These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are soft and fluffy, perfectly spiced and filled with lightly sweetened cream cheese. Topped with a crunchy pepitas and cinnamon sugar – all the familiar flavors of your favorite coffee shop’s pumpkin muffins but so much better.
My pumpkin muffins are one of the first pumpkin things I ever baked years ago and we’ve loved them every fall since. They’re a quintessential fall breakfast staple. My Brown Butter Pumpkin Madeleines and Pumpkin Brown Butter Snickerdoodles are also fall must-bake recipes!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Muffins are light, tender, super flavorful, and they stay moist for days.
- No mixer is needed and they’re simple to make.
- Only 10 minutes of prep time.
- Easy to follow step by step recipe instructions.
Recipe Ingredients
All purpose flour
Baking powder
Baking soda
Fine sea salt
Spices – cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves (You can also substitute and use pumpkin spice)
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar – adds a molasses, caramel-like flavor to the muffins
Pumpkin purée – NOT pumpkin pie filling
Eggs
Canola oil – keeps the muffins moist and tender
Vanilla extract
Cream cheese
Pepitas – adds crunch and flavor to the topping
Recipe Ingredients
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.
- Whisk together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
- Whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, eggs and oil.
- Whisk the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Only whisk until no pockets of the dry ingredients remain.
- Divide the batter into the each of the cupcake liners.
- Distribute the cream cheese filling into the centers of each cupcake, about 1 tablespoon each.
- Mix together the 1 tablespoon of sugar and the ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Sprinkle the pepitas and the cinnamon sugar mixture around the edge of the muffins.
- Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs.
Baking Tips
- Don’t over-mix the batter after adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Over mixing can cause the muffins to be tough.
- Don’t worry about the batter and cream cheese overflowing the liners in the oven. Each muffin should be filled to the top. This makes for large bakery style muffins.
- Ingredients must be at room temperature for a smooth pumpkin batter and cream cheese filling.
- Don't over bake. When a toothpick comes out with few moist crumbs, but not wet batter, the muffins are done.
Storage and Freezing
Pumpkin cream cheese muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for 4 days.
They can be stored in an airtight container and frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight. They can be reheated in the microwave for 15-30 seconds for warm muffins.
Recipe FAQs
You can marble the muffins by swirling the cream cheese mixture into the muffin batter with a toothpick. Don’t fully mix the cream cheese in so that it disappears in the batter. Just give it a few swirls.
Yes! Substitute 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice for the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.
Did you make this recipe? Share it with us! Tag @littlevintagebaking on Instagram and leave a star rating below if you LOVED this recipe. For more baking and decorating ideas follow me on Pinterest.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
Recipe
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- ½ cup cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pumpkin Muffins
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup canola oil
Pepita Topping
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons pepitas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth.½ cup cream cheese, softened, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves.1 ¾ cup all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin, vanilla, eggs and oil.¾ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, packed, 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 2 large eggs, ½ cup canola oil
- Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix to combine. Do not over mix. Only mix until no pockets of the dry ingredients remain.
- Divide the batter equally into the lined cupcake pan.
- Distribute the cream cheese filling into the centers, equally among the muffins.
- Mix together the 1 tablespoon of sugar and the ½ teaspoon of cinnamon in a small bowl. Sprinkle the pepitas and the cinnamon sugar mixture around the edge of the muffins.1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons pepitas
- Bake the muffins for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with a few dry crumbs. Do not check the muffins for doneness by inserting a toothpick through the cream cheese center. Check by inserting a toothpick through the muffin at an angle.
- Cool the muffins in the pans for 10 minutes before removing to cool on a cooling rack. Best served slightly warm.
Karen says
Easy to make and bake. Beautiful muffins that have magnificent flavor!
Olivia says
I just made these, and they turned out beautifully, I haven’t eaten them but they look so pretty and puffed up beautifully. Also, I replaced the eggs with two flax eggs, (1T ground flaxseed with 2.5T per water for each egg) and the substitution worked great. Cannot wait to dive into one of these Thanksgiving Day when I take coffee break from cooking. I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Ashley says
Hi Olivia, I am so glad they worked out for you! They're definitely perfect for Thanksgiving morning! -Ash_
Francesca says
Hi!! I'm from Italy, I love this recipe but in the muffin I can't find the pumpkin 🎃... It's that right?? 🤔 Thanks
Ashley says
Updated! It's there. Sorry about that!