Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are the decadent, fall-flavored muffins of your dreams. Just like the Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, these bakery style treats are incredibly moist, spice-filled and baked to perfection. In the center is a rich, cream cheese filling that enhances the texture and flavor of every bite. You’re going to want to save room on your fall baking itinerary for these Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins!
Reasons You’ll Love This
Quick Recipe – This recipe is made faster than your local Home Goods store can get the fall merchandise on the shelves in July.
Copycat Recipe – How much do the Starbucks Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins cost now? Probably $5-6? You’ll definitely save some money making this recipe instead.
Pumpkin Everything – Seriously if you love all things pumpkin, you’re going to want to try this recipe.
Cream Cheese Lovers – What’s better than Pumpkin Muffins? Pumpkin muffins with cream cheese filling! Seriously adding cream cheese just makes everything taste better.
Get me a PSL, a fall candle and a cool, rainy day to enjoy these Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins with ASAP. When I’m craving the Starbucks one but I don’t want to spend the money on it, or it’s not in season yet, I can just make them from home using this recipe! Dare I say these ones might be even better?
Ingredient Info
This is a discussion about the ingredients. For the actual recipe with amounts, please see the recipe below.
- Flour – All purpose flour is best. For the best muffin texture, find flour measuring tips here!
- Sugar – You’ll need brown sugar (packed), granulated sugar and powdered sugar!
- Pumpkin – 100% pure pumpkin puree is best, not pumpkin pie filling. You only need a cup. The rest can be used for pancakes, oatmeal, or a spoonful for your dog!
- Spices – Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves. You can also sub for pumpkin pie spice, which you’ll also need for the cream cheese filling.
- Oil – I used vegetable oil, but melted coconut oil or avocado oil works.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make a substitute for it here.
- Cream Cheese – Soften to room temperature before use. Bricks of cream cheese are better than the tubs.
Step by Step Instructions
This is a short discussion of the instructions. For the actual recipe with full instructions, please see the recipe below.
- Prepare Muffin Tin. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices to bowl. Whisk until combined.
- In a separate bowl, add pumpkin puree, sugars, oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Mix until smooth.
- Combine dry and wet ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, add cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and pumpkin spice. Beat with mixer until smooth. Set aside.
- Fill muffins liners. Spoon or pipe cream cheese filling into the top of the muffins.
- Bake for 18-22 minutes until muffins are done. Let cool in pan then on wire rack and enjoy!
Tips & Advice
Cream Cheese Options
I can only assume you clicked on the Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins Recipe because you want cream cheese in your pumpkin muffins. But if you’re the select few reading this who don’t like cream cheese, you can leave it out of the recipe and just bake the batter like normal.
If you’re not sure about the cream cheese being baked in, you can make a cream cheese frosting instead and frost the muffins once they cool.
If cream cheese is too much dairy for you, a vegan substitute will work just fine.
Storage – Enjoy these muffins for up 4-5 days after you bake them. Just store them in an airtight container in the fridge to prevent the cream cheese filling from spoiling. If you’d like, you can reheat them in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
Freezing – You can also freeze these muffins so they last longer. Once the muffins are completely cool, wrap them in plastic wrap individually then store in a container or bag in the freezer. To thaw, leave in the fridge overnight or pop it in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.
Equipment
For this recipe you’ll need the following materials:
FAQs
I wouldn’t let them sit out for longer than an hour to be safe. They should be refrigerated when not being consumed.
It tastes like pumpkin bread, or a pumpkin cake with a gooey, creamy center. Kind of like a pumpkin bagel with cream cheese but sweeter, and fluffier.
Yes, because cream cheese is a dairy product, it will need to be kept in the fridge to avoid spoiling.
Recipes You’ll Love
Buy too many cans of pumpkin? Don’t worry I have plenty of pumpkin recipes I can hook you up with this fall. Check out some of the best, similar pumpkin recipes I think you’ll love.
- Starbucks Pumpkin Bread
- Easy Pumpkin Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Baked Pumpkin Donuts
- Soft Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Pumpkin Bread
- Easy Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe
- One Bowl Healthy Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Poke Cake
- Pumpkin Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Pancake Recipe
- Mini Pumpkin Bundt Cakes
- Pumpkin Roll
More Recipes You’ll Love!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Equipment
- 1 12 cup muffin tin
Ingredients
Pumpkin Muffin Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 2 large eggs (room temperature )
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a standard muffin tin with liners of your choice.
- In a medium size mixing bowl then add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Whisk until combined.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, white sugar, oil, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Mix together until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold until just combined. Set aside and begin working on the cream cheese filling.
- In a small mixing bowl, add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and pumpkin spice. Beat with a stand or hand mixer until smooth. Set aside.
- Fill each muffin liner about 3/4ths of the way full with the pumpkin batter. Spoon about a tablespoon of cream cheese filling to the top of the muffins, and gently press it into the batter. You can also fill a piping bag with the filling and pipe it into the top center of the muffins.
- Bake in the oven for about 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the batter (not the cream cheese) comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow it to cool in the muffin tin, on a wire cooling rack, for about 5 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and place on the wire rack directly to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
