Pumpkin and walnut muffins (vegan version)

It looks like there is a pattern in my vegan baking. Things work out exactly from the second attempt. That was the case with banana upside down cake as well as oatmeal cookies. Now the pumpkin muffins did the same and I can’t tell you how happy I am at breakfast time.


I took the Joy of Cooking recipe as a basis, though I was not very comfortable with it. Compared to most recipes I saw on the web, say at Joy of Baking, it included way more liquid. When I actually made the batter my worries got worse, as it was completely runny.

However, Irma Rombauer's magic worked, even though I did some adaptation of the recipe to get rid of the egg and butter. The muffins came out soft, light and spongy. They were delicious when just baked and left an amazing comforting feeling.

I was not sure how they were going to behave the day after, as muffins do not normally keep that well. Surprisingly, they kept moist and tasty. So now the position of oatmeal cookies as my favorite breakfast is getting endangered. I also have hope now that the chocolate chip cookies will also work from the second attempt, as now I’m left with frustrating results of the first one.

Pumpkin and walnut muffins (vegan version) (recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer)

makes 6 standard size muffins

100 g plain all purpose flour
90 g light brown sugar
1 tea spoon baking powder
1/4 tea spoon salt
1/4 tea spoon ground cinnamon
1/4 tea spoon ground nutmeg

50 g vegetable oil
140 g soya milk
90 g grated fresh pumpkin (or canned pumpkin puree)

30 g chopped walnuts (optional)

1 tbs citrus liqueur (optional)

Soak the nuts (if using) in 1 tbs citrus liqueur + 2 tbs boiling water. This will make the nuts very soft and they will be in harmony with the teder texture of the muffins.

Combine the dry ingredients and mix together making sure the baking powder is spread evenly. Add the oil and soya milk and quickly mix with a spatula. It is important that you do not overmix the batter. The dry ingredients should get wet and that's enough. Drain the nuts (if using) and fold them in together with the pumpkin.

Pour the batter into the muffin baking cups, filling each for about two thirds. I used silicone cupcake baking pan, which worked perfectly. If using a steel pan, brush it slightly with vegetable oil before filling the cups.

Bake the muffins at 180C for 16-18 minutes, till they raise and get golden on top. Take the baking pan out of the oven. Let the muffins rest for 3-4 minutes and take them out of the cups.

They are perfect when just baked. If you need to store them, they keep well in a plastic bag or an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Related posts and pages:

Banana upside down mini cakes (vegan version)
Crispy oatmeal cookies (vegan version)
Chewy oatmeal cookies (vegan version)

Pumpkin porridge for Russian winter
Pumpkin fritters follow up

Cafe Sok (кафе Сок) Moscow vegetarian, vegan, raw
Jagannath Moscow vegetarian restaurant and specialty store

London food: a personal guide