Vegan Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
Gloriously spiced, moist pumpkin muffins filled with a sweet, tangy cream cheese filling and topped with a sugar pecan streusel. All totally vegan!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Bake Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12 Muffins 1x
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Scale
For the Cream Cheese Filling
4 oz vegan cream cheese
1/2 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Streusel Topping
1/2 c all purpose flour
1/3 c sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c chopped pecans
3 tbsp melted vegan butter
For the Pumpkin Muffins
1 3/4 c all purpose flour
1 c sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c nondairy milk
1/2 c canola oil
1 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare Cream Cheese Filling: Add vegan cream cheese to a bowl and beat using an electric hand mixer or stand mixer until it is completely smooth. Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl and beat again until well-combined. Transfer filling from the bowl onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Roll into a log that is about 1 inch in diameter. Seal cream cheese mixture tightly in the wrap and transfer the log to the freezer to chill for at least 2 hours.
- Make the Streusel Topping: To make the streusel topping, mix all purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon and chopped pecans together in a small bowl using a fork. Pour melted vegan butter over the top and stir together again. Set aside.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners leaving every other mold empty. You will only bake 6 muffins at a time. The extra space will allow more heat to get to each muffin producing better rise. Set aside.
- Make the Batter: In a large bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and allspice. In a separate bowl, vigorously whisk together the pumpkin puree, nondairy milk, canola oil, molasses and vanilla extract. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined. Do not over-mix.
- Assemble: Fill each paper liner in your muffins pan about 1/2 way full with the pumpkin batter. Grab the cream cheese log from the freezer and cut it in half. Place one half back into the freezer. Cut the remaining half into 6 equal slices. Press a slice of solid cream cheese filling into the muffin batter in each cupcake mold. Cover the cream cheese with an additional spoonful of muffin batter. Top each muffin with the streusel topping.
- Bake: Place muffin pan on center rack of preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Once this time has elapsed, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 C) and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Allow muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Second Batch: Crank your oven back up to 425 F (218 C) to prepare for your second batch. Re-line your muffin pan with paper liners, once more skipping every other mold. Fill liners just as you did before with muffin batter, sliced cream cheese filling and streusel topping. Bake again for 5 minutes at 425 F (218 C) before reducing heat to 350 F (175 C) to bake for the remaining 15 minutes. Serve muffins warm or cooled.
Notes
*Muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or be refrigerated for 3-4. As there is a vegan cream cheese filling, I would recommend keeping muffins in the fridge. Muffins can also be frozen for up to 1 month.
*Recipe adapted from Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Muffins by Brown Eyed Baker.
