These pumpkin mochi muffins are dairy free but still tastes every bit like fall and pumpkin pie in mochi muffin form! They're slightly crispy on the outside and perfectly chewy on the inside with hints of pumpkin spice throughout.

Pumpkin mochi muffins stacked on a plate.

Fall is upon us and the leaves are turning orange! Doesn't that make you want to whip up some fall or pumpkin spice goodies? We were craving our black sesame mochi muffins, but thought this would be the perfect chance to make it pumpkin flavored instead. So here's to pumpkin spiced pumpkin mochi muffins! Plus, these are dairy free and gluten free!

What makes these pumpkin mochi muffins dairy free?

Classic butter mochi muffins are usually loaded with butter to achieve that buttery, soft mochi texture. On the other hand, these pumpkin mochi muffins are made with oat milk and a small amount of oil, so no dairy, such as cow's milk or butter is required. You are welcomed to substitute the oat milk for your preferred dairy substitute like almond milk, soy, or even coconut milk. As for the oil, feel free to use any neutral oil or even coconut oil. However, if you are blessed and is dairy tolerant, you can totally substitute the oil for melted butter and oat milk for regular milk. We've tried many substitutions and so far, none have disappointed us!

A pumpkin mochi muffin cut in half to show the interior texture.

Use glutinous rice flour

A very important ingredient that makes these pumpkin mochi muffins what they are, is glutinous rice flour. Do not confuse it with regular rice flour! Glutinous rice flour is made of glutinous rice, also known as sweet rice. It creates your classic sticky mochi texture that's nice and chewy, even after when it has cooled. Regular rice flour, on the other hand, is not sticky and usually used as a wheat flour substitute or used in savory recipes, such as cheung fen (肠粉), aka steamed rice noodle rolls. You'll also see regular rice flour being used together with glutinous rice flour to help balance out the sticky, chewiness and to give the end product tenderness.

Rice flour in red bag on the left and glutinous rice flour in green bag on the right. — We usually use the ERAWAN Elephant brand glutinous rice flour. If you're also using this brand, make sure to grab the green bag!

Homemade vs can pumpkin puree

Most of the time, both Kyong and I are the biggest supporters of making everything completely from scratch. But sometimes, canned products tastes good and are just soooo convenient to use. Can pumpkin puree is definitely one of them, lol. If you happen to have a pumpkin, acorn squash, or kabocha squash around at home, feel free to steam it until tender and blend it into a puree! It'll taste amazing! But if you are using the can pumpkin puree like us, make sure to purchase the ones labeled 100% pumpkin puree, NOT the pumpkin pie filling!

Make your own pumpkin spice!

To be very honest, we only get a craving for pumpkin spiced things when fall is coming along or when it's classic pumpkin pie baking time. Unfortunately, when we lived in Louisiana, fall usually only last like one week. So, needless to say, our pumpkin spice hardly get used up or ends up getting tossed. If you're like us and have lots of spices laying around, start making your own pumpkin spice! We make ours in small quantities when we need it so that the spices stay fresh. Also, remember, pumpkin spice has quite a prominent aroma and flavor. We added just enough pumpkin spice to our pumpkin mochi muffins to remind you of pumpkin pies and fall, but if you'd like a fuller spice flavor, start by adding ¼ to ½ teaspoon more pumpkin spice.

For our small quantity pumpkin pie spice, combine:

2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
¼ teaspoon of nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon of clove or allspice

Garnishing mochi muffin batter with roasted pumpkin seeds.

Get YOUR perfect mochi texture

Although there is always a standard of "how" any dish or food "should" be, it doesn't mean that you can't tailor a recipe to your preference. Particularly for these pumpkin mochi muffins, Kyong and I couldn't settle on the perfect texture. Personally, I prefer a chewier mochi, while Kyong likes both the chewier ones and the more tender ones. So here's the secret to achieve either!

If you prefer a chewier mochi texture, keep the pumpkin mochi muffin batter on the thicker side. The recipe we have is for the chewier mochi texture. It'll also create taller, airer mochi muffins. If you prefer more tender mochi muffins, you'll have to add more liquid to the batter. In our case, it would be more oat milk, or your preferred dairy substitute or cow's milk. Increase the milk from ¼ cup to ⅓ cup. This will give you flatter mochi muffins that'll also be denser but more tender.

Mochi muffin batter drizzling from a spatula. — The consistency of the pumpkin mochi muffin batter here will give you a chewier mochi texture.

Mochi muffin storage

These mochi muffins can be enjoyed after 10 to 20 minutes after cooling, but the texture will be on the softer side. We like to eat ours once the mochi muffins have completely cooled. This will give the muffins a chewier texture and fuller flavors. If you end up with leftovers, these pumpkin mochi muffins are absolutely delish with a cup of hot coffee. To store the mochi muffins, simply keep them in an airtight container for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 1 week. If refrigerating, microwave the mochi muffins for about 10 second, until warm, for best texture.

Holding a half cut pumpkin mochi muffin.

If you're looking for more fall treats, you may like these:

Bake with love!
Mei ❤️

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Pumpkin Mochi Muffins