Go Back Email Link
+ servings
Vegan pumpkin cupcake on a black background with frosting.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes

These easy vegan pumpkin cupcakes are super delicious and pumpkin! With a delicious light vegan cream cheese frosting.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Total Time33 minutes
Course: All Recipes
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 12
Calories: 371kcal

Ingredients

  • 1  ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon bakings soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • ½ cup oil
  • ¼ cup apple sauce
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup white sugar
  • 1 cup pumpkin
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Frosting

  • 4 oz vegan cream cheese
  • ½ cup vegan butter softened
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take a muffin tin and line it with cupcake liners or grease well.
  • Take your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a large bowl and an electric mixer. Mix your wet ingredients; apple sauce, brown sugar, sugar, vanilla extract, and oil. Mix on medium for a few minutes.
  • Get a medium bowl and combine your dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until combined but don't over-mix.
  • Take a large cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop and scoop even amounts of cupcake batter into the prepared muffin tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 16-20 minutes, checking at the 16-minute mark for a toothpick to come out clean.
  • Let sit in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool completely before frosting.
  • Clean out your mixing bowl and add your frosting ingredients; mix slowly then to medium speed for about 5 minutes until fluffy. Frost the cooled cupcakes as desired.

Notes

Storage- Due to the vegan cream cheese frosting, these cupcakes need to be stored in the fridge. It's best to place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. I don't recommend eating them straight from the fridge. Let them sit on the counter for about 30 minutes for better flavor.
Freezing- They taste best the day they are made, but they can be frozen. It is always best to freeze cupcakes without the frosting, but you likely already will have the frosting on the cupcakes, and that's okay. Place the cupcakes in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. To eat after being frozen, place the cupcakes on the counter to defrost.
Expert Tips and Tricks- 
  1. I made the vegan cream cheese frosting with a hint of cinnamon. You could use pumpkin pie spice if you'd rather it had a hint of pumpkin flavor instead of cinnamon, or you could make it a vanilla cream cheese without any spices.
  2. Make sure the cupcake is totally cooled before putting the frosting on.
  3. If you don't use cupcake liners be sure to grease your cup cake tin very well and let cool a little longer before popping them out of the tin.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 169mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 35g