These vegan kabocha squash muffins are made from Japanese pumpkin which is starchy and sweet. No butter or eggs are used, but it's fluffy, moist, and super easy to make.
Have you ever tried Japanese pumpkin, kabocha?
It's our staple vegetable, which is cooked in various ways. The harvest time is summer but the best season is in fall after going through the process of drying and aging.
The taste becomes rich and sweeter, it's so great for making a dessert.
- Recommend this recipe for
- Someone who love pumpkin and muffins
- Someone who want to try kabocha squash recipe
- Someone who is looking for easy muffin recipe
- Vegan/Vegetarian
Let me walk you through the ingredients and how to make them with step-by-step instructions.
Before getting to the recipe, I will also explain what kabocha is and how to pick a good one, and so on, so please check it out as well.
Jump to:
About this recipe
- Use Japanese pumpkin, Kabocha
- Vegan, easy, one bowl recipe
- Baking time : 25 minutes
Kabocha Squash - Japanese Pumpkin
If you are not familiar with Kabocha - Japanese pumpkin, let me introduce you to it.
The most of Kabocha we can find in Japan is something like the picture above. The taste is very starchy and sweet. We can find it all year round at a store but the main season is from fall to winter.
Kabocha is hard and heavy, you have to hold it in both hands. The skin is green and the inside is beautiful orange color.
Kabocha is a versatile vegetable. We cook it for many varieties of dishes such as tempura, miso soup, deep fry, salad, simmered dish, oven dish, desserts, and so on.
What are the health benefits
Kabocha contains beta carotene, vitamin B group, vitamin E, dietary fiber, and calcium.
On the winter solstice (December 22, this year), which is the shortest day of the year, we have a habit of eating kabocha to prepare for the cold weather.
kabocha improves your blood circulation and warm your body, and has the effect of fighting off bacteria and viruses, so it is a perfect food for winter when the air is dry and it is easy to catch a cold.
How to Pick Good one
When you go to a grocery store, please check these points and find a delicious pumpkin.
If you buy a whole pumpkin, check the stem: If the stem looks like a cork, it is a sign that it has matured. And also hold it and check the skin. Good pumpkins are hard, heavy, and have glossy skin.
If you buy a cut pumpkin, check seeds and stringy pulp: If the seeds are full and stringy pulp is tightly packed, it is a sign that it has matured.
How to Store
If it is a whole kabocha, you can store it in a cool and dark place for 2-3 months.
If it is a cut kabocha, scoop the seeds out, wrap it tightly and keep in the fridge.
How to cut
Please check the video for how to cut kabocha squash.
I used to scare to cut a whole kabocha as the skin is hard and tough to cut but it's actually easy.
The stem is pretty hard so we are gonna remove it first, then cut it in half and another half to get ¼ size(common size at a grocery store in Japan). Then you can cut into your desired size.
📋 Ingredients
Here are the ingredients (amounts are in the recipe card below).
- Flour >> I use cake flour but you can also use all-purpose flour or pastry flour (not bread flour)
- Baking powder >> I use aluminum free baking powder
- Oil >> I use taihaku sesame oil(no smell and no color) but you can use other type of oil
- Soy milk >> I use unsweetened soy milk (no sugar or flavor added)
- Maple Syrup >> I use Canadian maple syrup
- Sugar >> I use beet sugar. You can use any sugar of your choise.
*These links are from amazon.jp and as an amazon associate, Chef JA Cooks earn from qualifying purchases.
Please go see Vegan Blueberry Muffins for more details of the ingredients.
🔪Instructions
All right, you have all the ingredients now so let's make the muffins! Please check the video "how to make kabocha muffins" also!
First of all, preheat an oven to 180 C.
As a prep, cut the pumpkin into bite-sized pieces and steam them. Or you can boil or use a microwave oven. (I like to steam as the sweetness is richer than other methods)
- Mash cooked kabcoha >> Remove the skin, put them in a mixing bowl and mash to make puree. I don't want that green color in muffins so remove them but the skin contains plenty of vitamins so use them for a salad or miso soup instead of throwing away.
- Add wet ingredients >> Add soy milk, oil, sugar and maple syrup in the bowl
- Blend >> Blend until combine
- Add dry ingredients >> Place a strainer on the bowl, add flour and baking powder, and shift them
- Blend >> Blend lightly (because if you mix too much, the muffins become hard)
- Bake >> Pour the dough into a muffin pan and bake in preheated 180 C oven for 25 mins
Here you go! Leave the pan on a cooling rack for some time. Once it cools down, remove them from the pan and enjoy!
If the muffin is stuck and hard to take it out, next time be sure to grease some oil on the inside or simply use a glassine cup.
Storage
If you don't eat right away, keep it in the fridge. It will last up to 3 days. When you eat it, warm it up in the microwave and it will be fluffy again.
You can also freeze it by wrapping it in plastic wrap. It will last up to one month.
Other ideas to enjoy this recipe
After making this plain kabocha muffin, why not try changing the texture and appearance for the second, and third time and enjoy the variations?
- Gluten-free version >> Replace all flour into rice flour
- Healthier version >> Replace half of flour into whole wheat flour
- Change the appearance >> Topped with pumpkin seeds, or topped with chopped nuts, or mix chocolate chips in
Thanks for Sopping By
How did you like the recipe?
Seasonal kabocha is sweet and starchy so perfect for making desserts. I hope you will enjoy the recipe and have a fun break time with these easy homemade muffins!
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog♡ If you’ve tried this recipe(or any other recipe on the blog), please give it a star rating below!
Also, feel free to leave comments if you have any questions. I love hearing from you!
Chef JA Cooks is a Japanese food blog that shares simple and healthy Japanese home cooking recipes include vegan and vegetarian. From traditional Japanese recipes to modern recipes with step-by-step instructions.
More Kabocha Squash Recipes You Might Like
Watch How To Make It
📖 Recipe
Vegan Kabocha Squash Muffins
Print Pin RateIngredients
- 1 c Kabocha, without skin (100g)
Wet Ingredients
- ¾ c Soy Milk, 160g/185ml
- 4 tablespoon Oil, 60g/65ml
- 3 tablespoon Sugar, 30g/45ml
- 1 tablespoon Maple Syrup, 20g/16ml
Dry Ingredients
- 1 c & 3Tbsp All-purpose flour or Cake flour, 150g/285ml
- 2 teaspoon Baking Powder, 8g/10ml
Instructions
- Preheat an oven: 180 C
- Steam kabocha: Cut kabocha into small size and steam (or boil) for about 10 mins
- Mash kabocha: Remove the skin, put them in a mixing bowl and mash to make puree.
- Wet ingredients: Add wet the ingredients to the bowl and mix.
- Dry ingredients: Sift dry ingredients into the bowl and roughly blend with a spatula.
- Pour to a pan: Pour the dough into a muffin pan evenly.
- Bake: Bake in preheated 180 C oven for 25 mins.
Video
Notes
- You can boil kabocha or use microwave oven instead of steaming
- I use 6 cups muffin pan
- I use cake flour but you can use all purpose flour or pastry flour(not bread flour)
- You can use plant milk or other type of milk instead of soy milk
- If the muffin is stuck and hard to pull it out, next time be sure to grease some oil on the inside or use glassine cup
Caroline
Hello Juri,
I made these muffins this morning and they are very good! Thank you for another lovely recipe! Happy holidays to you and your family!
-Caroline
JURI
Thank you for your comment, Caroline!! So glad you love it!! Have a happy holiday too!!