Vegan Gingerbread Muffins
Soft and moist vegan gingerbread muffins are full of holiday flavors and spices that taste just like a gingerbread loaf, but with way less work! Super easy to mix up in one bowl with no mixer and baked for only 20 minutes. Perfect for breakfast or snack time, no one will believe that these are dairy free, egg free, and nut free. Gluten free options detailed in the post!
Free From: Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free, Gluten free (optional), soy free
If you’ve looked around my blog, you’ll note that I am OBSESSED with gingerbread flavors. Everything from gingerbread men cookies, to gingerbread cupcakes, a gingerbread snack cake, and even gingerbread inspired breakfast granola!
But I wanted to make something that was super easy to mix up and have that was as soft and moist as a cake, but a touch healthier for breakfast. And these muffins were created!
These muffins are so soft, so moist, and so full of gingerbread flavor! But this recipe has less oil and less sugar than my cakes, so it’s better for breakfast.
Ingredients
For the full list of ingredients, complete with recipe amounts, please see the recipe card below.
- Spices: The usual suspects for gingerbread make an appearance in these muffins. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves are all used.
- Molasses: There are several types available but I always bake with the unsulphured or dark molasses. Sometimes this can be called “robust” molasses. However, I never bake with blackstrap molasses. Of the different brands, I typically use Grandma’s Molasses or Wholesome Organic Molasses.
Substitutions
To make these muffins gluten free, replace the all purpose flour with an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend. I always bake with King Arthur Measure for Measure and get great results! You may need to add an additional tablespoon or two of plant based milk as gluten free flours are more absorbent than wheat flour. Test to see what your batter looks like for the best results.
I know that nutmeg is traditional in gingerbread, but I wanted to say that I personally don’t enjoy the flavor of nutmeg and so I never add it to my personal gingerbread baking. The flavors of ginger and cinnamon are much more pronounced because I leave it out. Just wanted to share that these recipes are really customizable to suit your needs!
Variations
- Make an icing drizzle on top! Mix together 1 cup of powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon or so of water to make a thin icing to drizzle over top. Add in a splash of vanilla and cinnamon to make it extra festive.
Instructions
Make sure to check out the recipe card below for the full recipe and ingredient list.
Making muffins is fairly simple. Start by preheating the oven to 425F/218C. This is important because we are going to do a quick bake at a high temperature and then lower the temperature for the rest of the bake. By doing this, the muffins will rise up super tall.
Start with the wet ingredients whisked together in one bowl. Then, pour in the dry ingredients and mix together until your batter forms. I tend to switch to a spatula when adding the dry ingredients so that I can scrape the sides of the bowl better.
Pour into a 12 cup muffin tray and fill them up about 3/4 of the way full. Sprinkle with raw sugar on top for a little crunch if desired.
Bake at 425F/218C for five minutes. Then, without opening the oven door, turn the temperature down to 350F/180C and bake for 15 more minutes. Don’t open the door basically until the end of baking. This will make sure that they get the best rise possible!
The muffins should be done after 20 minutes of baking. A toothpick inserted into one will pull out clean.
Let them cool on a wire rack out of the hot pans for about 15 minutes and enjoy!
Tips for Tall Muffins
- To make these extra tall muffins, it’s super important that you follow the double temperature trick! Starting the oven at the higher temperature allows for the baking powder to react quickly to the temperature, growing the muffins tall. Then, lowering the temperature allows the insides to bake fully.
- Just remember to not open the oven door until you’re ready to remove the muffins from the oven!
How to Store
Countertop: Keep any leftover muffins in an airtight container on the countertop for up to 3 days.
Fridge: Keep any leftover muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week! Thanks to the molasses they won’t dry out. I love these gingerbread muffins cold with a little vegan butter!
Freezer: Store fully baked and cooled muffins in a freezer safe container for about 1 to 2 months. Let them thaw in the fridge overnight or on the countertop for a few hours before serving after freezing.
Gingerbread Recipes
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Equipment
- Mixing bowls and spoons
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Paper liners
- muffin tray
- Whisk
- Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup plant milk soy milk or almond milk recommended
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup nuts chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F/218°C. Line a muffin tray with 12 paper liners, or spray with a non stick spray. Set aside. Make sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a large bowl with a whisk, combine the brown sugar with oil, molasses, vanilla, plant milk, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), and the optional nuts. Whisk well.
- Add the dry ingredients. Now to the same bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all spices. Switch to a spatula to mix this together, making sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Scoop. Fill the prepared muffin tray with the batter, filling each about 3/4 full.
- Bake. Place the muffins in the oven and bake at 425°F/218°C for 5 minutes only! This initial higher temperature of baking will help the muffins rise in the oven.
- Lower the temperature and continue baking! After 5 minutes, lower the temperature to 350°F/180°C and set the time for 13 to 15 more minutes. Do not open the oven door during this time or all the work of helping the batter rise will be lost. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes total. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool and enjoy! Remove the muffins from the oven and let them rest for 5 minutes in the hot trays before carefully removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More Muffin Recipes
The best vegan muffins, both savory and sweet! Including some FVK favorites like protein blueberry muffins and bakery style chocolate chip muffins. There is a muffin for everyone to love.
