Vegan + Gluten-Free Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
This is officially my first new blog post on my freshly brand NEW website! This site redo has been a long time coming, between serious migration issues (involving many, many lost recipes) and about one hundred URL redirects. But it’s finally finished and I’m pretty excited about it.
Not to sound like absolutely everyone on the Internet right now, but I have to admit that it’s never too early for me to start adding pumpkin to my baked goods and recipes. I would honestly do it all year round if it was more socially acceptable. I love this fall staple for not only it’s nutritious and fibre-rich quality, but also for its wonderful moisture and flavour.
I’ve tested these vegan + gluten-free pumpkin streusel muffins a number of times to get just the right texture and taste. The first few versions of these babies were a bit on the bland side, so I added in a ton of warm spices and a touch of molasses for deep and rich flavour. Vegan and gluten-free baking can be tricky, especially when vegan baked goods tend to fall with the absence of an egg, and the moisture in the pumpkin added to that even further. But I was determined, and I’m happy to report that I finally nailed these muffins.
These pumpkin streusel muffins turned out incredible and I am OBSESSED! They are:
Made gluten-free with a mixture of oat + almond flours
Packed with delicious and nutrient-dense pumpkin puree
Naturally sweetened with a blend of coconut sugar, pure maple syrup + molasses
Full of warming fall spices
Completely vegan, made without any dairy or eggs
Topped with the most addictive cinnamon streusel topping
Perfectly soft, fluffy, moist + flavourful
Just to reiterate point number six - the coconut sugar and cinnamon streusel topping really brings these over the top, and if I’m being honest I’m not really that interested in a muffin that doesn’t have some sort of sweet, crumbly topping. It’s SO GOOD. Enjoy, loves!
Vegan + Gluten-Free Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Ingredients
¾ cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup pure maple syrup
¼ cup coconut sugar
1 tbsp molasses (or use 1 extra tbsp maple syrup if you don’t have it)
¼ cup almond or cashew butter
3 tbsp coconut oil, melted + cooled
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
½ cup coconut milk (or other unsweetened nut milk)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond flour, packed
1 cup oat flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
2 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
For the streusel:
2 tbsp cold vegan butter or coconut oil
4 tbsp coconut sugar
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp oat flour
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
Method
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin.
Whisk together your ground flaxseed and coconut milk in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes to thicken. In a large bowl, whisk together your pumpkin puree, coconut sugar, maple syrup, molasses and almond or cashew butter. Add in your melted + cooled coconut oil, vanilla extract and the flaxseed + coconut milk mixture. Whisk well until you have a smooth mixture.
To the wet ingredients, add your oat flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Stir gently with a spatula until the flours are incorporated and everything is well combined. You should have a thick, smooth batter.
In a small bowl, mix together all of your streusel ingredients and use clean hands or a fork to incorporate the butter into the rest of the mixture. You should have a slightly moist, crumbly mixture.
Divide your muffin batter between the cups and top each one with a generous sprinkle of the streusel mixture, pressing it down slightly into each muffin.
Bake for 20 minutes until the muffins are puffy and set in the middle (use a toothpick to test the centre of one). Let cool completely for at least 30 minutes before eating.
Store leftover muffins in a tightly sealed container in the fridge or on the counter for up to 5 days, or freeze and save leftovers for up to a few months!
Makes 12 muffins