These Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes are incredibly delicious, perfectly spiced and topped off with homemade cream cheese frosting. Gluten-free & Nut-Free too!
Happy Fall Ya’ll!
The kids are back in school and fall decorations are filling the store aisles, which means itโs time for football, comfy warm sweaters, falling leaves, and everything pumpkin!
Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin pie and these Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting! Yum! 
I made these orange delights Saturday afternoon before family & friends came over for dinner but I should have known to wait until Sunday, because these pumpkin cupcakes weren’t going to make it through the end of that first night.
My Dad has this God-given “dessert radar” and instantly knew something delicious was in the fridge. Then Mom, sweetly reminded me that “anytime I make something sweet, be sure to give some to Dad”. The kids then chimed in on cue and asked “have you taken pictures for the blog yet ? Do you need ALL of the cupcakes?” Meanwhile….over the island counter… friends with sad puppy dog eyes were gazing at me, awaiting a response. And not a moment later…they were gone!
Of course, I did indulge in one delightful little pumpkin cupcake myself. I mean, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em!
AND IT WAS SOOO WORTH IT! Worth making another batch, worth waiting an extra day to take photos but more importantly, worth seeing the smiles on their faces and hearing how much they enjoyed every bite.
I think youโre going to LOVE every bite of these pumpkin cupcakes too! Theyโre:
Pumpkin-y
Tender
Light & Fluffy
Perfectly Spiced
Covered in silky cream cheese frosting
& Simply Dreamy
“Free-From” Pumpkin Cupcakes
Since we have so many food restrictions in our home, they’re also:
Vegan
Gluten-free
Peanut & Tree Nut Free (does contain coconut)
& Allergy-friendly
Which make these cupcakes perfect for sharing with friends, serving at tail-gating parties, fall festivals, birthday parties, Halloween or even Thanksgiving Day dessert!
More Pumpkin Recipes
Because this is the season of all things pumpkin, here’s a few more treats to add to your list to make soon.
No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake Parfait
Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Pancakes
Vanilla Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake {vegan, gf, nf}
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it (once youโve tried it), and donโt forget to tag a picture #allergylicious on Instagram! Iโd love to see what you come up with.
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Vegan & Gluten-free Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Moist and sweet Vegan Pumpkin cupcakes, perfectly spiced then topped with a silky smooth, cream cheese frosting.ย Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free & Gluten-free.
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 2 cups 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend (sub with all-purpose flour if not gluten-free)
- 1 cup vegan cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice*
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 cup canned coconut milk, shaken well
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 tablespoons vegan butter, at room temperature
- 8 ounces vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4-4 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
Instructions
Pumpkin Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with 16 cupcake liners. (You can also use a 12-cup and a 6-cup).
- Ina large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Ina medium bowl, whisk together liquids: pumpkin puree, coconut milk, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the dry and whisk just until combined.
- Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full with batter. Bake 16-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of cupcake.
- Allow to cool before spreading with cream cheese frosting.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- In a stand mixer, beat the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until smooth. Scrape down the sides and mix at medium speed for another 20 seconds. Decrease speed to low and add the confectioners sugar, 1 cup at a time, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Once it is all combined, whip 1 more minute on high speed and set aside.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate if you need it to set up a little more before using.
- Pipe or spread onto cooled cupcakes before serving.
Notes
*Make your own pumpkin pie spice with: 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
**Cupcakes can be made in advance and frozen for up to 1 month.ย Simply thaw and frost before serving.
I’m not ready for fall but this recipe is inspiring me to get there. Looks delicious!
HAHA! I hear you! I do enjoy Summer most, but I’m really ready for wearing jeans and eating hot soup ๐
I am SO READY for fall! Can’t wait for everything pumpkin!
Me too Jules! So many things to look forward to.
Oh my gosh, pumpkin creep! I love it. I’m so excited for fall flavors and this looks like the perfect way to celebrate.
Glad I’m not alone….I’m looking forward to all the fun Fall brings.
Oh man I am so excited about fall to come. I feel like your family – really craving something fall-like!
Pumpkin cupcakes are looking amazing. Perfect presentation. Loving it..
So sweet Silpa. Thank you .
These sound absolutely delicious! However, can you give me an idea of what purpose the vinegar serves or what I could use in place of it? My husband is allergic to vinegar.
Hi Tina! The vinegar in this recipe is working with the rising agent to take the place of eggs. You can either use eggs (if not allergic or vegan) or try substituting with an extra tablespoon of lemon juice (so 3 TB for this recipe). I haven’t made these cupcakes using lemon juice, but in theory, it should work. Let me know.
YUM, these look amazing! I love that they’re vegan too.
Thanks Celeste. Making sure these were vegan also cuts out those pesky allergens!
OK, talk to me about the frosting — I have yet to find a vegan cream cheese that I don’t find slightly gross. Does the taste get masked by the butter and sugar? Do you have a preferred brand?
I love your question! I don’t really taste much of the cream cheese part of this frosting, but it does make it a little more tangy and less sugary sweet. I typically use Tofutti brand because its a subtle flavor and I also like Follow Your Heart, but that harder to come across where I live. We cannot do nuts, but I do know some people who really love Kite Hill (its made from almonds). Hope that helps a little. I don’t think you’ll find the flavor overpowering at all if you use one of the 2 brands I recommended. Let me know.
Hi there
Do you have to have a stand up or electric mixer for cream cheese or can it be hand mixed with a whisk?
Thanks !
Either a stand up or hand held work best. I wouldn’t recommend a hand whisk though.
I don’t know what went wrong with this recipe! It was a complete fail !!!
Did you make it using the exact ingredients or make any changes at all to it? Just so I can try to help you trouble shoot.
Feel free to email me so I can help troubleshoot. Did you substitute any of the ingredients?
Check out my puppy dog eyes. This is drool worthy! I’m not quite ready for fall, but these pumpkin cupcakes may have me changing my mind.
Thanks Leslie, I’m so glad this is getting you in the mood for fall. It’s still hot here, so I’m getting myself in the mood ๐
Those look like perfection Nicole! I love that frosting swirl and the cakes themselves look so rich in pumpkin flavor.
Alisa, these are one of our favorite cupcakes! I hope you get to try them soon this season.
These are so yummy and easy! Thank you for a great recipe.
You’re so welcome Tracy. Enjoy!
Hi! So I have made Vegan Cream Cheese frosting before with a similar recipe, however it turned out Very Loose and rather wet. Is this icing firmer? I planned to have it out of the fridge for a few hours and I don’t want it to turn to mush ๐ Or does this need to be refrigerated? Thanks!
This particular one wasn’t loose at all, however, it really depends on how soft the butter is before you blend it. Sometimes, if my frosting looks too soft due to the butter breaking down weird, adding just a little shortening (1/4 cup) works wonders for making it a little firmer in consistency.
Would you replace some of the butter with shortening or add it in addition to the butter? Thank you in advance ๐
I’m assuming that you are asking about the frosting? I do both the butter and shortening, but you could cut back on one of them by adding more of the other. However, this blend makes for a really creamy and buttery-type frosting that isn’t too sweet. Let me know what you end up doing.
Can you use another dairy feee milk instead of coconut?
These look amazing and can not wait to make them!!!
Thank You
Kelly
You sure can! The only time it would be an issue is if you need canned
Coconut milk so youโd have to look for a thicker dairy-free milk like almond.
Loved this recipe! I used regular whole wheat flour, added 2 tbsp of blackstrap molasses to batter, and topped with turbinado sugar rather than icing. I love basic recipes like this because they are great plain, but easy to customize as well. Thank you!
That sounds awesome Christina! I’m so glad you were able to play with the recipe and customize it….that’s always in the back of my mind when creating a recipe. I’d like it to be as adaptable as possible. I bet your changes were delish!
Just finished two failure batches of cupcakes. The icing was perfect. They sunk in the middle and were. not fully baked in the middle. both times, I used almond flour, could that be the problem?
If you know your oven is accurate, then itโs probably the flour. Almond flour is much heavier and can make baked goods sink. Cox it flour does this as well. Thereโs a flour called Cassava flour and another called Tiger Nut. Both are lighter, GF and paleo that may be an option for you to try.
Had the same issue. Used a 1-1 flour as recommended, mine sunk and were gel-like in texture. Definitely not trying again, so bummedโsomething is off on this recipe.
Thank you for your feedback. I went through the recipe again and even remade it just to check what I was missing. It looks as though there was no baking powder in the ingredient list and I went back and edited the post. I hope you do try it again.
Hi! Can one substitute a different milk? Say, almond or soy milk? Thanks!
You sure can! I typically go between coconut and flax milk but choose your favorite !
These sound great! What is the amount of substituted milk I should use?
The dairy-free milk can easily be substituted with another milk of choice. However, I find that rice milk is too watery, so that’s typically not the best option.
I made these today, because I had leftover organic pumpkin in my frig from making your cinnamon sugar donuts a couple days ago. The donuts were amazing and my grandson couldn’t have enjoyed his first donut any better! The cupcakes are super delicious too. I made 17 of them with your recipe. They rose beautifully to the top of the liners. I would post a picture here if I knew how. I don’t have any vegan cream cheese, so I will make a vegan buttercream frosting for them.
I am still learning how to bake for my little guy who has so many allergies. It is so different from baking with gluten and eggs and dairy. I have been disappointed more often than not, and most of the recipes I have made have ended up in my trash can.
I am so happy to have discovered your site. I have printed out several of your recipes and am very excited to make them. Thank you for sharing your gift.
Hi,
I have some left over pumpkin puree from thanksgiving that I froze but want to use this weekend.
Will tapioca flour work well or will they not come out fluffy like a cake? also I don’t have vegetable oil can I use coconut oil or EVOO? I dont want to mess us the flavor so please be honest. if not I also have vegan butter or can go to the store and buy a tiny veg oil to save flavor.
thanks
Hey there! So typically you would replace 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons tapioca flour when it comes to baking, although I cannot account for using it in this recipe. As for oil, you can use liquid coconut oil, I do use that a lot in my baking but depending on the type you buy, it could have a hint of coconut flavor.
Hi! Iโve been searching for allergy friendly recipes for my son and these look amazing! I like to keep some treats in the freezer since we wouldnโt go through a whole batch before they go bad- would this icing hold up if frozen?
Glad you found us and yes, you should be able to keep the cupcakes frozen (without the frosting) until you are ready to serve. As for the frosting, you can always half the recipe. I haven’t tried freezing mine but if you did, I’d just let it defrost in the refrigerator overnight and you may need to whip it up again, just to make it nice and fluffy. Let me know.
Hi! If I wanted to make a 9โcake rather than cupcakes at what temp would I bake it at and for how long? Thank you!
Same temperature, but I’d bake it for 30-40 minutes, depending on how accurately your oven’s temperature is. Typically, 35 min is ideal, but I’d just check the middle before pulling from the oven to cool.
Truly one of the best Pumpkin treats I have ever tastedโฆjust like sinking your teeth into a long anticipated Pumpkin Donut. I baked a batch for a girlfriend gathering and the effort in making these was worth every minute of time of preperation. Whatever you do bake a batch and share! Highly recommend!
Thanks Alisha! I’m so glad you enjoyed these as much as we do.
what flour can I use other than the 1-to-1 gluten free flour? it still needs to be gluten free I just cant buy it off of amazon cause I need it asap
Bobs 1:1 flour is also available at walmart, target or sprouts and wholefoods. You can try with another 1:1 blend or use your GF flour and add Xanthan gum (following the manufacturers suggestions).
This looks so good! Do you use this cream cheese frosting in any other recipes?
Thanks for sharing! Do they keep long?
If refrigerated, they will last 5-7 days. However, you can freeze them without icing for up to 30 days.
Can I use regular milk instead of dairy free?
Yes, you sure can
Baked these in donut pans and they turned out perfectly. No one could tell they were gluten free or vegan. I’ll be making these again in cupcake form very soon!
Woohoo! These are my favs too.
Love this recipe. Grandkids ate the whole cupcake. Daughter said the icing tasted like regular. I use Daiya vegan cream cheese. I find with gluten free that I have to add 5 minutes more cooking than the recipe says. May be my stove. Testing for doneness is key. Raves for this recipe.
So glad to hear that Jane. And yes, when adjusting the recipe to gluten-free, there tends to be a little wiggle room on baking time. My oven isn’t always accurate so I have to use a thermometer to make sure.
I’m hoping you can help me troubleshoot this recipe. I followed the recipe exactly with no substitutions. The cupcakes rose, but the insides are underdone and the outside is hard. They are not cooked all the way through and are very stodgy. I started with 16 minutes and added 2 minutes at a time but even when they had been in the oven over 20 minutes, they are still not cooked in the middle. Maybe I didn’t mix the ingredients well enough so that the vinegar and baking soda could produce a leavening effect? I folded the wet and dry ingredients until just blended. Any tips are appreciated! Thanks!
Hmmm. Did you use GF flour blend or an All Purpose Flour? And did if you used GF, was it Bob’s 1:1 blend or another? It could be the flour, or if the coconut milk wasn’t shaken until smooth? Other than that, my issue is always with my oven. That it fluctuates 25 degrees while its baking and had to be recalibrated. Typically if the oven gets too hot, then the outside over cooks before the inside has a chance to catch up. Maybe if everything else checked out, then lower the temp and bake longer.
Thank you so much for this recipe! Making this for my nephew for Halloween since he canโt enjoy any of his trick-or-treats due to his many allergies. Would the consistency of the frosting be the same if I only added 2 cups of confectioners sugar? Iโm tasting as I add the sugar 1 cup at a time and it seems sweet enough at 2 cups. However, it doesnโt look as fluffy as it does in your amazing photos.. Iโm hoping that setting it in the fridge will help, but is this because I didnโt add the full 4-4.5 cups?
How did the icing recipe turn out? Did you use the lesser confectioners sugar or add the full amount? If it sets out too long, then it can warm too much and lose its texture. It will firm up when refrigerated.
I loved this recipes so much! It was such a hit at the party! But I was wondering how long does the icing last In the fridge?
Honestly, I’ve kept the icing in the fridge for 2 weeks (made 1 week in advance and 1 week for any extras). But that also is a result of the expiration date of the cream cheese you use.
Wow! I love the combo of bacon and onions as the ultimate soup topper. I have a bacon marmalade recipe and canโt wait to use it atop soups. Thanks for the inspiration!
Just made these muffins yesterday for the first time. The recipe yielded 14 muffins…. and all are already gone! They’re fabulous, and my vegan son and vegetarian neighbors just wolfed them down!
Thanks!
That’s awesome! So glad you were able to share with others to enjoy as well.
Hi Nicole,
My son is newly diagnosed with a wheat allergy along with tree nuts, peanuts and milk. Which brand of flour do you use and prefer that is safe for your family? Thanks in advance.
Hi Wendy, We have the same allergens and actually have been safely able to use Bob’s Red Mill 1:1. However, Better Batter is Top 8 Free and bakes up nicely as well.
Hi Nicole,
Do you think itโs possible to use coconut sugar in place of the cane sugar?
I think it would be fine to use in it’s place if its finely ground.
Just getting started learning to bake gf and vegan, This recipe is a keeper. It is delicious, easy and doesn’t require odd ingredients. In place of the sugar, I used half the amount of maple syrup mixed in with the wet ingredients. And I frosted with an orange frosting, which my husband and I think perfectly pairs with pumpkin. I plan to look for more recipes on your site.
Orange frosting with the pumpkin sounds like a perfect option. And awesome to hear you incorporated maple syrup in the ingredients.