Y’all, I’ve caught the pumpkin bug. There I was, tapping away at my keyboard, just minding my own business and trying to get some work done. But there they were, lined up neatly against the wall, staring at me with their thick orange skin. Begging to be roasted and peeled, blended into a puree, and devoured like the vegetables they are. Okay, that last sentence probably isn’t true, but it’s a better fate than being gutted and left outdoors to rot, right? So I yielded to fate and made them into pumpkin muffins.
These muffins are just straight up pumpkiny goodness. As you can probably tell by their hue, these are pretty light and Libby’s-pumpkin-pie-like in flavor. And they’re sweetened with agave, so all you white-sugar-haters can join in the fun, too.
I bet they’d be terrific with half whole wheat flour, and you could probably even substitute more pumpkin for the oil if you’re going to eat the whole batch warm.
- 1¾ c pumpkin purée
- ⅓ c oil
- ½ c agave nectar
- ¼ c water
- 1¾ c flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ½ c chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Lightly grease a standard muffin tin.
- In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin, oil, agave, and water.
- In a small bowl, sift together flour, soda, baking powder, salt, and spices.
- Add dry mixture to wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Fold in nuts, if using.
- Pour into prepared muffin tin and bake 14-18 minutes, or until a knife inserted into one of the center muffins comes out clean.
36 comments
Susan Robinson says:
Oct 11, 2012
I love these! I’m torn about using agave. The things that have been recently posted about it are concerning. Do you think I could use pure maple syrup instead? These will be on our table on Saturday morning, and if any are left, some for Sunday, too!
claryn says:
Oct 11, 2012
Y’know, I never can keep up with the sugar trends. I’m sure these would turn out totally awesome with maple syrup, so go ahead and do that if you prefer! They would, of course, have a different flavor, but who in their right mind is gonna complain about their muffins tasting like maple? Yum.
Ally H. says:
Sep 28, 2013
I’ve made them twice with Maple Syrup and they’ve turned out perfectly :). Best pumpkin muffins ever!
Arlenys Gomez says:
Oct 11, 2012
Nomnomnom! These look absolutely divine. Thank you!
claryn says:
Oct 11, 2012
Thanks for reading, Arlenys!
RubyShooZ says:
Oct 11, 2012
You must stop posting such tantalizing foods on your website immediately! I have become obsessed with reading (and printing) all your delicious recipes for some time now and have tried many of them to boot.
Delicious! Thanks for another wonderful recipe. Now I’m thinking of making some pumpkin bars too, after the muffins, because I’ve had them on my mind for some time now. I know I have a recipe around here for some but I’m a disorganized recipe collector and have many recipes on my computer besides the ones I’ve been printing out; like this one.
One question that remains for me is in regards to Susan Robinson’s post where she stated:
“love these! I’m torn about using agave. The things that have been recently posted about it are concerning.”
My quesion is – What are the things about agave that might be “concerning” to some.
I’ve only given my own opinions here and asked a question.
Wishing all peace, harmony and a beautiful day. (It’s beautiful here at least.
☮
claryn says:
Oct 11, 2012
Haha, thanks for the perpetually sweet comments. I’m sure Susan or some other readers passionate about agave could give you a better answer to that question than I, but my guess is that she’s referring to reports about it being high in fructose. A quick google will show you that there are a lot of really intense claims about it being really awesome or really bad. Basically, if you’re eating agave due to claims that it’s better for you than other sugars, those claims might be incorrect, and you might want to reconsider your choice of sweetener. From my Not-A-Scientist perspective (and I think you’ll find that most people on the Internet are also Not Scientists), I figure that for the most part, sugar is sugar, no matter its plant source, and if you’re looking for a food that’s nutritionally complete and awesome for you, you should probably go eat some broccoli or something instead.
Sal says:
Oct 11, 2012
These sound good. I am the opposite, I bought some pumpkin because I found it in the american shop (that shit was expensive) and half of it has been in my freezer for over a year! haha. I keep meaning to dig it out and make muffins again.
claryn says:
Oct 11, 2012
Haha, oh no! I hope it isn’t freezer burned, and I hope you do something awesome with it. I have multiple other pumpkin recipes coming up this month!
Jojo @ veganinbrighton says:
Oct 11, 2012
Oh my! Those look lovely, I’ve been meaning to make some pumpkin muffins for a while now, I might have to get on it this weekend.
claryn says:
Oct 11, 2012
Thanks, Jojo! Pumpkin flavored bread products is one of my favorite parts of this time of year.
Galen says:
Oct 11, 2012
These look so good. YUM!
Dawn (Vegan Fazool) says:
Oct 12, 2012
Claryn, these muffins look great, but that’s no surprise!
Thought I would leave a nice, normal comment after that crazy cut and paste adventure on the chocolate chip cookies. Please feel free to go ahead and remove that one!
XOXO
Vegan Pumpkin Bread | Hell Yeah It's Vegan! says:
Oct 12, 2012
[...] I posted about agave-sweetened pumpkin muffins, so check those out if you want something brighter and milder in flavor. This here is the dark, [...]
Fanny says:
Oct 12, 2012
I looove pumpkin muffins and yours looks great.
Erin says:
Oct 15, 2012
Absolutely Amazing muffins!! My kids ate them up!
Thank you and keep the recipes coming!
claryn says:
Oct 15, 2012
Yay! Glad to hear they were a hit, Erin. Thanks for reading!
STEPHANIE says:
Oct 16, 2012
Yum! These look amazing!
Rebecca @ All-American Vegetarian says:
Oct 23, 2012
Delish!!!!! I used maple syrup instead of agave – LOVE
Also used a can of pumpkin puree instead of freshly pureed.
My kids LOVED them! I think they taste similar to the ones I used to obsess over from Dunkin’ Donuts, too!
Thank you!
claryn says:
Oct 24, 2012
Awesome! I’ve never had those, but I’m glad to hear you liked how these came out. Thanks for stopping by!
Patti says:
Nov 1, 2012
Yay! These are fantastically delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I made mine gluten free with 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose gluten free and 3/4 cup brown rice flour. I added the walnuts and a 1/2 cup of a chopped 80% dark chocolate bar. Like others, I also used maple syrup. These will most certainly be made again.
Heather says:
Nov 6, 2012
when the ingredients say ‘agave’, do you mean agave nectar? if so do i use light or amber …or does it not matter? just curious. i want to try these with my family but thought i would ask! t.i.a!
claryn says:
Nov 24, 2012
Oops, sorry I missed this! Yep, I meant agave nectar. And it doesn’t really matter whether you use light or amber — whichever you have on hand is fine!
Patti says:
Nov 10, 2012
Heather, amber agave is less filtered than light and therefore generally has a lighter taste. The amber is usually more molasses or maple syrup-like. It’s really a matter of preference for most folks.
While I’m not the recipe author, I think it’s safe to assume she meant agave nectar when writing agave.
Happy Baking! These muffins won’t disappoint!
claryn says:
Nov 24, 2012
Right on, Patti!
Patti says:
Nov 10, 2012
Oops, I just re-read my comment after I posted.
I meant to say the light has a milder taste. Sorry for any confusion!
LeNore says:
Nov 11, 2012
these muffins are soooo yummy! thanks for the recipe!!!
claryn says:
Nov 24, 2012
Glad you liked them, Lenore!!
vaughn says:
Nov 22, 2012
doesnt say the yield.
claryn says:
Nov 24, 2012
Updated! This makes 12 regular muffins.
Michelle says:
Nov 23, 2012
I just made these and they are delicious!! The only thing I changed was using canned organic pumpkin purée and I used whole wheat flour! I also sprinkled come pumpkin pie spice on top before I put them in the oven. Delicious!!!
claryn says:
Nov 24, 2012
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your rendition, Michelle
Nancy Feagans says:
Dec 5, 2012
Well, these are indeed awesome! I used whole wheat *pastry* flour (which I bought by mistake) and substituted 1/3 cup applesauce for the 1/3 cup oil. Also added the chopped walnuts. SO GOOD! Next time I may even add a TBSP or so of craisins – just for fun.
Emily says:
Dec 21, 2012
These are amazing! I love the use of agave. The world is better with less sugar. I made them for my whole non-vegan family who was very impressed.
claryn says:
Dec 24, 2012
Glad you liked them, Emily! Though you probably wouldn’t know it from looking at this blog this time of year, I do like to take a break from white sugar sometimes.
Anonomous says:
Nov 11, 2013
Holy Halloween ;-> Thank you! Yummers :-9 I followed your recipe relatively closely, w/ the exception of adding 1 *full* cup chopped Pecans (what I had on-hand), & substituting/decreasing 50/50 Whole Wheat & Whole Wheat Pastry flour (from recipe total 1.75 cups) to 1.5 cups (ie, I used 3/4 cups each). This is (apparently?) due to some scientific baking characteristic of Whole Ground Wheat- I *always* use it, & I *always* have to decrease the amount in any recipe. I learned the “blah” way, that otherwise, I end up with a very dry, raw/flour-y taste. DX
The muffins scented the entire floor of the house, baking to “done”! I enjoyed one near-immediately, & then later, realized that after 6-8 hours of time & cooling in fridge (ziplocked), the texture of the ingredients become magnifenctly incorporated, & the sweetness intensified- a lot! (But not over-sweetened- Rather, *perfection*!) This recipe yields delicously moist, dense, lightly sweetened, meal-in-a-muffin, every single muffin intact upon removal from muffin tin- And, each treat maintains it’s luscious self together very, very well indeed! I considered drizzling some elderberry preserves or pureed apricots on top, for a sweet/sour contrast, but, couldn’t bring myself to stop eating long enough to do so (mm)!
I also really enjoyed your description of the similar but modified Pumplin Bread recipe- I noted the primary difference(s) are: Bread has (almost) double the sugar, but only 1/2 the pumpkin, resulting in LESS pumpkin to flour & sugar ratio. The Pumpkin Bread must be amazing- But, I prefer this Muffin recipe, with more Pumpkin per Flour ratio, and less sweet. One Muffin is a meal!
I want to decrease my wheat flour intake, & next, am going to try substituting Soy flour, Garbanzo flour, etc. in my next several batches (& freeze the muffins, now that I have the muffin pan out, oiled, & all the supplies readily gathered at hand).
Any input toward a successful outcome is sought, & greatly appreciated!
PS- I do have roasted pepitas in my pantry, but adding pumpin seeds to pumpkin muffins somehow seemed duplicitous
Lastly- Thank you for this MAD blog! I’ve found numerous recipes here that are realistic for me to prepare, & you’ve taken away the “oops” factor- You know, where recipes turn out tasting like glue… Or worse :-e TY! ^-^