Like a delicious pumpkin roll, these pumpkin cream cheese muffins combine perfectly spiced pumpkin muffins with cream cheese filling. Top the muffins with brown sugar crumb cake topping and you have an absolutely irresistible pumpkin spice breakfast treat.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and more success tips.
It’s time to cross something off your fall to-do list: make cream cheese-stuffed pumpkin muffins!
Every year when the weather begins to cool down, I suddenly begin craving all of the season’s comforting flavors. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone here—a pumpkin-spice alarm goes off in all our brains. First, I prepare a batch of homemade pumpkin pie spice. And then one of the first recipes I prepare each year are these pumpkin cheesecake muffins.
One reader, Sam, commented: “I was looking for a Starbucks dupe and this wasn’t it… it was so much better! Moist, fluffy, and absolutely delicious… ★★★★★”
Another reader, Isabel, commented: “Thank you, Sally, for yet another mouthwatering recipe! The house is still filled with the warm scent of pumpkin and spices from baking these pumpkin cream cheese muffins last night. They were the perfect way to welcome the arrival of fall, my favorite season. ★★★★★”
Everything to Love About Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
- Tastes like dessert for breakfast
- Crave-worthy pumpkin spice flavor
- Lightly sweetened cheesecake filling, similar to the filling from my pumpkin cream cheese Bundt cake
- Easy to transport & share
- Stay moist & soft for days
- Like pumpkin coffee cake and pumpkin swirl cheesecake in 1!!
3 Parts to Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins: There’s many different ways to prepare pumpkin muffins. You could leave these muffins completely plain without the cream cheese filling and crumb cake topping and they’ll be similar to my regular pumpkin muffins. You could also try these pumpkin crumb cake muffins or mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins instead.
- Cheesecake Filling: You need 4 simple ingredients for the cream cheese filling. Bring some brick cream cheese to room temperature, then beat it with 1 egg yolk, sugar, and a touch of vanilla extract. The egg yolk helps the cream cheese filling “set” like cheesecake.
- Crumb Topping: You also need 4 ingredients for the crumb topping including flour, melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Make the crumb topping first so it’s ready. It’s nearly the same crumb topping we use for peach muffins in the summertime.
You need 4 mixing bowls: 1 for the muffin’s dry ingredients, 1 for the muffin’s wet ingredients, 1 for the cheesecake filling, and 1 for the crumb cake topping.
Overview: How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Prepare crumb cake topping.
- Prepare pumpkin muffin batter. Use a whisk to bring all the ingredients together.
- Prepare cheesecake filling. You need a mixer for this step.
- Layer the pumpkin batter and cheesecake filling together.
- Add crumb cake topping. Press it down into the tops of each muffin so it sticks.
- Bake. Your kitchen will smell like a pumpkin spice candle!
Which part of these pumpkin cheesecake muffins will you like best? I’m not sure I can play favorites! There’s just so much to love because every layer has a different texture and taste. A moist and flavor-packed tender pumpkin muffin, generously spiced and lightly sweetened with brown sugar. The cheesecake is a tangy, yet sweet ripple of creamy goodness. And the buttery slightly crunchy crumbles on top add the perfect finishing touch.
Not to mention, they taste fantastic for breakfast with a cup of coffee and homemade pumpkin coffee creamer. Fall breakfast bliss!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Like a delicious pumpkin roll, these pumpkin cream cheese muffins combine perfectly spiced pumpkin muffins with cream cheese filling. Top the muffins with brown sugar crumb cake topping and you have an absolutely irresistible pumpkin spice breakfast treat.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup (84g) all-purpose flour
Pumpkin Muffins
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (227g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- 6 ounces (170g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons (36g) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 12-14 muffins, so you may need a 2nd muffin pan or bake this recipe in batches.
- Make the crumb-topping first: Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter together in a small bowl until combined. Add the flour and use a fork to gently mix until crumbs form. Don’t over-mix into a paste. Just mix until it is crumbly. Set aside.
- Make the pumpkin batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla extract together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk or stir until just combined. Avoid over-mixing.
- Make the cheesecake filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar until combined.
- Spoon 1 heaping Tablespoon of pumpkin muffin batter into the muffin cups. Layer with about 1 spoonful (not quite a full Tablespoon) of cheesecake filling, then another heaping Tablespoon of muffin batter—or however much batter is needed to fill the cups all the way to the top. Some cheesecake filling may poke out of the top or on the sides. Sprinkle crumb topping onto each, then press it down into the tops of the muffins to help prevent it from falling off as the muffins bake.
- Bake for 5 minutes 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F (177°C)* and continue baking for another 15-17 minutes. The total time these muffins should be in the oven is around 20-22 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before serving.
- Cover leftover muffins tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. This is in addition to the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Why the initial high oven temperature? Like I do for most muffin recipes, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a very hot temperature. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, switch to a lower temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops so they’re extra high, then the centers will bake during the lower temperature bake time. This trick makes beautiful bakery-style muffins every time.
Reader Comments and Reviews
As good if not better than Starbuck’s pumpkin cream cheese muffins
Best Pumpkin Muffins Ever!
I made these muffins yesterday. I added some coconut and walnuts, too. My whole family loves these. I’ll be making these again.
I’ve made these twice in one week they’re so darn good! Rave reviews each time, love the flavors and it isn’t overly sweet. Seriously the best, this one is a keeper!
Delicious! Couldn’t stop eating these muffins. Great Fall flavours!
Really liked the recipe. Very moist and tasty but my muffin tops all pull off when taking out if cupcake silicone forms. .total bummer. Make next time eliminate cream cheese totally and maybe add nuts like pecans or walnuts
I made this recipe but I did find something in it I would definitely change. That is the filling. I will mix 8oz of cream cheese, 1/4c. sugar and just enough lemon juice to give a just a bit of tartness to the sweet. It will be much thicker but will hold up better as well.
I also find I like a blonde stressed. That just me.
So fun so easy and taste absolutely wonderful
I made these for my neighborhood craft sale and got raving feedback. They were so good and such a big hit. I even made 2 dozen of them gluten free by swapping the flour with King Arthur gf flour, changed nothing else, and they were amazing! People said they were the best gf muffin they’d had and I thought they turned out identical to the gluten ones.
Could I make mini muffins with this recipe?
Hi Rachel, for mini muffins, bake at 350 degrees (the entire time) for about 12-14 minutes, give or take. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Nice, balanced muffin. Not too sweet. These are a tad labor intensive because they require 3 steps. I didn’t see how to avoid the crumb topping getting pasty, but it was fine, I just crumbled it again as I put it on top. On some of my muffins, the cream cheese was a bit exposed at the top/not fully covered by the second layer of batter and those exploded a little bit/oozed out of the top/sides. The recipe made 18 standard muffins for me and I was able to use all of the batter, cream cheese and crumb topping for those. I think these would make really nice jumbo muffins.
I teach high school culinary arts and baking and pastry. There are few people’s recipes that I trust to supplement my own and Sally is a go-to. Thank you!
Hi Tabitha, cover leftover muffins tightly (we usually use a tupperware container) and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
This is THE best pumpkin cream cheese muffin recipe! I make it often and my whole family loves them! I do have one repetitive problem though, my cream cheese always sinks! is there any way to fix this? besides that I love this recipe and this website is definitely my go-to for any baking recipes
This is probably the best muffin I’ve ever made. They are definitely worth the work. If you make these know that they need to sit a few hours before eating them because they get better once they meld a little. My family is obsessed and I’ll be making them a lot.
Hi! I’m from Mexico,i made the muffins yesterday for the first time, and my friends and family loved them! But the only thing that i noticed is that the muffins deflated, they didn’t rise like a dome, so i was wondering if you could help me with that pleeease
Hi Ana, we’re glad they were a hit! How was the texture? It seems like the muffins could have benefitted from an additional minute or two in the oven—under baked muffins can often sink after cooling. Also, be sure that your baking powder and baking soda are fresh for optimal rise. We find they start to lose their power after about 3 months, even if not technically expired. Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try!
Great recipe, thanks! I made two tiny adjustments, I added raw pepitas to the topping and lemon zest to the cream cheese filling.
I really like these muffins. Pumpkin isn’t overpowering and perfect amount of spices. I got a dozen and a half muffins.
Delicious muffins! I preheated my oven to 375, then reduced to 350 degrees once the muffins went in since my oven tends to run hot.
Lots of leftovers crumble! I will halve that part of the recipe next time.
i tried this recipe yesterday , it was wonderful ,i even took the trouble to bake off a pumpkin as canned is not easily available here in the uk ,
Jean-
Look out for canned pumpkin when it gets closer to American Thanksgiving (end of November). A lot of UK supermarkets will carry canned pumpkin around that time of year (if memory serves me right).
I love these muffins! My husband and I made them on our first date and have made them together every fall for the past 8 years! We follow the recipe exactly as is and they are just perfect every time!
How sweet! We’re so happy to hear this recipe is a favorite for you and your husband, Katherine. Thank you!
These were amazing!! Not too sweet and the perfect amount of spice. I’m wanting to make minis for a baby shower this weekend… how would you recommend I do that?
Hi Molly, for mini muffins, bake at 350 degrees (the entire time) for about 12-14 minutes, give or take. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
Question—I have leftover cream cheese frosting from Sally’s pumpkin cupcakes. Could I use that instead of the cheesecake filling for these muffins?
Hi Heather! Cream cheese frosting won’t work the best here – the proportions of ingredients are quite different. Best to stick with the recipe as written!
How would you make jumbo muffins with this recipe?
Hi Lori, absolutely. You can follow the bake time and directions from jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide. Enjoy!
These are glorious! I added a bit of extra spice to my batter and crumble and the texture and taste is beyond perfect. But my middle cream cheese layer seems to have mostly dissolved/melted into the batter except around the edges, so there wasn’t much left in the middle. Any solutions?
Hi E, so glad you enjoyed these! Was your cream cheese mixture especially warm? You could try popping it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to cool it a bit before adding to the muffins. This should help! Full fat brick cream cheese is important, too. A cream cheese spread will be more likely to dissolve.
These muffins were amazingly good. My family loved them. I’ll be replacing my thanksgiving pumpkin pie with these. Is it possible to make a round or sheet cake using this recipe?
Hi Karen! Certainly, or, here’s our pumpkin cake recipe.
I haven’t made these yet but I was wondering if I could make this recipe as a bread instead of muffins. Thank you!
Hi Danielle, if baking in a loaf pan, you can bake at 350 degrees for the entire time. Bake time should be closer to that of our pumpkin bread. Keep a close eye on it and use a toothpick to test for doneness!
I felt these were bland and dry. I think there is too much cinnamon. The crumble on top is dry as well, and you waste 80% of it. My kids didn’t like them.
We’re sorry to hear the muffins were not a hit with your family. Should you wish to try the recipe again, you might try reducing the bake time by just a minute or two. Over baking is often the culprit for dry baked goods. Be sure to also spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to measure your flour, ensuring just the right amount as over measuring the flour can also dry out the muffins. Thank you for giving them a try!
This recipe is amazing! I just baked these muffins and the recipe was perfectly laid out and easy to follow. Thank you Sally!
Just made these this morning and they’re a hit. I double the recipe, so I can share with neighbors and such, and after starting I realized I didn’t have enough oil so I used half oil half melted butter. They’re light, fluffy and not too sweet. Just right. Since I was doing such a large batch, it made 30, they took 31 minutes total.
This is delicious. Not too sweet. Love it.