Vegan Pumpkin Muffins (Oil-free)
These Oil-free Vegan Pumpkin Muffins are made with dried cherries and pumpkin seeds are easy to make, dairy-free, rich in pumpkin spices, nut-free and are low-fat and healthy! There is also a gluten-free version!
Servings: 10 muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (192g) spelt flour (SEE NOTES below for GF version and please use a scale for accurate results!)
- 1 tablespoon (15g) baking powder
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons (200g) pure maple syrup
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (90g) room temperature canned "lite" coconut milk (I highly recommend Thai Kitchen for best results. You can use another creamy milk like cashew, but do not use light or low-fat milks or the muffins may be too dry)
- 1/4 cup (60g) canned pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons (30g) room temperature coconut yogurt or another creamy non-dairy yogurt (do NOT use low-fat)
- 1/2 cup (80g) dried cherries (do NOT omit these, they provide moisture to the muffins, which is important since they are low-fat UNLESS using chocolate chips, then you can omit)
- Optional topping: 1/4 cup (40g) raw pumpkin seeds
- Other optional add-ins: Feel free to add in walnuts/pecans to the batter at the same time of the cherries, but I wouldn't add too many in the batter or it can make the muffins too tender, and make sure they are small pieces, not whole nuts. Also, chocolate chips are delicious too in these!
- I use this scale.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC) and line a muffin pan with 10 parchment paper liners. They will not stick to parchment or the staybrite foil liners, but regular paper, I don't recommend.
- Add the spelt flour (OR the oat and brown rice flour), baking powder, pumpkin spice and salt to a large bowl, and whisk well.
- To a separate medium bowl, add the syrup, milk, pumpkin and yogurt and whisk until smooth. Pour the liquids over the dry and add the cherries at the same time. Stir gently until the batter comes together and is smooth. DO NOT over-mix the batter, which can result in dense muffins. As soon as the flour is mixed in, stop stirring.
- Divide the batter into the 10 liners. I recommend using an ice cream scoop, this will yield nice round dome tops and a better overall interior texture. Top with the pumpkin seeds if desired and gently press them into the batter, just so they stick.
- Bake for 15 minutes on the middle rack. They are done when they have risen, are golden and a toothpick comes out clean. Mine were perfect at 15 minutes, be VERY careful about over-baking these or they can turn dry. Cool 20 minutes in the pan and then remove to a cooling rack and enjoy! These are fantastic with a hot cup of coffee. Keep the extras covered tightly so they don't dry out.
Notes
To make these gluten-free, sub the spelt flour with 1 1/4 cups superfine oat flour (160g) and 1/4 cup (40g) brown rice flour and make sure to use a scale for baking, it WILL make a difference. All the rest of the ingredient are the same and the bake time is exactly the same (15 minutes).