Vegan Pumpkin Blender Muffins
Vegan Pumpkin Blender Muffins- made with whole grain oats, these easy pumpkin muffins make for the perfect healthy treat! (gluten-free, oil-free and refined sugar-free)
Over the years I’ve had several requests for a vegan version of my healthy flourless pumpkin muffins and the day has finally come. It might have taken me a while but I promise they were worth the wait.
The ingredient list is simple and they can be made oil-free, refined sugar-free, nut-free, gluten-free…pretty much every free you can think of. Plus with fall right around the corner now is the perfect time for pumpkin treats so let’s get baking!
INGREDIENTS AND POSSIBLE SUBSTITUTIONS
- Pumpkin Puree- My go-to brand for pumpkin puree is Farmers Market because I like that it’s organic and comes in BPA-free packaging. However, from experience with prior pumpkin recipes on my site, it seems like the water content in this brand tends to be higher than others. If you’re using a different brand you may need to add a few tablespoons of milk to the recipe. I recommend doing this prior to blending because once the batter has formed it is very easy to add too much milk which will result in an under-baked and gummy texture. It’s normal for the batter to be thick but not too thick for your blender to blend everything together properly.
- Non-Dairy Milk- With my vegan baking recipes I always opt for a high protein plant milk. Soy milk, milks that have pea protein added or oat milk are all good options. The protein content is important because it reacts with the vinegar to create lactic acid which activates the leavening agents to allow for proper lift. This is key for preventing gumminess.
- Apple Cider Vinegar- I like apple cider vinegar because I always have some on hand but white vinegar should work the same if that’s all you have.
- Vanilla Extract- While this isn’t entirely necessary it really does wonders for the depth of flavor so I don’t recommend skipping it.
- Pure Maple Syrup- You want to make sure you’re using pure maple syrup, not pancake syrup, because it has a much deeper flavor profile in addition to antioxidants. If you want to use honey in place of syrup just keep in mind it’s much thicker and will likely require more milk which can affect the resulting texture.
- Almond Butter- I find almond butter and cashew butter to be the most neutral oil-free options for my flourless muffins but you can also use equal amounts of melted coconut oil or other preferred neutral flavored oil.
- Rolled Oats- You’ll need a high speed blender to break down the rolled oats. I recommend regular rolled oats over thick cut since they will be easier for your blender to process.
- Baking Soda, Powder and Salt- The combination of baking soda and baking powder is what gives these muffins a nice lift. Salt balances out the sweet.
- Chocolate Chips- Dark chocolate chips are my go-to in pumpkin muffins but you can easily mix things up with chopped nuts or raisins, if you prefer!
WHAT IF I DON’T HAVE A HIGH SPEED BLENDER?
You can see that the Vitamix does an awesome job breaking down the oats and making my muffins look like bakery perfection. If you can afford to invest in one, I highly recommend it. I’ve had mine for 7 years and it still works like a champ.
That said, if you don’t have a high speed blender you can easily make these by using equal amounts oat flour and combining the dry ingredients and wet ingredients in two separate bowls. For best results, I recommend blending or beating the wet ingredients together as this step incorporates air and will help lighten the texture. Then you just pour the wet ingredients in a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and stir to combine.
If you want to try more vegan blender muffins like these be sure to check these out:
- Vegan Spinach Blender Muffins
- Vegan Banana Oatmeal Blender
- Vegan Double Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins
Vegan Pumpkin Blender Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, see post for notes on brands of puree
- ⅓ cup non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup almond butter, see post for possible subs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1-2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, use 2 if you prefer more spice, can also use pumpkin pie spice for more flavor
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, plus more for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F then line or grease a muffin tin for 9 muffins.
- In the bowl of a high speed blender, add the wet ingredients first. Layer the dry ingredients on top then blend on high until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
- The batter will be thick so you will need a spoon or ideally an ice cream scooper to transfer it to the muffin pan. Fill all 9 muffins about 3/4 of the way full then top with additional chocolate chips.
- Bake in the oven for 22-25 minutes, until tops are round and golden on the edges. Allow to cool completely before serving. Muffins are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. They can also be frozen for up to several months when properly sealed. Just make sure to allow them to cool entirely before freezing because excess moisture in the container will cause freezer burn.
Notes
Nutrition
Oh my gosh I’m so excited to make these! I was making your green monster muffins throughout the summer and started my hunt for a similar healthy pumpkin muffin recipe. You read my mind!
Perfect! I hope you enjoy them!
These look amazing! And I have everything on hand! Except… I’m embarrassed to say that I don’t have muffin tins anymore… would this work in a loaf pan? If so, how long would you guess I would need to bake it? Thank you!!
It’s possible! Usually my vegan and gluten-free recipes work better as muffins but I feel like there’s a good chance this one would work. I would guess maybe 30-40 minutes…you should be able to smell when it’s nearing done and it will also be firm and golden on the edges. :)
Thanks!! I’ll give it a go this weekend
Made your muffins this morning to take to my ladies Bible study. I liked how easy they were to make. I thought the taste was just ok, but I’m not a big fan of pumpkin (except pie). They did make a nice snack. I will make them again to have as an after dinner treat or with a cup of hot tea or Dandy Blend. All of the other ladies who tried them really liked them and the hostess’ dog tried to eat the empty muffin paper from one! Two tips I’d give: tap your muffin tin on the counter to get the batter to settle into a smooth mass as much as possible, and if you want to double the recipe, as I did, still do 2 individual batches. I had to do a lot of hand mixing in my vitamix.
I am very much looking forward to trying many of your other recipes!
I ended up borrowing a muffin tin to make these, and despite trying to follow your advice about how to not make them gummy, they do have a slightly gummy texture. It may have been from my pumpkin brand, which wasn’t the same as yours, but I did try to add some liquid before blending. My vitamix was really struggling to blend it, and I had to stop and add liquid a few times, but the muffins are still very delicious! I love that they aren’t too sweet (most baked goods are way too sweet for my taste) and have a cozy fall flavor!
Thanks for the feedback! It is a really fine line between just enough liquid and too much. If you add too much then they will be gummy. But layering the wet ingredients in the bottom first should be enough for the Vitamix to break things down fairly well. It’s also normal for the batter to be very thick. It’s not pourable. What brand of pumpkin did you use?
I used target brand pumpkin!
I also added the oats last…forgot about them until the end of the layering process maybe they should have been lower in the layers since they are so thick?
So long as you put all of the wet ingredients in first then that should work! It’s most likely the pumpkin puree. How much additional milk did you add before blending? And what kind of milk did you use? Sorry for so many questions. It’s just hard to know what went wrong without being there! :)
I made these and also found my Vitamix really struggled. The texture is just fine but the pumpkin flavor is rather lacking. They’re also not very sweet- and I usually cut sugar in a recipe down by half, but I used all the maple syrup for the first time making the recipe. Not sure if I will make them again, but being GF, Dairy and egg free right now, I have to say these are pretty good overall (all your recipes are!)
Thanks for the review, Emalee. Unfortunately making blender muffins vegan + GF with wholesome ingredients (meaning no starches or gums) means the batter has to be very thick otherwise they will be gummy. I tried my best to clarify that in the post and in the directions of the recipe. It’s not the easiest of batter to work with but the Vitamix can do the job. It’s possible the brand of pumpkin puree you’re using is thicker than the brand I tested them with.
The pumpkin puree itself isn’t going to add much flavor but you can always add more spice, such as a teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice to enhance the flavor. I was just aiming to keep the recipe as simple as possible since cinnamon is something most everyone has on hand.
As far as the sweetness, this is a lower sugar recipe but I find that the chocolate chips make them sweet enough. Did you add chocolate chips?
Leaving a 3-star rating will affect others willingness to try the recipe so hopefully that’s what you truly think they deserve.
I was so excited when I saw a pumpkin version of your blender muffins. Unsurprisingly, these are also delicious. I’ve made two batches. The first batch I followed the recipe and added 3 Tbsp additional milk to account for the thicker pumpkin puree I had on hand. The second batch I added a heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice in addition to a (heaping) teaspoon of the cinnamon and I really like this flavor combo if you want a bit spicier muffin. I think I may also try this recipe with sweet potato puree when I have some handy. Thanks for another great muffin recipe. These are just so amazingly good AND oil free (!!).
Yay! So glad they turned out well for you. Your review is very helpful. Thank you!!
“Can also be frozen for several muffins when properly sealed” did you mean months? How long will they freeze for?
Oh yes, lol! Sorry about that. I’ve frozen them for up to 2 months and they’re still delicious. So long as you have a really well sealed container they should last for a while, possibly even up to 6 months.