Vegan Protein Pumpkin Muffins
If you think that all vegan baked goods are dry and flavorless…THINK AGAIN! These vegan protein pumpkin muffins are moist and full of flavor, not to mention the added protein to help you feel fuller for longer. I do want to mention that I do not follow a vegan diet. I have been trying to eat more vegan and vegetarian foods to reduce my carbon footprint and lose weight. I noticed that a lot of the vegan baked goods (and I, unfortunately, love baked goods) tend to be dry and not as flavorful, so this is the start of my journey to create more vegan baked goods that are moist and delicious!
What are Vegan Protein Pumpkin Muffins?
Fall is officially here, and you know what that means—time to break out the pumpkin everything! But these aren’t your average pumpkin muffins. They are eggless, dairy-free, and packed with plant-based protein. Full of autumn flavor, these moist, fluffy muffins are as satisfying as they are delicious. They’re the perfect match for a cozy morning or a healthy snack on the go. Get ready to fall in love with these vegan protein pumpkin muffins!
What brand is best for dairy-free butter?
Feel free to use whatever brand you want, but if you’re curious as to what I use, the brand I use is Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil. I tried the Country Crock Plant Butter Unsalted, but for me it didn’t taste as good. I can’t even put my finger on why it didn’t. Those are the only two kinds of plant-based butters that I’ve tried in this recipe. If you happen to try others that you really like, be sure to let me know in the comments below.
Also, the dairy-free, vegan chocolate chip brand that I really like is the Enjoy Life brand. Just a heads up, if you’re not used to buying vegan items they do tend to be more expensive than their ‘non-vegan’ counterparts. You can certainly make this recipe using ‘regular’ mini chocolate chips if you want to try it with chocolate chips but don’t want to spend the extra money on dairy-free ones. I have tried them with both the dairy-free and ‘regular’ mini chocolate chips and they taste great either way!
Did you know?
Many plant-based foods are nutrient-dense but lower in calories, making it easier to maintain a healthy weight. The higher fiber content helps with feeling full, reducing overeating, and supporting long-term weight management.
Photo by John Rammel
How to make Vegan Protein Pumpkin Muffins
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a stand mixer (or hand mixer) to cream butter and sugar together for 5 minutes. The mixture will become a pale yellow, almost white color.
- While that is mixing, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and protein powder) to a separate bowl.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together until well combined.
- Once the butter and sugar mixture is done, add the applesauce, pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture and mix at low speed until combined. Don’t over-mix the flour. The batter will be thicker than ‘regular’ muffin batter.
*If using chocolate chips, stir in the chocolate chips after all of the flour mixture is combined. - Use non-stick cooking spray to grease the muffin liners.
- Use a #20 scoop (about 1/4 cup or an ice cream scoop) to scoop the batter into 18 muffin liners.
* If you only have a 12-cup muffin pan then just do them in two separate batches. - Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin in the middle of the pan should come out clean.
*If you added chocolate chips it may have chocolate on it, but there should not be any batter on the toothpick. - Let cool and enjoy!
Find the measurements and full recipe below!
Jump to RecipeTips for adding flavor or changing it up a bit
By adding just half of a cup of mini dairy-free chocolate chips, elevates these muffins to a whole other level! It’s also a great way to get kids more willing to try them! Not that these muffins are not good on their own, but if you want to give just a bit more sweetness to satisfy your sugar-carvings then add in the chocolate chips. It’s a great way to make them extra tempting for kids (and adults alike!).
Vegan Protein Pumpkin Muffins
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dairy-free butter (1 stick) should be at room temperature
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice (about 1/2 of a lemon)
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3 scoops plant-based vanilla protein powder
- 1/2 cup mini dairy-free chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Use a stand mixer (or hand mixer) to cream butter and sugar together for 5 minutes. The mixture will become a pale yellow, almost white color.
- While that is mixing, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and protein powder) to a separate bowl.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together until well combined.
- Once the butter and sugar mixture is done, add the applesauce, pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed until combined.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Don't over-mix the flour. The batter will be thicker than 'regular' muffin batter.
- *If using chocolate chips, stir in the chocolate chips after all of the flour mixture is combined.
- Use non-stick cooking spray to grease the muffin liners.
- Use a #20 scoop (about 1/4 cup or an ice cream scoop) to scoop the batter into 18 muffin liners.* If you only have a 12-cup muffin pan then just do them in two separate batches.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the middle of a muffin in the middle of the pan should come out clean. *If you added chocolate chips it may have chocolate on it, but there should not be any batter on the toothpick.
- Let cool and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
If you are not already trying to consume more plant-based foods, I hope you will accompany me on my journey!
If you’re interested and have a minute to spare, please consider clicking HERE to make a pledge to consume less meat, and for each pledge made a Mangrove tree will be planted! It is free and all you need to do is enter your email address and code: AIDAN-LONDON then select the pledge and it will tell you how much you are reducing your carbon emissions by making this simple pledge. I am not sponsored or anything by them. It is simply a cause that I believe in and I’m more than happy to support any way I can. 😊🌍