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Perfectly spiced vegan gluten-free pumpkin muffins are ideal to make during the fall or any time of year! They’re soft, fluffy, and filled with warm, cozy flavour, plus, they’re egg-free and dairy-free.
They’re quick and easy to make and if you prefer to use something other than chocolate chips, like nuts, seeds, or dried fruits, you can!
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This recipe was inspired by my friend Christa's mom who would always bake pumpkin spice muffins and other treats. 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 remember 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 home.
Over the years, I tried many times to re-create them and I've hit the mark with these vegan gluten-free pumpkin 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! It's not just a fall recipe!
Before you read all you need to know about making this recipe, if you're a pumpkin fan and you love pumpkin recipes, (like pumpkin pie, pumpkin donuts, and pumpkin pudding!) then you'll want to check out these other vegan gluten-free pumpkin recipes:
Ingredients You'll Need
Like all of my other vegan gluten-free muffin recipes, this one also calls for simple ingredients.
I always recommend sticking with the recipe the way it's written for the best results, especially with vegan gluten-free baking, but below you will find info about each ingredient and what you can and cannot substitute.
Ingredient and Substitution Notes
Gluten-Free Flour Blend – I have only used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (the one in the RED bag without xanthan gum) to make this recipe, I have not tried any others.
It’s extremely important to always use the same flour the recipe calls for to get the expected results (not just this recipe, but any vegan gluten-free recipe you are following!) If you don't need this recipe to be gluten-free, you can make them just vegan pumpkin muffins by using regular flour, see the recipe notes below.
NOTE: When baking, measuring your flour accurately is so important to get the best results. Check out my article about how to measure flour correctly before you start.
Pumpkin Purée - Use unsweetened pure pumpkin purée for this recipe, NOT pumpkin pie filling. You can use canned purée or you can make homemade pumpkin purée. If you do not have access to pumpkin, you can use a different puréed squash, like butternut squash or you can make my vegan sweet potato muffins instead, which are similar to these.
Sugar – I use coconut sugar in these muffins, but brown sugar can be used instead. I have not tried making this recipe with liquid sweeteners (like pure maple syrup or agave) or sugar alternatives, so I am unsure how they would work.
Not all sugar is vegan, some are processed using animal bone char, so to be sure that yours is, buy an organic brand (organic sugar is not processed using bone char) or one that is labelled as vegan.
Oil - This recipe is made without butter, instead, I use melted coconut oil, but any neutral-flavoured oil, like safflower, or sunflower can be used instead. If you use coconut oil, make sure that your other ingredients are at room temperature so it does not solidify when added to the recipe. I have not tried to make this recipe oil-free; the combination of the oil and pumpkin helps to give the muffins an extra soft and moist texture.
Flax Eggs – Since this recipe is made without eggs, flax eggs are used as a replacement. Chia eggs will work as well if you cannot have flax.
Spices – A mix of three spices is used to give the muffins their warm fall flavours, so they cannot be left out but if you have pre-blended pumpkin pie spice, you can use that instead. See the recipe notes if using pumpkin pie spice.
Baking Powder and Baking Soda - Make sure these ingredients are both fresh, they’re both very important for the muffins to rise properly and have a perfect texture.
Salt and Vanilla Extract - Just a little of each is needed to enhance the flavour of the muffins.
Chocolate Chips - Use your favourite vegan chocolate chips, I always use vegan semi-sweet / dark chocolate chips. If you don't want to use chocolate chips, you can use chopped walnuts or pecans, raisins, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds.
Not sure which chocolate chip brands are vegan? Read my article "Are Chocolate Chips Vegan" to find a comprehensive list of vegan brands to look for at your grocery store.
How to Make Them
(Note: I’ve outlined the step-by-step on how to make this recipe here, but find the full recipe, ingredients, and directions in the recipe card at the end of this post.)
1. Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.
2. Mix the wet ingredients.
3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and mix them into a batter.
4. Add the chocolate chips (if using) to the batter.
5. Stir the chocolate chips in.
6. Divide the muffin batter into your prepared muffin pan. You can use either a spoon or an ice cream scoop to do this. I like using a scoop because it’s quicker and easier to divide the batter, this is the scoop I’m using in the picture below.
7. Bake.
8. Remove the muffins from the oven and let them sit in the pan for a few minutes before removing them and placing them on a cooling rack.
Storing Leftovers and Freezing
These muffins will keep for up to four days at room temperature, in an airtight container. They are best the day of and the day after they were baked. They will begin to dry out the longer they sit.
Freezing
To freeze, once they have thoroughly cooled, wrap them tightly so they're airtight, place them in a container or freezer bag, and freeze.
They will keep in the freezer for up to two months. When you're ready to serve, thaw at room temperature. You can even take it a step further and warm them up in a toaster oven or microwave.
Want more muffins? Be sure to look through this list to see all of my vegan gluten-free muffin recipes!
What's the Texture Like
If this is the first time you're making a vegan gluten-free recipe, you may have heard that they're not great, that they're always dry, taste strange, or that they fall apart. That's not the case with these muffins.
This recipe, like all of my others, has been tested extensively and made by many of my readers (take a look through the comments below!).
They have a fluffy texture that's soft and moist, exactly how a muffin should be!
But to get this texture, you must follow the recipe exactly as it’s written. If you make any substitutions or changes to the recipe in any way, you risk your muffins not turning out as they should.
Tips for Success
- Use the same flour I use. Baking vegan gluten-free can be tricky because different flours produce different results. I know this particular flour works perfectly for this recipe, so to duplicate that perfection, please use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour (in the RED bag!).
- Measure and have all your ingredients ready to go before starting. This will make the process run smoothly, quickly, and easily. Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature.
- Measure your ingredients correctly. I highly recommend using a scale (this is one I own and love) and my weight measurements when making this recipe. If you don’t have a scale, lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup until it is overflowing and then drag the flat edge of a butter knife across the top to level it off. (NEVER dunk the measuring cup into the flour to fill your measuring cup because this will guarantee an incorrect measurement of up to 1.5x more flour and a recipe fail.) Learn more about how to measure flour correctly.
- Make sure your baking powder and baking soda are fresh. These are important ingredients that make the muffins rise and become fluffy. If they are not fresh, your muffins will turn out dense and gummy.
- Don’t over-bake. If over-baked, you’ll end up with dry, crumbly muffins.
- Read this post from top to bottom before you start. I’ve included many tips and tricks to get things right. Also read through the actual recipe before getting started.
- Follow the recipe exactly as it’s written for the very best results.
Are you new to vegan gluten-free baking? If so, be sure to read all of my vegan gluten-free baking tips!
If You Make This Recipe
Please tell me how your delicious pumpkin spice muffins turned out! Leave me a star rating and comment below or you can post a picture on Instagram and tag me so I can see them. I’m @delightfuladventures on Instagram.
If You Like This Recipe
You may also like these other vegan gluten-free muffin recipes:
Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Muffins
Suggested Equipment:
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 ¾ cups (245g) gluten free flour blend (see important notes about flour below)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (see note about spices below)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 cup (240g) unsweetened pumpkin puree (see note below)
- ¾ cup (113g) coconut sugar
- ½ cup (120ml) melted coconut oil (plus extra for greasing muffin pan)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup (135g) chocolate chips (raisins, nuts, or seeds can be used instead, see note below)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177° C).
- Prepare your flax eggs by whisking together ground flax seeds and water. Set aside to thicken.
- Line a muffin pan 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 pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, coconut oil, vanilla, and flax eggs together. Stir until blended.
- Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Using a spoon or a large scoop, divide batter into the 12 muffin cups.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the largest muffin comes out clean.
- Let muffins cool in the muffin pan for a few minutes and then remove and place them on a cooling rack.
Video:
Recipe Notes:
- Please read all of the info above and below before making this recipe.
- 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 Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour (Amazon link) in the red bag, NOT the blue bag), so please know that your results may not be the same as mine if substitute with another gluten-free flour blend.
- 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 (1 ¾ cups /219g) as a substitute for the gluten-free flour.
- This recipe will NOT work with coconut flour or any other single gluten-free flour (like oat flour, almond flour, cassava flour etc.), it must be a blend, the one mentioned above for the best results.
- Make sure to measure your flour correctly.
- If you do not have the three separate spices needed for this recipe, replace them with 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice.
- Any type of neutral-flavoured oil can be used in place of coconut oil, such as safflower or sunflower.
- Brown sugar may be used instead of coconut sugar.
- These muffins will keep for up to four days at room temperature, in an airtight container. They are best the day of and the day after they are baked. They will begin to dry out the longer they sit.
- To freeze, once they have fully cooled, wrap them up tightly so they're airtight, place them in a container or freezer bag, and freeze. They will keep in the freezer for up to two months. When you're ready to serve, thaw at room temperature.
- 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.
- Nutrition info is based on one muffin made with chocolate chips and using the recipes as written. Nutrition info is only to be used as a rough guide. Click to learn how nutrition info is calculated on this website.
Dee says
Can’t wait to make these for a fall bake-off I have at my office! They hit all the boxes-gluten free, dairy free, vegan & low FODMAP! I’ll be switching out half of the coconut sugar for brown sugar- hope that works!
Question-what type of coconut oil? Should it be refined coconut oil to remove the flavor, or is there supposed to be that coconutty flavor?
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Dee! Yes, half coconut sugar for brown sugar will work just fine. And you can use either virgin or refined coconut oil, both are fine. I use virgin and the coconut flavour does not come out in the muffins at all, so no worries there. I hope the muffins do well in your bake-off! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Dee says
They were great! The batter was a little thick so I added an extra tbs oil and a couple tbs water. And my oven doesn’t get as hot so I baked them longer. Delicious, not too sweet which I love!
Gwen @ Delightful Adventures says
Hi Dee! Thanks for your note, I'm so glad to hear you liked the recipe! Curious to know which flour you used. The batter should not be too thick with the two flours I recommend. Did you take a look at the video above that shows me making the muffins? That will give you an idea of the consistency the batter should be. I also use canned puree in the video, I had no more homemade 🙂
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! 🙂
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.
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!
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 🙂
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!
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 🙂
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 🙂
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!
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 🙂
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 🙂
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!
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!
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 🙂
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 🙂
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 🙂
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!
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!
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!
Danielle says
These look SUPER yummy! Must try!
Gwen says
Let me know how you like them, Danielle!