Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes with Decadent Cream Cheese Frosting
These Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes are topped with the most decadent cream cheese frosting, taste just like pumpkin pie, and take about 30 minutes to prepare. Delicious and filled with dietary fiber and other nutrients.
Servings: 12 cupcakes
Calories: 181kcal
Cost: $10
Equipment
- 2 bowls
- muffin tin
- cupcake liners
Ingredients
Cupcake Ingredients
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- ½ cup sugar in the raw
- ½ cup brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 rounded teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup unsweetened almond milk
- pinch sea salt
Frosting Ingredients
- ½ cup softened vegan butter
- 8 oz. vegan cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 3-5 cups vegan powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoon unsweetened almond milk optional, use only if needed to thin recipe
- pinch sea salt
Instructions
Cupcake Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line muffin tin with cupcake liners. Add oil, sugars, pumpkin and vanilla extract to mixing bowl.
- Using hand mixer or spatula, mix until thoroughly blended.
- Add a small portion of almond milk.
- Mix well with spatula, adding more almond milk, only if needed.
- In a separate bowl, add dry ingredients, including flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and sea salt.
- Mix thoroughly.
- Slowly add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture.
- Stir well with spatula until batter is smooth and creamy.
- Spoon batter into each muffin tin, leaving room at the top for batter to expand during the baking process. Bake for 12-20 minutes, depending upon your oven. Cupcakes are done when a toothpick, inserted into the middle, comes out clean.
- Remove from oven and allow cupcakes to cook in muffin tin for 10 minutes. Then, gently remove cupcakes from pan and place on cooling rack to cool to room temperature.
Frosting Instructions
- To a medium mixing bowl, add butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract and the tiniest bit of almond milk (optional).
- Using a hand mixer or spatula, blend just until smooth. DO NOT OVERMIX.
- Add powdered sugar, cream of tartar and sea salt to mixture.
- Stir with spatula just until smooth. DO NOT OVERSTIR. Chill frosting in refrigerator for 3-4 hours (preferably, less if you don't have time) before adding to piping bag and frosting each cupcake. Once frosted, placed back in the refrigerator and allow to chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Video
Notes
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION IS AN ESTIMATE ONLY AND BASED ON CUPCAKES WITHOUT FROSTING.
- Be careful to not overmix frosting. Doing so may cause it to set wrong. Just mix until all ingredients are blended together.
- any vegetable oil works in this recipe.
- use gluten-free flour if gluten-intolerant.
- be sure your brown sugar is firmly packed. You may substitute with coconut sugar.
- be sure to choose 100% pumpkin puree, NOT pumpkin pie filling which contains added sugar.
- you may substitute almond milk with the plant milk of your choice.
- any plant-based cream cheese will work here.
- cream of tartar is used to thicken vegan frosting because it doesn't thicken like traditional frosting. Xanthun gum is an even better thickener, but it's sometimes difficult to find. If using cream of tartar and 1 teaspoon is not doing the job, add up to another teaspoon, a little at a time until the frosting firms up.
- for best results, refrigerate frosting for 3-4 hours before frosting cupcakes.
- for best results, chill cupcakes for at least 30 minutes before serving.
- leftovers may be stored in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupcake | Calories: 181kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 89mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 3177IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg