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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.
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
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.
Step 2- Make the cheesecake filling. In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese with sugar until combined.
Step 3- Make the streusel. Add the melted butter to a bowl, followed by the sugar, flour, and cinnamon.
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.
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.
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.
More delicious pumpkin recipes to try
Frequently asked questions
There are 197 calories in each muffin. These are the better options than the Starbucks ones, which have over 450 calories each.
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.
When made with gluten-free flour, these muffins are suitable for those who are celiac.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil or butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the cheesecake filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
For the streusel topping
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
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.
Well I’m not really celebrating Thanksgiving this year (womp womp) but will sure make up for it on Christmas. These look so good and love the minimal amount of sugar. I think I’ve eaten pumpkin pie for breakfast on more than one occasion. No shame.
….. you should be ashamed! Please give davici a big slap on the wrist from me!
HEY, what’s wrong with getting a quality sandwich from Starbucks!?! HAHAAA. No really though, I’ve heard that panini is legit the best shit ever. My mom about cried she thought it was so good when I brought one home for her. I am sad you don’t get to celebrate Thanksgiving down under, but you should still do it anyway. Either way I will eat 2x the amount of food in your honor.
Sunshine, I had the ham panini but the bread was stale! (It was LAX though so it’s probably acceptable).
Please do…even eat turkey.
I would tell you how awesome these look, but I’m still bitter that you didn’t come to ATL. Ass.
Excuse me, but seeing as I flew all the way there- all you peeps can come to ME 😉
Also, I’m trying to move there- If I find an employer in ATL that will hire an overseas lad, we can be neighbours 😉
Woo hooooooo!
Sam hasn’t made any of the recipes I’ve telepathically told her I wanted to make. Can you tell her I want this one too?
Thanksgiving is long gone for me, Christmas is the only thing on my radar now! Hey are you free to Skype/FT tmrw night?
Sam is so mean. How dare she!
ARGH. Why did I just read this? Can we seriously do it STAT.
Holy Batman these look terrific! You had me at pumpkin. I do love pumpkin pie, sans crust. Not a fan of pie crust but the filling, oh so yum.
I shall not laugh at your Starbucks sandwich crush. A couple of years ago i was flying out of LAX and needed to grab dinner to take on the flight. The only options were Burger King, cheap pseudo-Mexican, or Starbucks. I purchased a sandwich from Starbucks. It was really simple, turkey and cheese, but I must say (type) it was really tasty.
By the way, I have had one of your microwavable english muffins as part of my breakfast everyday for over a week now. CAN. NOT. GET. ENOUGH. 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that- I hope you keep enjoying them! I had a couple from LAX but the bread was dry!
I’m impressed with your perseverance!! I would have given up after the fist failed attempt!!
Haha, I just wanted to be in on the Thanksgiving action!
i tried to make a recipe like this 3 years ago and they didn’t turn out NEARLY this well. YUM!
Haha, Linds…they kept bursting!
So even though Canada has Thanksgiving, it’s nowhere near as big of a deal as it is in the States. It was over a month ago too, so I’ll be joining you in jealousy next Thursday :-p And YES I love pumpkin pie! I can’t say it’s my favourite (that goes to lemon meringue) but it’s definitely up there.
Can we please have a virtual thanksgiving? you, me and jo eating turkey via skype.
Lemon Meringue CHEESECAKE Quest bar pie. That should be recreated.
Laughing at your Starbucks sandwich ;). I’ll admit their sandwiches are pretty tasty, especially when heated up, but the BEST sandwich? Boy, you cray.
And props to you for perfecting the recipe. Usually if I can’t get it right the first three times, I give up and decided that it’s just not in the stars for me. Also, with ya on the pumpkin pie. NOPE. I just don’t get it. Why would you even consider eating pumpkin pie when you have APPLE PIE available. It doesn’t make any sense to me. Like seriously, WTF.
Delicious looking recipe!
I know, I know…but I had nothing to compare it too!
Apple pie? Hell, PECAN PIE!!!!
These look pretty bombdotcom. As you eat these, you should have zero FOMO on anything I’m about to ingest into my body, such as turkey and mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes and green beans and pecan pie and stuffing and ALL THE FOODS. That was mean huh? I see a Starbucks recipe redo in the near future on your blog!
…..I hope you fail Fran fay in and day out.
Ironically, I’m doing a new thing on the blog soon- Copycat Recipe Fridays lol! I should do a copycat starbucks coffee..hot water + instant coffee.
Guilty of enjoying Starbucks Sandwiches, too. No actually not guilty 😉
Onto those Muffins. Really? Do you have to do this to me? I want them. I want them badly! NOW!!!!!
Make them!! (I’m making granola again now..although gingerbread!).
Ohmigosh these look so yummy. You should make your own Thanksgiving feast anyway and just celebrate with us virtually. I get really excited about sweet potatoes topped with marshmallow on Thanksgiving. Probably cause I only get it once a year. It’s so good!!!
I think I will do that….deli turkey, roasted pumpkin and a big bloody potato.
….that sweet potato sounds like punishment.
Haha I’m with you on so many levels, Arman! I feel ridic when I say that one of my favourite cookies ever is from Starbucks (LOVE their oatmeal raisin cookies)! And also FOMO about the lack of Thanksgiving? ME TOO! India needs to get on board with it asap…and even if that’s not the case, at least they gotta make turkey & the other Thanksgiving goods freely available for those of us who would like to partake!
We should have a virtual Thanksgiving dinner lol!
I’m actually not a huge fan of Thanksgiving food! (I know…I’m a horribly unpatriotic American). I always want to try new recipes and my family definitely likes to go the more traditional route. I’m in charge of mashed potatoes this year, though, and I’m totally sneaking in roasted garlic and goat cheese…
Oh please do- that sounds divine!
I work next door to a Starbucks and I must say that a lot of their sandwiches are really good. I’ve had a lot of good ones from there.
These look really tasty Arman. Your recipes always make me hungry in the morning!
Thanks, Hollie! Their turkey and Swiss is pretty epic too…except the ones from LAX!