Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cupcakes (Vegan)
The best Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cupcakes are vegan, allergy-free, and so easy to make! Made with real pumpkin and cozy spices, these moist and fluffy eggless pumpkin cupcakes are topped with a sweet and tangy dairy-free cream cheese frosting! Baked in 20 minutes with simple ingredients, everyone will love this homemade recipe!
- Prep Time: 5 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 12 Cupcakes 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
Pumpkin Cupcake Batter:
- 1 ¾ Cup Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour
- 1 TB Cornstarch or Arrowroot Starch
- 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (or preferred granulated sweetener)
- ½ Cup Dark Brown Sugar (or preferred brown sugar sweetener)
- 1 ½ Tsp Baking Powder
- ½ Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
- 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ Tsp Salt
- 1 1/2 Cups Pure Pumpkin Puree
- 1/4 Cup Neutral Oil
- 3 TB Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
- 1 TB White Vinegar
- 1 Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 8 oz Plain Vegan Cream Cheese (softened)
- 1 Stick Vegan Butter (softened)
- 3 Cups Powdered Sugar (or sugar-free powdered sweetener)
- 1 Tsp Water or Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk
- ½ Tsp Pure Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, starch, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt.
- In a small bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, vinegar, and vanilla until smooth, before adding it to the bowl of dry ingredients.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until you have a thick, lumpy batter, before adding the vegan milk and giving the batter one last mix so it's smooth with no visible lumps.
- Line a standard 12-count cupcake pan with liners and add about 3 heaping tablespoons of the cupcake batter to each (about ¾ full).
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out mostly clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
To Make The Frosting:
- Soften the vegan cream cheese and stick of vegan butter slightly before adding them to a stand mixer or large bowl with a hand mixer.
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and water. Beat the mixture together until you get a thick and smooth frosting. Add more water if needed.
- Store the frosting in the fridge until ready to frost the cooled cupcakes.
- Add the finished frosting to a pastry gun, pastry bag, or use a knife to frost the cooled cupcakes to your liking.
- Sprinkle the tops of the frosted cupcakes with extra cinnamon, if desired.
Notes
- Storage: You can bake your cupcakes ahead of time and store them unfrosted at room temperature in a closed container for 2-3 days. Once you frost the cupcakes, they must be stored in the fridge to prevent spoilage. Leftover frosted cupcakes are best if eaten within 1 week.
- Freezing: You can freeze unfrosted cupcakes by freezing them flat on a baking sheet until solid before transferring them to a Ziplock storage bag or container. If you want to freeze frosted cupcakes, freeze them in a single layer in a storage container to keep the frosting presentable. Thaw the cupcakes in a single layer at room temperature for a few hours before frosting the unfrosted or serving the pre-frosted. Use frozen cupcakes within 3-4 months for best quality.
- Make-Ahead: You can make the cupcakes 1-2 days in advance. The frosting can be prepped 2-3 days in advance, and then it will be ready to use when you're ready to frost the cupcakes.
- If you don't have a pastry bag, you can use a Ziplock/plastic baggie. Simply fill the bag with frosting, snip one corner off, and squeeze the frosting onto the cupcakes.
- Check out this recipe for vegan vanilla buttercream frosting if you don't want cream cheese frosting. If you want to use store-bought vegan cream cheese frosting, I recommend Miss Jones brand, which is also allergy-free. You can also use my vegan chocolate buttercream frosting recipe!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Cupcake
