Soft and irresistibly fluffy pumpkin cupcakes, complete with homemade cream cheese frosting.
Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes
Pumpkin pie has met its match, with these simple pumpkin cupcakes perfect for any occasion.
Light, fluffy, and ultra soft… Once you see how easy they are to make, and how absolutely delicious they taste, you’ll never want to buy a boxed cake mix again.
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What Makes These The Best Pumpkin Cupcakes?
The trick to making the best pumpkin cupcake recipe is all about the spices; or more importantly, the amount you use.
In my years of baking, I’ve discovered so many recipes will underutilize spices because people are afraid to use them, and the recipes instead include extra sugar to mask a lack of flavor.
Chances are you’ve probably encountered some of these baked goods in your life. Their taste will be sweet but nondescript, and if someone asked you to pick out any distinct flavor notes, it would be very difficult to do so.
This pumpkin cupcake recipe calls for a full 2 teaspoons of cinnamon plus a 1/2 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for just a cup of flour, which is about double what many pumpkin desserts of similar size will tell you to use.
It’s certainly more than you’d find in a boxed mix. And the difference in flavor is striking. So many people have told me these are the best cupcakes they’ve ever tried, and now you know the reason why!
I’ve always argued that anyone can make food taste good if they use enough sugar, oil, or butter. The real challenge is making food taste good without relying on these ingredients as a crutch.
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Cupcake Frosting Options:
Almond Butter
Powdered Sugar
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe below)
Or you can totally eat the healthy pumpkin cupcakes unfrosted and call them pumpkin muffins instead, perhaps with some mini chocolate chips or raisins thrown into the batter if your heart so desires.
Leftover Canned Pumpkin? Make Pumpkin Oatmeal
Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
There are thousands of recipes for basic cream cheese frosting out there. Below is how I like to make mine, and just use vegan brands of cream cheese and butter (available in many regular grocery stores nowadays) for vegan cream cheese frosting.
8 oz cream cheese
4 oz salted butter
2 cups powdered sugar (or sugar free powdered sugar)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
optional sprinkle of cinnamon or a few drops maple extract
Let cream cheese and butter come to room temperature. Beat all ingredients with either an electric mixer or stand mixer (or by hand, which won’t be as whipped and fluffy but still works). If too thick, very slowly add a little milk of choice; if too thin, add additional powdered sugar.
Spread on the cupcakes with either a knife or piped through an icing bag (I used a 1M icing tip). Cover and refrigerate leftover frosting for up to a week. The recipe makes about 2 cups of frosting.
Pumpkin Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 2 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 tsp white or cider vinegar
- 3 tbsp oil or additional pumpkin
- 1 cup spelt, white, or bob’s gf flour
- 1/2 cup sugar, unrefined if desired
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice or additional cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp each: baking soda and baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, just over level
Instructions
- *While I prefer both the taste and texture of the oil version, many readers have written in to say they love subbing out the oil for additional pumpkin instead. So you can definitely try this substitution at your own risk and might still love the results.Preheat oven to 350. Line a cupcake pan with liners. In a large bowl, whisk first 5 ingredients. Don’t forget the vinegar. Let sit at least 10 minutes, and sift remaining ingredients in a separate bowl while you wait. Pour dry into wet, stir just until evenly mixed, and smooth into the liners. Only fill up 2/3 of the way, because they will rise and you don’t want them to burst and then sink (although if that happens, just hide with frosting!). Bake 18-19 minutes on the center rack. Let cool. These taste even better the next day, and the liners peel off easily after a day as well. If desired, frost with the cream cheese frosting recipe listed earlier in this post. Or top with coconut butter or your favorite frosting of choice.View Nutrition Facts
Notes
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Hi
I wanted to enquire what exactly is pumpkin pie spice and if I can make it at home?
Thank you
Sure, just google for a recipe. But it’s readily available at most regular grocery stores too!
What an awesome recipe for me and my toddler! And we can’t wait for dad to try them tonight. I am in awe that these are vegan, they are so fluffy and moist. We did use cream cheese and butter for the frosting and my 20 month old keeps saying more, more! I made 6 regular size cupcakes and 5 mini ones. I think I’ll double the recipe to have enough to share next time 🙂 Thanks Katie!
I made these and took them to the office–they were a hit! And the recipe was so easy. Definitely going to be making these again!
Do not see any oil in recipe
Loved it!
Wow! Took some to work and all I could hear was Hmmm! and Oh my!. They are so good.
I made these using WW pastry flour, a plant-based milk (forget which one, unsweetened flax, probably) and substituting tahini for all the oil, to get healthy whole-food fat to carry the flavors of the spices. Reduced the salt a bit. They were perfect, no icing required! I’m keeping it!
Hello! I am 13 and have been baking for many years and recently have been venturing into healthy baking. For my birthday cake, naturally, since my bday is on National Pumpkin Day, I had to make a pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting (DUH). I made two 8 inch layers and iced the middle, sides, and top. I doubled the recipe, used half AP flour, a quarter almond flour, and a quarter whole wheat. Nobody in my family knew it was vegan! The cake was gone in 3 days and we enjoyed it throughly. The spice level was on point and was very moist and fluffy, beautiful texture with an incredible pumpkin spice flavor. Almond flour was a win for me, and it would definitely work for the only flour you use if you sifted it. Thank you for the wonderful recipe that gave me the best birthday cake ever!
-Ashley
Hi
When using the gluten free flour, do you need to add xanathan gum to this recipe?
Just made these today. They didn’t rise all that much and they were very moist and dense inside, almost like a flourless cake. They pulled away from the muffin tins as well. I followed the recipe using Bobs Red Mill GF Flour.