Healthy Pumpkin Hemp Muffins

Pumpkin Hemp Muffins are the make-ahead vegan breakfast you need! These delightfully fluffy and flavorful pastries are full of protein and fiber AND made without any refined sugars. They’re also perfectly portable – the ideal choice for your morning commute.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

This post is sponsored by Eaton Hemp. All opinions are mine.

Are you looking for an easy grab-n-go snack that is packed with protein, filled with fiber, and brimming with delicious flavor?

Then look no further! These wholesome vegan pumpkin hemp muffins are exactly what you are craving. They are light, fluffy, tender, and deliciously spiced for the perfect pastry.

With just 20 minutes of prep, you can quickly have a tray of these perfect vegan muffins. Eat them for breakfast, as a post-workout snack, or even as dessert. Conveniently wrapped and portioned from the get-go, these muffins are the super hack that has saved me from many morning meltdowns.

Oh, and just because they are healthy, don’t go getting the wrong idea about these pumpkin muffins. They are moist, tender, and downright delicious.

Recommended Ingredients & Equipment

Nothing fancy to see here! This recipe for healthy vegan muffins requires a pretty short list of easy-to-find ingredients, many of which you probably already have on hand.

Here is everything you’ll need:

Ingredient Notes

• Rolled Oats – Also known as “old fashioned oats,” these provide a ton of flavor and texture to the muffins. Do NOT substitute steel cut or instant oats in this recipe!
• Hemp Hearts – The hemp seeds give these muffins a lovely texture and a delicious nutty flavor, plus a big nutritional punch. For the best quality, I recommend Eaton Hemp Organic Hemp Hearts (read more about them below).
• All Purpose Flour – For healthier flour options, you can use 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, whole wheat, or buckwheat.
• Maple Syrup – Maple is my sweetener of choice, but you could easily swap in agave nectar or date syrup instead. Check out my guide to sugar alternatives for more options.
• Non Dairy Milk – I recommend a thick, creamy, neutral flavored milk such as soy, almond, or cashew milk. However, any type of non-dairy milk will do.
• Pumpkin Puree – Make sure to use canned pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling.
• Applesauce – This is the binder of the recipe. You could replace it with 1/2 mashed banana, 1/4 cup non-dairy yogurt, or an additional 1/4 cup of pumpkin puree.
• Coconut Oil – This recipe calls for coconut oil. You could also use vegetable or avocado oil. If you want to eliminate the oil altogether, swap it out for the same amount of applesauce. This will affect the texture a bit but they will still be delicious!

Go-To Hemp Hearts

There are a lot of hemp hearts on the market but not all hemp hearts are created equal. That’s why I recommend Eaton Hemp Organic Hemp Hearts.

Here are a few reasons why they outperform their competitors. Eaton Hemp Organic Hemp Hearts are:

• 100% USA grown, processed, and packaged
• USDA Certified Organic
• Farmer-owned, Farm to table.
• Processed with 100% clean energy.

Beyond that, Eaton Hemp stems from the first farmed licensed to grow hemp in New York State and is the only brand to use the Hemp Plant in its ENTIRETY. Nothing goes to waste! By choosing Eaton Hemp Hemp Hearts, you’re supporting organic hemp farmers across America to: significantly reduce our carbon footprint, rejuvenate our soil, purify the air we breathe, and make significant strides towards a healthier and cleaner planet.

Wanna try them for yourself? Use the code “MYDARLINGVEGAN” and get 30% off all Eaton Hemp Organic Hemp Hearts and their other food products.

As if that weren’t enough to convince you, hemp hearts are one of nature’s most nutrient-dense foods. Packed full of iron, magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin D, E, and zinc, they are truly what I would consider a superfood. And they are the only vegan food with the same Omega 3:6 ratio as fish oil (the body’s ideal omega ratio). Beyond that, they have all 20 amino acids, including each of the 9 essential amino acids. This makes hemp seeds a complete high-quality protein.

Recommended Equipment

For all my vegan muffin recipes, you’ll need basic kitchen equipment such as a mixing bowl, utensils, a wire cooling rack, and a muffin baking pan. I also recommend using an ice cream scoop to evenly and cleanly scoop your batter. (<<affiliate links)

Recipe Video

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step One – Preheat & Spray

Preheat the oven to 375F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Line it with muffin holders and spray again. Set aside.

Pro Tip: You don’t have to use muffin holders. If you prefer, you can place the batter directly in the muffin tin. Just make sure to spray thoroughly.

Step Two – Make the Batter

In a small-sized bowl combine the non-dairy milk and rolled oats. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the oats to soften. Don’t skip this step! Soaking the oats is important for a fluffy texture. The oats are ready when they have doubled in size and absorbed most of the milk.

Mix together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Add the soaked oats and stir to combine.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, hemp hearts, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until the batter is fully hydrated.

Pro Tip: Take care not to overmix as this will make your muffins dense and gummy. A few lumps are okay.

Step Three – Bake and Cool

Scop the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup nearly to the top. For a little extra texture and a pretty finish, sprinkle some extra hemp hearts on the top of your unbaked muffins.

Pro Tip: I find that using an ice cream scoop is the cleanest and easiest way to get the batter into the muffin molds. With an ice cream scoop, you can ensure the muffins are equally sized as well.

Bake the muffins for 20-25 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the pan. Don’t try and remove them too early or they may fall apart.

Serving – As soon as the muffins are cool enough to handle, feel free to dig right in! They’re excellent warm or at room temperature. For some added richness, feel free to slather with a bit of vegan butter or cream cheese. You can also serve these hemp muffins with some nut butter for added protein.

Storing – These muffins will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days. Be sure to keep them well sealed to prevent them from going stale. You can also freeze these muffins for up to a month. Let thaw at room temperature for a few hours before enjoying.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Vegan Muffin Recipes

• The BEST Vegan Blueberry Muffins
• Vegan Strawberry Muffins
• Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

Check out all my vegan muffin and pastry recipes for more inspiration.

Pumpkin Hemp Muffins

These Pumpkin Hemp Muffins are the make-ahead vegan breakfast you need! These delightfully fluffy and flavorful pastries are full of protein and fiber AND made without any refined sugars. They’re also perfectly portable, making them an ideal choice for your morning commute.

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 muffins

Calories: 204kcal

Author: Sarah McMinn

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Eaton Hemp Hemp Hearts
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup pumpkin puree
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray. Line it with muffin holders and set aside.
• In a medium sized bowl combine the soy milk and rolled oats. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the oats to soften. Note: Don't skip this step. Soaking the oats is important if you want fluffy muffins.
• While the oats soak, mix together the flour, hemp hearts, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
• In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, maple syrup, melted coconut oil, applesauce, and vanilla extract. Add the soaked oats and stir to combine. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until the batter is fully hydrated.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins, filling each cup nearly to the top. Bake for 20-25 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow muffins to cool before removing from pan.

Video

Notes

Serving & Storing- As soon as the muffins are cool enough to handle, feel free to dig right in! Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze these muffins for up to a month. Let thaw at room temperature for a few hours prior to eating.

Make in Advance – If you want to make this muffin batter in advance, store the batter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. To bake the muffins, preheat the oven and bake according to the instructions. However, these muffins may take a few minutes longer to bake since the batter will be chilled. The muffins will also be slightly denser as the baking soda begins to activate once it’s mixed into the batter, causing it to be slightly less potent.

Recipe Tips

1. If you want super moist, fluffy muffins, be sure to soak your oats! Allow the old-fashioned oats to soak for at least 10 minutes prior to adding to the batter.
2. For added texture and a pretty finish, sprinkle the tops of your unbaked muffins with some extra hemp hearts.
3. Do not overmix your batter. Overmixing allows the gluten to develop and too much gluten will give you gummy and dense muffins.
4. Applesauce varies a lot. If your applesauce seems thin, first strain it through a fine-mesh strainer to get the excess liquid out.

Frequently Asked Questions

• How can I make these muffins even healthier? Feel free to substitute applesauce for the oil and swap in a healthier flour like whole wheat, spelt, or buckwheat! Additionally, feel free to swap out the oil for additional applesauce at a 1:1 ratio.
• Why did my muffins come out flat? The primary leavening agent in these healthy blueberry muffins is baking powder, which becomes activated when it comes in contact with liquid. Don’t let your batter rest before placing your muffin tin in the oven – you want them to go in within minutes of adding the wet ingredients to the dry!

Nutrition

Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 194mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3240IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 76mg | Iron: 2mg