These vegan pumpkin cupcakes are moist, tender, and bursting with pumpkin spice! They're also easy to make with just one bowl. The perfect treat to celebrate fall with!
My vegan pumpkin cake is one of my favorite sweet recipes to make when the temperatures start to drop. It's so easy, makes the whole house smell like fall, and of course is absolutely delicious.
Some of you asked if it could be made as cupcakes, and I didn't have a definite answer... until today!
Every time I post a cake recipe I get a bunch of people asking if it can be made as cupcakes. The answer is usually yes, but with some modifications. I can't always say what those modifications are though, until I start doing some testing in the kitchen.
That's what I did to transform my vegan pumpkin cake recipe into a vegan pumpkin cupcake recipe. All for you guys! (Believe me though, I didn't mind testing this one out at all.)
The cupcakes are just as delicious as the cake, just as easy, and kind of better because there's just something special about biting into a delicate little cupcake that's piled high with frosting! If you love pumpkin cake, or pumpkin pie, or any pumpkin dessert for that matter, then you have to give these cupcakes a try.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Flour. We're using all-purpose flour, also known as white flour. That's what I developed and tested the recipe with, though it could potentially work with other varieties like spelt flour or whole wheat pastry flour.
- Sugar. Use organic sugar to keep the recipe vegan. Conventional (non-organic) sugar may be bleached using animal bone char, so it's not considered vegan.
- Brown sugar. Same deal! This also needs to be organic.
- Baking powder.
- Baking soda.
- Pumpkin pie spice.
- Ground cinnamon.
- Salt.
- Pumpkin puree. I created the recipe using canned pumpkin puree. Got a fresh pumpkin you'd like to use? That's fine, but you'll need to cook and puree it first. Try this method.
- Non-dairy milk. You can use any non-dairy milk that's suitable for drinking, as long as it's unflavored and unsweetened. Need help deciding? See my guide to non-dairy milk.
- Vegetable oil. Whatever type of oil you like to bake with will work. Corn oil, canola oil and melted coconut oil are all fine choices. I even tested one batch of these with olive oil and it worked like a dream.
- Vanilla extract.
- Apple cider vinegar. Need a substitute? Read my guide to apple cider vinegar substitutes for baking.
How They're Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Whisk your dry ingredients together in a large bowl: flour, sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Stir the wet ingredients together in a small container. (A liquid measuring cup works well!) This includes your pumpkin puree, milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar.
Tip: Wet ingredients should be at room temperature. This applies to all all baking recipes, unless otherwise specified. So you may need to warm your non-dairy milk up a bit if it was in the fridge.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and whisk everything together until there are no lumps. The batter will be on the thick side.
Transfer the batter to a paper-lined muffin tin, then bake the cupcakes. They're done when a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
Tip: Don't fill your muffin cavities to the brim or you'll have spillage. About ¾ full is the sweet spot. If you have a lot of extra batter, bake a few cupcakes in a second batch.
Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack and make sure to let your cupcakes cool completely before frosting them. I really like these cupcakes with vegan cream cheese frosting, but vegan buttercream frosting or vegan chocolate frosting would also work!
Tip: If you're in a hurry, let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 10 to 15 minutes, then remove them from the tin and place them directly on the rack to finish cooling. This will speed up the process!
Shelf-Life & Storage
Vegan pumpkin cupcakes will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days, in the fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for about 3 months. You can freeze them frosted or unfrosted!
More Vegan Pumpkin Desserts
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Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes
These vegan pumpkin cupcakes are moist, tender, and bursting with pumpkin spice! They're also easy to make with just one bowl.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup organic granulated sugar
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ¾ cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin tin with papers.
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In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
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In a small container, stir together the pumpkin puree, milk, oil, vanilla, and apple cider vinegar.
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Pour the pumpkin mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture. Whisk until there are no lumps.
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Divide the batter among the cups of the muffin tin, filing each about ¾ full. (Note 1)
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Bake the cupcakes for 20 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of one comes out clean.
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Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack and let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them. (Note 2)
Recipe Notes
- If you have too much batter, bake a few cupcakes in a second batch.
- These cupcakes are excellent with vegan cream cheese frosting.
These are the best cupcakes ever! This is the 3rd time I'm making them this month. They are just perfect for this time of the year. Everyone who tried them, loved them. 🎃