Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes [no added sugar]

By Healthy Helper
Updated on October 4, 2026
Posted on September 19, 2026
Comments 84 Comments
Jump to Recipe

These vegan gluten-free pumpkin spice cupcakes are soft, moist, and warmly spiced with oat flour, pumpkin puree, date sugar, and date syrup. An easy fall dessert!

Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

These vegan gluten-free pumpkin spice cupcakes are the perfect fall dessert! They’re soft, fluffy, warmly spiced, and made with wholesome ingredients like oat flour, pumpkin puree, date sugar, and date syrup. Top them with your favorite vegan buttercream for an easy pumpkin dessert that tastes just as delicious as it looks.

Whether you’re baking for a fall gathering, Thanksgiving, a Halloween party, or simply craving something pumpkin-spiced, these cupcakes are an easy recipe to keep in your rotation all season long.

Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

These homemade pumpkin cupcakes check all the boxes for a delicious fall treat:

  • Vegan: Made completely without eggs or dairy.
  • Gluten-free: Oat flour keeps these cupcakes gluten-free while giving them a soft, tender texture.
  • Naturally sweetened: Date sugar and date syrup add sweetness without using traditional granulated sugar.
  • Packed with pumpkin: Pumpkin puree gives the cupcakes moisture and plenty of seasonal flavor.
  • Perfectly spiced: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice create that classic pumpkin spice flavor.
  • Easy to make: No mixer is required. Just whisk, stir, bake, and frost!

Ingredients You’ll Need

Oat Flour: Oat flour creates a soft, tender cupcake while keeping this recipe gluten-free. If you use certified gluten-free oat flour, these cupcakes are suitable for a gluten-free diet.

Date Sugar: Date sugar provides natural sweetness and pairs especially well with pumpkin and warm spices.

Pumpkin Puree: Use pure pumpkin puree rather than pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin adds moisture, flavor, and beautiful color to the cupcakes.

Date Syrup: A little date syrup adds another layer of natural sweetness and helps keep the cupcakes moist.

Avocado Oil: Avocado oil contributes moisture and gives these cupcakes a tender texture.

Plant-Based Milk: Soy or almond milk both work well in this recipe.

Warm Spices: Cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice give these cupcakes their signature pumpkin spice flavor.

Vegan Buttercream: Finish the cupcakes with your favorite vegan buttercream frosting for a creamy, sweet topping.

How To Make Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

1. Prepare The Oven And Cupcake Pan

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin or cupcake tin with cupcake liners.

2. Mix The Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the oat flour, date sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, sea salt, allspice, and vanilla bean powder.

3. Mix The Wet Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, soy or almond milk, date syrup, and avocado oil until smooth and well combined.

4. Combine The Batter

Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir gently until everything is just combined. Be careful not to overmix the batter.

5. Fill The Cupcake Liners

Divide the batter evenly between 12 cupcake liners, filling each one approximately ¾ of the way full.

6. Bake

Bake for 25–30 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool on a wire rack for at least 10–15 minutes before frosting.

7. Frost And Enjoy

Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them generously with your favorite vegan buttercream. For an extra festive finish, sprinkle the tops with a little cinnamon or pumpkin spice.

Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Print

Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 7 reviews

  • Author: Healthy Helper
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Cook Time: 25 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 12 BIG cupcakes
  • Category: Dessert
  • Diet: Vegan

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 1/4 cups oat flour
  • 1/2 cup date sugar (code healthyhelper saves)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla bean powder
  • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 cup soy or almond milk
  • 2 tbsp date syrup (code healthyhelper saves)
  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • Vegan buttercream for frosting

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients until combined.
  2. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Scoop batter into 12 cupcake tins and fill about 3/4 of the way full.
  3. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a knife comes out cleanly from the center of the cupcakes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 10-15 minutes before frosting!

Tips For Making The Best Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Use pure pumpkin puree. Pumpkin pie filling contains added sugar and spices, which can change the flavor and texture of the cupcakes.

Don’t overmix the batter. Once the wet and dry ingredients are combined, stop stirring. Overmixing can result in denser cupcakes.

Let them cool before frosting. If the cupcakes are still warm, the buttercream can melt and slide off. Give them at least 10–15 minutes to cool, and longer if needed.

Use certified gluten-free oat flour. If you need these cupcakes to be strictly gluten-free, make sure your oat flour is certified gluten-free.

Make sure your baking powder and other ingredients are gluten-free. Cross-contamination can vary between brands.

Vegan Gluten-Free Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

How To Store Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

Store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for several days, depending on the ingredients in your vegan buttercream.

If refrigerated, allow the cupcakes to come closer to room temperature before serving for the best texture.

Can You Freeze These Cupcakes?

Yes! For the best results, freeze the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight freezer-safe container. Once you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw the cupcakes at room temperature and frost before serving.

You can also freeze frosted cupcakes, but make sure the buttercream is fully set before placing them in a freezer-safe container.

More Pumpkin Recipes To Try

If you love all things pumpkin spice, you’ll also want to try these cozy fall recipes:

Talk soon,

Discover more from Healthy Helper

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

84 Comments

  11. Like you, I’ve been reading Angela’s blog since its beginnings and she’s one blogger I feel hasn’t changed with success. As in: she still is just as lovely and down to earth. Over the years I’ve tried a few of her recipes, too, so I’m sure the ones in this second book are delicious, too. Pity I’m not eligible to enter the giveaway.

    Reply

  14. Yes, I am a HUGE fan of Angela’s and these look great (and very seasonally appropriate, it’s never too early for pumpkin). Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply

  15. These look like perfection for the first day of fall! Gimme alllll the pumpkin :) I love Oh She glows recipes so i would love to have her book!

    Reply

  18. Thanks for sharing this and giving us a chance to win a cookbook from someone you think so highly of! This is a recipe that I am going to be making soon, they look so delish. Tall, high cupcakes like those with gluten! So excited!

    Reply

  21. You and I definitely differ there–I have a cookbook problem. One of the few ways it’s probably good that I live on a grad school budget is that I can’t afford to fill my house from floor to ceiling with them. :P
    These look like such a delicious way to celebrate the autumn equinox.

    Reply

  24. Hi Kaila,
    These sound delicious and have such healthy ingredients. Pumpkin always makes baked goods so moist and tasty and these cupcakes sound great for a healthy Fall snack. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted. .

    Reply

  26. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe at the #RecipeSharingParty! I hope to see you next week. Pinned and Yummed. Please visit #OverTheMoon on Sunday, #WonderfulWednesdy or #ThursdayFavoriteThings for more sharing fun! Don’t forget to Comment your link #’s so I can be sure to visit and you get a chance to be featured!

    Reply

  31. This would be my first cookbook if I won! I usually use blogs for recipes, like yours, but this would be lovely when I want to detox from the internet for an afternoon of cooking!!

    Reply

  35. I make a lot of GF muffins and the worst thing for me is when they don’t raise and get that pretty “golden dome” on top. It is nice to see you used all oat flour (which I always have available) with great results. Will try making these this weekend. Thanks for the chance to win Angela’s new book!

    Reply

  42. I would love a copy of this book and these cupcakes look delicious! I just love pumpkin and spice together and they are just so much healthier than most cupcakes too.

    Reply

  46. These look amazing! I noticed that you said you swapped out the oat flour for spelt to make them gluten free. Just an FYI, spelt is a form of wheat, which makes it NOT gluten free. Oat flour is naturally gluten free, but sometimes is cross contaminated when processed with wheat. Wanted to let you know, as well as maybe any other people who are newly gluten free as well. I’ve found out I had celiacs disease 8 years ago, and it can be confusing to figure out what has gluten and what doesn’t.

    Reply