Description
These incredibly moist vegan pumpkin cupcakes are so easy to make in just one bowl and with a few simple ingredients! Packed with pumpkin spice and topped with vegan cream cheese frosting, you’d never know these pumpkin cupcakes are vegan- the perfect fall cupcake recipe!
Ingredients
Pumpkin cupcakes:
- 1/2 cup (120 mL) vegan buttermilk
- 1 3/4 cups (220 g) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour*
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 325 g pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup (75 g) sugar
- 1/4 cup (55 g) brown sugar
- 3 tbsp (44 g) vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 3/4 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 batch Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 12-tin muffin pan with cupcake liners. Measure out all ingredients before beginning.
- Make the batter: In a medium bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, vegan butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Then add in the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. Pour in the vegan butter milk as you whisk or lightly beat together using a hand mixer until JUST combined.
- Bake: Spoon the pumpkin cupcake batter evenly among 12 cupcake liners, filling to about 3/4 of the way full. Bake the pumpkin cupcakes for 25-27 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool completely before frosting.
- Make the cream cheese frosting: When you’re ready to frost, combine the vegan butter and vegan cream cheese in a large bowl with a hand mixer on high speed. Beat the two until light and fluffy. Add in about 1 cup of powdered sugar and continue beating, adding in additional sugar until it’s a thick frosting. Add in the vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Pipe the frosting: Spoon frosting into piping bags and frost each individual cupcake. See notes for making pumpkin cupcake toppers.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Gluten free: I recommend using King Arthur’s Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour blend. It’s the one I always use when making these cupcakes.
To make the pumpkin toppers: reserve about 1/2 cup of cream cheese frosting before you pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Mix in beet powder and turmeric powder together until you get a vibrant orange. Freeze the frosting for 10 minutes. Then remove from the freezer and roll into 12 small balls. Place the balls onto a piece of parchment paper and freeze again for 5 minutes. Use cinnamon sticks or twigs for the stems and top your cupcakes!
Keywords: vegan pumpkin cupcakes, pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, pumpkin cupcakes, vegan pumpkin cupcakes