Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
These vegan pumpkin muffins are a cozy autumn treat you can pull together in about half an hour, no eggs and no dairy required. They are soft and moist thanks to pureed pumpkin, gently spiced with cinnamon, and sweetened with brown sugar. Ground chia seeds do the job an egg usually does, so the batter binds beautifully while staying completely plant-based.
I’ll be honest with you: I rarely cook with pumpkin, not because I don’t like it (because I do, a lot actually) but because it’s so difficult to cut. I’m always afraid I’ll cut myself whenever I open one up. Fortunately, I had some frozen baked pumpkin cubes in the freezer, so this solved the problem. I let them thaw and turned them into a creamy puree using my favorite blender, the G21 Perfect Smoothie Vitality. Then all I had to choose was what to make. I had two options, pumpkin pie and pumpkin muffins, and I chose the latter. I’m so happy I did, because these turned out perfectly.
What you’ll need for the batter
The ingredient list is short and forgiving. For the dry mix you’ll use regular or gluten-free flour, plus rolled oats that you blitz into oat flour yourself in the blender. This is one of my favorite little tricks, since freshly ground oats give the muffins a tender crumb and you control the texture. Brown sugar keeps them moist and adds a soft caramel note, while baking powder, baking soda, and a generous 2 teaspoons of cinnamon do the lifting and the flavor.
The wet side is just as simple: a cup of pureed pumpkin (canned works perfectly, or bake and blend it yourself), vanilla, a dairy-free milk of your choice, and olive or coconut oil. The star of the list, though, is the chia. To replace the egg used in regular muffins, I ground some chia seeds right alongside the oats. Once they meet the liquid, they gel and hold everything together, no egg needed.
Why ground chia works instead of eggs
Chia seeds are packed with soluble fiber, so when they hydrate they form a gel that mimics the binding role an egg plays in baking. Grinding them first (I do it in the same blender jar as the oats) spreads that gel evenly through the batter instead of leaving little seeds throughout, which means the muffins hold their shape and don’t crumble. The pumpkin puree adds moisture and a bit of natural pectin too, so together they give you that soft, sturdy muffin without a single egg.
Tips for the softest muffins
- Blend the oats and chia until they truly look like flour before you mix anything else in. Any large flakes left behind will change the texture.
- Combine your dry ingredients well first, then stir in the wet ones. Mix just until no dry streaks remain; overmixing develops the flour and makes muffins tough.
- Fill each muffin cup only about two thirds of the way full so they have room to dome without spilling over.
- Preheat the oven fully to 375°F. A properly hot oven gives you the initial rise that sets a good muffin top.
- Test doneness with a toothpick inserted in the center: it should come out clean, usually around the 20 minute mark.
The pumpkin seed topping
Before baking, I topped each muffin with some crushed pumpkin seeds. I also wanted to sprinkle some oats on top, but I forgot about it, so I just added them after these were baked, just to look good in the photos. If you want that finished bakery look from the start, scatter both the seeds and a few oats on before the muffins go into the oven. The seeds toast slightly as they bake and add a lovely nutty crunch against the soft crumb.
Storing and making them ahead
These muffins keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for two to three days, and their moisture actually makes them lovely on day two. For longer storage, freeze them once fully cooled and thaw at room temperature or warm gently in the oven when a craving hits. They make a perfect grab-and-go breakfast or afternoon snack. If you catch the baking bug, browse more of my vegan muffin recipes, or try these chocolate chip coconut muffins next. When you want to use up the rest of your pumpkin, a pumpkin smoothie or a crustless pumpkin pie is a great way to do it.
If you bake a batch of these pumpkin muffins, I’d love to know how they turned out for you. Leave a star rating and drop a comment below telling me whether you added the oats on top before baking (unlike me!) or gave the spice mix your own twist.
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Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour regular or gluten-free
- 1 cup rolled oats turned into flour in the blender
- 3 Tbsp chia seeds
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup pumpkin pureed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup dairy-free milk of choice
- ½ cup olive oil or coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Add the rolled oats and chia seeds to a blender and process until they have the texture of flour.
- In a bowl, combine the oat-chia flour, the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix well. Stir in the pureed pumpkin (use canned, or bake and blend your own), then add the vanilla, dairy-free milk, and oil and stir into a smooth batter.
- Line a muffin tin and fill each cup about ⅔ full. Top with crushed pumpkin seeds (and a sprinkle of oats, if you remember) before baking.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. There are no eggs, dairy, or honey anywhere in the recipe. Ground chia seeds replace the egg by forming a gel that binds the batter, and a dairy-free milk of your choice stands in for regular milk, so the muffins are completely plant-based.
Yes. The recipe already calls for either regular or gluten-free flour, so just use a gluten-free all-purpose blend. Make sure your rolled oats are certified gluten-free too, since you blend them into oat flour for this recipe.
Absolutely. You need one cup of pureed pumpkin, and canned pumpkin puree works perfectly. If you prefer to make your own, bake the pumpkin and blend it until smooth, which is exactly what I did with frozen baked pumpkin cubes from my freezer.
Add the rolled oats to a blender and process them until they reach the texture of flour. I blend the chia seeds right alongside the oats in the same jar so both are finely ground before they go into the batter.
Stored in an airtight container at room temperature, they keep well for two to three days and actually stay lovely and moist on day two. For longer storage, freeze them once fully cooled and thaw at room temperature or warm them briefly in the oven.
Bake them at 375°F for about 20 minutes, then insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin. When it comes out clean, they are ready. If there is wet batter clinging to it, give them a few more minutes.
Loved them! Mine didn’t grow this much but still looked pretty good! And the taste was delicious! Thank you!
You’re welcome!
looks delicious! wow! great pictures
Thank you! 😀