Easy Gluten-free Pumpkin Muffins (Vegan)

These gluten-free pumpkin muffins have a beautifully moist crumb, are super easy to make, and are perfect for the fall during pumpkin season! A batch comes together in just 45 minutes, and these muffins make for an easy on-the-go breakfast or an anytime snack. Dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan.

Fall Means Time to Cook with Pumpkin

The first time Juan and I lived in the US, we’d moved to Washington DC at the tail-end of summer, and a few weeks later fall arrived. Cooler, crisp evenings had started easing their way in; the sun was setting earlier each day; the trees started turning beautiful shades of auburns and oranges, covering the sidewalks with trails of dried leaves that crunched under our feet as we walked over them.

Most of all, what made it clear that fall had arrived was the fact that pumpkins had popped up everywhere. Pumpkins were piled in front of the entrance at our nearest Trader Joe’s; they adorned the front porches of neighboring houses; and in every restaurant menu, there was some variation of pumpkin: pumpkin pie; pumpkin bread; pumpkin spice latte.

Naturally, I was intrigued. I’d never cooked with pumpkin before, but I definitely wanted to try it. So during our four months in the US capital, I made pumpkin waffles, pumpkin bread, pumpkin scones, pumpkin gnocchi and even pumpkin risotto. I was going pumpkin-crazy.

The Perfect Muffins:

Muffins were one of the first things I learned to bake a long time ago, and when I saw this recipe for the prettiest vegan and gluten-free pumpkin muffins on the Healthy Helper blog, which was adapted from the Oh She Glows Everyday cookbook, I just knew I had to try them. I made a few tweaks to the ingredients and am proud to present these delicious pumpkin muffins that you’ll be making all fall season long!

(Quick note here: If you haven’t read the Oh She Glows blog before, you’ll love it. Angela, the author and creator of the recipes on the blog, only features the most amazing and well-tested recipes that make vegan cooking easy and enjoyable. In the past few months since Juan developed allergies to eggs and dairy, I’ve looked to Angela’s blog for inspiration and guidance every once in a while. If you eat and cook vegan, hers is a blog that I definitely recommend.)

Why This Recipe Works:

These healthy gluten-free pumpkin muffins are literally foolproof, and come out perfectly well every single time. I love that they have a moist crumb, unlike many vegan baked goods that turn out too dry, and a large batch only takes 45 minutes from start to finish!

As mentioned, I made a few small tweaks to the recipe. The main thing being that instead of using oat flour, I used my own gluten-free flour blend (see ingredients picture below). (The reason I stay away from using oats despite them being naturally gluten-free is that oats tend to cause reactions similar to reactions to gluten in some Celiacs, so when developing gluten-free recipes, I usually try not to use oats.)

Even with the tweaks, these easy pumpkin muffins came out amazing – I still can’t believe that the muffins have such a moist and beautiful crumb despite being free of eggs and dairy and gluten! I mean, making pumpkin muffins from scratch cannot get any easier, and we literally ate up the entire batch within a day! Don’t take my word for it though. I’m not the only one who can testify how good these muffins were – Juan loved them and my friend Mechi couldn’t stop praising them either.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

Recipe Notes/ Substitutions:

• Gluten-Free Flour Blend: In this recipe I’ve used my own gluten-free flour blend that’s a mix of brown rice flour, sorghum flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, and xanthan gum. However, if you prefer to use a pre-made store-bought gluten-free all-purpose flour blend, you can substitute the flours and starches with 2 1/4 cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Make sure that the blend includes xanthan gum, and you use a good blend made with lighter flours such as the King Arthur Flour gluten-free muti-purpose flour, instead of heavier flours such as bean flours. I personally do NOT recommend using Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free flour because it is mostly made with heavier bean flours that result in a denser consistency.
• Pumpkin Puree: I used my homemade pumpkin puree (which is super easy to make, and is free or the additives and preservatives that come with canned pumpkin). However, if you only have access to canned pumpkin, it will work just as well.
• Almond Milk: I love using my 5-minute homemade almond milk, but you can use other non-dairy milks such as cashew milk, soy milk, or coconut milk instead. If you are not lactose-intolerant or vegan, feel free to use normal cow’s milk in equal quantities.
• Maple Syrup: If you prefer, you can also use agave nectar or if you’re not vegan, feel free to swap out the maple syrup for equal amounts of honey too.
• Coconut Oil: I usually prefer to use refined coconut oil for baking as it has a more neutral taste compared to unrefined coconut oil. If you’re allergic to coconut, feel free to substitute coconut oil with equal amounts of other neutral vegetable oil.

How to Make These Muffins From Scratch:

1. Preheat Oven and Grease Muffin Mold.

Start off by preheating the oven to 350F (180C) and greasing a silicon muffin mold. I prefer using a silicon muffin mold because they produce better results and it’s much easier to remove the muffins from the molds once they’ve cooled. However, if you don’t own a silicon muffin old, make sure to use paper liners or foil liners in your muffin mold so they come out easier.

2. Mix the Dry Ingredients Together

In a large bowl, whisk the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, sugar, ground cinnamon and baking powder together until combined. In another bowl, mix the vanilla extract, pumpkin puree, non-dairy milk, maple syrup and coconut oil together.

3. Combine Dry and Wet Ingredients

Next, pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients and stir well until just combined and you have a homogeneous muffin batter.

4. Transfer Batter to Muffin Mold

Divide the batter evenly between the cavities of the muffin mold and fill each cavity till it is 3/4-full. Bake the batter for 25 to 30 minutes until the muffins are firm and ready.

Tip: My favorite way to check if the muffins are cooked if to insert a toothpick in the center and if comes out clean, the muffins are ready.

5. Let Cool Before Removing Muffins

Once ready, allow these gluten-free pumpkin muffins to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the muffin mold, and then letting them cool for another 10 minutes on a wire rack before eating.

Tips/Tricks:

• Optional Toppings: Feel feel to sprinkle pumpkin seeds or chopped nuts on top of the batter before baking if you want a slightly more decorated look.
• Make Cupcakes: If you want to make cupcakes with these pumpkin muffins, simply top the muffins with your frosting of choice once muffins have baked and are completely cool.

Recipe FAQs:

Pumpkin Recipes to Enjoy:

• Homemade Pumpkin Puree (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread (Vegan)
• Easy Gluten-Free Pumpkin Scones
• No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Creamy Pumpkin Soup (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Pumpkin Thyme Risotto (Gluten-Free)
• Gluten-Free Pumpkin Gnocchi

Fall Recipes You’ll Also Love:

• Homemade Applesauce (Gluten-Free, Vegan)
• Easy Pear Galette (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Pear Custard Pie (Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free)
• Cranberry Bread Pudding (Gluten-Free)
• Cranberry Walnut Tart (Gluten-Free)

P.S. If you try this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating below, and/or a review in the comment section further down the page. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to check out my entire Recipe Index for all the recipes on the blog. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram! Sign up for my Email List to get fresh recipes in your inbox each week!

Print