Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

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5 from 53 votes
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These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are super moist and fluffy and feature a cheesecake filling! Made with easy ingredients, they take just 25 minutes to bake. 

pumpkin cream cheese muffins.

How do you elevate the humble pumpkin muffin? Stuff it with cream cheese and add a streusel topping!

The popular Starbucks pumpkin muffin inspired these pumpkin cheesecake muffins. After doing many taste tests and so much recipe testing, I’ve created an even better version that is deceptively easy to make and perfect for Fall… and so much cheaper too!

These muffins have the best texture– they are super moist and fluffy, and the cream cheese filling is creamy and smooth. Once you add the streusel topping over each one, it adds a subtle crunch that completes it.

Taste-wise, it’s full of warming pumpkin flavor, and the filling actually tastes like cheesecake! 

Table of Contents
  1. Why this recipe works
  2. Ingredients needed
  3. How to make pumpkin cream cheese muffins
  4. Tips to make the best recipe
  5. Storage instructions
  6. More delicious pumpkin recipes to try
  7. Frequently asked questions
  8. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Recipe Card)

Why this recipe works

  • Simple ingredients. Pumpkin, eggs, and some pantry staple ingredients are all you’ll need. 
  • Ready in under 25 minutes. From prep to plate, these take almost no time at all.
  • Perfect for the holidays. These are the ultimate seasonal baked goods that are a must for the holiday season or when you want a little something between meals or after dinner.

What we love about this recipe is that everything is made with a couple of mixing bowls. No fancy gadgets or kitchen utensils are needed, and clean-up is a breeze.

Ingredients needed

This recipe calls for very simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Here is what you’ll need:

  • All purpose flour. Simple and perfect for baking. I’ve also tried these muffins with wholewheat flour and it works well too. Just be wary that the muffins will be darker in color and a teensy bit more dense. 
  • Baking soda. Gives the muffins some rise and fluffiness.
  • Salt. Just a pinch to balance out the sweet ingredients.
  • Eggs. Room temperature. 
  • Pumpkin puree. Unsweetened pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. 
  • Maple syrup. Adds sweetness to the muffins. You can also use honey or agave nectar.
  • Vanilla extract. A must for any good muffin.
  • Coconut oil OR butter. I prefer using coconut oil but melted butter also works. If you do go for the coconut option, opt for refined coconut oil, which has no coconut flavor. 
  • Sweet cream cheese filling. A combination of softened cream cheese and sugar. Do not use light or reduced-fat cream cheeses as they have added moisture, and the lack of fat will dry them out once completely baked. 
  • Streusel topping. Classic crumb ingredients like butter, brown sugar, flour, and a touch of cinnamon.

How to make pumpkin cream cheese muffins

Besides prepping the three parts of the muffin batter, there isn’t much hands-on time needed. Ready to get your bake on?

Step 1- Make the muffin batter. Start by whisking together the dry ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until a smooth batter remains. 

pumpkin cream cheese muffin batter.

Step 2- Make the cheesecake filling. In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese with sugar until combined. 

cheesecake filling.

Step 3- Make the streusel. Add the melted butter to a bowl, followed by the sugar, flour, and cinnamon.

streusel topping.

Step 4- Assemble the muffins. Now, fill a 12-count muffin tin with muffin liners. Fill 2/3 of each muffin liner with the batter, followed by a spoonful of the cream cheese filling, more batter, then a sprinkle of streusel on top.

how to make pumpkin cream cheese muffins.

Step 5- Bake. Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

pumpkin cream cheese streusel muffins.

Tips to make the best recipe

  • Avoid overbaking the muffins, as they will continue to cook as they are cooling down.
  • The streusel topping is completely optional, so feel free to omit if desired.
  • If you’d like a sweeter muffin, you can use pumpkin pie filling instead.
  • Use a small cookie scoop to portion out the muffin batter into the muffin pan.
  • Add other spices like ground nutmeg, ground ginger, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice.

Storage instructions

To store: Leftover muffins can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for up to five days. If you’d like them to keep longer, store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

To freeze: Place the cooled muffins in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

pumpkin cheesecake muffins.

More delicious pumpkin recipes to try

Frequently asked questions

How many calories are in a pumpkin cream cheese muffin?

There are 197 calories in each muffin. These are the better options than the Starbucks ones, which have over 450 calories each.

Why are my muffins gummy?

If you find your muffins are gummy, it is due to there not being enough batter covering the cream cheese filling. For the muffins to be super moist and fluffy, there needs to be ample muffin batter throughout.

Are these muffins gluten-free?

When made with gluten-free flour, these muffins are suitable for those who are celiac.

pumpkin cream cheese muffins recipe.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

5 from 53 votes
These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are super moist, fluffy, and feature a cheesecake filling! Made with wholesome ingredients, they take just 25 minutes to bake. 
Servings: 12 muffins
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 22 minutes
Total: 24 minutes

Ingredients  

For the cheesecake filling

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup sugar

For the streusel topping

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line a 12-count muffin tin with muffin liners.
  • In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Gently fold through dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined.
  • In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese and sugar. In another bowl, combine the melted butter, sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
  • Fill each muffin liner with 2/3 of the muffin batter. Drop spoonfuls of the cream cheese mixture into the center. Fill with the remaining 1/3 of muffin butter on top. Sprinkle the streusel topping on each one.
  • Bake the muffins for 22-25 minutes, or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
  • Remove the muffins from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin completely.

Notes

TO STORE: Leftover muffins can be stored at room temperature in a sealed container for up to five days. If you’d like them to keep longer, store them in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 
TO FREEZE: Place the cooled muffins in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffinCalories: 197kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSodium: 270mgPotassium: 147mgFiber: 1gVitamin A: 3327IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 1mgNET CARBS: 25g
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Arman Liew
Tried this recipe?Give us a shout at @thebigmansworld or tag #thebigmansworld!

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.

Arman Liew

I’m a two time cookbook author, photographer, and writer, and passionate about creating easy and healthier recipes. I believe you don’t need to be experienced in the kitchen to make good food using simple ingredients that most importantly, taste delicious.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    So fluffy and delicious! I only did the recipe with half of the ingredients because 13-15 muffins sounded like a lot for us and I ended up with 6 regular-size muffins, just perfect. I only had rolled oats available, so I threw 3/4 cup into to my food processor (they did not lower in volume after processing) and yes, just in case someone’s wondering, I did use half an egg (I cracked it and weighted it, it was exactly 60 grams, whipped it, measured 30 grams for this recipe and saved the other 30 to add to my breakfast tomorrow). Oh, I also enjoyed that the recipe is sweet, but not overtly sweet like a lot of desserts tend to be.

  2. So I was a little concerned when you put coconut sugar in this recipe because it has the same amount of carbs as regular sugar and 0% greek yogurt is also full of sugar in fact most yogurt is full of sugar but the less fat the more sugar they add to make up for taste. I think I would use sour cream and stevia in place of the previous contents and make it even healthier, at least a full fat yogurt really is not the diary fats that a problem it’s your carbs and sugars that your enemy.

  3. What can I use in place of the nut butter? All I keep in the house is peanut butter which is WAY to strong a taste for this, I don’t want to buy other nut/seed spreads, its expensive and I dont have time right now. Can I use more pumpkin instead?????

    1. Hi Brittany! I totally hear you on the peanut butter! I haven’t tried it with more pumpkin, but let me know how it goes if you try it with that!

  4. Do you have any advice for using Buckwheat Flour instead? (ie. less flour, or more milk). Buckwheat tends to dry out alot and is really dense. Just wondering if you had a patch solution for using it.

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