Vegan Gingerbread Muffins

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Vegan gingerbread muffins - these easy eggless muffins are super soft, moist and fluffy with a rich spiced treacle (molasses) flavour.

They are great any time of year but especially good around bonfire night and Christmas!

Vegan gingerbread muffins on a wire cooling rack.

These vegan gingerbread muffins are really quick and simple to make in just one bowl with mostly basic storecupboard ingredients.

They also happen to taste amazing! They are richly spiced and flavoured with black treacle (or molasses) but they are not too sweet so are perfect for snacking on or even for breakfast.

A labelled photo of the ingredients needed to make vegan gingerbread muffins, in bowls.

Ingredient Details:

Treacle: I use black treacle but molasses will also work.

Yogurt: The yogurt helps to keep the muffins nice and moist, with a light, fluffy texture. I use a soy yogurt but any kind will work; ideally it should be unflavoured and unsweetened however (vanilla is fine though).

Milk: You can use any kind you like but it should ideally be unsweetened and soy milk is best as it has the highest protein content.

Sugar: I prefer to use light brown soft but dark brown is fine too.

Oil: Any neutral flavoured oil will work, I use olive or sunflower.

Plain flour: Plain (all-purpose) flour is best. I haven't tested these gluten-free.

Baking powder and soda: Using both baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) will give you the best rise and texture. Don't swap one for the other, you will not get the same result.

Vinegar: This reacts with the bicarbonate of soda to help the muffins rise and give them a light texture. I use either apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar. You can also use lemon juice instead.

Spices: Ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves add loads of spicy, warming flavour.

Demarera sugar: Sprinkling the muffins with a little sugar before baking gives them a nice crisp crust and a more attractive appearance. Either demarera (turbinado) sugar or a coarse sanding sugar is fine.

Vegan gingerbread muffins on a brown surface, one with a bite taken out of it.

How To Make Vegan Gingerbread Muffins:

(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)

Step 1: Whisk together the oil, treacle and hot milk until well combined then whisk in the yogurt, sugar and vinegar.

Step 2: Whisk in the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda followed by the flour.

Step 3: Divide the batter between 8 muffin cases, ideally spread out across two pans, filling the cases right to the top. Sprinkle with demarera sugar.

Step 4: Bake for 5 minutes at a high oven temperature, then turn the oven down and bake for a further 18 minutes.

A stack of vegan gingerbread muffins on top of a muffin pan.

Top Tips:

USE SCALES. As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scales rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!

Don't over-beat the batter as that can make the muffins tough. Just stir the mixture with a balloon whisk until no dry streaks remain, a few little lumps is fine.

For nice tall, bakery-style muffins, fill the cases all the way to the top. This recipe makes eight rather than twelve muffins as we are making them a little bit bigger. You can make ten to twelve slightly smaller ones if you prefer, though bear in mind that smaller muffins will probably bake a little quicker.

I like to space the cases out across two muffin tins as this can help to create tall muffin tops. If you only have the one tin then you can either bake them all in one tin or in two batches.

To make sure that the cases don't stick, use good quality ones and allow the muffins to cool completely before eating them, they are more likely to stick when they are warm. You can also spray the muffin cases with baking spray or oil, or bake the muffins straight in a well greased non-stick muffin pan.

Lightly grease the top of the muffin pan to help stop the muffin tops from sticking to it.

Sprinkling the batter with coarse sugar such as demarera before baking gives the muffins a bit of crunch and texture.

These vegan gingerbread muffins would be delicious with a simple lemon glaze on top.

FAQ's:

How do I get tall muffins?

There are a couple of steps that help to ensure nice, tall muffins:
1: Fill the cases right to the top.
2: Space the cases out across two muffin pans, try and leave an empty cavity between each one.
3: Bake the muffins at a high temperature for 5 minutes to give the muffins an initial boost, then turn the oven down and bake for a further 18 minutes.

How should I store them?

The muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze them?

Yes these vegan gingerbread muffins freeze well. Place in a ziplock bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to sit at room temperature for a couple of hours to defrost.

More Vegan Muffin Recipes:

Vegan gingerbread muffins on a brown surface.

If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess

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5 from 4 votes