A Super Easy (and delicious) Pumpkin Muffins Recipe (2024)

Pumpkin muffins are quickly becoming my go-to for chilly fall (and winter) days. And I love the fact that this one can easily be turned into vegan pumpkin muffins with just a couple modifications.

We’re about to hit the time of year where sweets, baked goods, and deserts are pretty much acceptable for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And pumpkin recipes are no exception. As soon as the first leaf changes, it’s pumpkin this and pumpkin that: pumpkin bars, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie, etc, etc. Which is great for me because I love pumpkin, although I’m not so much into the psl thing (maybe I could be convinced?).

BUT with all the pumpkin recipes out there already, I wanted to do something that could be sweet OR savory, all at once. So, today I’m sharing a pumpkin oat muffin recipe with a (totally optional) cream cheese glaze. These pumpkin muffins are somewhere between a healthy(ish) treat and a delicious dessert. AND the whole thing…the muffin recipe AND the cream cheese glaze can be modified to a vegan recipe, if you have dietary restrictions. Who wants one?

What I love most about this pumpkin muffin recipe though is you can go the traditional muffin route (without any icing on top) and they’re delicious. OR add the cream cheese glaze for a sweet treat…also very good.

Pumpkin Oat Muffins with Cream Cheese Glaze

Ingredients for Pumpkin Muffins

• 1 egg*
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup of canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup of flour
• 2/3 cup of rolled oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

*For a vegan option, I used 1 tbsp flax + 2 tbsp water instead of an egg.

Ingredients for Cream Cheese Glaze

• 4 ounces of room temperature cream cheese*
• 1/2 cup of powdered sugar
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 tbs of unsweetened almond milk

*For a vegan option, I used Tofutti Cream Cheese.

Instructions for Pumpkin Oat Muffins

Start by preheating the oven to 350F. Line a muffin tin with muffin papers and set aside.

Beat your egg in a medium sized bowl then add the almond milk, oil, vanilla, and pumpkin. Mix well and set aside.

In a separate medium sized bowl, combine your sugar, brown sugar, flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon and salt and mix until combined. Slowly add your dry ingredients to your wet and mix just enough to combine.

Scoop your muffin batter into the paper liners. I used an ice cream scoop and it was the perfect amount in each muffin. Fill your liners 3/4 of the way and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.

Instructions for Cream Cheese Glaze

While your muffins are baking, prepare the cream cheese glaze by beating your cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, the vanilla and almond milk and beat until smooth. If the consistency is too thick, add a little bit more milk to attain the desired consistency.

After your muffins have cooled, drizzle the cream cheese glaze over your muffins, and eat up! Bonus points for an extra sprinkling of oats on top.

Recipe by Casey Harper for Paper and Stitch

Call me basic, but I’m all for pumpkin everything this time of year, and that includes this recipe. What about you?

Looking for more pumpkin recipes like this one? Try this homemade pumpkin candy– it’s like pumpkin pie in candy form. And speaking of pumpkin pie…what about pumpkin pie ice cream? Or maybe a healthy pumpkin recipe that involves ‘nice cream’?

But wait, there’s more. Haha. Don’t forget about the pumpkin cinnamon rolls or the glazed donut pumpkin seed recipe.