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These vegan pumpkin whoopie pies are light, soft, and packed with pumpkin flavor thanks to a full cup of pumpkin purée incorporated into the batter! They’re spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and sandwiched with a creamy cashew-based filling that’s not overly sweet. Give them a try this fall!
If you love pumpkin sweets, these whoopie pies are for you. They’re incredibly tender and light, with plenty of pumpkin flavor in every bite. Warm spices give them that cozy flavor we all love about the fall season!
Here’s why you will love them:
- There’s a full cup of pumpkin in the batter! Too often, pumpkin sweets don’t even taste like pumpkin. They taste more like spiced cakes. Not here. The batter contains a full cup of pumpkin purée, giving the cakes a rich pumpkin flavor. The generous amount of purée also keeps the cakes moist and soft.
- A less-sweet filling. I’m not a huge fan of the typical buttercream filling used in whoopie pies. It’s often too sweet and overpowers the flavor of the cakes, so I made my own version with a base of cashews and coconut cream. It’s creamy, lightly sweetened, and doesn’t rely on butter or cream cheese.
- The filling stays where it should. Once chilled, the filling becomes firm enough to hold its shape while staying creamy. That means it won’t immediately escape from the sides when you bite into a whoopie pie!
Looking for more pumpkin recipes? Check out my vegan pumpkin bread or this creamy pumpkin tiramisu!
🎃 Ingredients You’ll Need
Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make the pumpkin cakes:
- Pumpkin puree – The main ingredient of these whoopie pies! Use plain pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Flour – All-purpose flour works best here.
- Light brown sugar – Brown sugar adds sweetness, a subtle caramel flavor, and helps slightly darken the batter, giving the cakes a nice orange-brown color.
- Milk – Any unsweetened plant-based milk works.
- Oil – It adds moisture and richness. Use a neutral oil such as canola or avocado oil so it doesn’t overpower the other ingredients.
- Spices – Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves give these whoopie pies that classic pumpkin spice flavor.
➜ Note: You can replace all of these spices with about 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice mix. - Leaveners – Baking powder and baking soda lift the batter to create an airy, tender crumb.
- Vanilla extract – Either store-bought or homemade vanilla extract.
Then, for the cream filling, you’ll need:
- Cashews and coconut cream – Soaked raw cashews create the base of the filling. I use them together with coconut cream for two reasons: 1) On its own, cashew cream tends to be dense and heavy, but combined with coconut cream, it becomes lighter and creamier. 2) Since coconut cream becomes firm when chilled, it also helps the filling set.
- Powdered sugar – To sweeten the cream filling. Don’t worry, I only use 3 tablespoons, so it’s not overly sweet.
- Coconut oil – This helps the filling firm up a bit more when chilled.
- Vanilla extract and cinnamon – I like to flavor the cream with extra vanilla and a pinch of cinnamon.
- Vinegar – Just 1/8 tsp of vinegar gives the cream a fresher flavor. You can omit it, though, as it’s not essential.
🥣 How to Make Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- Blend. Add all of the cream ingredients to a blender and blend on high speed for 30-40 seconds, or until smooth.
- Chill the cream. Transfer the cream to a small bowl and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or until firm.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt to a mixing bowl.
- Whisk. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the oil, vegan milk, pumpkin purée, and vanilla extract.
- Mix. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix the batter until it’s smooth.
- Drop the batter on a baking sheet. Using a 1 1/2 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop out the batter and drop rounds onto a baking sheet. Do not spread them and leave about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between each one, as they will spread. You should get about 20 cakes (10 whoopie pies).
- Bake. Bake the cakes for 12-15 minutes or until they are evenly golden brown. I bake mine for 13 minutes.
- Let them cool. Allow the cakes to cool completely. They should no longer be warm.
- Pipe the cream. Using a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) round tip, pipe about 2 tablespoons of the cream onto the flat side of half of the pumpkin cakes.
- Feel free to adjust the amount of cream based on your preference.
- Assemble. Place a second pumpkin cake on top of the cream and gently press to sandwich the cream between the cakes. Enjoy!
📔 A Few Tips
- Chill the filling. This is mandatory. After blending, the filling will have the consistency of heavy cream. This is normal. It will thicken and set after chilling for a few hours.
- Let the cakes cool completely. Warm cakes will soften the filling and make it too runny, making it difficult to assemble the whoopie pies. Wait until the cakes are completely cool before assembling.
- Assemble them shortly before serving. Although the pies store quite well in the fridge, they taste best when the cakes are at room temperature, and the filling is chilled. That’s why I suggest assembling them just before serving.
- Store them in the fridge. Since the filling is made with cashews and coconut cream, it tends to soften at room temperature. For the best consistency, keep the whoopie pies in the fridge.
🍫 Variations
Want to customize these pumpkin pies? Here are a few ideas:
- Add chocolate chips: Before baking, sprinkle a few chocolate chips over each cake.
- Fill them with pumpkin butter or jam: For even more pumpkin flavor, pipe the cream into a ring, leaving a space in the middle that you can fill with pumpkin jam or pumpkin butter.
- Flavor the cream: For extra flavor, feel free to add pumpkin spice or a chai spice mix to the cream.
❄️ Storing
Assembled whoopie pies: Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Pumpkin cakes: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Filling: Store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
💬 FAQs
Does the filling taste like coconut?
You can barely taste the coconut, if at all, especially if you use deodorized coconut oil.
What should be the consistency of the batter?
The cake batter should have the consistency of a pancake batter.
Why did my whoopie pies crack?
Your batter was probably too dry. Ensure you are measuring the flour and wet ingredients correctly. I suggest using a kitchen scale or the spoon-and-level method to measure the flour.
Why are my whoopie pies flat?
Your batter was too liquid. Again, measure the flour and wet ingredients correctly.
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Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
These vegan pumpkin whoopie pies are light, soft, and packed with pumpkin flavor thanks to a full cup of pumpkin purée incorporated into the batter! They're spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, and sandwiched with a creamy cashew-based filling that's not overly sweet. Give them a try this fall!
Ingredients
Cream Filling
- 3/4 cup (112 g) raw cashews (soaked overnight)
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) coconut cream (at room temperature)
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) melted coconut oil
- 3 tbsp (21 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp white vinegar (optional)
Pumpkin Cakes
- 1 and 1/2 cup (180 g) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup (232 g) pumpkin purée
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) oil
- 6 tbsp (90 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
Cream Filling
- Blend the cream. Drain the soaked cashews and transfer them to a blender. Add the coconut cream, melted coconut oil, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, salt, and white vinegar. Blend on high speed for 30-40 seconds or until the cream is smooth.
- Refrigerate. Transfer the cream to a mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 3 hours in the fridge or until the cream is set.
Note: The cream filling will be very soft and runny. This is normal. It will set once chilled.
Pumpkin Cakes
- Preheat the oven to
350 °F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. - Combine the dry ingredients. Add the flour, light brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices to a mixing bowl. Whisk until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the pumpkin purée, oil, vegan milk, and vanilla extract. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to mix the batter until it’s smooth.
- Drop the batter on a baking sheet. Using a 1 1/2 tbsp cookie scoop, scoop out the batter and drop rounds onto a baking sheet. Do not spread them, and leave about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of space between each one, as they will spread. You should get about 20 cakes (10 whoopie pies).
- Bake. Bake the cakes for 12-15 minutes, or until they are evenly golden brown. I bake mine for 13 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool completely before assembling with the cream.
- Assemble. Using a piping bag fitted with a 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) round tip, pipe about 2 tablespoons of the cream onto the flat side of half of the pumpkin cakes. Place a second pumpkin cake on top of the cream and gently press to sandwich the cream between the cakes. Enjoy!
- You can store these pumpkin whoopie pies in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Chill the filling. This is mandatory. After blending, the filling will have the consistency of heavy cream. This is normal. It will thicken and set after chilling for a few hours.
Let the cakes cool completely. Warm cakes will soften the filling and make it too runny, making it difficult to assemble the whoopie pies. Wait until the cakes are completely cool before assembling.
Assemble them shortly before serving. Although the pies store quite well in the fridge, they taste best when the cakes are at room temperature, and the filling is chilled. That’s why I suggest assembling them just before serving.
Store them in the fridge. Since the filling is made with cashews and coconut cream, it tends to soften at room temperature. For the best consistency, keep the whoopie pies in the fridge.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 whoopie pie | Calories: 336 kcal | Carbohydrates: 39 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 19 g | Saturated Fat: 7 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7 g | Trans Fat: 0.03 g | Sodium: 183 mg | Potassium: 199 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 20 g | Vitamin A: 3814 IU | Vitamin C: 1 mg | Calcium: 53 mg | Iron: 2 mg
Disclaimer: The nutrition information provided is an estimate only and may vary depending on the ingredients, brands, and substitutions used. We cannot guarantee its accuracy and are not responsible for any discrepancies.
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About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
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