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: 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)

Ingredients You'll Need

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, similar to this gf banana bread.

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 substitute. 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 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.

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.

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.

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

More Vegan and Gluten Free Treats

If you have a sweet tooth, but you're trying to be sugar conscience, try these gluten free carrot banana muffins.

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 sorghum pancakes, these are a gluten free brekky food.

Recipe