Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Walnut Muffins
4.64 from 19 votes

Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Walnut Muffins | The Full Helping

I taught a vegan baking class at Ovenly last week, which was a lot of fun. We made brownies and muffins (these ones). The former were of course richer and more decadent and in many ways the star of the class. But at the end of the night, when I was on my way home, it was the muffin I reached for as a late evening snack, and then reached for again the following morning.

I love muffins. There are more elaborate and exciting baking projects, for sure, but there’s nothing like a good muffin. They can be breakfast, snack, or dessert, they’re low-key and easy to make, and there’s never an end to the combinations and possibilities of a fresh batch. I look forward to the start baking season (i.e. autumn) every year, and muffins are often the first thing I make.

This weekend, I decided to celebrate baking season and pumpkin season simultaneously with these vegan pumpkin cranberry walnut muffins.

Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Walnut Muffins | The Full Helping

It was a spontaneous baking urge to make them, and I didn’t plan to post them this week, but they’re too good not to share. They’re tender, sweet, spiced, and they scream “fall.” Here’s the recipe.

4.64 from 19 votes

Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Walnut Muffins

Author - Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 3/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil (such as grapeseed, safflower, or melted coconut)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375F. Lightly oil or line a muffin baking sheet with liners.
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
  • In another mixing bowl, combine the non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar. Whisk them together. Add the pumpkin purée, oil, and sugar. Mix well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Whisk together till the batter is well-mixed, but a few small clumps are OK. Add the cranberries and walnuts to the batter and use a spatula to fold them into the batter.
  • Use a muffin scoop or a 1/3 cup measuring cup to fill the muffin tin with the batter. Transfer the muffins to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are risen and firm, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin emerges clean.
  • Allow the muffins to cool for 15 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tin and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool for another 15 minutes. Enjoy.

Notes

Muffins can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. They can be frozen for up to 6 weeks for snacks and breakfasts on-the-go!

Vegan Pumpkin Cranberry Walnut Muffins | The Full Helping

The only downside of muffins, at least as a breakfast option, is that they rarely fill me up unless I have two, pair one with fruit, or slather one with almond or peanut butter. You could do any of that with this batch. You could also enjoy them as an afternoon snack with a glass of tea or non-dairy milk. I’ve had them in my home for a few days, and I’ve savored them in all of those ways.

If you’re dying to make these and have different nuts or dried fruit at home—raisins, pecans, pumpkin seeds, dates, or whatnot—you can definitely make substitutions as needed.

It was a surprisingly warm weekend, but the baking ritual still felt really good: a culinary welcome to the change of seasons. Hope you’ll enjoy these sweet treats as much as I have. And before I go, a big thank you all for the supportive and generous words on becoming an RD. I’m grateful and looking forward to what’s next!

xo

This post may contain affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something I may earn a commission. Visit my privacy policy to learn more.

Categories: Recipes, Muffins & Scones, Snacks
Method: Oven
Dietary Preferences: Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan
Recipe Features: Meal Prep, Holidays

Leave a Comment

Star ratings help other readers to find my recipes online. If you loved this recipe, would you please consider giving it a star rating with your comment?

Thank you for your feedback. I'm grateful for your presence in this space!

G

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




    32 Comments
  1. Absolutely delicious. Thank you very much.
    For spices, we used star anise, cloves and cinnamon and for sugar, coconut sugar. They came out great and both, my little girl and me enjoyed them!

  2. 5 stars
    I thought they were good. I used fresh cranberries instead of dried ones, whole wheat flour, and cut the sugar way back. I have loads of pumpkins to use up this winter, so I’ve been adding pumpkin to everything.

  3. 5 stars
    These are awesome, I’ve made them several times, using applesauce in place of the oil.
    Thanks for a lovely recipe!!

  4. 5 stars
    I make these muffins EVERY week (they are in the oven right now) and I keep forgetting to thank you. Many thanks! My 11-year old especially loves them. I have scaled up the recipe so that I use the entire can of pumpkin, and we substitute a generous handful of mini chocolate chips for the cranberries and walnuts. Here is my ingredient list:

    3 cups all-purpose or whole wheat pastry flour
    1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
    3/4 teaspoon baking soda
    3/4 teaspoon salt
    2 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
    1 cup + 2 T non-dairy milk
    1 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
    1 15-oz can pumpkin purée
    1/2 cup vegetable oil
    1 cup brown sugar or coconut sugar
    handful mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

    This yields 18 muffins using a large muffin scoop. I usually freeze half of the batch and pull them out a few days later after the first half has disappeared 🙂

    Thank you, Gena!

  5. 5 stars
    Hi Gena,
    I always read your recipes when I need to try new taste and I love cakes and cookies.
    thanks, I love to have these cupcakes at home.

  6. 5 stars
    Hey I though only I loved pumpkin muffins : ) Glad to see I was wrong! I have a variation of these in which I use actual raw pumpkin (grated) instead of pumpkin puree. I don’t cook it beforehand, just remove seeds and peel it, then grate it and mix it in the pumpkin batter. It provides great results.
    I will try your version too, but I have to find pumpkin puree (I suppose you buy it canned from somewhere?) or make it myself.
    Here’s my recipe if you wish to check it out: https://vegancheapneasy.com/no-frosting-vegan-pumpkin-spice-cupcakes/

  7. 5 stars
    These are very good, I’ve made them several times, using applesauce in place of the oil.
    Thanks for a great recipe!!

  8. Can’t use oil, especially coconut oil.
    Would subbing applesauce work in this recipe?

    • Hi LouAnn,

      I haven’t tried it myself, so I can’t completely vouch for the results. But I do think substituting applesauce (and adjusting the amount if the batter feels very thick) is worth a try! Hope it works.

      G

  9. 5 stars
    Made these on Friday and have been enjoying them all weekend. Thank you so much for posting!!

  10. 5 stars
    Made these tonight to celebrate Fall! I love them! Moist and just sweet enough, tart sweet cranberries and walnuts add flavor and texture.

    • Aw, so glad—I love them, too. After I posted them I made an extra batch to freeze, and I’m still making my way through those! 🙂

  11. 5 stars
    We will for sure be making these again. Very easy and delicious. Wish we doubled the recipe!

    We subbed some of the sugar for hemp seeds to make them a bit heartier. Worked well!

    • Hi Linda,

      I haven’t calculated it. You can definitely try to use a program like MyFitnessPal to input the ingredients and get the nutrition facts.

      G

  12. What luck!I have cranberries, pumpkin purée and walnuts that were looking for something to do…with your recipe, they will drop into my muffin tin, that’s what!