Egg-free and dairy-free, but still moist and flavorful, you’ll love these small-batch vegan pumpkin muffins! This fall muffin recipe is perfectly scaled for when you’re only cooking for a few.
These pumpkin muffins are made for fall mornings! Fresh pumpkin, a healthy helping of warm fall spices, a hint of moist banana… these are fall in a bite. And the best part is, the batch is the perfect size for smaller cooking! These muffins are easy to mix and ready for the oven in just minutes. Oh, and you can totally sample the batter.
A little about the inspiration for these vegan pumpkin muffins
Darlings, you know we pretty much try all sorts of food here, and I do periodically share vegan recipes. But this more personal, and I’m planning on sharing a few more of these kinds of recipes in the future. They’ll be egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, pea-free, and free of a pretty long list of other ingredients. Every ingredient list will be run by my sister, because these are recipes for my nephew, Ben (aka – B2).
You see, B2 has a long list of pretty serious food allergies. My sister and her husband realized how serious just before his first birthday when they went to a fall festival and bought a pumpkin muffin. It seemed like a safe food to share with their son before he had a little cake at his upcoming first birthday. Except that he immediately broke out in hives! Which sent them to specialists and lots of testing. At this point, it’s easier to track the shortlist of foods that are safe rather than the long list to which he’s allergic.
But a growing boy has to eat! So I will periodically send screenshots of recipes and food I make at home to my sister with a “Good for B2?” That’s actually what I did with this recipe. When she approved, she told me the story of the first pumpkin muffin. So the thought of a “safe” pumpkin muffin was exciting. I told her I’d run it through the blog tests and get it posted for her. And then, I’d continue to work with her on recipes as they come along, that would work for him.
The hope is, by sharing a few of these super allergy-friendly recipes, not only will B2 have some tasty new dishes to try, but maybe it helps a few other families too. You’ll find the recipes as they are developed under the “Baking for B2” tag on the site.
A few recipe notes…
In keeping with the idea of simplicity this recipe is pretty straightforward. Who wants a complicated recipe for just 6 muffins!? Since simplicity also means using what you have, I’d like to talk about a few substitutions you can make.
First, you can substitute the nondairy yogurt for silken tofu. You usually find tofu in the refrigerated section of the grocery store, often near the vegetables. For this recipe, you’ll want the silken tofu, which is the softest and will most closely mimic the texture of yogurt.
If you’d rather not use maple syrup, or don’t have any, you can use sugar. Brown sugar or granulated sugar will make an excellent substitute. You could use honey, but your muffins will have a honey flavor. Sugar is a more neutral substitute.
If you aren’t making your own pumpkin puree, be sure you buy pure pumpkin puree at the store. Most grocery stores sell pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie filling next to each other. It’s really easy to mix up the cans if you don’t pay attention. This is personal experience talking! I definitely learned since I was purchasing pumpkin for my savory pumpkin lasagna, and a pie filling definitely wasn’t going to work!
If you need to make these gluten free, and vegan, substitute your favorite gluten-free all purpose flour. One that is considered a cup-for-cup substitute is ideal! There are a couple great brands out there, so use what you find at your store.
If you suspect pumpkin might not be a good idea, plain mashed sweet potato makes a great sub for the pumpkin puree. Add a little extra water to the mash or another tablespoon of nondairy milk to the muffin batter if it’s too thick to stir. Mashed sweet potatoes are usually a good bit thicker than your typical pumpkin puree.
I hope you love these small batch vegan pumpkin muffins, darlings! Any extra muffins can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days in an airtight container once they are completely cool. Otherwise, freeze them up to 2 months and thaw as needed. Enjoy!
Small Batch Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
Egg-free and dairy-free, but still moist and flavorful, you'll love these small-batch vegan pumpkin muffins! This fall muffin recipe is perfectly scaled to make 6 muffins.
Ingredients
- 1 mashed ripe banana
- 1/4 cup nondairy yogurt (plain or vanilla flavor)
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup nondairy milk
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (see notes)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (see notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 F and place 6 liners in a muffin tin, or spray the tin with nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the mashed banana, yogurt, maple syrup, milk, pumpkin puree, oil, and vanilla extract. Stir together.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Divide the batter evenly between your 6 muffin wells. Top with turbinado sugar if using.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425 F. Without opening the door, lower the oven temperature to 350 F and bake an additional 18-20 minutes until a tester inserted into a center muffin comes out clean. Watch carefully towards the end to be sure not to over bake.
- Allow the muffins to set in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve muffins at room temperature or slightly warm.
- Completely cooled muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days, refrigerated for a week, or frozen up to 2 months.
Notes
- You can use any neutral-flavored oil here like canola oil, avocado oil, grapeseed oil, etc.
- If you don't have pumpkin pie spice, you may substitute with a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and all-spice.
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