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    Home » Sweet Baking

    Vegan Banana Pumpkin Muffins (Gluten Free)

    Published: May 26, 2023 by Janelle Hama

    Jump to Recipe

    Gluten free vegan banana pumpkin muffins with almond flour are super soft, moist and mildly sweet. With no refined sugars and the perfect amount of warming spices, you'll be enjoying these any time of day.

    a stack of two golden muffins

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    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients You'll Need
    • Tips
    • How to Make Vegan Banana Pumpkin Muffins
    • More Vegan and Gluten Free Treats
    • Vegan Banana Pumpkin Muffins (Gluten Free)

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • These muffins are both moist and soft
    • Made in one bowl, minimal washing!
    • Stores great in the fridge 
    • Easy to make, with simple instructions and readily available ingredients
    • Dietary friendly: healthy, vegan and gluten free, refined sugar-free, corn free, soy free* and nut free* (soy and nuts may be present in the type of milk you use)
    five golden muffins with one in half on a plate

    Ingredients You'll Need

    almon meal, oil, spices, flour, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, mashed banana, baking soda and powder, vinegar, vanilla and milk in bowls

    Notes on some of the ingredients, the full list of ingredients and their measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

    Gluten free all-purpose flour, you can select your preferred blend, which will be sifted into the batter. This will create a fluffier muffin.

    Almond meal is the main ingredient to provide the body of the muffins. Please note this is not the same as almond flour. I have also used this ingredient in these vegan savory zucchini muffins.

    Pumpkin puree I much prefer to use homemade pureed pumpkin which should be at room temperature. However, you can use canned pumpkin puree if you prefer.

    If you are making your own pumpkin puree, I like to use Kent pumpkins (aka Jap pumpkin) as they are naturally sweet. You can also use butternut squash, which is mild in flavor. Just make sure your puree is cool or at room temperature.

    Baking powder and baking soda, help these egg-free muffins rise and become fluffy.

    Neutral oil, keeps the muffins moist and tender. Choose an oil like vegetable or sunflower.

    100% pure maple syrup is my natural sweetener of choice, the amount used is enough for a mild sweetness when coupled with mashed ripe banana, which acts as the binder in this recipe.

    Vanilla extract elevates all of the flavors.

    Unsweetened dairy-free milk provides moisture,  and will be initially combined with some vinegar to create a vegan buttermilk. I like using my homemade dairy-free milk.

    The following spices have also been used to flavor these vegan gluten free muffins; nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and ginger. You can use a pumpkin spice blend (affiliate link) instead of all these singular spices.

    An optional topping that I like to use is a spoonful of pepitas mixed with a small amount of maple syrup. See recipe card below for the instructions.

    Tips

    When baking, I always recommend measuring your ingredients using a kitchen scale (affiliate link), this will ensure that you achieve exact results every time. 

    Avoid splattering the batter over the sides of the muffin cups, they will be neater when they bake.

    Kitchen Scale
    I always use a kitchen scale when baking to get the same results every time.

    VIEW PRODUCT
    four golden muffins in a white plate

    How to Make Vegan Banana Pumpkin Muffins

    Oven instructions and prepare a muffin pan. Preheat a fan-forced oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease your 6-cup muffin pan with some neutral oil. I used a muffin pan with cups that measure 7cm x 3cm / 3in x 1in.

    Create the vegan buttermilk by combining the dairy free milk and vinegar in a mixing bowl and then setting it aside for 5-10 minutes.

    Whisk the wet ingredients and spices in with the vegan buttermilk, until well combined.

    Creating the batter. Add the almond meal to the wet ingredients and sift the gluten free all purpose flour over the wet mixture. Whisk until all ingredients are combined well. Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes.

    whisking orange wet ingredients in a glass bowl
    mixing batter in a glass bowl

    Create the optional topping. In a small bowl combine the pepitas and maple syrup. 

    Fill your muffin pan. Evenly distribute the batter into 6 muffin cups. Then use the back of a wet spoon to gently flatten the batter, which I find helps to create a rounder dome once the muffins are baked. Evenly distribute the topping over each muffin.

    female hands mixing peppita seeds with brown syrup in a bowl
    a pink muffin tray with 6 of the muffin cups filled and topped with seeds

    Bake the muffins for approximately 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tray for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

    Storage

    Once these healthy banana pumpkin muffins have completely cooled down to room temperature, transfer them to an air tight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

    two golden muffins stack on a white plate

    More Vegan and Gluten Free Treats

    If you have a sweet tooth, but you're trying to be sugar conscience, try my vegan black sesame cookies, or my GF vegan carrot muffins, or check out my raw chocolate date balls.

    You might want to also check out a list of vegan muffin recipes and bookmark this page to refer to for when you want to bake some muffins!

    Or for another handy way to use pumpkin, try this pumpkin butter by Fresh Off The Grid.

    Try my vegan banana oat pancakes, these are a healthy gluten free brekky food.

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    Did you make this? I'd love to know! Leave me a comment below with a ★★★★★ rating or tag @plantbasedfolk on social media.

    a stack of two golden muffins

    Vegan Banana Pumpkin Muffins (Gluten Free)

    Gluten free vegan banana pumpkin muffins with almond flour are super soft, moist and mildly sweet. With no refined sugars and the perfect amount of warming spices.
    Print Pin Rate Save Recipe Saved Recipe
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American, Australian
    Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 33 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6 muffins
    Author: Janelle Hama

    Ingredients

    Dry Ingredients

    • 80 g Gluten free all purpose flour
    • 130 g Almond meal
    • ½ teaspoon Baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon Baking powder
    • ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
    • ⅛ teaspoon Ground ginger
    • ⅛ teaspoon Ground allspice
    • ⅛ teaspoon Ground nutmeg

    Wet Ingredients

    • 135 g Banana mashed
    • 55 g Pumpkin puree
    • 60 ml Dairy free milk
    • 40 ml Maple syrup
    • 2 tbs Neutral oil e.g., sunflower or vegetable. + Extra for greasing muffin tin
    • ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
    • 1 teaspoon Vinegar

    Optional Topping

    • 1 tablespoon Pepitas
    • ½ teaspoon Maple Syrup
    Metric - US Customary
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Preheat a fan-forced oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease your 6-cup muffin pan with some neutral oil. I used a muffin pan with cups that measure 7cm x 3cm / 3in x 1in.
    • Combine the dairy free milk and vinegar in a mixing bowl to create the vegan buttermilk. Set it aside for 5-10 minutes. Then whisk all other wet ingredients and spices until everything is combined.
      ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon Ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon Ground allspice, ⅛ teaspoon Ground nutmeg, 135 g Banana, 55 g Pumpkin puree, 60 ml Dairy free milk, 40 ml Maple syrup, 2 tbs Neutral oil, 1 teaspoon Vinegar, ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
    • Add the almond meal to the wet ingredients and sift the gluten free all purpose flour over the wet mixture. Whisk until all ingredients are combined. Allow the batter to sit for 5 minutes. You will notice the batter is a little aerated after 5 minutes.
      80 g Gluten free all purpose flour, 130 g Almond meal, ½ teaspoon Baking soda, ¼ teaspoon Baking powder
    • While the batter sits, make the optional topping by combining the pepitas and maple syrup.
      1 tablespoon Pepitas, ½ teaspoon Maple Syrup
    • Evenly distribute the batter into the greased muffin cups. Wet the back of a spoon and gently flatten the batter in each cup. Evenly distribute the topping across each muffin.
    • Bake the muffins for approximately 18 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the tray for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely to room temperature.

    Video


    Notes

    I recommend measuring all ingredients when baking by using a kitchen scale, this will yield the best results, using cup measurements may change the texture of these muffins.
    I used a muffin pan with cups that measure 7cm x 3cm / 3in x 1in
    Storage - once muffins have cooled down, store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
     
    You may also be interest in these vegan and gluten free savory zucchini muffins.

    Equipment

    1 Muffin Tray

    Nutrition

    Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Sodium: 116mg | Potassium: 151mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 1481IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 93mg | Iron: 2mg

    N.B., nutrition info is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. This will vary based on the specific ingredients you use.


    Tried this recipe?Mention @Plantbasedfolk or tag #plantbasedfolk

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Anne

      June 25, 2023 at 10:28 pm

      5 stars
      Just made these muffins and they're fantastic. I'd have never guessed were vegan and GF. Banana and pumpkin are always an amazing combo!

      Reply
    2. patricia

      June 13, 2023 at 10:45 am

      Did you use a gluten free flour blend with xanthan gum or without?

      Reply
      • Janelle Hama

        June 13, 2023 at 12:47 pm

        I just checked the ingredients of the GF AP flour blend I used and it has Xanthum gum in it.

        Reply
    3. Erica

      June 08, 2023 at 1:44 am

      5 stars
      Another successful GF for my sister in law! She's a pumpkinhead all year round, so this combo was a no-brainer even in May. She took a few with her on her trip to Mexico this week and reported back that they were gone by the time she slipped into her bikini at her resort lol

      Reply
    4. Amelia

      May 30, 2023 at 4:01 pm

      5 stars
      I cant believe how tasty these were for a vegan and GF muffin. I will be making these on a Monday to take one to work every day.

      Reply
    5. Sharon

      May 27, 2023 at 5:46 am

      5 stars
      The perfect way to use up a couple of browning bananas on the counter! These muffins were great for grabbing on our way out the door for some energy on the go. Really tasty.

      Reply

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