Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Moist, perfectly spiced pumpkin muffins are filled with sweetened cream cheese and topped with brown sugar streusel. Enjoy these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins for a fall breakfast or sweet afternoon snack.

Even though it’s almost Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas are upon us, I’m not ready to let go of fall just yet.

It’s been an unseasonably warm fall here, so while I’m glad it probably won’t snow for trick-or-treating tomorrow, I’m hoping we get a few cooler fall days before we start the holiday season and winter.

So, even though I’m already planning Christmas cookie recipes for you all, I’m going to stick with the pumpkin recipes for a little while longer.

That means making at least 1 or 2 more batches of these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins before we get down to all things cranberry and peppermint.

After all, there’s nothing better than pumpkin paired with cream cheese! Give me a pumpkin cream cheese cake, Danish with pumpkin creamor one of these muffins and I’m a happy woman.

Soft pumpkin muffins with cream cheese filling

Aside from pumpkin bread, pumpkin roll, and pumpkin cheesecake, these little pumpkin cream cheese muffins are one of my all-time favorite fall recipes to make and share. I mean, who can resist pumpkin, cream cheese, and streusel topping? Not this girl.

I took a classic moist pumpkin muffin base and added a lightly sweetened cream cheese filling and a brown sugar pecan streusel on top. After baking, you can choose to add an optional vanilla glaze to make them even tastier, but they’re just as delicious without it.

The recipe makes about 20 muffins, so they’re perfect for making and sharing with neighbors, coworkers, teachers, and of course, family!

Place them in a baking box with some string and a cute label and you’ll have a beautiful and delicious gift for any autumn occasion.

Toasted in the oven a day or two later, they might almost be better than freshly baked. Almost.

Do you know what I’m thinking? I’m thinking Thanksgiving morning breakfast, maybe along with my favorite make-ahead breakfast casserole! And you?

How to make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

I know recipes like this can seem overwhelming at first. But each part of the recipe is actually pretty simple and doesn’t take as long to prepare as you might think!

Recipe components

For these pumpkin cream cheese muffins you will prepare:

• A cream cheese filling
• Streusel topping
• Pumpkin muffin dough
• Vanilla frosting optional

Overall, for the filling, streusel and muffin dough you will need:

• 8 ounces softened cream cheese
• 3 large eggs
• 3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 teaspoons homemade pumpkin pie spice
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup melted unsalted butter
• ¼ cup chopped pecans, optional

I like to use homemade pumpkin pie spice in these muffins, but you can substitute cinnamon if that’s all you have on hand.

When purchasing the ingredients for this recipe, be sure to purchase pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling. The pie filling has extra ingredients that we don’t want in this recipe.

I make these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

This recipe makes about 20 pumpkin cream cheese muffins, so prepare 20 standard muffin wells by spraying them with nonstick spray or lining them with muffin liners.

Start by preparing the filling and streusel. For the filling, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until smooth, then add the egg, vanilla and brown sugar and beat until smooth.

Don’t worry if there are a couple of bits of cream cheese – it’ll be fine once the muffins are baked. Set the filling aside.

For the topping, mix the brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a bowl. Using a fork, incorporate the melted butter until the mixture becomes crumbly.

If you want to include pecans, add them to the streusel now. Place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

To make the muffin batter, whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and mix until well combined.

Now it’s time to assemble the muffins. Add about 1 1/2 tablespoons of muffin substance to each of the prepared muffin wells. I like to use my medium cookie scoop to make it super easy.

Add about 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling to the center of the batter in each well. A small cookie scoop comes in handy for this part.

Top each muffin with another 1 1/2 tablespoons of batter, then sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over all muffins.

Bake in the oven at 180°C for 20-25 minutes. The pumpkin cream cheese muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow the muffins to cool before serving. If you want to add vanilla icing, whisk everything together and pour it over the cooled muffins.

Frequently asked questions