These super soft pumpkin crumb cake muffins are topped with pumpkin spice crumbs and finished with sweet maple icing. They’re a reader favorite and after baking one batch, you’ll understand why!
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
Let’s be honest: the crumbs are the best part of crumb cake.
At least, that’s what I thought… until I created these. Underneath the crumbly pumpkin spice topping is an irresistible pumpkin muffin—soft, moist, and full of fall flavor. And when you add the maple icing? Forget about any other breakfast food (unless you’re making a batch of these baked pumpkin donuts!).
Readers’ Favorite Pumpkin Muffins
Like clockwork, September rolls around and we all go crazy for these pumpkin crumb cake muffins. They’re the perfect combination of everything we love about fall. Their ease and flavor also help us transition into the chillier months.
Here’s why you’ll love them:
- The batter is based off of my pumpkin bread—it’s SO good
- Easy to make and no mixer required
- Ready in less than one hour
- Soft and moist thanks to power ingredients like pumpkin, oil, eggs, and milk
- Topped with pumpkin spice crumbs + maple icing (you could also leave them plain and you’ll basically have my regular pumpkin muffins)
- Delicious as a breakfast, snack, or dessert
- Packed with warm and cozy fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
How to Make Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins
Instead of using my iced pumpkin coffee cake recipe as the base, I turned to my pumpkin bread. I LOVE using that bread recipe to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. All you do here is take out the chocolate chips, reduce the sugar, and use milk instead of orange juice. Though you could definitely use orange juice if you’d like! (Orange juice provides incredible flavor to the bread, trust me on that one.)
Made with basic ingredients, these pumpkin muffins come together quickly.
Mix the dry ingredients together. This includes lots of spice flavor and you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here.
Whisk the wet ingredients together. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then fill the muffin cups—almost full, but leave room for the topping.
Make the crumb topping. Spoon it evenly onto each muffin, pressing the crumbs into the tops. Bake, then whisk the 3 icing ingredients together. Drizzle and serve.
Pumpkin Spice Crumb Topping
If you thought crumb topping couldn’t get any better, think again. We’re topping pumpkin crumb cake muffins with pumpkin spice crumbs. YES!
We use oil in the muffins themselves for extra moisture, but we use melted butter in the crumb topping. Why? FLAVOR. The crumb topping also has brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice. (Like my traditional crumb cake topping but with pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon.) There are repeat ingredients used in the muffins, so this is not only an easy recipe, it’s a convenient one too. By the way, this crumb topping would be fantastic on zucchini muffins and these chocolate pumpkin muffins, too.
I reduced the sugar in these muffins because they’re getting an extra dose of sweet from the crumb topping and maple icing. With that, I also reduced the salt to make sure the muffins didn’t taste salty with less sugar.
Optional Maple Icing
“Optional” might not be the right word here, because the icing seeping into the crumb topping is outstanding. While the muffins are wonderful on their own, I highly recommend the quick maple drizzle for an extra indulgent finish.
You could also try the maple icing on these mini pumpkin muffins, too.
Be sure to enjoy a batch with a cup of coffee and homemade pumpkin coffee creamer for the ultimate fall breakfast!
More Crumb Lover Recipes
- Coffee Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Crumb Cake Donuts
- Apple Crumb Cake
- Crumb Cake Muffins
- Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake
- Zucchini Crumb Cake
- Crumb Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 15 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft and moist pumpkin crumb cake muffins with pumpkin pie spice and maple icing topping.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) canned pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60ml) milk, at room temperature*
Crumb Topping
- 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
Maple Icing (optional)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) pure maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) milk*
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 15 muffins, so prepare a second muffin pan in the same manner. Set aside.
- Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then fold everything together gently just until combined and no flour pockets remain.
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them almost full.
- Make the crumb topping: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Using a fork, lightly mix in the melted butter until crumbs form. Don’t over-mix. Spoon crumbs evenly on top of the batter and gently press them down into the batter so they’re snug.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21-22 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan as you make the icing. *For mini muffins, bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) the entire time.
- Make the icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together until combined and smooth. Drizzle over muffins and serve warm. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: For longer storage, freeze muffins (with or without icing) for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired. Top with icing before serving if needed.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Spatula | Whisk
- 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 of ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice in the muffin batter. Do not leave out the 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon that is also in the muffin batter. The crumb topping also uses pumpkin pie spice and, again, if you don’t have store-bought or homemade, use 1/4 teaspoon of each of those spices and add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon too.
- Milk: Any milk works. I’ve tested with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, whole milk, and skim milk. You can use any, dairy or non.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I followed the directions as written except I baked it in a 13 x 9 pan instead of muffins. I didn’t use all the maple icing and it wasn’t too sweet. Loved the texture of the cake. Will make again.
This recipe is so good!! The cake is so fluffy and not too sweet which I love. I don’t normally make the same thing twice but I definitely will make these again and again.
These were so delicious! The crunch on top with the pumpkin flavor made for the best muffin!
Could I put this into a loaf pan?
Hi Cecelia, absolutely! We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but you can follow our pumpkin bread recipe as a guide.
First of all- thank you for this top notch recipe, amazingly delicious! For any celiacs out there, I used King Arthur 1:1 and the bake time was exactly 16 minutes and so so good!!
Hello:) I made my own pumpkin purée- it seems more wet than canned pumpkin. Can I substitute? Should I do less?
Hi Jessica, that can often happen with homemade puree. You can blot it a bit to rid of some of the excess moisture before using. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
We really love these muffins, so moist and of course I had to up the spices a bit. I skipped the icing this time but I did add pumpkin seeds right onto the crumb topping before baking. Like that bit of crunch and salt!
Made these for my office this morning and everyone loved them! Another awesome recipe from Sally!!
WOW! So good. I gave some to neighbors and got OMGs back. Amazingly good. Loved the crunchy topping. I froze some and just heated them up in the toaster oven and they were like fresh out of the oven. Excellent! (I added chocolate chips). YUM!!
can I use virgin oil instead of vegetable oil
Hi Linda, yes, that will work.
Hey! I just used baking powder instead of baking soda by mistake, do you think they’ll still turn out okay? Or should I just scrap it?
Hi Paige, you can bake the batter, but keep in mind that the results will likely be a bit different than intended. We hope you still enjoy them!
Think I messed up on this recipe, I didn’t read it thoroughly and added my sugars to the flour mixture
Hi Susann, that will be alright. It won’t make much of a difference in the final result.
Amazing pumpkin muffins! They are delicious and the recipe was easy to follow, thank you!
Amazing pumpkin muffins! They are delicious and the recipe was easy to follow, thank you!
Can I use butter in place of oil?
Hi LaRhesa, you could substitute melted butter in a pinch, but the muffins won’t be nearly as moist. We recommend using oil for best results.
So…I can’t stop eating these!!! They are perfection! Flavorful, moist, spiced just right, and delicious! The crumb topping is something to crave just on its own. I made a double batch without any problems having doubled the recipe. With the double batch I made mini muffins x 24 and regular sized muffins x 12. Sally has special baking instructions for the mini’s (350 entire time of 11-13 min). I put the maple glaze in a squeeze bottle (for cake decorating) drizzled a few of the muffins and then left the bottle on the service table and let everyone squeeze their own if they chose to have maple glaze. I always go to your site Sally when looking to bake something special. Thank you for this recipe!
OOOPs….actually made 24 mini’s x 2 = 48 mini muffins along with the dozen of regular sized!
Could I substitute coconut oil for vegetable oil?
Hi MT, many readers have commented that they successfully made these muffins with coconut oil.
Delicious pumpkin muffins. The crumb topping on top was exceptional. I will definitely Be making these again
I made these today, and they are super great!
I made it today and the kids loved it.
Made this for the first time ever as I had a can of pumpkin lying around for a bit and decided to use it to make pumpkin muffins and wow! What a hit! I had 2 back to back after trying the first! Sooo moist and delicious! Full of pumpkin & sweetness with the crumble topping. The maple drizzle adds so much to it! 10/10! You have to try this recipe!!!!
Can I make this in a 9×13 or round cake pans to make a cake ?
Hi Madalyn, we’d recommend using our pumpkin crumb cake recipe instead. Enjoy!
So delicious!!
I found there to be way too much oil. I measured correctly but still found that they had an overwhelming canola oil taste and there were puddles of oil at the bottom of the pan that had seeped through the liners. Will try a different recipe next time
I forgot to ask if I can add chocolate chips to the batter?
Hi Suzanne, you absolutely can add chocolate chips to these. We’d recommend about 1 cup – 1.5 cups of semi-sweet chips. Enjoy!
can i make these in jumbo muffin tins? If so, please give specific baking time. Thank you.
Hi Suzanne, absolutely — you can follow the bake time from these jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide. Enjoy!
Is it possible to use butter instead of oil in this recipe?
Hi LaRhesa, you could substitute melted butter in a pinch, but the muffins won’t be nearly as moist. We recommend using oil for best results. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
these were so good. I added some frozen blueberries and chocolate chips mine as i love the flavor combination of chocolate, pumpkin and blueberry. did not do the maple icing as the chocolate adds enough sweetness.
I have been baking these muffins for years for family and friends and EVERYONE loves them!! My coworker asked me for advice to select a recipe for a baking competition to be held at work, and I suggested these muffins. Needless to say, SHE WON FIRST PLACE!! This is a great recipe that produces great results!!:-)
Can I use almond flour to make them healthier?
Hi Christine, almond flour will not work in this recipe, unless you alter some of the wet ingredients or try combining it with another flour that absorbs moisture better. Let me know if you test anything. If you’re interested, here are my recipes that use almond flour.
Absolutely love this recipe, but was wondering if it would work if I substituted the regular flour for gluten free flour?
Hi Bobbi, we haven’t tested it, but let us know if you do!