THE BEST Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Starbucks copycat)

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There's nothing quite like the pairing of pumpkin and cream cheese whether it's in sweet or savory form. My homemade Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are so soft and moist with the perfect balance of pumpkin and spice. They're filled with sweet cream cheese that bakes right in, and they're SO much better than Starbucks. Save yourself several dollars and whip up a batch of these with simple pantry ingredients at a fraction of the cost. They are incredibly delicious and they freeze well too so you can keep them handy for snacking and breakfast during cozy season. If you love this combo of pumpkin and cream cheese, check out my Easy Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting, and if you love baking with pumpkin, try my Pecan Pumpkin Streusel Muffins and popular Chewy Pumpkin Cookies as well!

pumpkin cream cheese muffins on cooling rack

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

Moist pumpkin muffins - these pumpkin muffins are so soft and moist without using a ton of oil and they don't have a mushy pasty texture that pumpkin recipes can sometimes have.
Soft and fluffy texture - they are the fluffiest pumpkin muffins I've ever had!
Starbucks copycat recipe - if you're a fan of pumpkin cream cheese muffins at Starbucks, then I know you will fall in love with this simple recipe that is way better!
Perfect pumpkin spice - what's a pumpkin muffin without pumpkin spice? There's the perfect balance of spice which is sometimes hard to get right.
Easy to make - all you need is a whisk, a bowl and a spatula to make this recipe. It is super simple. It's a one bowl recipe!
Cream cheese filling - you only need a few ingredients to make the filling and when it bakes into the batter, it is creamy and smooth.
Crunchy pepitas - you can skip adding the pepitas, but this makes them an authentic Starbucks copycat muffin.

pumpkin cream cheese muffins stacked on cooling rack

INGREDIENTS FOR PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

Here are some notes about the ingredients. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page.

Canned pumpkin - canned pumpkin is easily accessible and inexpensive. You can also make it yourself, but it is important to reduce it down so it is very thick otherwise the moisture balance will be off in the recipe. Make sure you use pure pumpkin and NOT pumpkin pie filling which has sugar and spices already added.
Oil - I always recommend sunflower oil for baking because it has a clean taste and is very stable. Using oil in this muffin batter means that the muffins will be very soft.
Brown sugar - brown sugar adds caramel-like flavor due to the molasses content and it really complements the pumpkin and the spices. You can use light or dark brown sugar here. Dark brown sugar has twice as much molasses compared to light brown sugar.
Granulated sugar - simple white sugar will add the right amount of sweetness and also keep the muffins moist.
Eggs - two large eggs will add nice structure and help with the moist spongy texture.

pumpkin cream cheese muffins batter in baking pan

pumpkin cream cheese muffins ingredients

Pure vanilla extract - vanilla will add earthy undertones. I like this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
Milk - I recommend using whole milk or 2% milk for this recipe and it helps if it is at room temperature.
All purpose flour - regular unbleached all-purpose flour works just great for this muffin recipe.
Pumpkin pie spice - use your favorite brand, or make your own from a blend of 1 part nutmeg, clove and allspice with 2 parts cinnamon and ginger.
Cream cheese - the filling is a simple sweetened cream cheese that bakes to a creamy cheesecake texture. Use block cream cheese and not spreadable or whipped cream cheese.

pumpkin cream cheese muffin split in half

WHAT IS PUMPKIN PIE SPICE?

Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of warm spices typically used to make pumpkin pie. It can be purchased in most supermarkets pre-blended for easy use. It is a blend of cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg and clove. Different brands will have their own recipe, however, it is so easy to make at home and I'm sharing my recipe below.

HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE

To make pumpkin pie spice at home, blend certain proportions of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and clove. Here is my recipe for homemade pumpkin pie spice that yields about 3 tablespoons of total spice.

starbucks copycat pumpkin cream cheese muffin on cooling rack

HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

STEP 1). Make the pumpkin muffin batter. Combine wet ingredients. Combine pumpkin puree and both sugars in a large bowl and whisk until smooth and glossy. Add eggs, oil and vanilla and whisk to combine.
STEP 2). Combine wet ingredients. Combine flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and start to fold them in but before it is all incorporated, add the milk and fold it in until the batter is evenly combined. It may be a tiny bit lumpy but as long as there are no flour pockets, then it's fine. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
STEP 3). Make the cream cheese filling. Combine soft cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in a small bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer or use a wooden spoon to blend until smooth. Add milk and mix until combined and smooth. Transfer the filling to a small piping bag or a zip-top bag.
STEP 4). Scoop and fill the batter. Divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling them to the rim. Snip the tip off of the piping bag (or the corner of the zip top bag) and place it into the center of the batter. It doesn't need to be deep into the batter - it only needs to be about ¼ inch deep from the surface so the cream cheese shows at the top. Press down to squeeze, pulling up slowly in a circular motion to make a little swirl at the top to fill out about 1-inch diameter circle at the surface of the batter so you see it nicely. You will use all of the filling for the 12 muffins
STEP 5). Garnish. Sprinkle chopped pumpkin seeds over the pumpkin batter (around and not over the cream cheese filling), pressing in slightly.
STEP 6). Bake at 425℉ for 5 minutes. Then, turn the oven down to 350℉. Bake for another 12-15 minutes until they feel firm when pressed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring muffins individually to the rack to finish cooling.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS (watch the recipe video at the bottom of the page for a full tutorial)

Combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar and granulated sugar in a large bowl.

Whisk to blend well and help dissolve the sugar.

Add eggs and oil.

Add vanilla and whisk until smooth.

Blend dry ingredients separately and add to the bowl.

Begin to fold in dry ingredients, then add milk.

Fold it all together until just combined.

Scoop batter into lined muffin pan.

Pipe cream cheese filling into the center of each portion of muffin batter.

Sprinkle chopped pumpkin seeds around the batter.

Baked cream cheese pumpkin muffins fresh from the oven.

Bake until risen and the cream cheese filling is just set.

Enjoy the soft crumb texture with smooth cream cheese filling.

pumpkin cream cheese muffin on a plate with bite

EXPERT BAKING TIPS FOR PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS

Do not over-mix the batter. This is a very simple one bowl recipe so there are no fussy steps to guarantee softness - just don't over mix and they will be great.
Have ingredients at room temperature. Bring ingredients like eggs, milk and cream cheese to room temperature before mixing. This helps create a smoother and more homogeneous batter and filling.
Make your own pumpkin pie spice. You can replace the 1 ½ teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice with your own blend of ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon of ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ⅛ teaspoon ground clove and ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
Fill muffin cups generously. Use all of the batter to make 12 muffins so you get nice domed muffin tops. This way you get bakery-style muffins.
Feel free to swirl the cream cheese through the muffin batter instead of the dollop in the middle.
Do not over-bake. These muffins set quickly and as soon as they feel firm in the middle, they are ready.
Use muffin liners for this recipe. Here are parchment paper liners that I like to use for these muffins as they won't stick at all to these ones.
Don't let the muffins cool completely in the pan. Transfer them to a cooling rack after 10 minutes cooling in the pan or condensation will create moisture in the pan.

RECIPE FAQ

Can I make these pumpkin muffins with butter?

Yes, you can use melted butter to make this recipe and it still works well, however the cupcakes will have a slightly firmer texture.

How to make homemade pumpkin pie spice?

Pumpkin pie spice is easy to make at home! Just blend equal portions of ground nutmeg, allspice and clove with twice as much ginger and 3 times as much cinnamon. For a small batch, you can combine ½ teaspoon each of allspice, nutmeg and clove with 1 teaspoon of ground ginger and 1 ½ teaspoons of ground cinnamon. This will give you 4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice.

If you don't have pumpkin pie spice and you don't want to blend your own, then here are the individual spices you should add to this muffin recipe to replace the combined pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon:
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon clove

Can I use fresh pumpkin for this recipe?

I use canned pumpkin puree for baking for two main reasons: 1). Consistency - if I buy the same brand all the time then I am guaranteed to have the same results. Homemade pumpkin puree will vary in moisture content depending on how long you cook it; and 2). Ease! - it's so much easier to use canned pumpkin and the quality is just as good.

Can I freeze extra pumpkin puree?

Since you don't need a whole can of pumpkin puree for this recipe, I always freeze the rest and use it for another recipe later on - it works so great! You can freeze it in an ice cube tray or just spoon portions of it into a ziptop bag and freeze. You can also stir it into soup, which is so delicious!

Can I skip the cream cheese filling?

If you prefer to make plain pumpkin muffins, you can absolutely leave out the cream cheese filling and the baking time will remain the same.

If you love muffins, check out these recipes!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins THE BEST Double Chocolate Chip Muffins Sugar Free Banana Muffins Moist Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins Brown Butter Blueberry Muffins THE BEST Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Muffins Small Batch Double Chocolate Banana Muffins The BEST Blueberry Muffin Recipe Small Batch Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins Moist Chocolate Fudge Swirl Banana Muffins Banana Blueberry Oat Muffins BEST Banana Oat Muffins Whole Wheat Chocolate Banana Muffins Chai Spice Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins Chocolate Swirl Pumpkin Muffins

Looking for other recipes with Fall vibes? Try these:

Baking with pumpkin...

Do you love baking with pumpkin? Check out these recipes:

Video

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Starbucks Copycat)

Christina Marsigliese, Food Scientist MSc.

These ultra soft, moist and fluffy pumpkin muffins may be the best I've ever had! They are so flavorful with the perfect amount of spice and with the softest texture. They're filled with a bit of slightly sweetened cream cheese like a little bite of cheesecake in the middle, similar to those muffins you find at Starbucks in the Fall, except I promise they taste WAY better!

5 from 49 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 18

Resting Time 28

Servings 12 muffins

Ingredients

Pumpkin muffin batter:

1 ½ cups (360ml) pure pumpkin puree
½ cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
½ cup plus 2 tbsp (125g) granulated sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
½ cup (120ml) sunflower oil
1 teaspoon (5ml) pure vanilla extract
2 cups (284g) all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup (80ml) whole milk

Cream cheese filling:

5 oz (142g) cream cheese, softened
2 ½ tablespoon (32g) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon (3g) all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoon (10ml) whole milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Here are parchment paper liners that I like to use for these muffins as they won't stick at all to these ones.
Make the pumpkin muffin batter. Combine pumpkin puree and both sugars in a large bowl and whisk until smooth and glossy. Add eggs, oil and vanilla and whisk to combine.
Combine flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend evenly. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and start to fold them in but before it is all incorporated, add the milk and fold it in until the batter is evenly combined. It may be a tiny bit lumpy but as long as there are no flour pockets, then it's fine. Cover the bowl and let the batter rest on the counter for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the cream cheese filling. Combine soft cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla in a small bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer or use a wooden spoon to blend until smooth. Add milk and mix until combined and smooth. Transfer the filling to a small piping bag or a zip-top bag.
Use a 2 oz scoop to divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups, filling them to the rim. Snip the tip off of the piping bag (or the corner of the zip top bag) and place it into the center of the batter. It doesn't need to be deep into the batter - it only needs to be about ¼ inch deep from the surface so the cream cheese shows at the top. Press down to squeeze, pulling up slowly in a circular motion to make a little swirl at the top to fill out about 1-inch diameter circle at the surface of the batter so you see it nicely. You will use all of the filling for the 12 muffins, and it will be about ½ tablespoon of filling per muffin. If you have any excess batter feel free to push the tip back into the center of the muffin batter and squeeze some remainder throughout each. Sprinkle chopped pumpkin seeds over the pumpkin batter (around and not over the cream cheese filling), pressing in slightly.
Bake at 425℉ for 5 minutes. Then, turn the oven down to 350℉. Bake for another 12-15 minutes until they feel firm when pressed and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring muffins individually to the rack to finish cooling.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins