Easy one bowl healthy pumpkin muffins that are bursting with chocolate chips for the best healthy fall dessert! Filled with real pumpkin and completely vegan and gluten free, these pumpkin spice muffins are the best sweet treat!
Come September 1st (let’s be honest, I started pulling a Starbucks move and searching for pumpkin recipes August 20th haha!), my mornings, afternoons, and evenings have been filled with one thing.
Pumpkin.
Okay, okay, so this year it really started early. I’m a little eager to start my yearly Hocus Pocus movie marathon (yes, I am one of those).
I’m a lover of all things fall: the sweaters, the cozy boots, the apple picking, pumpkin carving, pumpkin pie making, leaf pile jumping, the whole nine yards.
So naturally, I needed to whip up a healthy pumpkin recipe stat for the Banana Diaries because I can’t have you thinking I’m not about fall. And thus, I give you: HEALTHY PUMPKIN MUFFINS.
Trust me, you’re going to be making these every week!
Why are these the best pumpkin spice muffins?
These one bowl vegan pumpkin muffins are literally like autumn just wrapped up in the most perfectly chocolatey and warm spiced bite.
Can that be a thing?
Seriously though, these healthy pumpkin muffins have the perfect ratio of pumpkin to gluten free flour, making them incredibly moist and decadent without that normal cardboard taste you associate with things being gluten free.
Not one of my taste testers (I’ve now assembled an array of them haha!) thought these gluten free pumpkin muffins were “healthy,” not to mention vegan, including my mom (who, by the way, has a knack for detecting what’s gluten free/vegan and what’s not!!).
That’s a pretty dang good turnout, if you ask me.
Plus, you only need one bowl!
Forget your pumpkin mix and just use the real stuff!
Healthy pumpkin muffins ingredients
What’s really cool about these one bowl vegan pumpkin muffins is that the ingredients are extraordinarily simple, and you’ll have a few options if you don’t have every ingredient on hand.
For these muffins, you’ll need:
- Pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- Gluten free flour: I recommend Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour (not their regular gluten free flour), but this recipe also works with cassava flour for a Paleo version, and regular all-purpose flour for a non gluten free version.
- Ground flaxseed: for making the vegan flaxseed “egg”.
- Coconut sugar: you can use cane sugar here if you don’t mind it not being refined sugar free.
- Maple syrup: for a fall flavor!
- Pumpkin spice blend: you can also make your own here!
- Cinnamon
- Olive oil or unsweetened applesauce (for a low fat version)
- Chocolate chips: I recommend either Enjoy Life or Lily’s Sweets for a vegan chocolate chip.
How to make the best healthy pumpkin muffins vegan
Once you know how to make these healthy pumpkin muffins, you won’t be able to stop. They’re that good and that easy.
To start, whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Then add in the wet ingredients and combine it all together until it’s a thick and consistent batter.
Fold in the chocolate chips (if you’re making chocolate chip pumpkin muffins, which I highly recommend).
Scoop the batter into muffin liners and bake!
The hardest part about this healthy pumpkin muffins recipe is that you’ll have to be a bit patient while they cool in the tin. I know, I know, so cliche but so true.
Allowing the muffins to cool in the pan will actually help the muffins from sticking to the muffins liners, especially if you’re using applesauce.
Trust me, people will be knocking down your doors, so just be prepared if you’re sharing these!
Tips & Tricks for making vegan pumpkin muffins
I always love these sections of posts because I feel like you can make a recipe your own in this section.
I have a few notes that I would like to add that will really make these vegan pumpkin muffins just knock your boots off (get it? Because FALL!):
- Don’t feel the need to limit yourself to just chocolate chips! If you like nuts in your muffins, go for it! I would recommend using walnuts or pecans- that would be an amazing combo! If you’re nut free, you could even add in pumpkin seeds for double the pumpkin 😉
- This recipe works well with a few different flours. So I’ve tested two others flours, aside from my beloved Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour (aka bae. Not sponsored, but boy do I wish it was haha! I love them!): cassava flour works great here for the Paleo crowd, as does regular flour, if you’re just looking for a lightened up vegan pumpkin recipe without needing it to be gluten free.
- For oil free, use unsweetened applesauce. I’ve tested this with both olive oil and with applesauce, both are delightfully delicious!
- These muffins are more than just breakfast! You can make these pumpkin spice muffins as mini versions and pack them for a healthy snack or treat, warm them up with a little nut butter, or even crumble up with a scoop of coconut milk ice cream (which I had as a recent dessert- amazing!).
How to store pumpkin muffins
Okay, so you’ve made your pumpkin muffins- now what?!
Well, there are a few options:
- Store at room temperature: these pumpkin muffins will last for up to 5 days in an air tight container or bag at room temperature.
- Place into the fridge: much like the room temperature option, store the muffins in an airtight container or bag for up to 1 week!
- Freeze! If you want to have these muffins for longer than 1 week, you can store them in the freezer as well; these pumpkin muffins will last for about 1-2 months in the freezer.
I hope you loved these healthy pumpkin muffins as much as I do! They seriously are so fun and easy to make, so if you give them a go, let me know in the comments below, as well as giving it a rating!
And of course, I’d absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there (and thank you to all that do! I really love seeing them, you guys are so creative and GREAT bakers!).
Happy vegan pumpkin muffin baking!!
More vegan pumpkin recipes you’ll love:
Paleo Vegan Marbled Pumpkin Bread
One Bowl Vegan Pumpkin Pancakes
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make something from The Banana Diaries, I would love to see your creations! Don’t forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment below! Also, follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and Facebook for more vegan recipe inspiration!
PrintHealthy Pumpkin Muffins
Easy one bowl healthy pumpkin muffins that are bursting with chocolate chips for the best healthy fall dessert! Filled with real pumpkin and completely gluten free, these pumpkin spice muffins are the best sweet treat!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 22
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 20 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cup gluten free 1-to-1 baking flour or all purpose flour, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup coconut sugar or regular sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 1/3 cup water*
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/2 cup olive oil or unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and line 2 cupcake tins with muffin liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices, and coconut sugar.
- Add in flaxseed eggs, olive oil/applesauce, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth.
- Fold in chocolate chips and mix together until well combined.
- Scoop batter into each muffin liner about 3/4 of the way full.
- Place the muffins into the oven and bake for 22-24 minutes, or until the toothpick comes out clean.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze for up to a month.
Notes
*Allow the flaxseed mixture to sit for 5-7 minutes until the flaxseed begins to coagulate.
Keywords: healthy pumpkin muffins, vegan pumpkin muffins, dairy free pumpkin muffins, pumpkin muffins, low fat pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice muffins
Well it’s past Labor Day so it’s basically Fall, right? 😉 Time to break out the flannel and bake me up a batch of these babies! 🙂 They look absolutely decadent
★★★★★
Aw thank you so much!!! Enjoy!! 🙂
Would almond or oat flour work as well?
Hi Hannah! I have not tested either of those flours personally, so I cannot say for certain, but I have made a similar muffin using almond and coconut flour together- 3/4 cup almond 1/4 cup coconut for every 1 cup flour! Oat flour I imagine would be too crumbly unless you add a little xanthan gum! I hope that helps!
I am really excited to try this recipe, but I do not own a muffin tray! Do you think that this could be made into a bread instead?
Hi Megan! Aw yay! Absolutely! It will need to bake longer- probably more like 40-50 55 minutes, but it should work. I’ve done that with several of my breads and muffins!
My non-gf husband absolutely LOVES this recipe, and I do too! Your website has been such a God-send for me wanting to bake GF but needing recipes (and ingredients) that are more approachable and accessible since I’m not exactly a wizard in the kitchen 🙂 Thank you for all your work. PS – I almost forget to put the maple syrup in every time because I think it’s missing from the directions! Just wanted to give you a head’s up 🙂 Thanks again!
Hi Michelle! Omgsh you are so kind!! This comment just made my WEEK! And thank you for the heads up!! Yikes, I just fixed that- let me know if you see the changes reflected! Enjoy, and have a beautiful week! 🙂
Hi,
I can’t wait to try this recipe! Could I use white whole wheat flour instead of all purpose if that’s all I have on hand?
Thanks so much!🙂 just found this site and I’m super excited to try these recipes.
Hi Emily! Absolutely!! It might not yield the exact same texture, but it will still be a very good and delicious muffin 🙂
I decided to replace the pumpkin with applesauce as per your facebook suggestion. I also replaced the maple with apple juice concentrate. These muffins might be the beat I have ever had. I love how you offer so many different options for the recipe, it is very versatile. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Aw this is so wonderful to hear! Thank you so so much for not only trying this, but also coming on and sharing your subs!! This is so helpful for everyone else! Enjoy, and thank you again!
These were super easy to make and are delicious!! My muffins stuck to the bottom of the cupcake liner. Wondering if I did something wrong?
★★★★★
Hi Kelly! Aw I’m so so happy to hear that!! Thank you so much for giving it a go!! Regarding the bottom sticking to the cupcake liner, that’s actually nothing you did wrong! This happened to me the first time I tested the recipe, and it actually was the cupcake liners I used! I did a bunch of research on this and apparently it really just has to do with the quality of the cupcake liner! Handle the Heat has a wonderful video on how to unstick your muffins/cupcakes from bad liners: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=139&v=miW5AexCLWE&feature=emb_logo but one of the tricks I use is after baking, let the muffins sit in the tin for a while- then place the muffins into the fridge overnight. This is only if you’re using up the last of liners that stick!
The muffins are so fluffy and moist and perfectly sweet!! I loved it!
★★★★★
Aw I am so happy to hear you enjoyed them!! Thank you for sharing and rating 🙂
Hi ! Can’t wait to try this recipe. Have been baking gluten free for 2 years. What an adventure ! What I think I will love about this one is that it can be dairy free, so I can have my friend try these cuz she is highly allergic. Thanks !
Cathi from MN.
Aw, my goodness, that’s wonderful!!! I hope you both love!! It’s been a favorite on here 🙂 I made them for an event I did in Providence and there were gone in 15 minutes haha! Let me know how it goes!
These are easily the best muffins I’ve ever made. Perfectly fluffy and moist, just the right amount of sweetness, and full of lovely pumpkin spice flavor. The chocolate chips are just a bonus – the muffins are the real stars. I used applesauce to keep them oil-free and cut the sugar down to 1/2 cup since I used brown sugar, which I find a bit sweeter than coconut sugar. I can’t wait to try your pumpkin bread recipe, as I see the recipe is quite similar!
★★★★★
Aw so wonderful to hear!! Truly thank you for the kind words, and I hope you love the pumpkin bread as well!!! Enjoy!
These turned out great! Only got about 16 muffins, not 20, but it just means I’ll need to make more next time 🙂
★★★★★
Aw I’m so happy to hear it!!! Thank you so much for the sweet comment!
So delicious!!! Forgot the maple syrup, but they were still outstanding!!! Will add to the regular fall rotation. SUPER easy, too. And the chocolate chips?!? Icing on the cake 🙂
★★★★★
Omgsh!! The sweetest comment!! I’m so happy you loved them!! ENJOY and happy weekend!!
These look so good! If I don’t have flax and want to use eggs instead, how many should I use?
Hi Danielle! You can use 2 here 🙂
Can I use whole flax seed instead of ground?
Hi Elaina! For this recipe, you need ground flaxseed, as it will act like an egg in baking. If you only have whole though, you can easily turn it into ground by pulsing the flaxseed to a powder in a food processor or blender!
Hi cannot wait to try and make these this weekend! I was looking for a vegan and gluten free Pumpkin muffin recipe and yours looks the least complicated and most delicious! I was wondering about the flax egg I have not tried this yet and have been looking for egg alternatives for vegan baking. Have you tried chia seed egg would it work the same or have you found flax egg to work better then chia seed egg?
Hi Lily!! Aw so happy to hear it! Chia egg will work here just as well as flax, but I will say that there will be a bit of a chia flavor to them- chia has a stronger flavor than flax, so you’ll notice it way more than flax. That’s the only note on it!
Hi just made these they are delicious! Thanks for the info in that case flax sounds like the better choice for these over chia. I am not sure if I found the right flax I got Bob Mill’s Organic Golden Flaxseed Meal. It had an egg recipe on the back so figured it should work but wasn’t sure if it was ground flaxseed or milled and if I really need to find ground, what flaxseed do you use?
Mine turned out a bit more gooey and didn’t rise as much as your photos look. I wasn’t sure if I needed to fill them up more I did 2/3 or if something else is going on because yours look fluffier! I used Arrowhead Organic All Purpose Gluten Free Flour which seems similar to Bob Mill’s 1 to 1 but I wanted organic and couldn’t find 1 to 1 organic not sure if they make it. Also maybe it could be I need to update my baking powder and baking soda? Any ideas on what could be the cause of them being not as fluffy or rising?
Still delicious though!! Just want to figure out before the next batch 🙂
Hi Lily!!
Oh I’m so happy you liked the flavor! That’s great to hear! I use ground flaxseed from Sunfood but I’ve heard that Bob’s RM flaxseed meal is also wonderful.
For the flour, so I’ve only used KA 1:1 baking flour and Bob’s 1:1 baking flour but I just did some research and found that Arrowhead looks like it does not rise like Bob’s 1:1. This is probably why it was more gooey than muffin like. See this article here: https://spoonuniversity.com/how-to/taste-tested-gluten-free-flour-heres-found According to the comments, it seems that the flavor/texture for Arrowhead tastes like regular flour but it doesn’t look like it rises much. I hope that helps! I would try to use Bob’s for the next batch if you can!
Why does it say eggs in Step 3 of the Instructions?
Add in flaxseed eggs, olive oil/applesauce, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Mix together until smooth.
Hi Patty! So sorry for the confusion! So flaxseed mixed with water is occasionally referred to as a flaxseed “egg” because it’s such a great replacement for regular eggs in baking (and it helps people understand what the flaxseed is doing in the recipe so that they don’t omit it!). I hope that helps!
Didn’t work out at all… Was my first time baking with flax seed eggs and the batter got very gooy like chewing gum. Guess I stirred too much. At least that’s what I found as an answer on the internet. But since everyone else here wrote they are fluffy I might have to try again.
Hi Pia- I’m so incredibly sorry to hear this! The batter definitely shouldn’t have been gummy- did you use ground flaxseed?