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Pumpkin Cheese Cream Muffins, pumpkin muffins stuffed with sweetened cream cheese and garnished with pumpkin seeds. Just like Starbucks, but better!
Pumpkin Cheese Cream Muffins are a yummy breakfast treat that I could enjoy year round! But, there is just something about enjoying a warm pumpkin muffin on a crisp fall morning that I can’t get enough of!
HERE IS WHAT OUR READERS ARE SAYING:
“I made these about a month ago and everyone enjoyed them. This time I doubled the recipe. Oh and both times I swirled the cream cheese as suggested. Excellent! Thank you for the recipe.” – Joan
I’ve noticed over the years that a lot of muffins are sometimes pretty dense. Not this muffin recipe, these are light and moist and that cream cheese filling just happens to set them over the top!
Garnished with pumpkin seeds these are just like your favorite Starbucks recipe, but one that you can make in the comforts of your own home!
I love when I am able to make some of my favorite restaurant recipes at home, it saves me time and money and who doesn’t love that?
If you are a fan of pumpkin, cheesecake and muffins then this recipe is perfect for you! They are easy, tasty and absolutely one of the best things you will taste.
These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are a staple around here and we make them at least twice a month, they are a great breakfast or even dessert.
Some of my other favorite muffin recipes we have on our site include: Chocolate Chip Muffins, Best Blueberry Muffins and Apple Banana Oat Muffins.
Jump to:
- WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS:
- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
- DO I HAVE TO USE PUMPKIN SEEDS?
- CAN I MAKE THESE WITHOUT THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING?
- CAN I SWIRL THE CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE?
- ANY ADDITIONS?
- ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
- HOW TO STORE:
- DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Starbucks Copycat!)
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With readily available ingredients, these bake up quickly.
- The cream cheese center really offsets the muffins and gives them an over the top flavor and texture.
- These can easily be doubled and saved for later consumption.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST FOR THE FULL RECIPE CARD):
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Pumpkin spice
- Pumpkin puree
- Unsalted butter
- Vanilla bean paste or extract
- Egg
- Pumpkin seeds, optional
- Cream cheese
- Milk
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. Stir to combine, set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, melted butter, vanilla, and egg.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture and pour the wet mixture into the bowl. Stir with a large spoon until just combined and there are no dry pockets.
- Fill 12 prepared muffin tins evenly with the muffin mixture. Next, make the cream cheese filling.
- Place all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix on medium speed until smooth.
- Place mix into a piping bag or a ziplock bag and cut off a small amount off one corner. Place the piping bag into the muffins one at a time and fill insides with the cream cheese. Evenly distribute cream cheese mixture along with all the muffins, leaving a little dollop on top of each.
- Take the pumpkin seeds and evenly distribute them around the outsides of the batter if desired.
- Bake for 17-19 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the bread part of the muffins comes out mostly clean. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, take them out and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS RECIPE:
DO I HAVE TO USE PUMPKIN SEEDS?
No you do not have to use pumpkin seeds, to make them like Starbucks then the pumpkin seeds are needed. But they are more or less just for decoration.
We personally love eating pumpkin seeds so we love them in this recipe, but you can absolutely leave them off if you are not a fan or can’t find any!
CAN I MAKE THESE WITHOUT THE CREAM CHEESE FILLING?
Absolutely! If you just want a plain Pumpkin Muffin then you can leave out the cream cheese filling. But trust me the filling is totally worth it!
CAN I SWIRL THE CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE?
If you want the cream cheese mixture throughout these moist muffins you absolutely can take a toothpick and swirl it around.
This will make the cream cheese throughout the muffins instead of having it dolloped right in the middle, This is a personal choice so you can do what you’d like.
ANY ADDITIONS?
Bring on the flavors! I’m always a fan of trying new things.
- Sprinkle a cinnamon streusel topping over the pumpkin muffin batter before baking for an extra sweet crunch.
- Add a drizzle of maple syrup on the top of the muffin right after they come out of the oven for a touch of sweetness.
- Mix in a handful of chocolate chips for a chocolatey twist on these delicious pumpkin cream cheese muffins.
- Stir chopped pecans or walnuts into the center of the batter for a nutty flavor that goes great with pumpkin recipes.
- Dust the top of each muffin lightly with cinnamon sugar for a classic sweet finish.
- Add a tiny pinch of teaspoon nutmeg along with the pumpkin pie spice for extra warm spices.
- Use a small cookie scoop to drop a bit of leftover sweet cream cheese filling on top if you want more tangy flavor in every bite.
- Swirl in a spoonful of caramel sauce for a fall-inspired spin, turning them into pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins.
- Decorate the tops with dried cranberries for a pop of color and tartness.
- Sprinkle some crushed graham crackers on the top of the cream cheese portion to make them taste like a mini pumpkin roll.
ANY SUBSTITUTIONS?
Aren’t there always? Yes, of course there are!
- Swap the melted butter for vegetable oil if you prefer a lighter, moister crumb in your moist pumpkin muffins.
- Use brown sugar instead of white sugar for a deeper caramel flavor, especially in the wet ingredients.
- Replace full fat cream cheese with a lighter version or even Greek yogurt if you’re looking for a healthier spin—just keep in mind it may alter the best texture.
- For a vegan version, use a flax egg instead of the regular egg and plant-based cream cheese to maintain that rich pumpkin flavor.
- If you run out of paper liners, grease the muffin pan well so the muffins don’t stick.
- Out of all purpose flour? Try half whole wheat flour for a denser yet still tasty muffin, though it may not be the best pumpkin muffin recipe texture.
HOW TO STORE:
These can be stored in an airtight container or ziptop bag in the refrigerator where they will keep for up to 3-4 days.
You can also freeze these. Take any leftover muffins and place them on a sheet tray after they have cooled all the way.
Wrap the entire sheet tray with plastic wrap three times all around. Making sure they are completely sealed. Then, just pop it in the freezer and let them freeze completely. These will keep in the freezer for about 3 months.
Take out the desired amount of muffins you want to defrost, let them sit on the counter until they reach room temperature and voila!
DANA’S TIPS AND TRICKS:
- Make sure that you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- These can be doubled or tripled.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- The pumpkin seeds are optional.
- You can swirl the cream cheese mixture through the muffin if you’d like instead of placing it in the center.
Do you love copycat recipes like me that are super easy to make?
Then you have to make a batch of my Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins.
If you like this recipe, you might also like:
If you’ve tried these PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Starbucks Copycat!)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Cups all purpose flour
- ¾ Cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 ½ Cups pure pumpkin puree
- ¼ Cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg lightly beaten
- 2 teaspoons toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish optional
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin spice. Stir to combine, set aside.1 ½ Cups all purpose flour, ¾ Cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, melted butter, vanilla, and egg.1 ½ Cups pure pumpkin puree, ¼ Cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 large egg
- Make a well in the middle of the dry mixture and pour the wet mixture into the bowl. Stir with a large spoon until just combined and there are no dry pockets.
- Fill 12 prepared muffin tins evenly with the muffin mixture. Next, make the cream cheese filling.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Place all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix on medium speed until smooth.4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon milk
- Place mix into a piping bag or a ziplock bag and cut off a small amount off one corner. Place the piping bag into the muffins one at a time and fill insides with the cream cheese. Evenly distribute cream cheese mixture along with all the muffins, leaving a little dollop on top of each.
- Take the pumpkin seeds and evenly distribute them around the outsides of the batter if desired.2 teaspoons toasted pumpkin seeds for garnish
- Bake for 17-19 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the bread part of the muffins comes out mostly clean. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, take them out and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Make sure that you use pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- These can be doubled or tripled.
- These can be frozen, see my tips above.
- The pumpkin seeds are optional.
- You can swirl the cream cheese mixture through the muffin if you’d like instead of placing it in the center.
Nutrition
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I wish I could attach a photo, these came out beautiful. I made them yesterday and with the chaos of visitors missed the baking powder. These still came out okay, just a little denser. These whole tray was still gone within the hour. I remade these today, but doubled the recipe, and they came out beautifully risen and soft.
Very bland. They were moist and a little dense, not in a bad way, but it’s a muffin, they should be! 😂
Don’t use the pumpkin spice ingredient. I did and used 3x the amount and it was still bland.
Someone suggested using, clove, nutmeg, cinnamon separate and I’ll try that next time.
I also doubled the filling. I added a little more salt, vanilla and sugar, my preference, to give a sweeter taste.
They don’t taste anything like Starbucks. Starbucks has a more gingerbread taste. I’ll play with this recipe to I have it down and update.
It needs way my spices added than what this recipe called for. It is very bland and even though they came out moist they were dense, next time I’ll shift the flour. I would suggest not using pumpkin spice and use cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg to give it more flavor. I even doubled up the cream cheese filling and not using milk so it more thick. It’s too runny if I follow this recipe to the T.
This recipe isn’t bad but just good in my opinion. I followed the recipe to the T, for me these were bland. I’ll try again and add more ingredients until my taste buds are satisfied.
I’ve just baked these muffins and what can I say… really heavenlike. Absolutely at least as good as the starbucksversion I had on my way to Miami airport last week flying back to Germany. I bought pumpkin pie spice at a publix on my way and here I googled your copycat recipe. I had to make my own pumpkin puree and changed the cups into metric version. Thank you so much for sharing! I love absolutely love them!🤩🤩🤩
These were SO good, I brought some to work and have had multiple people ask for the recipe because they can’t stop thinking about them. They came out SO moist. I did have to bake them an additional ten minutes and added a little more pumpkin spice than the recipe called for. This is definitely going in our family recipe book. Thank you for sharing such a wonderful recipe
This were the best fluffiest best muffins in the whole entire world so good definitely recommend🤍
I followed the recipe exactly. There is TOO MUCH BAKING SODA AND BAKING POWDER! I can taste it after the muffins are baked. FAULTY RECEIPE
They turned out exactley as you said. They are very moist and oh so yummy! My teen granddaughters are excited to share them with their Starbuck fan friends.
I even made a gluten free batch just as good. I did use cinnamon, clove , nutmeg and ginger instead of pumpkin spice and a bit more generous with it. They will be a new favorite for Christmas breakfast. Thankyou
I gave it 2 stars because they were moist and looked incredible, but taste wise they were completely flavourless. Not even close to Starbucks copycat!
I’d suggest adding in more pumpkin spice (double if not triple the asked amount)
These taste SO delicious, especially the cream cheese filling, and I was surprised how similar they did taste to Starbucks – only better. And I love the Starbucks one. I was apprehensive initially as the batter is very thick, and it did take about 8 minutes longer to bake to get a clean tooth pick. The cake part is extremely moist, when I unwrapped it from the muffin liner a lot of it stuck. I will definitely be making again though so I may try adding less pumpkin purée and seeing if that makes a difference.