Quick & Easy MOIST Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
These super moist and extra soft & tender vegan pumpkin muffins are the best of fall baking. They’re beautifully spiced with pumpkin spice and cinnamon sugar coating and baked with a dairy free cream cheese filling that readers have noted- is better than Starbucks!! You just need one bowl, a whisk, and a few easy ingredients!
You’re just 30 minutes away from MOIST bakery-style pumpkin muffins- that just so happen to be vegan!
These really need no introduction. They are THAT moist, soft, and ridiculously tender. Filled with an optional creamy “cheesecake” filling (just like Starbucks- but as you saw a reader noted above, even better!). And rolled in a shimmering cinnamon sugar coat.
Basically just autumn just wrapped up in the most perfectly warm spiced bite. And honestly, you’ll never need Starbucks again (especially when paired with my homemade vegan pumpkin spice latte, of course 😉 )
I’m hard pressed as to whether I love my vegan pumpkin bread and vegan pumpkin coffee cake or these more…but I’d say, if I’m in a pinch for time, I’m choosing these pumpkin muffins for sure.
Let’s bake them!!
How to make super moist vegan pumpkin muffins (overview)
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
My biggest tip for baking muffins: Allow the muffins to cool in the pan! This will actually help the muffins from sticking to the muffins liners.
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
🌟MADE THIS RECIPE & LOVED IT?🌟I’d love it if you’d like a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below! This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
Moist & Tender Easy Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 22
- Total Time: 32 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These super moist and extra soft & tender vegan pumpkin muffins are the best of fall baking (well, that and pumpkin pie and apple cider donuts!). These one bowl vegan pumpkin muffins are filled with a dairy free cream cheese, and are honestly better than Starbucks!! You just need one bowl, a whisk, and a few easy ingredients!
Ingredients
Vegan Pumpkin Muffins:
- 3 cup (375 g) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour
- 1 tbsp pumpkin spice blend
- 3 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 1/4 cup (300 g) pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup (200 g) organic granulated sugar
- 1 cup (200 g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 g) dairy free yogurt or applesauce, room temperature
- 2/3 cup (150 mL) avocado oil or neutral oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Vegan Cream Cheese Filling:
- 1 cup (8 ounces) vegan cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tbsp melted vegan butter or neutral oil
Instructions
- Please read through all instructions before beginning.
- Prep: Measure out all ingredients before beginning.
- Make the batter: In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, dairy free yogurt, and vanilla extract. Then add in the pumpkin pie spice blend, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt, followed by the apple cider vinegar. Finally, add in the flour, and use a silicone spatula to fold the flour into the batter just until the dry is incorporated into the wet.
- Rest the batter: Cover and refrigerate the muffin batter for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- When ready to bake: Preheat the oven to 400F and line two 12-cup muffin tins with 6 liners each. You want to space out the muffins so that no more than 2 bake in each line (ideally it will go 2, 1, 2, 1, so 6 muffins total per pan. Allowing more space gives the muffin top room to dome properly).
- Prepare the cream cheese filling: Before you’re ready to bake, make the cream cheese filling. In a small bowl, cream together the cream cheese, cornstarch, and brown sugar with a hand mixer.
- Fill the pumpkin muffins. Scoop batter into each muffin liner to the top of the liner. Then fill a piping bag with the cream cheese filling, and use scissors to slice the tip of the piping bag. Place the piping bag tip into a pumpkin muffin just before it hits the bottom of the muffin pan. Then gently press the piping bag, squeezing about 2-3 tbsp of cream cheese filling into the muffin. Allow the piping bag to come up as you fill the muffin (see photos). Then repeat for the remaining muffins.
- Bake the pumpkin muffins: Place the pumpkin muffins into the oven to bake for 7 minutes at 400F, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F, and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The tops of the muffins should be lightly golden and set. Remove from the oven once done.
- Serve and enjoy! Allow the muffins to cool for 15-20 minutes in their pan before serving. Then serve and enjoy!
- For the cinnamon sugar topping: If you’d like to coat the tops of the muffins with a cinnamon sugar topping, whisk together the sugar and cinnamon or pumpkin spice together in a small bowl. Then brush the top of each muffin with melted vegan butter or oil. Dip the top of the muffin into cinnamon sugar and enjoy!
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days or freeze for up to a month.
Notes
Gluten free: Use gluten free 1:1 baking flour, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten free flour.
If you want to add the cinnamon streusel on top! In lieu of the cream cheese filling, you can top with this easy vegan cinnamon crumble:
-
- 1 cup (125 g) all purpose flour
-
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
-
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
-
- 5 tbsp (70 g) vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
-
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
-
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
Another big winner! My husband prefers gluten-free, and I’m allergic to eggs. These got INHALED by both of us lol!
Thanks again for another easy, delicious winner!
Next up, that pumpkin bread… 😉
Tried these today because I saw the video on Instagram and can’t believe how amazing they turned out! I had one when they were still warm and the cream cheese was so nice and gooey. I thought the pumpkin spice sugar would make them over the top sweet but it was perfect, and made the crispy top even crispier. Such a great recipe and something I will for sure be making again!
Will make it again cause they are delicious! Unfortunatly way too sweet for my taste. Will take the half amount of sugar next time, but it will definitly be a next time. Soon!
Can I omit the cream cheese filling? Thanks in advance
Robin
Absolutely!
I used store bought vegan cream cheese and these were a total disaster! The cream cheese got molten and bubbled up and over the muffins and onto my oven floor. My muffins have craters in them and are soggy. Going to have to compost the whole batch 🙁
I’m so sad because I really wanted to make these! If store bought cream cheese is inadvisable, please put that in the recipe so others don’t end up wasting their ingredients like I did.
Hi Megan! Oh no I’m SO incredibly sorry this happened, I’m not sure why that would have happened to the cream cheese. I’ve used store bought and homemade (for store bought, I’ve used Tofutti and Kite Hill, but this recipe would also work with Violife and Miyokos). What brand of vegan cream cheese did you use? Did you happen to add anything to the cream cheese that would result in it bubbling? I’m thinking accidentally adding baking powder or something. I’ve never had this happen in all my tests, and I know from others reviews, this has not happened either so I’d like to help you try to figure out what went wrong!
I used Open Nature non-dairy cream cheese alternative in plain flavor. Looking at the ingredients of the cream cheese, it’s water, coconut oil, potato starch, salt, potato protein, natural flavor. I’m wondering if I’d need to use a nut or soy based cream cheese? Perhaps the coconut oil + water being the main ingredients is what made it really molten and liquid while baking.
Good to know you’ve used other vegan cream cheeses, I might be brave enough to buy more ingredients and try it again!
Hmm I haven’t heard of that one! But the ingredients sound very similar to violife- though I’m guessing you’re right, that they must have had a higher percentage of coconut oil, plus the water, in their recipe than Violife, because I make cheesecakes, frostings, muffins, etc with a Violife and it works! Please do let me know if you try with another brand!
OK so I got Violife cream cheese and made the recipe again – that seemed to do the trick! I noticed at the very end of baking the cream cheese was getting a little puffy, but it did not boil over or vaporize so I think switching brands was key. Thank you for your help troubleshooting the issue and thank you for sharing your delicious creations with us!
This is AWESOME!! Oh I’m so happy we were able to figure it out!! That’s such great news!! Enjoy, and thanks for being so patient and working with me on this!
Ahhh these came out perfect! So good!
So happy to hear it!! Enjoy!!
Super easy recipe! I’m making two batches, the first with the streusel and the second will be topped your vegan cream cheese frosting. I did have a question, in the blog post you talk about resting the batter but no where else is that mentioned…could you elaborate on what you mean by that?
Also, when I made the recipe I was able to get 18 muffins, not sure if my tins are on the smaller side than most but wanted to out that out there.
Love your blog as always!
Aw I’m so happy to hear it!! Yes, so that was my older method, and I didn’t realize I forgot to update that part, I’m so sorry for the confusion! So you can actually rest this batter but it’s not necessary- you’ll still get a really beautiful muffin top! But if you’d like to rest the batter, even overnight, you absolutely can (say you’re making the batter in the evening but want them freshly baked for the morning!). Either way works!
Super!! Made them for me due to my restrictions, left some on the table and surprise, everyone juts loved them! Gone!!!! Thank you fot this wonderful recipes!
Did you replace the chocolate chip muffin recipe with this one? I wish we could still have both! My family really enjoyed the other muffin recipe!
Hi Kelly! Yes, you can still add in the chocolate chips! Just omit the streusel, and stir in 1 cup of chocolate chips to the batter just before filling the muffin tins 🙂
Such an easy recipe to follow! My entire family loved them (including my 2 yr old!) These muffins are the perfect amount of sweetness and moistness! Our new favorite recipe for Fall!!!
This is so wonderful!! Truly, thank you so much!! So glad everyone loved it 🙂 Enjoy!!
These are amazing! I’ve tried a few pumpkin muffin options but I love that these are lower sugar than most and vegan/gf!
Aw thank you so much, Michelle!! Means the world to me!! Enjoy 🙂
I just baked these muffins and they were delicious! I made a few adjustment. I added Psyllium powder because my gluten-free flour doesn’t have xanthum gum. I added raisins and super seeds.
Oh my goodness this is wonderful!! Love the addition of the raisins and seeds 🙂 Thank you for sharing and enjoy! Happy Holidays!
Question how many eggs are we replacing with the flax seed egg? Can I use egg instead of the fax seed egg? We are dairy free but not egg free and would prefer to use egg if possible.
Hi Leslie! You can swap in 2 eggs here!
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?
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!