Pumpkin purée keeps the crumb soft and tender, while vegan buttermilk and a flax egg help the cupcakes stay light rather than dense. For more seasonal baking, browse all of my vegan pumpkin desserts.
They're also a great individual dessert for Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving. You can find more pies, cakes, cheesecakes, and make-ahead ideas in my vegan Thanksgiving desserts. For spooky-season baking, browse my vegan Halloween desserts.
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Why this recipe works
Pumpkin purée adds moisture while keeping the crumb soft, and olive oil helps the cupcakes stay tender even after chilling.
Vegan buttermilk adds acidity and helps create a lighter crumb, while the flax egg binds the batter without eggs.
The warm pumpkin spice pairs especially well with tangy cream cheese frosting, maple syrup, and pecans.
Key ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this recipe. Find the complete list of ingredients, quantities, and instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Pumpkin purée: Use 100% canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Canned pumpkin gives the most consistent moisture level and texture.
Vegan buttermilk: Soy milk works especially well because it curdles reliably with apple cider vinegar and helps create a soft, tender crumb.
Milled flaxseed: Mixed with water, this forms the flax egg that helps bind the batter.
Coconut sugar: Adds sweetness and a deeper caramel-like flavor.
Olive oil: Keeps the cupcakes soft and moist without needing creamed butter.
Pumpkin spice: Gives the cupcakes their warm cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and clove flavor.
How to make them
Here's a visual overview of this recipe. Please refer to the detailed card at the end of this page for full written instructions.
The batter should be smooth and fairly thick but still easy to spoon into the liners.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined; avoid overmixing once the flour goes in.
Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, so they rise and bake at the same rate.
The cupcakes are ready when the tops look risen and spring back lightly when touched, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let them cool completely before frosting so the cream cheese topping stays thick and holds its shape.
Christina's Recipe Tips
Use canned pumpkin for consistency. Homemade pumpkin purée can vary considerably in moisture, which can affect the rise and texture.
Measure the flour accurately. For the most consistent results, use the gram measurement.
Don't overmix the batter. Fold only until the flour disappears so the crumb stays light and tender.
Cool completely before frosting. Even slightly warm cupcakes can soften cream cheese frosting and cause it to slide.
Add the maple syrup just before serving. This keeps the frosting looking neat and prevents the syrup from soaking into the surface while the cupcakes sit.
If you'd rather make something a little more substantial for a fall celebration, my vegan pumpkin cake uses the same cozy pumpkin-and-cream-cheese combination in layer-cake form.
More Vegan Pumpkin Desserts
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ★★★★★ rating in the recipe card below and consider leaving a comment as well, thanks!
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) all-purpose flour sieved
- 2 teaspoon baking powder sieved
- ¾ cup (150 g) coconut sugar or soft brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice mix *see recipe notes
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon milled flaxseed
- ½ cup (120 ml) soy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- ⅓ cup (90 ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 cup (245 g) canned pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) olive oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings
- ½ batch vegan vanilla cream cheese frosting
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or vegan caramel sauce
- ½ cup pecans
Instructions
- Prepare: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Make the flax egg and buttermilk: Mix the ground flaxseed with 2½ tablespoons water and let it sit for at least 5 minutes to thicken. In a separate small bowl, stir together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar and let it sit for 10 minutes to curdle.
- Mix the batter: Add the remaining wet ingredients to a large mixing bowl along with the prepared flax egg and vegan buttermilk. In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until evenly combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold until just combined. Avoid overmixing; a few small streaks of flour are fine.
- Fill and bake: Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the tops are risen and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool: Let the cupcakes cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely for another 30-40 minutes.
- Frost: Meanwhile, prepare the vegan cream cheese frosting. Once the cupcakes are completely cool, pipe the frosting on top and finish with a drizzle of maple syrup and chopped pecans.
- Storage: Store the cupcakes in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
Notes
- Nutritional information is based on cupcakes without cream cheese frosting.
- For homemade pumpkin spice mix simply mix together the following: (2 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp allspice, ¼ tsp ground cloves)
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This was excellent, possibly the best vegan cupcakes ever!
Hi Christina! Is it okay if I reduce the sugar in this recipe?
Hi Clara,
Reducing the sugar will affect the texture and moisture, so at most I would say you could try a 25% reduction.
All the metric measurements are wrong.
Hi Jo,
Goodness thanks so much for spotting that, fixing them now
Hi hun, can this recipe be converted into a two layer cake? Or would you rather recommend converting your pumpkin loaf/ muffin recipe into something of that shape. Just worried about it collapsing.
Thanks!
Hi Megan,
I think you could! I would double the recipe for an 8 or 9-inch cake.
I hope this helps!
<3 perfect thank you hunny x
Honestly my partner is a small kid at heart and he wants an ice cream cake with pumpkin spiced cake layers… it’s going to be interesting 😂
Made them this past weekend and everybody loved them, soft and moist, sweet enough, every recipe I've made from here has been a success!
Hi Marce,
I'm so happy everyone enjoyed them, and thank you so much for the amazing feedback 🙂
These are so yummy!!!!! Absolutely love these so much
I'm so happy you loved them Eden! Thank you for the amazing feedback 🙂
Will be making these for an Xmas snack for the fam! Thank you!
Oh sounds fab! Hope everyone loves them x
So tasty and yummy!! Thanks for sharing your lovely recipe….
My absolute pleasure, so happy you enjoyed them!