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
Best pumpkin muffin recipe I have tried so far and I have tried a lot!
I had extra canned pumpkin lying around and wanted to try a new pumpkin muffin recipe, and let me just say, this is probably one of the best I’ve ever made! Sweet but not overly sweet, perfectly between dense and fluffy and oh soooo moist! And the crumb topping is also delicious (note: I used salted sweet cream butter)!
I actually ended up baking it in a 9″ round cake pan for about 45 mins, I will definitely be making this again!
Awesome muffins, moist and delicious! My family couldn’t stop eating them!
These muffins were delicious, moist and flavourful . I received so many compliments on them. They’re my new favourite muffins! Thanks Sally, you have great recipes that are easy to follow!
Hello Sally! I was wondering if I can use this recipe and make them Jumbo Muffins!
Hi Gloria, Use the baking time and directions from our Jumbo Blueberry Muffins as a guide.
I made these muffins and they were great! Can I make this as a bread instead of muffins? Do you know what the cook time would be? Are there any other adjustments I should make?
Hi Irene, Yes, you could bake this batter in a loaf pan. We’re unsure of the bake time.
I made some minor adjustments but still like the recipe a lot. The crumble topping came out great. However after a few hours the topping got soggy. I haven’t iced it yet & wanted to have it for company a day later. I’m wondering if I can somehow dry out the topping by putting it in the oven again to just toast the top? And what temperature? And can I store it overnight in plastic bag on the counter? Thanks.
Hi JB, Were the muffins completely cool before you covered them? If not, the condensation could cause the tops to become a bit wet. If you wish to try to dry them out in the oven, use a very low temperature for only a few minutes so that you don’t dry out the entire muffin.
Made this recipe after not having a kitchen for almost 2 years! (Long story) and it’s to die for! I ended up using the applesauce sub for half the oil and subbed truvia baking blend for the cake portion only. Added walnuts and golden raisins cause I love them:) The crumb and icing put this over the top! Bacon would also make a great topping….Thanks Sally for this easy to follow masterpiece!
Sally,
I made the pumpkin crumb cake and baked it in a 9 inch tart pan. It came out of the oven looking delicious, but has since sunk in the middle. What happened? I tested with a toothpick before taking it out of the oven. The toothpick came out clean.
BTW, can I use cake flour in any cake recipe?
Hi Sharon! Usually when cakes sink it’s because they’re underbaked, but you’ll also want to check that your baking soda and powder are fresh. Most of the time best to stick with a recipe as written as cake flour isn’t always suitable for all batters. For instance, a thick, hearty batter like carrot cake needs all purpose flour, and chocolate cakes would be too flimsy with cake flour.
Sally, you and your team have knocked it out of the park once again. This is my second year making this recipe and have made it already 3 times this fall season and everyone loves it each and every time. Not too sweet and perfectly spiced. Instead of the maple syrup icing I top it with your salted caramel, sans some of the salt. Two thumbs up, 10 out of 10 stars.
We’re so glad you love them!
I love this recipe and use it for my high school cooking classes each year. My only suggestion is to halve the crumb topping if you are making large muffins. We have found that a half batch of crumb topping is just enough.
The came out perfect, just so delicious, I didn’t bother with the icing. Love, love, love them!
So delicious!! These muffins are so moist! I skipped the glaze but the crumb is so amazing! Excellent recipe. Will definitely be making again. Thank you for the link to the spice also!
My sister made the muffins and posted a picture – my inspo to make them! The recipe tip to not overwork the batter is the key to beautiful and tasty muffins! I will gift these for Halloween tomorrow.
Could I use melted butter instead of the canola/vegetable oil?
Hi Mary, You can, yes, but the muffins won’t be as moist.
Could this be done with a mini muffin pan, and bake for slightly less time? Looking forward to making these for a dinner party!
Hi SS, Absolutely! For mini muffins, bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
These muffins are so delicious and moist! I am gluten free so I subbed with 1 1/4 cup 1:1 GF flour and 1/2 cup oat flour and they turned out great. My whole family loved them too. Highly recommend/a perfect fall staple!
Hi! Is there a reason you added in the oat flour instead of doing all the 1:1 gluten free flour? Thinking about making these but need them to be gluten free as well. 🙂
These are so delicious! They are a family favorite, and I love to bake them. They add a beautiful and sweet smell to the home, and it tastes like fall! Personally, they taste better than the Costco ones. Thanks Sally! 🙂
Getting ready for next months Fire Company Bake sale. Been doing it twice a year for a couple of years now. I bought “muffin pans” not cupcake pans. Did I buy the right pans? The muffin pans I bought are definitely bigger than cupcake pans. Thanks
Hi Denise, did you happen to buy jumbo muffin pans by chance (with 6 cavities)? Standard 12-cavity muffin/cupcake pans can be used interchangeably.
Hi! Do you think I could sub in whole wheat flour?
Hi Stacey! If using whole wheat flour, you can expect a much denser muffin — it could even taste a bit dry. We’d recommend starting with half all-purpose, half whole wheat, and then adjusting for future batches instead. Or you might enjoy these whole wheat pumpkin muffins instead!
Tasty recipe! I used only 1/3 of the icing because that’s all the powdered sugar I had on hand, but it was just fine with a decorative drizzle on top.
I have been making these muffins for 5 yrs ever since I came across this recipe. And every time I make them they are just heavenly. They are the best way to start autumn!
Can I use buttermilk for the milk in the batter?
Hi Gail! Yes, that should be fine here. Enjoy!
I made these muffins with the crumb topping and was very pleased with the results. The difference I made was that I used 12 ‘jumbo’ muffin tins instead of making the 15 muffins as described. I baked them as specified – 5 minutes at 425, then 16 minutes at 350. They were a little dense and didn’t rise a great deal but were very moist and not too sweet. I didn’t use the icing. Thank you for this recipe.
Soooo goood!!! Made these the other day! Thanks for perfecting your recipes for the rest of us to enjoy!
Delicious contrast of a spicy sweet Crunch on the top and smooth moist tasty texture of the cup cake. I don’t believe it should be called a muffin definitely a desert worthy cupcake❤️
Delicious! Exactly what you’d expect from a pumpkin crumb cake muffin. I halved the recipe with no problems (I thought 15 muffins might be too many) and got exactly 6 muffins. Maybe I made them too big? At any rate, they were wonderful & I’m sure they’ll be a staple fall recipe for me from now on.
These muffins are to die for. So delicious and moist. I followed the directions exactly other than adding vanilla extract and a little more cinnamon. I used the Walmart brand of pumpkin purée because it was almost half the cost of the Libby. I did drain it on a doubled paper towel to remove some of the moisture. I added maple extract to the icing too. I’ve never had any luck with muffins but these were perfect. I made 3 batches to bring to school.
Do you think it would work if I replaced regular milk with buttermilk?
My students LOVED making these in class!!! I even had students who have never tried pumpkin anything love them!!!
This is one of my favorite recipes. I bake a lot when the weather cools down and these are at the top of the list. Always a fan favorite. I add a lot of walnuts to this recipe – in the batter and the crumb topping. I think the nuts make it a 10 Star. They freeze well too. Thanks for a great recipe.
Wow! These are amazing! So much better than that boxed muffin mix! I love how moist they are and the crumb topping… love it!
I will make again!