20 Vegan Muffin Recipes that are Light, and Fluffy! (2024)

Learn everything you need to know to make light, moist, and fluffy vegan muffins with these tips and tricks. Plus, a basic muffin recipe you can customize! Then browse these 33 delectably sweet vegan muffin recipes to find the one that calls your name!

A Brief History of Muffins

When you say muffin, what comes to mind is very different depending on where you live.

English muffins are yeast bread that is cooked on a griddle. They date back to the 10th or 11th Century. We enjoy them here in the United States toasted with a bit of butter spread.

The type of muffin we are familiar with in America is a quick bread. Quick bread uses a chemical agent, baking powder, to rise instead of yeast. This type of muffin was first seen in cookbooks at the end of the 18th century. However, baking powder wasn’t created until 1857.

The first muffins were made using pearlash, producing carbon dioxide in the dough. The first muffin recipes were simple with few ingredients and not as sweet.

As muffin recipes have changed throughout the years, they have become sweeter, although there are also savory muffins, and they include numerous types of mix-ins.

Muffins became popular in the 1950s as brands began to box muffin mixes.

There is a wide variety of muffins out there with blueberry, chocolate chip, and banana being some of the most popular varieties.

Muffins vs. Cupcakes: What’s the difference?

There is some debate regarding the difference between a muffin and a cupcake. A few distinct differences:

1. Muffins can be both savory and sweet, while cupcakes are always sweet!
2. Cupcakes use a cake batter, while muffins use a quick bread batter.
3. Cupcakes always have frosting, while muffins usually don’t (however they do sometimes have a glaze).

A few of their similarities:

1. Both muffins and cupcakes use a mold to create a unique confection.
2. They both use a batter, not a dough like other bread.
3. They are small, individually packaged sweet treats.

Basic Ingredients Needed to Make Vegan Muffins

• Flour
• Sugar
• Leavening Agent
• Dairy-Free Milk
• Oil or Oil Free Alternative
• Vanilla Extract
• Fresh Berries or Other Flavorings

Types of Flour to Use for Vegan Muffins

These types of flour are typical gluten flours that you will find in many muffin recipes. Gluten is a protein that acts like glue that holds the muffin together.

• All-Purpose Flour is a variety of flour that uses a combination of hard and soft wheat. It comes both bleached and unbleached. Unbleached is recommended because it provides more structure for baking recipes. This type of flour has been processed to create a fine texture. It is the most common type of flour used in baked goods.
• Pastry Flour makes baked goods lighter and fluffier than all-purpose flour. It is often used to make pastries, cookies, and pie crust.
• Whole Wheat Flour is ground from e grain. All types of wheat flour are made from hard wheat. They produce a denser bake. This type of flour has added fiber and is often used in whole food plant-based baked goods for its health benefits.
• White Whole Wheat Flour is similar to whole wheat flour, but instead of using red wheat like whole wheat flour, it is made from white wheat. It bakes similarly to all-purpose flour but has the health benefits of whole wheat flour.
• Spelt Flour has a light reddish-brown color and a nutty flavor. Spelt is a whole grain, but it does not produce as dense a bake as whole wheat flour does, yet it still has the same health benefits.

Gluten-Free Flour Options

If you are sensitive to gluten, you’ll need to use gluten-free flour. Using a combination of gluten-free flour yields the best result in baked goods. Below are a few common types of gluten-free flours you’ll find used to create vegan muffins.

• Buckwheat flour provides a rich, earthy flavor and is good for baking quick bread such as muffins. It can have a crumbly texture. When using buckwheat flour, it is best to combine it with another flour, such as brown rice flour, to create a quality bake.
• Brown Rice Flour is made from ground brown rice. It has a nutty flavor. It is best when combined with flour in baked goods. It has a high protein and fiber content.
• Oat Flour is made from ground oats andgives baked goods a chewy, more crumbly texture.
• Almond Flour is made from blanched almonds (skins removed) and is ground into fine flour if almond flour creates a denser bake.

How to Measure Flour:

Baking is a science. As such, ensuring that your measurements are as exact as possible is essential to create the best bake.

In America, most of us use measuring cups for baking. However, using a scale to measure out in grams will yield the most precise results.

However, most American recipes don’t include the measurements in grams and instead use cups.

When measuring using cups, refrain from scooping the flour with the cup out of the flour bag. Instead, spoon the flour into the cup, and use a butter knife to level it.

Don’t shake the flour or push it down. You will end up using more flour than you need.

Should You Sift the Flour:

Some muffin recipes call for sifting, while others do not.

Sifting removes unwanted lumps and debris and helps to “unpack” the flour from the bag.

When you sift the flour with the other dry ingredients, it helps to distribute them evenly, which helps blend the ingredients.

Even if a recipe does not call for sifting, it cannot hurt the recipe.

Types of Sugar to Use for Vegan Muffins

There are so many different types of sugars out there. Other recipes call for different kinds of sugars because they will have different results on the texture of your muffins.

When making vegan muffins, following the recipe and using the sugar it calls for is essential. Substituting sugars will result in a different bake.

Here are some of the sugars you will often find in muffin recipes.

• White Sugar is the most common type of sugar, also known as granulated sugar. This is refined sugar that has gone through processing. If a recipe calls for sugar without explanation, it refers to white sugar.
• Brown Sugar is another common type of sugar. Brown sugar is white sugar with molasses added to it. There is light and dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar has more molasses. When using brown sugar in a recipe, the color of the baked goods will be darker. Brown sugar gives a chewy texture and a caramel flavor. If a recipe calls for brown sugar, it is likely calling for light brown sugar unless otherwise specified.
• Turbinado Sugar, also known as raw sugar, is less refined than cane sugar but still partially refined while retaining some molasses.
• Coconut Sugar is less refined than white, brown, or turbinado sugar. It is often used in whole-food plant-based recipes as a substitute for white sugar. It is a natural sugar made from coconut palm sap. It is brown and will create a darker crumb for your muffins or baked goods.
• Muscovado Sugar is an unrefined sugar cane sugar that contains natural molasses. It is an excellent whole-food plant-based substitute for brown sugar.

Leavening Agents

A leavening agent is what allows the muffins to rise. Muffins and quick bread, baking powder, or a combination of baking powder and baking soda are used to leaven the muffins.

What is baking soda?

Baking soda is a white crystalline powder that is naturally alkaline or basic. It becomes activated when combined with an acidic and a liquid.

When activated, it creates carbon dioxide, which allows baked goods to rise and become light and fluffy.

What is baking powder?

Baking powder is a complete leavening agent. It contains both the base and the acid to create the carbon dioxide necessary for baked goods to rise. It contains baking soda, cream of tartar, and cornstarch.

Oil vs. Oil Free

Oil is a perfectly acceptable ingredient to use in vegan muffins. There are many different types of oils a muffin recipe may call for. Oil adds moisture to a muffin recipe. Your muffins will have a dry, crumbly texture without oil or an oil substitute.

Types of Oils Used in Muffin Recipes

• Canola Oil is made from rapeseed oil. There has been some controversy surrounding canola oil and whether or not it is healthy. Most canola plants are genetically modified (GMO). I prefer not to use canola oil in my baking recipes for this reason.
• Safflower Oil comes from the seeds of the safflower plant. It is a tall plant with yellow or orange flowers. Safflower oil is a good source of unsaturated fatty acids with a neutral flavor. It can be heated to higher temperatures than other oils, making it a good choice for baking.
• Vegetable Oil is a blend of different oils, such as sunflower, corn, soy, or safflower. It has a neutral flavor like canola oil and safflower oil, making it a good choice for baking recipes. However, it isn’t easy to know what is actually in this type of oil, for example, what plants and how the oil was extracted and processed.
• Coconut Oilismadeby pressing freshcoconutmeat or driedcoconutmeat. Virgincoconut oiluses fresh meat, while refinedcoconut oiltypically uses dried coconut meat. Virgin coconut oil can be heated to 350 degrees F, while refined coconut oil can be heated to 400 degrees F. Virgin coconut oil smells and tastes like coconut, while refined coconut oil has a neutral flavor.
• Olive Oil comes from pressing the oils out of olives. There are wide varieties of olive oil, and the taste and quality can differ immensely, as well as the cost. It has a distinct flavor that can affect the overall flavor of your baked goods.

Oil-Free Alternatives for Muffin Recipes

If you prefer to make your muffins oil-free, which makes them whole-food plant-based, then choosing an oil-free substitute is essential.

• Sugar-Free Applesauce can be swapped at a 1:1 ratio for oil in most baking recipes.
• Pumpkin Puree is another fruit puree that works well as an oil substitute. However, depending on the type of baked good and the flavors you want to achieve, you may opt for applesauce.
• Banana, when mashed, creates a puree, but similar to pumpkin, add a banana flavor to your baked goods.
• Dairy-Free Yogurt adds fat and moisture to muffins and has a more neutral flavor.
• Nut Butter can also be used for oil and make a good substitute due to its fat content. Depending on the type of nut butter, you can have different results in your baking. I prefer raw almond butter in baking recipes.

How to Bake Vegan Muffins Step by Step

Now that you know all the ingredients you need for a basic muffin recipe, here are the fundamental steps to create muffins. It is a simple and easy recipe to follow!

Step 1: Combine Wet Ingredients-Mix the wet ingredients with the sugar. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Step 2: Combine Dry Ingredients-Sift the dry ingredients, which include the flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk together to combine.

Step 3: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients-Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.

Step 4: Add Flavoring-Fold your mix-in or flavoring (blueberries, banana, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.)

Step 5: Fill Muffin Cups-Line muffin tins with liners. Fill muffin cups ¾ of the way full.

Step 6: Bake-Place muffins in preheated oven at 350 F. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes.

Vegan Muffin FAQS

35 Light, Moist, and Fluffy Vegan Muffin Recipes to Try!

Without further ado, here are 20 spectacular vegan muffin recipes! There is a large variety, from classic blueberry and banana muffins to unique matcha and morning glory muffins.

This collection is curated by some of the best food bloggers who know what they’re talking about when it comes to baking!