Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

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These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins combine all the flavors of pumpkin spice with the richness of cream cheese. Topped with crunchy streusel topping, they’re a perfect treat for fall.

Sliced open Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Ingredients in this Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
  2. Are Muffins Made with Applesauce Healthy?
  3. Tips for Baking Perfect Pumpkin Muffins
  4. Add-Ins/Substitutions
  5. How to Store Cream Cheese Muffins
  6. More Pumpkin Recipes
  7. How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
  8. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

If you love all things pumpkin, you’re going to adore these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins! They are the perfect blend of warm, spicy pumpkin bread, layered with a sweet cream cheese filling and topped with a delicious crumble topping. This Starbucks copycat recipe tastes just like the popular muffin sold at the famous coffee shop, but for a fraction of the price. Bake up a batch of these scrumptious sweet muffins for a crisp fall breakfast, a team snack after a game, or the perfect after school treat.

Ingredients to make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins including flour, sugar, cream cheese, dry ingredients, vanilla, eggs, spices, applesauce, butter, brown sugar and pumpkin.


Ingredients in this Pumpkin Muffins Recipe

You will absolutely love the three layers in these gorgeous pumpkin muffins! Each layer in this muffin recipe is packed with flavor and easy to make. Here’s what you need:

Pumpkin Muffin Batter

  • Pumpkin puree – I like to use 16 ounces of canned pumpkin puree. Make sure this is NOT pumpkin pie filling, which has extra pumpkin pie spice. We also have a great post on how to make pumpkin puree three different ways, if you’d like to make it from scratch.
  • Applesauce – one cup, unsweetened applesauce. This takes the place of any oil in the recipe.
  • Sugar – two cups, regular white sugar.
  • Eggs – use three large eggs, adding one at a time and mixing on low speed.
  • Vanilla Extract – one teaspoon
  • Flour – three cups, all purpose flour, sifted or spooned into the measuring cup one cup at a time.
  • Baking powder – one teaspoon
  • Baking soda one teaspoon
  • Salt – one teaspoon kosher or regular table salt
  • Cinnamon – two teaspoons
  • Nutmeg – one teaspoon
  • Cloves – half a teaspoon
  • Ginger – half a teaspoon. All these spices give the muffins a rich taste that just tastes like fall!
Bowl of Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin batter.

Sweet Cream Cheese Filling

  • Cream cheese – eight ounces, or one package. Make sure it’s at room temperature so it blends with the sugar and vanilla to create a creamy cheesecake filling.
  • Sugar – one third cup granulated sugar, NOT powdered sugar. That will create more of a cream cheese frosting, not a cheesecake-like filling.
  • Vanilla – one teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream cheese mixture on top of Pumpkin Muffin batter in pan.

Streusel Topping

  • Flour – just about half a cup of all purpose flour
  • Brown sugar – half a cup, firmly packed
  • Butter – three tablespoons, melted
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins on a cooling rack.

Are Muffins Made with Applesauce Healthy?

Because this recipe calls for applesauce rather than oil, they are a healthier option compared to more traditional muffin recipes that use higher amounts of fat and sugar. For one, applesauce can act as a natural sweetener, so you don’t need as much sugar in the recipe. Applesauce also takes the place of all of the fat, like butter, vegetable or coconut oil, cutting down extra calories. Plus, combining applesauce with pumpkin, which is already nutritious, packs these muffins with more vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Multiple Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins and two stacked.

Tips for Baking Perfect Pumpkin Muffins

When baking these muffins, there are some tips and tricks to making sure they turn out perfectly fluffy and tasty every time:

  1. Use cupcake paper liners and spray the inside and all around the muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. This will be so helpful when it’s time to take them out of the tin because they won’t stick to the sides.
  2. Fill the muffins at least to ¾ full. Much like a cake, they will rise and fall just a little bit.
  3. The cream cheese filling will rise in the muffin while it bakes in the oven so be sure to not overfill the bottom of the muffin with batter.
  4. Use a toothpick to check when the muffins are done. It should come out clean.
  5. Once the muffins are cooled, use a knife to slide around the edge of the muffins so they come out of the tin clean.
Baked Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins in a muffin pan.

Add-Ins/Substitutions

To keep the glorious pumpkin flavor but switch things up a bit, try adding in any of these yummy ingredients to the muffin batter:

  • Chocolate chips
  • White chocolate chips
  • Walnuts
  • Pecans
  • Raisins
  • Cranberries
  • Drizzle a powdered sugar glaze over the top of the muffins for extra sweetness.
Top view of Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin sliced in half.

How to Store Cream Cheese Muffins

As a general rule, baked goods containing dairy, cream cheese, etc. need to be refrigerated so they don’t spoil. Keep these leftover muffins in the fridge in an airtight container.

READ NEXT: 25+ Thanksgiving Pies and Desserts

More Pumpkin Recipes

Can’t get enough pumpkin recipes? We can’t either! Try some of these scrumptious pumpkin dishes and enjoy the flavors of fall all day long.

How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin sliced in half next to whole Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

5 from 1 vote
These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins combine all the flavors of pumpkin spice with the richness of cream cheese. Topped with crunchy streusel topping, they're a perfect treat for fall.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 24 minutes
Cooling time 10 minutes
Total Time 44 minutes
Course Bread, Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 18

Video

Equipment

  • 1 Muffin pan

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces pure pumpkin puree canned
  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ginger

For the filling

  • 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Topping

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar firmly packed
  • 3 tablespoons butter melted

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, applesauce, sugar, vanilla and eggs.
    Bowl of pumpkin mixture for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
  • In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger.
    Bowl of dry ingredients for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
  • Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until moistened. Set aside.
    Bowl of Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin batter.
  • In a bowl, whip the cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
    Bowl with whipped cream cheese with electric mixer for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
  • Add the sugar, milk, flour and vanilla. Mix until combined.
    Bowl of Cream Cheese mixture with electric mixture for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
  • For the topping, combine the brown sugar, flour and melted butter in a bowl until it's nice and crumbly.
    Bowl with streusel topping for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
  • Grease muffin liners.
    Muffin pan with greased liners for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
  • Fill each muffin liner a little less than ½ way full.
    Pumpkin Muffin batter in bottom of liners for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
  • Scoop 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture into each muffin liner.
    Cream cheese mixture on top of Pumpkin Muffin batter in pan.
  • Add the remaining muffin batter to each top making it ¾ full.
    Pumpkin batter on top of cream cheese mixture for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
  • Sprinkle streusel on top. Bake at 350 for 22-24 minutes.
    Streusel topping on top of unbaked Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
  • Let the muffins cool in the muffin pan for 2 minutes, take them out and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
    Baked Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins in a muffin pan.

Notes

  • Use cupcake paper liners and spray the inside and all around the muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray. This will be so helpful when it’s time to take them out of the tin because they won’t stick to the sides.
  • Fill the muffins at least to ¾ full. Much like a cake, they will rise and fall just a little bit.
  • The cream cheese filling will rise in the muffin while it bakes in the oven so be sure to not overfill the bottom of the muffin with batter.
  • Use a toothpick to check when the muffins are done. It should come out clean.
  • Once the muffins are cooled, use a knife to slide around the edge of the muffins so they come out of the tin clean.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 5gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 259mgPotassium: 149mgFiber: 2gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 4194IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 2mg

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Heidi Rasmussen

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