Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese
Add Preferred SourceThese 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.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
