Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Muffins (Vegan Gluten-Free)

These Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Muffins are light, fluffy, tender and moreish packed with chocolate chips, pecans and made with good-for-you ingredients. They are naturally vegan, gluten-free and easily nut-free and easy to make in one bowl.

This side of Halloween, you may have a few tins of pumpkin or actual pumpkins lying around and if you’ve already made cakes, cupcakes, hummus and flatbreads, then why not try pumpkin muffins. These ones are loaded with chocolate, nutty sweet pecans and a delicious soft crumb that everyone will enjoy.

Why will I love these muffins?

These are special for a few reasons. They are:

• Light, fluffy, tender and cakey
• Warmly spiced and pumpkin pie spices
• Packed with melting chocolate chips
• Stuffed with sweet nutty pecans
• Made with wholesome ingredients
• Naturally vegan and high in protein and fibre
• Easily gluten-free and nut-free
• Easy to make in one bowl
• Ready in 25 minutes
• Delicious warm or cold
• Great to meal prep or keep in the freezer for a rainy day

If you are already in love with these muffins then skip ahead to the recipe card below. Or, first let’s discuss the recipe in more detail.

What ingredients do I need?

These muffins require a few basic ingredients:

• Plant-based milk: any dairy-free milk is great here like oat, almond, soya or coconut. I also am loving the pumpkin spice cold brew drink which is milky and smooth and adds more warming flavour to these bakes.
• Lemon juice: or apple cider vinegar curdles the milk to form a buttermilk and in turn, binds these egg-free muffins.
• Pumpkin puree: for a great moist texture, use tinned pumpkin or you can make your own. See below for pumpkin-free options.
• Applesauce: for sweetness and moisture, too. Mashed banana can also be swapped here, too. Make sure the applesauce is 100% apple and unsweetened or you can make your own.
• Smooth almond butter: the runny, smooth nut butter is best for these muffins and I also love using cashew butter or pecan butter or tahini or sunflower seed butter for a nut-free option.
• Thick coconut yoghurt: for texture, moisture and fat, the yoghurt must be thick, creamy and smooth for the best results. I love the Cocos Organic vanilla or natural yoghurt.
• Maple syrup: for sticky sweetness and other syrups like agave or vegan honey will also work.
• Coconut sugar: for sweetness, too. This is delicious for a caramel-like flavour and colour but golden or regular caster sugar will also work.
• Ground chia or flaxseed: this helps to also bind the batter. You can grind your own chia or flaxseeds at home and keep them in a sealed container for up to 2 months.
• Vanilla essence: for flavour.
• Plain or gluten-free flour: for a fluffy and light texture. If making these gluten-free, use your preferred 1:1 baking flour blend that contains xanthan gum. You could also try spelt or wholemeal flour, too, for a more wholesome and slightly denser muffin.
• Vegan vanilla protein powder: for a protein boost, flavour and texture, too. I love the vanilla buttercream or even the cooker dough or salted caramel proteins from Macromike (and you can save 10% off everything with code AMB-AMY).
• Pumpkin pie spices: either use a homemade blend or a shop-bought one.
• Baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt: for rise and flavour.
• Chocolate chips: I prefer dark chocolate chips here for the richness, but dairy-free milk chocolate chips will also work. You could also use a bar of chocolate, chopped up.
• Pecans: I love pecans this time of year, and these are delicious inside the muffins. You could swap these for walnuts or hazelnuts or leave these out for nut-free muffins.

How do I make them?

These are easy to make in just one bowl:

• Stir together all the wet ingredients: until smooth.
• Sift in the dry ingredients: and whisk again till smooth.
• Fold in the chocolate and pecans: and divide between the muffin cases.
• Add on extra chocolate chips: and bake for 24 minutes or until risen and an inserted skewer comes out clean.
• Enjoy these muffins warm or cold.

How long will they last?

These muffins are great to make ahead as you can keep them in a sealed container in the fridge for 2-3 days or you can freeze them for up to 1 month and allow to defrost at room temperature.

Can I use sweet potato or squash instead?

If you are making these without pumpkin puree, you can steam, roast or boil sweet potato or squash till tender and then blend till smooth and use in place of the pumpkin puree.

Are these nut-free and gluten-free?

These are easily nut-free, make sure you use sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of almond butter and skip the pecans. To make these gluten-free, make sure your flour is gluten-free and your preferred baking blend. Also check other ingredients like milk, yoghurt, protein powders and chocolate for nuts and/or gluten.

I love these muffins, what else can I bake?

I hope you are going to love these Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Muffins and for more bakes, how about my:

• Cinnamon Caramel Apple Cupcakes
• Chocolate Chip Chai Pumpkin Loaf
• Chai Apple Cake with Chocolate Ganache
• Vegan Pumpkin Spice Tiramisu
• Cinnamon Raisin Pecan No Yeast Bread

I look forward to hearing what you think of these Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Muffins so please let me know in the comments below and leave a star review above. If you do make these, I’d love to see so please tag me, I’m @nourishing.amy on Instagram and use the hashtag #nourishingamy. I’m also on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest  – please say hello!

With choc chip pecan muffin love x