Uh oh. It’s happening again. More pumpkin! I let the lid off last week with Pumpkin Granola, and I’m back today with these supremely moist, fantastically fluffy, and harvest spice-y Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips.
In the cosmos of pumpkin recipes, it arguably doesn’t get more basic than a chocolate chip pumpkin muffin. Or more delicious.
I’m also willing to argue that these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins should be one of the first treats you bake this fall.
Even if you think you are set with your go-to pumpkin recipes.
Even if you aren’t actually vegan.
Even if you, like my crazy husband, don’t think chocolate chips and pumpkin belong together (WHAT?). Even if you leave the chocolate chips out, these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins still taste heavenly. That is how good they are.
How to Make the Best Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
As basic as a pumpkin muffin can be, they are also tricky to get right.
If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I consider muffins Very Serious Business. Remember when I celebrated my 5-year blogiversary with Chocolate Zucchini Muffins instead of cake? THAT is how much I love a good muffin.
And I’m a little, er, particular. (It took me multiple tries to get these Healthy Pumpkin Muffins exactly right, and it was SO worth it.)
A good muffin must be:
- Sweet but not too sweet.
- Full of healthy ingredients without actually tasting like health food.
- Fluffy. They must be fluffy. (Example: Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins and Raspberry Muffins.)
- Fast. The batter needs to take no more than 15 minutes to prep. I’m not sure about you, but typically when I want a muffin, I wanted it five minutes ago.
The requirements are out, and the results are in: these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are very, very good.
They meet my every muffin requirement and may have even usurped my favorite Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread for my go-to pumpkin breakfast recipe!
If you’ve been looking for a healthy pumpkin muffin recipe that still tastes great, these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are it.
The recipe is 100% whole grain, contains no sugar (the refined kind—thank you maple syrup!), and for those with dietary restrictions, this is a recipe for pumpkin muffins without eggs or dairy.
In place of the egg, I used a flax egg, which is a trendy way of saying that I stirred together ground flaxseed and water, let the mix hang out for five minutes to thicken, then added it to the batter.
Like in my Vegan Zucchini Bread recipe, this “flax egg” acts like a regular egg to bind the muffins and help them rise.
The flaxseed swap won’t work in every recipe (the pumpkin muffins only need 2 eggs, so it’s a small portion of the batter), but it was ultra successful in these now egg-free pumpkin muffins.
Bonus: flax is filled with nutrients, so it gives the Vegan Pumpkin Muffins an extra healthy boost. If you don’t need the muffins to be vegan, you can certainly use a regular egg instead.
If you are in the market for easy breakfast recipes you can prep in advance for busy school mornings, work mornings, or, let’s be honest, life mornings (or in the unlikely event of leftovers), these Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are freezer friendly.
How to Store and Freeze These Muffins
- To Store. Store muffins according to this guide for How to Store Muffins.
- To Freeze. I like to wrap mine individually and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months, then any time I need a quick boost, reheat one gently in the microwave. Overnight thawing is ideal, but when a lady needs her pumpkin muffin, a lady needs her pumpkin muffin. My fellow muffin lovers, I know you understand.
More Pumpkin Treats
- Almond Flour Pumpkin Muffins
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Banana Bread
- Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Paleo Pumpkin Bread
- Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Pumpkin Pull Apart Bread
- Check out my full list of healthy pumpkin recipes.
Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup melted cooled coconut oil
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups white whole wheat flour plus 2 tablespoons
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice*
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips mini or regular—I used mini; dairy free if you’d like the muffins to be vegan
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir the flaxseed meal together with 5 tablespoons water. Set aside for 5 minutes to thicken (this creates 2 “flax eggs.”) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and lightly coat 10 cups in a standard 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- In the bowl of a standard mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large mixing bowl, combine the maple syrup and coconut oil until well blended. Add the thickened flaxseed mixture and beat until fully combined. On low speed, beat in the pumpkin puree, almond milk, and vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the white whole wheat flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet ingredients. By hand, stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, just until the flour disappears. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the chocolate chips, reserving a few to sprinkle over the top if desired.
- Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. For the tallest, fluffiest muffins, I like to use a scoop like this one, which ensures even portions and helps the muffins rise. Fill each cup almost to the top. (My pan yielded 10 muffins. Yours may be a little more or less.) Sprinkle the tops with the remaining chocolate chips. Bake for 26 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. With a fork or dull knife, very gently remove the muffins from the pan and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling (do not let them sit in the pan for too long or the heat let off by the muffins expanding will be trapped in the pan and cause the edges to become soggy). Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- If you do not need the pumpkin muffins to be vegan, you can replace the flax eggs (2 tablespoons flaxseed meal + 5 tablespoons water) with 2 large eggs at room temperature (omit the water).
- No pumpkin pie spice? Use 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, and 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice.
- If you’d like the muffins to be vegan, be sure to use dairy-free chocolate chips.
- I haven’t yet experimented with making these muffins gluten free. If you’d like to try, I would recommend starting with a 1:1 baking blend like this one.
- Store muffins according to this guide for How to Store Muffins.
Nutrition
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These were the BEST vegan pumpkin muffins! I recently became vegan and this was my first vegan baking recipe I’ve tried! It was a huge success. Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipe! They are absolutely delicious and everyone in my family loves them! I used oat flour & applesauce (instead of flour & oil)! The muffins were so moist and fluffy! They had the perfect amount of sweetness as well! Thanks once again!!
Hi Anjali! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
We moved this past summer, and I still haven’t found my go-to pumpkin muffin recipe. That led me to this recipe, which is super yummy! The kids love it, too. The muffins are moist and so scrumptious. It’s our new go-to recipe. I’ve made it 3 times in the last month.
Hi Marilea! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
These are very tasty. I used all purpose white flour because that’s what I had on hand.
Hi Patty! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I make these muffins AT LEAST 6 times a year! This has been my go to healthy recipe for muffins for probably 3 years. I love how easy they come together, how good they are even after frozen and (especially) the flavor. Omg my house smelled heavenly today!
Side note: don’t fret if you don’t have the exact ingredients/the muffins aren’t vegan. I used what I had today (all purpose flour, olive oil, regular eggs, etc.) and the recipe was just as perfect as always!
Thanks, Erin, for such good family friendly recipes. I cannot even tell you how many we have on rotation!
Hi Elizabeth! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Great recipe; easily amended. I only had one can of pumpkin, but needed to double the recipe. So I used one can pumpkin, one can of carrots, and half of a banana. Then I used honey instead of maple syrup because I didnt have any on hand. I threw together a rolled oat streusel topping and it was amazingly delicious! My kids inhaled them.
Glad it worked out for you Carrie!
These are so delicious. My kids love it and I’ve made these muffins already quite a few times now. Always turn out great. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Zoe! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
These were great, I had to make a couple of substitutions: olive oil, spelt flour and chia seed “eggs”. Spectacular results. The lower oven temp with a longer bake time yields a just right muffin!
I added walnuts along with the chocolate chips. Excellent recipe!
Great to hear! Thanks Robin!
I gave it a four only because I made some alterations – I used avocado and safflower oil combo-and substituted egg whites for the whole egg/flax meal portion. I also used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour. I think I just made too many substitutions all at once. Next time I will use Pamela’s Pancake and Baking Mix. The Red Mill just left a gritty texture to the muffin but It was very heavy and dense. I could have baked it 25 minutes and checked, but I made jumbo muffins (6) so I went with the 28 minutes. All in all, it tasted a bit “flat”, but with will all I did, I am not surprised. It is definitely a great recipe. I just took all the good stuff out of it! (Can’t have coconut oil or eggs)
Glad it worked out for you Susie!
What temperature should the oven preheat to? The recipe doesn’t state
Hi Cathyward, it is written out in Step 1. “Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F”. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
These are perfection. Made with gluten free flour. Delicious!
So glad it worked out for you Sandy!