to the add-in for your vegan gluten free pumpkin spice muffins, you can go with either raisins, chocolate chips, or nuts (chopped pecans or chopped walnuts). For this batch, I went with semi-sweet chocolate chips, my family’s favourite, but if you do use raisins, try using this raisin trick.
If you haven’t baked a vegan recipe before or a vegan gluten-free recipe, you may be wondering what the texture will be like and if it will be different from a non-vegan or non-gluten-free recipe. Have a look at this picture:
I hope it answers those questions! These muffins turn out soft, moist, and fluffy. Just as perfect as any regular non-vegan or non gluten-free muffin.
Before you head down to the recipe, have a look at how easy they are to make:
Not complicated at all, right? I hope you love them! You can also see the video on Facebook here so you can share it with your friends! And for those who are wondering about flax eggs, read this post to learn how to make them and everything else you need to know: How to Make a Flax Egg (A Vegan Egg Substitute for Baking).
If you like this recipe, you may also like these recipes, too:
- Pumpkin Spice Mini Muffins
- Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Waffles
- Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- How to Make Homemade Pumpkin Puree
- Vegan Gluten Free Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins
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How to Make Vegan Gluten Free Pumpkin Spice Muffins
- 2 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 6 tbsp water
- 1 3/4 cups gluten free flour blend OR all-purpose flour (see notes below)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil (plus extra for greasing muffin tin)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened pumpkin puree (see note below)
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips OR raisins OR nuts (chopped walnuts or pecans work well)
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Prepare your flax eggs by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken.
Line a muffin tin with liners or generously grease the inside of each cup with coconut oil.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger.
- In a large bowl, mix the coconut oil, vanilla, and flax eggs together. Stir in coconut sugar and pumpkin puree until blended.
- Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips or raisins.
Using a spoon or a large scoop, divide batter into the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the largest muffin comes out clean.
- It's important to know that different gluten-free flour blends use different ingredients and ratios, so results will always vary if you substitute. I have never used any other brand of flour to make this recipe (other than Bob's Red Mill), so please know that your results may not be great if ingredients are substituted.
- I've tested this recipe with all purpose flour and it works great, so if you aren't gluten-free, you can use regular flour.
- Make your own pumpkin puree instead of buying the canned stuff. Click here to see how easy it is and how to do it yourself.
- If you haven't worked with flax eggs before, be sure to read How to Make a Flax Egg (A Vegan Egg Substitute for Baking), for all the details you'll need!
- In the video above, this is the scoop I use to put the batter into the muffin pan.
- If you use raisins, try this trick to ensure they're plump and juicy for your muffins.
Images in this post were updated September 2017.
Danielle says
These look SUPER yummy! Must try!
Gwen says
Let me know how you like them, Danielle!
Amrita says
WOW Gwen!!!! You are crazy good with the camera – my goodness look at that clarity…I could almost reach into my screen for a lovely muffin. Good job girl <3 – can't wait to see more of your stuff!
Gwen says
Such an amazing compliment coming from you, Amrita! I love your blog and photography. Thank you so much!
Lindsey says
I’m not the best at cooking or baking, so I was elated that these turned out perfectly. The recipe was easy and I’ve made it twice already.
Gwen says
Thanks for circling back to let me know you liked the recipe, Lindsey! I’m so happy to hear they turned out perfectly for you!
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health says
I saw these on Finding Vegan and was shocked that they are vegan and gluten-free! They look perfect!!
Gwen says
Sarah, I’m not just saying this because it’s my recipe, but they ARE perfect 🙂 I make them all year long, my kids ask for them all the time. If you make them, I hope you love them too. Thanks for your note and for stopping by!
Heather says
I have made these twice now. First time as directed but with an egg instead of the flax seed/water combo. They were tasty but the batter was thick. Second time, I added two eggs and 1/4-1/2 cup coconut milk (from a can). Delicious and perfect consistency to put into muffin cups. Same bake time. Next time I am going to substitute applesauce for the eggs. Thank you for the recipe. It has been a struggle to find gluten/dairy free options that I find yummy.
Gwen says
Hi Heather, I’m so happy it worked for you with the modifications and that you like the recipe 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to let me know 🙂
lanie says
first time using flax eggs. Great muffins! Will be a staple
Gwen says
So glad you like it, Lanie! Flax eggs are such a great egg substitute in a lot of baking 🙂
Becky says
I don’t have flax seeds, but have egg replacer. How many eggs is this supposed to replace? Can’t wait to try:)
Gwen says
Hi Becky! The flax mixture in this recipe is for 2 eggs. I haven’t tried making this with an egg replacer, I’d love to hear how it turns out for you 🙂
Becky says
I haven’t made them the your way to compare, but I used an egg replacer and avocado oil instead of coconut, and they turned out great! My kids give them two thumbs up! Thanks so much!!
Gwen says
Becky, I’m so happy they turned out great with the substitutions and that your kids love them. That’s always the true test…the kids! Thanks for circling back to let me know 🙂
April says
My family loves these muffins! It’s so hard to find a good recipe that is gluten, egg and dairy free. My son is allergic to all three and it’s been a challenge finding foods that he’ll not only tolerate but enjoy eating. These are a HUGE hit! Thank you so much for the great recipe. I’m going to try your morning glory muffins and oat squares next.
Gwen says
So happy to hear this, April! My family loves them too, I make them A LOT 🙂 I’m glad you are able to make something for your son that he both enjoys and can actually eat safely. I hope the Morning Glory Muffins and squares are also a hit, let me know how it goes!
Becca says
Just made these with a few substitutions, because I used the ingrediants I have for normal baking. I used the Bob’s Mill Whole Wheat All-Purpose Flour, and I used two farm fresh chicken eggs instead of the egg substitute (we have a lot of chickens), and homemade pumpkin puree. I loved adding in the coconut sugar, its adds such a distinct flavor. Also, I only baked for 16min and they turned out so good and my home smells like fall. ? thanks for a delicious new pumpkin recipe!
Gwen says
I’m so glad it worked out well with your substitutions, Becca! Thanks for stopping by and letting me know, your comment will help other readers in case they’re wondering if the recipe will work with the same swaps you made. I’m so happy you like the muffins! And yes, I love baking with coconut sugar too!
Lissa says
Great recipe, but I made some modifications as well. I didn’t realize I had pinned a vegan/gluten free recipe, no offense to vegans! I used regular unbleached flour, veg oil, brown sugar, and 2 eggs. They came out amazing! So your recipe rocks even if you change a few things! Thank you!
Gwen says
LOL! Well, I’m very glad to hear that despite this being a vegan gluten-free recipe that you stuck with it and came up with substitutions that worked for you, Lissa! Happy that things ended well 🙂
Yvonne says
It’s beginning to look a lot like fall in Texas, so baking is on my mind. A gluten-free recipe is a must for me. In my hurry to smell the scent of fall, I subbed 2 eggs in place of the flax seed “eggs” (only whole flax seeds in the pantry). The batter was dense, but the results were outstanding.
Gwen says
So happy to hear that this substitution worked for you, Yvonne! And glad that the results were outstanding! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment and let me know, I appreciate it 🙂
Monica says
I used unsweetened applesauce instead of oil and they turned out good! They are pretty high in sugar content so if I make them again I will definitely use less sugar.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
I’m glad to hear you like them, Monica! Good to know that the applesauce works well as a substitute for the oil. Thank you!
Tracy says
Just found your blog and can’t wait to make these!!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
I’m glad you found my site! And I hope you love them, Tracy. They are a definite fave in my home 🙂
Shelley says
What if I use a quarter cup of oil instead of half a cup. That’s the only thing that bugged me a bit, the amount of oil. It seems like a bit too much oil. But I guess that’s what makes them taste so good.
Ps. I made them once and they were awesome!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Shelley! Good question. I did experiment a bit when coming up with the recipe with using less oil but I wasn’t happy with the texture in the end. I think that if you use 1/4 cup of oil and then add non-dairy milk to make up for the extra missing amount, it may work. Or, instead of non-dairy milk, you can also try applesauce or extra pumpkin puree. The oil adds to the lovely texture, so the texture in your result may be a bit different from the original that you made (glad you liked that version!). If you try, let me know how it goes 🙂
Peyton says
Oh my gosh! These are incredible- all for making them vegan and gf but didn’t have coconut sugar or gf flour so I use whole wheat and some maple syrup! YUM!! They are so moist !
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Yay! I’m glad you like them, Peyton! Yes, the texture is what I love about these muffins. So good 🙂 I’m glad your substitutions worked well!
April says
Hi there, I followed the recipe exactly and mine were dry and didn’t rise into muffin shape. Did I read the ingredients right? 1 and 3/4 cup of flour?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi April, sorry to hear they didn’t turn out for you. Yes, you are correct, the recipe calls for 1 and 3/4 cups of flour. It sounds like you may have missed one of the liquid ingredients, though or may have measured one of them incorrectly. If you take a look at the second picture above, that is what your finished batter should look like. There is also a video above that shows the process of the muffins being made. Another issue, if it was the gluten free version you were making, is that you used the wrong type of flour (my recommendation for the gf flour to use is above). Were you making the gf version? What type of flour did you use? I hope this helps and that you are able to try again 🙂
SFerd says
When using the Bob’s Red Mill GF Flour, should Xantham Gum be added? Or, does the recipe work OK without it?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi! If you use the same flour I recommend, the Bob’s Red Mill GF All Purpose Baking Flour, no need to add any xanthan gum 🙂
SFerd says
Thanks so much! Planning to make these today.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
No problem! I hope you love them 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
Maia says
ahh wow <3 I just made a big batch of these using golden raisens as the add-in. They turned out absolutely amazing! beautiful flavor and nice fluffy texture.
I was running low on GF flour, so I subbed some of the flour that it calls for for rolled oats. Still turned out perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing. My friends at work will love these I bet.
Planting seeds of compassion in any way that we can, each and every day.
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
I wish I had co-workers who baked for me 🙂 I’m so happy you like them, Maia! I hope everyone else likes them, too! Thanks so much for your note.
Jennifer says
I am trying these for the first time tonight. My house smells amazing!!!!!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
I hope you loved them, Jennifer! 🙂