Pecan crumble on top of a yummy, moist, spiced pumpkin muffin! Need I say more. This quick and easy recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Muffins is literally a fan favorite! Paired with a warm beverage they make a great breakfast on the go, snack, or sweet treat after dinner.
It's that time of year again where canned pumpkin is flying off the shelves. Everywhere you look pumpkin spiced anything and everything is on the menu. It's a nostalgic feel good flavor associated with fall that glides us right into the holidays. One of my favorite times of year.
So this fall when pumpkin season rolled around I indulged my love of the time of year by breaking out my muffin tin! And what I created is a pumpkin muffin that is super moist, perfectly spiced, and finished off with a pecan crumble that is to die for! Okay maybe not die, but it is darn good taking these already amazing vegan pumpkin muffins to another level.
It's one for the recipe box! Along with my vegan blueberry muffins and vegan double chocolate muffins, it's now one of my favorite go to muffin recipes. If you can't tell I'm a huge fan of muffins.
And the best part is that this recipe is quick and easy to make. You just need about 30 minutes and a few simple ingredients. Measure, mix, bake, and eat!
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Ingredients Needed
This muffin recipe is broken down into two parts. You've got your pumpkin muffin batter and then you've got your pecan crumble, but the ingredients you need are about the same for both. That means you won't need any fancy ingredients for this recipe.
For the batter:
- Canned Pumpkin: You want canned packed pumpkin puree, not canned pumpkin pie mix. The pumpkin pie mix is is both too liquidy and has added sugar that will alter the outcome of the recipe.
- All-purpose Flour: I have not tried using gluten free flour for this recipe.
- Cornstarch: Arrowroot starch can also be used. The cornstarch acts as a binder and adds crumb to the texture.
- Baking Powder: Gives rise to the muffins.
- Baking Soda: Also gives rise to the muffins by reacting with acids in the batter.
- Salt: Brings out the flavors of pumpkin as well as the maple syrup.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Any pumpkin pie spice will do. You can can also use a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and ground cloves if you don't have any on hand. But only add a dash of the ground cloves if you make your own. More than a tad can be overpowering.
- Brown Sugar: You want light brown sugar for this recipe.
- Sugar: You can use cane or granulated sugar.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: You must use the vinegar as it interacts with the baking soda to make the muffins rise. It also enhances the pumpkin flavor really well by bringing in a touch of acid to brighten things up.
- Almond Milk: I use unsweetened plain almond milk, but any plant based milk will work. And if you don't have any on hand you can use water as a last resort.
- Canola Oil: Any neutral oil is good like canola, safflower, or sunflower. Oils like olive oil and coconut oil will totally take over the flavor of the muffins.
- Maple Syrup: Agave is another option, but I do recommend using maple syrup for the delicious added flavor.
- Vanilla Extract: Like salt, in baking vanilla helps to enhance the flavors of all the other ingredients. Without it flavors can fall flat. The goal is to add enough for it to do its job without becoming a star ingredient.
For the crumble:
- All-purpose Flour: The flour is the basis of the crumble. Again, I have not tried using gluten free flour for this recipe.
- Pecans: You will need raw, unsalted pecan pieces.
- Sugar: You can use cane or granulated sugar for the crumble.
- Cinnamon: Ground cinnamon adds some spice to the topping.
- Vegan Butter: I used earth balance for this recipe, but any vegan butter will do.
- Maple Syrup: Agave can be used if you don't have maple syrup on hand, but it will slightly change the flavor profile.
How to Make Vegan Pumpkin Muffins
To make this recipe you only need about 30 minutes from start to finish!
You start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit and lining a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners. You can also grease the tin and dust with flour if you prefer.
Then you make the pecan crumble by combining all the crumble ingredients together with a fork or by using your fingers. You basically smush it all together. I like to use my fingers and find that it works best. Your vegan butter must be cubed and cold for this step. The end result should be a crumble texture that resembles chunky sand. You then set the crumble aside for a later step.
Next, you sift the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and whisk together. Then you add the pumpkin pie spice, sugar, and brown sugar and whisk again. You want to break up any lumps of sugar. It should be mixed in evenly with the flour and look like sand. I often use my hands to make sure it's fully incorporated.
Now, you mix the almond milk, canned pumpkin, oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and vanilla together in another bowl until nice and smooth. Then you make a well in the flour mixture and pour the pumpkin mixture into the well. You now fold the batter just until moistened. Try not to overmix.
Then you divide the muffin batter among the 12 cups of the muffin tin and top with the pecan crumble mixture. It's about 2 tablespoons of crumble per muffin. Finally, you bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.
Once the muffins are done, you will want to let them cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before placing them on a cooling rack.
And that's it! Easy as done. Ready to eat vegan pumpkin muffins with a yummy pecan crumble!
Why bake at 400 degrees fahrenheit?
Baking the muffins at a higher temperature isn't so much about baking them faster, but more about getting the best rise to create a better dome on the muffins. It's in the science. The higher temperature activates the leavening agents faster and more significantly. Hence, your muffins will not be flat! And comes with the added advantage of a slightly shorter baking time.
Muffin Storage
The muffins will keep in an airtight for about a week. You can also freeze them in a sealed bag or container for up to 3 months. Then when ready to eat just defrost at room temperature.
Top Tips For Success
- Packed Pumpkin: For this recipe it's really important that you use canned packed pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix. I would even advise against using pumpkin that you pureed yourself in this case. It's simply too watery. You want the pumpkin puree to be more creamy than watery. The added water will result in pumpkin muffins that don't rise properly.
- Weight Ingredients: To ensure that your muffins come out just like mine your best bet is to buy yourself a digital scale. They are under $15 and make a huge difference in baking. Why? Because how you pack flower into a cup and how I do it could be entirely different. In Europe as well as most other countries all recipes are in weights. There is an added bonus here. Weighing ingredients is actually not as messy as dumping flour and sugar into cups. However, if you don't have a scale don't worry you can still make these amazing vegan pumpkin muffins! But do check out this video on how to properly measure flour. That way you will come as close as you can to reaching the correct amounts. A cup of flour typically weighs between 120 and 125 grams.
- Mixing Order: This recipe uses the muffin method. It's a baking technique that is based on the order in which the ingredients are mixed together as well as how they are mixed together. So following the directions of this recipe is important. In fact, following the directions to almost a tee is pretty important in almost any baking recipe. Yet, this recipe is super easy, so you got this!
- Use The Vinegar: The apple cider vinegar in this recipe can not be omitted! It's a crucial ingredient. In vegan baking, vinegars are now used quite often in combination with baking soda to create a chemical reaction that results in super light, fluffy, perfectly risen baked goodies. Without it the muffins will not rise that well. And on top of that it actually helps to deepen the flavor of these pumpkin muffins. It has become one of my favorite secrets in vegan baking.
You will love this recipe for Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Crumble because it's...
- Packed with pumpkin flavor
- Perfectly spiced but not too sweet
- Topped with a delicious pecan crumble
- Super quick and easy to make
If you try this recipe please let me know how it turns out by leaving a comment and rating. You can also hashtag #danceswithknives with a photo of your creation on Instagram where you can find me @dances_with_knives.
More Easy Vegan Baking Recipes
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cake with Almonds
- Apple Cinnamon Bread
- The Best Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Crumble
Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour (208 grams)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch (arrowroot can be used too)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (1 tablespoon + 1 Tsp= 4 tsp)
- ½ cup brown sugar (108 grams)
- ½ cup sugar (100 grams)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup almond milk unsweetened
- 1 ¼ cup canned pumpkin
- 6 tablespoon canola oil (¼ cup + 2 Tbsp= 6 Tbsp)
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pecan Crumble Topping
- ½ cup + 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour (70 grams)
- ½ cup chopped pecans, raw and unsalted
- ¼ cup sugar (50 grams)
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoon cold vegan butter, cut in cubes
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° fahrenheit. Then line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease and dust with flour.
- Make the pecan crumble topping. But first make sure to find the ingredient amounts at the bottom of the recipe that are just for the crumble topping. Then mix the flour, pecans, sugar, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Now, drizzle in the maple syrup. Next, add the cold cubed vegan butter and combine it all together with a fork or your fingers. I use my fingers. You want a crumbly texture. You basically smush it all together until it is combined but chunky.
- In a large bowl sift together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Then add the pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, and sugar. Now, use a whisk to mix all the dry ingredients together. You must make sure that the brown sugar has no lumps and is complete incorporated. I even use my hands. In the end it should feel like smooth sand.
- In a different medium sized bowl, combine the almond milk, pumpkin puree, oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Then whisk together until nice and smooth.
- Create a well in your dry ingredients. Then add the wet pumpkin mixture to the bowl of dry ingredients and fold to combine just until moistened. Do not overmix.
- Divide the batter evenly into the prepared muffin tin.
- Now top each muffin with the pecan crumble mixture. It should be about 2 tablespoons of crumble per muffin.
- Bake the muffins for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. When done allow the muffins to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing them to finish cooling on a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container once the muffins are completely cool. They will keep for about a week. You can also store them in a sealed bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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