Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are packed with warm pumpkin spice flavor, an incredibly moist pumpkin muffin with a sweet cream cheese filling, and a cinnamon streusel topping – the best pumpkin muffin recipe! They make the perfect fall breakfast or sweet treat.
For more of the best pumpkin muffin recipes be sure and try Perfect Pumpkin Muffins, Pumpkin Streusel Muffins, and Pumpkin Donut Glazed Muffins.
Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
Delicious pumpkin cream cheese muffins are a copycat of Starbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffins, but better! The center of each muffin is filled with a sweet cream cheese filling which pairs perfectly with the best pumpkin muffins. Pumpkin + cream cheese is always a match made in heaven – like in this Cream Cheese Pumpkin Coffee Cake and Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Muffins.
There a few extra steps with these muffins; the cinnamon streusel, the cream cheese center, and of course the pumpkin muffins. They’re not the easy muffin recipe, or the mix and dump type muffins, but trust me, these muffins will be worth the extra steps. There is NO way I can ever eat just one!
These muffins just scream all things pumpkin season to me – they’re bursting with pumpkin flavor thanks to the warm spices like nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon, plus pumpkin pie piece really elevates they warm fall pumpkin flavors.
Simple Ingredients Needed
Cream Cheese Mixture Ingredients
- Cream Cheese : Use full fat cream cheese for the best taste and thick texture. Reduced-fat cream cheese can be used, but the center won’t be as thick and rich, because the lower fat cream cheese has more water in it so it’s not as thick and creamy.
- Powdered Sugar
Pumpkin Muffin Batter Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Ground Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Cloves
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Salt : I use kosher salt or sea salt.
- Baking Soda
- Oil : Use canola oil or vegetable oil.
- Granulated Sugar
- Pure Pumpkin : You need 2 cups of pumpkin puree which is more than the 15 ounce can. Buy a larger can of pumpkin, 29 ounces, and measure out 2 cups. You will have extras so make a pumpkin recipe that only calls for a little bit of pumpkin in it.
- Large Eggs
Cinnamon Streusel Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar
- All-Purpose Flour
- Ground Cinnamon
- Butter : The butter needs to be cold and cut into small cubes.
How To Make Cream Cheese-Stuffed Pumpkin Muffins (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two muffin pans (use a muffin pan with 12 muffin cups in it) with parchment paper muffin liners or cupcake liners. Set aside for later.
Make The Cream Cheese Filling : In a small bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until it’s well blended and smooth. Put the bowl in the freezer to chill while you prepare the pumpkin muffin batter.
Make The Pumpkin Muffin Batter : In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer or use the bowl of a stand mixer, add the granulated sugar, pumpkin, oil, and eggs. Beat on medium speed until combined well.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined and no flour pockets or streaks remain in the batter.
Make The Cinnamon Streusel : In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon. Add in the cold cubed butter and use your clean hands, or a pastry cutter, to mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Assemble & Bake The Muffins : Fill each muffin cup 1/3 of the way full with the pumpkin muffin batter. Add a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture (remove it from the freezer) onto the middle of the pumpkin batter. Fill the remaining of the muffin cup with more pumpkin batter until it’s almost to the top. Make sure that the muffin batter on top completely covers the cream cheese center.
Sprinkle some of the streusel topping on top of each muffin.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins have formed a nice rounded peak and the tops of the muffins spring back when gently touched with your fingertip. A toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin should also come out with no wet pumpkin batter on it.
Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool inside the warm muffin pan for about 15-20 minutes, before removing them to a cooling rack. You can eat them warm, at room temperature, or chilled from the fridge.
How To Store Leftovers
- Fridge : Store any remaining muffins inside an airtight container, in the fridge, for up to 5 days. Ideally, desserts containing cream cheese, whether baked or unbaked, should be covered and stored in the refrigerator. Eat the muffins chilled from the fridge, leave them out at room temperature for several minutes, or warm it up in the microwave.
- Freezer : To freeze, make sure the muffins are cooled to room temperature or even chilled from the fridge. Wrap each muffin in plastic wrap and store them inside a freezer-safe Ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Let the muffin(s) thaw in the fridge or at room temperature.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin Recipe Tips
- Use A Small Cookie Scoop : I love using a small or medium cookie scoop to scoop the pumpkin muffin batter into each muffin cup. You only need a little bit to fill each muffin 1/3 of the way full, so a small cookie scoop is perfect for that. You don’t want to overfill the muffin cups, which means you don’t want to add too much on the bottom because you won’t be able to have room to add enough batter on top to cover up the cream cheese dollops.
- Pure Pumpkin : Make sure you are using the 100% pure pumpkin and NOT the pumpkin pie filling. They look similar but are completely different. The recipe needs 2 cups which is more than a 15 ounce can. So make sure you buy a large can of pumpkin (29 ounces) and measure out 2 cups needed for the recipe.
- Softened Cream Cheese : To avoid lumps in the cream cheese center, make sure the cream is well softened. Leave it out at room temperature for up to 2 hours, or you can microwave the unwrapped bar of cream cheese for about 20 seconds to get it softened but not hot and melted.
Recipe FAQ’s
Do I Have To Add The Streusel Topping?
No. These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are fabulous without it! Instead, you could add some mini chocolate chips or pumpkin seeds on top of the muffins.
Do I Need To Use The Paper Liners?
Yes, I highly recommend using muffin liners or cupcake liners. I love the parchment paper muffin liners (linked in the recipe card below) because they allow the muffins to bake ore evenly, and prevent the bottoms and sides from over browning while baking. You could skip the liners, but make sure you spray each muffin cup well with cooking spray if going that route.
What Size Canned Pumpkin Do I Need?
The recipe calls for 2 cups, which is equal to 16 ounces, of pumpkin puree. I measure out the 2 cups from a larger 29 ounce can of pumpkin but the difference is really only 1 ounce, so if you wanted to just use a 15 ounce can of pumpkin you would probably be fine doing that. I just love sticking to exact measurements.
More Must Try Pumpkin Desserts
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- Banana Pumpkin Bread
- Easy Pumpkin Mousse Pie
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze
- Pumpkin Pudding Pie
- Pumpkin Spice Cake
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Pumpkin Muffins
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups pure pumpkin (from a 29 oz can)
- 1¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
Cinnamon Streusel
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons cold butter cubed small
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two muffin pans (use a muffin pan with 12 muffin cups in it) with parchment paper muffin liners or cupcake liners. Set aside for later.
Make The Cream Cheese Filling
- In a small bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar until it's well blended and smooth. Put the bowl in the freezer to chill while you prepare the pumpkin muffin batter.1 bar (8 oz) cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar
Make The Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cloves, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda
- In a separate large bowl, using an electric hand mixer or use the bowl of a stand mixer, add the eggs, granulated sugar, pumpkin, and oil. Beat on medium speed until combined well.4 large eggs, 2 cups granulated sugar, 2 cups pure pumpkin, 1¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined and no flour pockets or streaks remain in the batter.
Make The Cinnamon Streusel
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon. Add in the cold cubed butter and use your clean hands, or a pastry cutter, to mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.1/2 cup granulated sugar, 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, 4 tablespoons cold butter
Assemble & Bake The Muffins
- – Fill each muffin cup 1/4 of the way full with the pumpkin muffin batter.– Add a heaping tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture (remove it from the freezer) onto the middle of the pumpkin batter.– Fill the remaining of the muffin cup with more pumpkin batter until it's almost to the top. Make sure that the muffin batter on top completely covers the cream cheese center. – Sprinkle some of the streusel topping on top of each muffin.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the muffins have formed a nice rounded peak and the tops of the muffins spring back when gently touched with your fingertip. A toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin should also come out with no wet pumpkin batter on it.
- Remove the muffins from the oven and allow them to cool inside the warm muffin pan for about 15-20 minutes, before removing them to a cooling rack. You can eat them warm, at room temperature, or chilled from the fridge.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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