One bowl Pumpkin & Gingerbread Crumb Muffins – spiced with robust, autumnal flavours, sweetened with pumpkin, brown sugar and a touch of molasses then topped with a simple crumb topping! | Gluten Free + Vegan Option
Originally posted 23 December 2016 – Updated with improved photos, recipe and instructions 2 November 2020
Today I’m sprucing up and bringing back an oldie but a goodie with these Pumpkin & Gingerbread Crumb Muffins. Originally shared nearly four years ago now, it seemed like a good to dust off this old recipe with new pics, new tips and an updated recipe to include way more substitutions and options for everyone.
So let’s get baking!
Gluten Free Pumpkin & Gingerbread Crumb Muffins
What’s to love in this recipe? These muffins are:
- Super soft and ultra moist – thanks to the pumpkin puree!
- Spiced with cinnamon, ginger and a touch of nutmeg.
- Can be made all in one bowl for minimal clean up.
- Baked at two temperatures – making for taller, more domed muffin.
- Can easily be made vegan with dairy and egg substitutes that don’t compromise on texture or taste!
How to make these Pumpkin & Gingerbread Crumb Muffin, simpified:
- Whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Stir in the eggs, butter/oil and vanilla.
- Add the pumpkin. Mix until a thick, smooth batter forms.
- Make the crumb topping – combine all ingredients in a bowl.
- Fill muffin tin with batter, top with crumb topping.
- Bake & enjoy!
- Optional: cool then drizzle with icing.
Tips, Substitutions and FAQ’s
How do I make these muffins vegan?
- The eggs can be replaced with two potential options:
- Flax or chia eggs
- Aquafaba (bean water) – If you’re not familiar with aquafaba you can learn more about it in this Aquafaba Chocolate Mousse Recipe. Basically the gist of it is that aquafaba = bean water. Typically this refers to the goopy water you find in cans of white beans (more specifically, chickpeas). Aquafaba has binding properties that makes it a great egg substitute in certain recipes, like this one.
- The butter can be replaced with a dairy free/vegan butter OR melted coconut oil.
What type of gluten free flour blend should I use?
- Most gluten free all purpose flour blends should work with this recipe.
- If you’d like specific recommendations: when I’m not using my homemade gluten free flour blend I like using Dove’s Gluten Free Plain Flourr (available in the UK) or Bob’s Red Milll 1:1 gluten free all purpose flour blend.
Can I use another type of flour here?
- I have only tested this recipe using a basic gluten free flour blend so I can’t make any recommendations for substitutions here.
Why bake these muffins at two temperatures?
- This initial high oven temp causes the muffin tops to rise up quickly creating a taller crust. You don’t want to cook these muffins at the high temperature the entire time though because then they will burn. So the quick, high temp allows the muffins to grow tall then the lower, stable temperature cooks them fully.
Make sure the oven is fully heated before baking.
- As tempting as it may be to speed things along, make sure the oven if fully heated and up to temperature before adding the muffins. If it’s not hot enough to start out, the muffins won’t rise as well.
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Pumpkin & Gingerbread Crumb Muffins
One bowl Pumpkin & Gingerbread Crumb Muffins - spiced with robust, autumnal flavours, sweetened with pumpkin, brown sugar and a touch of molasses then topped with a simply crumb mixture! | Gluten Free + Vegan Option
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoons gluten free flour blend (210 g)
- 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar (165 g)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 3/4 teaspoon xanthan gum*
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup melted butter or vegan butter ( 113g) or coconut oil (105 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
- 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs OR 2 flax eggs OR 7 tablespoons aquafaba *, liquid found in cans of chickpeas/white beans
Crumb Topping
- 1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour (140 g)
- 1/2 cup grams light or dark brown sugar (110 g)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil, melted (84 g).
Icing, optional
- 1/2 cup icing/powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoons milk (dairy free if needed)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F /220°Grease or line a 12 count muffin tin. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt together until combined.
- Stir in the eggs, butter/oil, vanilla, molasses and pumpkin. Mix everything together until combined a thick, smooth batter forms.
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them almost all the way full.
- In a small bowl (or the same bowl you were using earlier) combine the crumb topping ingredients and mix until a crumbly mixture forms. Spoon crumbs evenly on top of the batter and gently press them down into the batter.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F/220°Without removing the muffins from the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F /180°Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Let cool almost completely before topping with glaze.
- Cover leftovers and keep at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 1 week.
Optional Icing
- Whisk all of the sugar and milk together until combined and smooth. Once the muffins are cooled drizzle the icing and serve.
Notes
- You can leave out the xanthan gum if your gluten free flour blend already contains xanthan and/or if you're using flax or chia eggs.
- How to Make Flax/Chia Eggs: Make the flax egg: Mix 2 tablespoons ground flax (or ground chia seeds) with 4 tablespoons water. Stir and set aside about 10 minutes until the mixture gels up and then you're ready to use it.
- You can use coconut sugar in place of the brown sugar.
- Freeze for later: These muffins will freeze well for up to 3 months. Make sure to cool completely before wrapping up in a freezer safe bag. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.
Taya says
Really delicious muffins!!! Thank you for recipe!
Perhaps, I didn’t add enough butter to crumble, because it was to dry. But overall I am really happy with the result!❤️
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Taya – so glad to hear you enjoyed the muffins! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought about them 🙂