Cinnamon Pear Muffins (Vegan)

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Cinnamon pear muffins - these easy vegan muffins are super soft, moist and fluffy with tall muffin tops, a sweet cinnamon flavour, chunks of juicy pear and a crisp streusel topping.

These are the perfect Autumn muffin and are great for snacking on!

A vegan cinnamon pear muffin on a plate with a stack of muffins and a cup of tea in the background.

These vegan cinnamon pear muffins are light, fluffy, moist and moreish with nice tall muffin tops and are perfect for snacking on!

They are also really quick and easy to make, and mostly just use basic storecupboard ingredients; apart from some non-dairy yogurt and pears (or you can use apples instead).

They have a delicious warming cinnamon flavour, are packed with chunks of juicy pear and are topped with an optional cinnamon streusel topping. These are the perfect Autumn muffin!

A labelled photo of the ingredients needed to make cinnamon pear muffins.

Ingredient Details:

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 caster or granulated sugar 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.

Vanilla: Extract is better than essence and you can also use vanilla bean paste.

Cinnamon: Pumpkin spice would also be delicious instead!

Pears: I use two medium conference pears but other varieties would be fine too. You could also use apples instead.

Vegan butter: You will need a vegan butter to make the streusel topping, ideally a block variety rather than a spreadable one.

Close up of vegan cinnamon pear muffins, one with a bite taken out of it.

How To Make Cinnamon Pear Muffins:

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

Step 1: To make the streusel topping, mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl then rub in the butter using your fingertips until no lumps of butter remain and the mixture is clumping together.

Step 2: To make the muffin batter, whisk together the milk, yogurt, oil, sugar, vinegar and vanilla extract in a large bowl.

Step 3: Whisk in the cinnamon, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt followed by the flour.

Step 4: Fold in the diced pears.

Step 4, the batter with the pears added.

Step 5: Divide the batter between 9-10 muffin cases, ideally spread out across two pans, filling the cases almost to the top. Scatter over the streusel mixture.

Step 6: Bake for 5 minutes at a high oven temperature, then turn the oven down and bake for a further 18 minutes.

A stack of cinnamon pear muffins on a plate with cups of tea.

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 almost all the way to the top.

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.

This recipe makes 9 giant muffins, you can make 10-12 smaller ones if you prefer, though bear in mind that smaller muffins will probably bake a little quicker.

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?

These muffins are best eaten on the day they are baked while the streusel is still crisp but they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Can I freeze them?

Yes these vegan cinnamon pear muffins freeze well. Freeze on the day they are baked to preserve freshness but allow them to cool completely first. 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:

Cinnamon pear muffins on a brown surface.

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5 from 2 votes