Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese
These Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese are bakery-worthy treats you can make right at home. Soft and spiced muffins wrap around a sweet, tangy cream cheese center, all topped with a buttery cinnamon crumb that bakes into a golden crown. They’re cozy, satisfying, and perfect for everything from breakfast to dessert.
I love making these in the fall, but honestly, I keep pumpkin puree on hand so I can bake them year-round. They’re just as good fresh from the oven as they are thawed from the freezer. Paired with a cup of coffee or tea, they’re the kind of treat that makes you slow down and enjoy the moment.
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- Brown sugar – You can use light brown sugar, or for a deeper, richer flavor, opt for dark brown sugar.
- Flour – You don’t need to sift it.
- Butter – I cook with salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the melted butter and dissolve it.
- Ground cinnamon – Fresh spices make so much difference!
- Pumpkin pie spice – I always buy a new container of pumpkin pie spice each season. Fresher is so much tastier!
Spiced Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- All-purpose flour – No need to sift.
- Baking powder – Watch the expiry date on your baking powder. Expired baking powder won’t rise well.
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Salt
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Pumpkin puree – Ensure you’re using pure pumpkin puree. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling.
- Eggs – Large or even extra large eggs are fine in this recipe.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, add a spoonful of sour cream to ¼ cup of milk and mix until smooth. Then top up with milk until you get to ½ a cup. This is a good buttermilk substitution.
- Vanilla extract – Use artificial vanilla. It’s fine, trust me.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Cream cheese – Softened. You want your cream cheese to be quite soft. Don’t be afraid to microwave it for 10-second bursts until it is quite soft but not liquid.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg – Large or extra large.
- Vanilla extract – Artificial vanilla is fine.
How To Make Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, melted butter, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until crumbly. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, melted butter, both sugars, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a flex-edge silicone spatula just until combined; don’t overmix.
Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a stand mixer with whisk attachment or with a hand mixer until smooth and fluffy.
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a nonstick muffin tin with paper liners or grease each well. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of muffin batter to each cup, then a heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling, and finish with another heaping tablespoon of muffin batter. Top with 1 tablespoon of streusel, pressing lightly so it sticks.
Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350°F without opening the door. Bake for another 12–15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Let muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack with legs to finish cooling completely.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- A cookie scoop set makes it easy to portion batter and filling evenly.
- Starting hot at 425°F gives muffins a nice domed top.
- If your cream cheese is too firm, microwave it in 10-second bursts until soft.
- Don’t skip the streusel; it adds texture and a buttery crunch that makes these muffins extra special.
Recommended
Make It A Meal
Enjoy these muffins with scrambled eggs and fresh fruit for a weekend breakfast, or add them to a brunch spread alongside yogurt, granola, and coffee. They also make a great afternoon pick-me-up with hot tea.
Storage
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for 4–5 days. For longer storage, wrap individually and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and warm slightly before serving.
Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
Spiced Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line or grease a muffin tin.
For the Streusel
- Mix brown sugar, flour, melted butter, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice until crumbly and set aside.
For the Muffin Batter
- Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in one bowl.
- Whisk pumpkin puree, melted butter, sugars, eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla in another.
- Fold dry into wet until just combined.
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- Beat cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
Assemble & Bake
- Layer batter, filling, and more batter in each muffin cup. Top with streusel.
- Bake for 5 minutes, then lower to 350°F and bake 12–15 minutes.
- Cool 10 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a rack.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- A cookie scoop set makes it easy to portion batter and filling evenly.
- Starting hot at 425°F gives muffins a nice domed top.
- If your cream cheese is too firm, microwave it in 10-second bursts until soft.
- Don’t skip the streusel; it adds texture and a buttery crunch that makes these muffins extra special.
