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 was wondering if you had any tips on how to keep the crump topping dry/crisp? The muffins are so moist that after about two days my topping became very moist as well
These are the BEST muffins I have EVER made. This should have 10,000 reviews that are all 5 stars. Made them last night and half of them are gone. SO GOOD! The ONLY thing I would change is an extra 1.5 tbs of maple syrup in the frosting. SO DELICIOUS!!!
Looks like I am the only one that particularly didn’t like the muffins. I have no idea why these came out so bland, maybe because I didn’t put the icing on top. I was really looking forward to these muffins. Totally disappointed.
Me
Ok – I must be the only other reviewer who did not enjoy these? The cake was very bland…it really seemed to be missing something. Not as dense or moist as I would want. It didn’t taste much like pumpkin and I did use Libby’s and fresh spices. The bottom of the cupcake liners got very greasy. The crumb didn’t really form crumbs, just a big blob I made into crumbs with my fingers. I did make the icing too and it didn’t add much.
Hi Sally!!! I want to make these for Christmas morning on Friday and I was wondering, how big are the muffin pans? Or could I possibly use a cupcake pan? Thank you so much!!! They look delicious!!!
Hi Anne Marie, this recipe makes about 15 muffins from a standard sized cupcake / muffin pan. I hope they are a hit on Christmas morning!
Oh my goodness! Thank you so very much!!! 😀 I really appreciate it!!! And have a Merry Christmas to you and your family! I’ll be sure to comment how they turn out 🙂 I’m sure they’ll taste amazing just like everything else on Sallysbakingaddiction! Love all your recipes!
I made these without the topping. They were incredibly delicious and easy to make. We sliced them put butter on them and whipped cream on top. OMG We will be making these again.
Hi there, I love this recipe and would love to swap out the milk for my diary-free mom. Do you have a recommendation as to what kind of milk substitute I should use — almond, soy, oat, etc?
Thank you!
Hi Ayisha, we’ve only tested this recipe with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, but any of those non-dairy milks will work great. Hope your mom enjoys these!
Hi I really love this recipe, but don’t have any oil. Could I use butter instead?
The same amount of melted butter should be fine in a pinch.
My granddaughter says these are THE BEST! Asks for them all the time.
Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe!! My family loves anything pumpkin so I decided to give these a try! I had left over pumpkin puree and it worked out perfectly! I tweaked it slightly; only using 1/4 cup of white sugar and adding 1/4 tsp of ground cloves to my pumpkin pie spice. I did not make the crumb topping or icing (very short on time!) They were so moist and extremely delicious!! We all enjoyed them very much! I will definitely make these again and again. Next time, I’ll add the crumb topping!! Can’t wait to make them again!
Hi,
These are delicious.
I used baking powder instead of soda and it worked much better .
I’m wondering why baking soda is reccomended when there isn’t an acid to work with it?
Hi Maegan! Brown sugar and milk are both acidic ingredients. I’m glad you enjoyed the muffins.
I made these and they were wonderful. I didn’t use the icing because I was in a hurry. My husband said he would eat them often.
I made two pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. The second one didn’t get touched. I scooped out the filling and used it. Worked perfectly!
What a wonderful recipe. Thanks! Worked perfectly. Since I only have one muffin tin, I put the extra batter into ramekins and made mini cakes.
Hi! can i use leftover pumpkin pie mix i made from thanksgiving for this? If so, what changes should i make?
Hi Sandra, You want to use 100% pumpkin here. Pumpkin pie filling is very different, not only is it filled with spices and sugar, its consistency is completely different.
Hello! I’m planning to make these for Thanksgiving morning. Sound wonderful for munching with a cup of coffee watching the Macy’s parade! Any thoughts on baking times for the large muffin pans?
Hi Tracey! Use your jumbo muffin pan-– bake for 5 mins at 425F (like we do for the normal size version) then reduce oven temp to 350F (again, like we do here) and continue baking for 23 or so minutes. Or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Can you substitute almond four for regular flour?
No, we don’t recommend it. Almond flour has very different baking properties. You can try using your favorite all purpose gluten free flour instead if you need them to be gluten free.
I made these, EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Today I am going to make the Blueberry Muffins.
Nancy
This is hands down the best muffin I’ve ever made or eaten! I would totally skip the icing. To me, they’re perfect as-is, in fact just on the right side of the edge of too sweet. Icing would take to over the top. The crumb is perfect, flavor out of this world and the crunchy topping sets these apart. This one’s a keeper. Almost want to run out and get more pumpkin pureé now for went this batch of muffins gets gobbled up by my family, which won’t be long. For me the recipe made 17 perfectly domed muffins using a standard size muffin tin, and there was the perfect amount of crumb topping for that many.
Also, while I don’t want to mess with a good thing, I wonder if there’s a way to use less oil and butter? The tins had a visible amount of oil in the bottoms of the cups when I removed the muffins (I used paper liner and the oil still leaked down – like 1/8 tsp per muffin). Didn’t make the bottoms of the muffins soggy, and they didn’t taste greasy. But, that much oil run off seems like it’s telling us something (?)
My only complaint isn’t the receipt, it’s the website. The popup ads covering the recipe are hard to X-out, making this site almost impossible to navigate, especially on a phone. Glad that I persisted for this recipe. I get you need to monetize the site, but I wish you’d find a less intrusive way as other bloggers have figured out.
Hi Sally, I just wanted to let you know how much my parents and I loved this recipe. The muffin was so moist, and the pumpkin flavor and spices came through beautifully. I was worried that it would be too sweet with the streusel and icing but it wasn’t! I did substitute the maple icing with leftover brown sugar icing from your baked pumpkin doughnut recipe and it worked well. It really brought the muffin to a whole other level. This recipe is a keeper.
Oh my, these are absolutely delicious and remind me of our autumnal holidays in the States. Moist cakes with a crunchy topping. I haven’t added the maple icing but may do once they’re cold. As others have commented they left a trace of oil in the bottom of the cake tin/bottom of the case and next time I’ll remember to add a few grains of rice to combat this. Thank you Sally for another deliciously flavoursome recipe; and thank you for including weights as well as cup measurements to your recipes
They are delicious!!
I absolutely love this recipe. I have made it a few times now, but I am wondering if I could make this as one cake. Maybe a 9 inch round? How long should I cook it, and at what temperature?
Hi Christina, Absolutely. I recommend a 9×9 inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-35 minutes, but use a toothpick to test for doneness just in case your oven takes longer.
Absolutely delicious! Perfect for fall!
I love these!! So DELICIOUS!! Thank you for this great recipe.
These were amazing! They tasted just like a pumpkin/fall muffin should! I’m not even a big muffin fan, but the flavor and crumb topping on this was just so delicious. I like how the recipe has ingredients by weight AND volume. I was surprised how perfectly the proportions worked out. It made exactly 15 muffins as the recipe stated. And the crumb topping was the perfect amount. I did have a good amount of glaze left over, but that’s so trivial. Thanks so much for a such a great recipe. I’ll be keeping this one.
These were SO good! I might double the crumb topping next time, barely had enough for all the muffins. Delish!
Can you sub milk for Greek yogurt?
You can, yes, but with a thicker batter, the muffins may need less time in the oven and will taste a bit denser too.
Just out of the oven but couldn’t resist tasting and it was excellent (as is everything I make of yours). I am not planning to use the glaze because I opted to add in some chocolate toffee bits-which proved to be an excellent decision. My question is: can you please explain why the bottom of my cupcake liners are greasy? Should I have greased the pan rather than use liners? Thank you.
Wonderful recipe! Subbed gluten free flour to make for a friend with Celiac’s. If you use gluten free flour, I’d make two slight changes: DO over mix the batter and let the batter rest (covered) for 30 minutes before baking.
Hi Sally,
I had extra butternut and delicata squash on hand from my Misfits box. So I decided to make these muffins using the squash instead of pumpkin. I made a double recipe so I did not have enough flour (I only use gluten free) for the crumble. We had to taste test to see if we wanted the drizzle, but decided they were perfect without. I think I will up the spices a bit next time and add golden raisins or craisins. I took some to my next door neighbor who is also a celiac like me and got a big thumbs up. BTW, I forgot to puree the squash, I just scooped it out and used it. After I was mixing it I was kicking myself because of the little lumps, but holy cow they are wonderful.
This is another winner from your website!
This looks so so good! Is it possible to just bake it in one large cake pan? If so, what size and how long?
Hi Aly, sure is! I would use a 9×9 pan. I’m unsure of the bake time exactly. 30 minutes, maybe 35 or a little more. You could also try using a 9×5 loaf pan. You might also enjoy our pumpkin coffee cake!