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Best Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins – Easy Streusel Recipe

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These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins with Streusel Topping are soft, spiced, and filled with a creamy tangy center, topped with a crunchy, buttery streusel. Perfect for fall gatherings, bake sales, or a cozy weekend breakfast.

Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour, 1 ¾ cups (220g)
  • Granulated sugar, ½ cup (100g)
  • Brown sugar, ½ cup (100g), packed
  • Baking soda, 1 teaspoon
  • Baking powder, 1 teaspoon
  • Salt, ½ teaspoon
  • Ground cinnamon, 1 ½ teaspoons
  • Ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon
  • Ground ginger, ½ teaspoon
  • Ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon
  • Large eggs, 2
  • Pumpkin puree, 1 cup (240g)
  • Vegetable oil, ½ cup (120ml)
  • Buttermilk, ¼ cup (60ml)
  • Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
  • Cream cheese, 8 oz (226g), softened
  • Powdered sugar, ¼ cup (30g)
  • Vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon
  • All-purpose flour, ⅓ cup (40g)
  • Brown sugar, ¼ cup (50g), packed
  • Granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon
  • Ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon
  • Ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon
  • Unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons (42g), cold and cubed
  • Chopped pecans, ¼ cup (30g), optional

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
  2. Make the cream cheese filling: In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, beat until combined. Set aside.
  3. Make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup flour, ¼ cup packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon cardamom. Add cold cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter, forks, or fingertips to work butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter lumps. Stir in chopped pecans if using. Refrigerate while making batter.
  4. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ cups flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup packed brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
  5. Mix wet ingredients: In a separate large bowl, whisk eggs. Add pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
  6. Combine wet and dry: Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Do not overmix; a few lumps are fine.
  7. Fill muffin cups: Using a cookie scoop, drop a heaping tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup, filling about one-third full.
  8. Add cream cheese filling: Scoop about 1 to 1½ tablespoons of cream cheese mixture and drop in the center of the batter. Do not press down.
  9. Top with remaining batter: Divide remaining batter evenly over the cream cheese filling, filling cups about three-quarters full. A little cream cheese showing is okay.
  10. Add streusel: Sprinkle generous amount of cold streusel over each muffin. Press gently into batter so it sticks.
  11. Bake: Place muffin tin in preheated oven. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the muffin part (not cream cheese center) comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Tops should be golden brown.
  12. Cool: Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Room temperature ingredients blend better. Do not overmix batter. Keep streusel cold for crunchier topping. Let muffins cool completely before serving to allow cream cheese filling to set. Muffins can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerated for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Keywords: pumpkin cream cheese muffins, streusel topping, fall baking, easy muffin recipe, pumpkin muffins

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