Like a delicious pumpkin roll, these pumpkin cream cheese muffins combine perfectly spiced pumpkin muffins with cream cheese filling. Top the muffins with brown sugar crumb cake topping and you have an absolutely irresistible pumpkin spice breakfast treat.
It’s time to cross something off your fall to-do list: make cream cheese-stuffed pumpkin muffins!
Every year when the weather begins to cool down, I suddenly begin craving all of the season’s comforting flavors. I’m pretty sure I’m not alone here—a pumpkin-spice alarm goes off in all our brains. First, I prepare a batch of homemade pumpkin pie spice. And then one of the first recipes I prepare each year are these pumpkin cheesecake muffins. I originally published this recipe in 2013 and it’s been a fall favorite since!
Everything to Love About Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
- Tastes like dessert for breakfast
- Crave-worthy pumpkin spice flavor
- Lightly sweetened cheesecake filling, similar to the filling from my pumpkin cream cheese Bundt cake
- Easy to transport & share
- Stay moist & soft for days
- Like pumpkin coffee cake and pumpkin swirl cheesecake in 1!!
3 Parts to Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Pumpkin Muffins: There’s many different ways to prepare pumpkin muffins. You could leave these muffins completely plain without the cream cheese filling and crumb cake topping and they’ll be similar to my regular pumpkin muffins. You could also try these pumpkin crumb cake muffins or mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins instead.
- Cheesecake Filling: You need 4 simple ingredients for the cream cheese filling. Bring some brick cream cheese to room temperature, then beat it with 1 egg yolk, sugar, and a touch of vanilla extract. The egg yolk helps the cream cheese filling “set” like cheesecake.
- Crumb Topping: You also need 4 ingredients for the crumb topping including flour, melted butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Make the crumb topping first so it’s ready. It’s nearly the same crumb topping we use for peach muffins in the summertime.
You need 4 mixing bowls: 1 for the muffin’s dry ingredients, 1 for the muffin’s wet ingredients, 1 for the cheesecake filling, and 1 for the crumb cake topping.
Overview: How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Prepare crumb cake topping.
- Prepare pumpkin muffin batter. Use a whisk to bring all the ingredients together.
- Prepare cheesecake filling. You need a mixer for this step.
- Layer the pumpkin batter and cheesecake filling together.
- Add crumb cake topping. Press it down into the tops of each muffin so it sticks.
- Bake. Your kitchen will smell like a pumpkin spice candle!
Which part of these pumpkin cheesecake muffins will you like best? I’m not sure I can play favorites! There’s just so much to love because every layer has a different texture and taste. A moist and flavor-packed tender pumpkin muffin, generously spiced and lightly sweetened with brown sugar. The cheesecake is a tangy, yet sweet ripple of creamy goodness. And the buttery slightly crunchy crumbles on top add the perfect finishing touch.
Not to mention, they taste fantastic for breakfast with a cup of coffee and homemade pumpkin coffee creamer. Fall breakfast bliss!
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 12-14 muffins
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Like a delicious pumpkin roll, these pumpkin cream cheese muffins combine perfectly spiced pumpkin muffins with cream cheese filling. Top the muffins with brown sugar crumb cake topping and you have an absolutely irresistible pumpkin spice breakfast treat.
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2/3 cup (84g) all-purpose flour
Pumpkin Muffins
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup (227g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup (120ml) vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/3 cup (80ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- 6 ounces (170g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3 Tablespoons (36g) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 12-14 muffins, so you may need a 2nd muffin pan or bake this recipe in batches.
- Make the crumb-topping first: Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter together in a small bowl until combined. Add the flour and use a fork to gently mix until crumbs form. Don’t over-mix into a paste. Just mix until it is crumbly. Set aside.
- Make the pumpkin batter: Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, pumpkin, oil, milk, and vanilla extract together. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk or stir until just combined. Avoid over-mixing.
- Make the cheesecake filling: Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy. Beat in the egg yolk, vanilla extract, and sugar until combined.
- Spoon 1 heaping Tablespoon of pumpkin muffin batter into the muffin cups. Layer with about 1 spoonful (not quite a full Tablespoon) of cheesecake filling, then another heaping Tablespoon of muffin batter—or however much batter is needed to fill the cups all the way to the top. Some cheesecake filling may poke out of the top or on the sides. Sprinkle crumb topping onto each, then press it down into the tops of the muffins to help prevent it from falling off as the muffins bake.
- Bake for 5 minutes 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce heat to 350°F (177°C)* and continue baking for another 15-17 minutes. The total time these muffins should be in the oven is around 20-22 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes in the pan before serving.
- Cover leftover muffins tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: For longer storage, freeze the muffins for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat up in the microwave if desired.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/4 teaspoon each: ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice. This is in addition to the 2 teaspoons of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Why the initial high oven temperature? Like I do for most muffin recipes, bake the muffins for 5 minutes at a very hot temperature. Then, keeping the muffins in the oven, switch to a lower temperature for the remaining bake time. This initial high temperature will quickly lift the muffin tops so they’re extra high, then the centers will bake during the lower temperature bake time. This trick makes beautiful bakery-style muffins every time.
Can I cut this recipe in half?
Hi Diane, yes, that isn’t a problem.
These muffins are absolutely delicious and look professional since they crown so well! A few tips: I don’t use muffin papers and just grease the muffin tins with cooking spray and brush the entire tin. I also grease the top of the entire pan to make it easier to remove from pan. Using small scoops in the 1 tblsp and 1 1/2 tblsp sizes makes layering so much easier. All of Sally’s recipes are the best!
I made this a few days ago, and I wasn’t blown away. It was good. But not amazing.
It came out a little tough, I think next time I’ll cook it a little less. I also made sure not to over mix it, but as it was sitting in the bowl (while I was assembling the cream cheese filling), it looked like it was thickening and reacting. So maybe next time I’d try and make the cream cheese filling first.
I also feel like more filling is needed???
And then the top did not come out crumbly and streusel-like. It was like a weird floury-mixture? Next time I’d probably take out the flour and just leave the sugar and butter.
I also feel like it needs more pumpkin spice.
Hi Maria, thanks so much for your feedback and for giving this recipe a try. How did you measure your flour? Be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure your flour isn’t over measured, which can make the batter too thick and the resulting muffins drier/tougher. For the topping, it sounds like it may have been overworked a bit, causing it to become more pasty and disappear into the batter when cooking. You’ll want to mix until just combined, and you can refrigerate it for a few minutes before adding to the muffins for extra measure to make sure it won’t melt. We don’t recommend leaving out the flour, or the sugar and butter will definitely melt into the tops of the muffins. Let us know if we can help troubleshoot further!
This was my first time making these. These turned out so delicious.
Hi sally, huge fan of all your recipes!!! I’ve noticed sometimes for your muffin recipes you leave a note for mini muffins, I was wondering if there was any special instructions for this specific recipe! Thanks in advance!!!
Hi Chloe, for mini muffins, bake at 350 degrees (the entire time) for about 12-14 minutes, give or take. Keep a close eye on them and use a toothpick to test for doneness.
How long for Texas muffin tin would I bake them? (6 muffins)
Hi Ranae, You can use this batter and then follow the baking times and instructions from jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide.
what should i do to make these at high altitude?
Hi River Rogge, we wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html. Hope the muffins are a hit if you give them a try!
silly question
but can we use the cream cheese filling to fill cookies?
Hi Kristina, we’d recommend using the cream cheese filling from these cream cheese stuffed red velvet cookies instead. Enjoy!
Nice pumpkin and spice flavour! I found that the cream cheese filling kind of absorbed into the batter while cooking so I didn’t really get the cheesecake layer I was expecting. Will double the amount next time and see how that goes.
Eating one as I type..and OH MY GOODNESS….
These pumpkin cream cheese filled muffins are FANTASTIC!
when they first came out, I wont lie, I was a bit disappointed. The crumble was SO HARD. but Sally said it best in a recipe I read once “better the next day”
that crumble on top was delicious and so soft and yummy the next day after baking. Not even 24 hrs later, I want to say 12 hrs later, these muffins were PERFECTION. My only gripe is that I only brought one to work with me to enjoy.
My husband SWALLOWED them.
Sally, you have outdone yourself again!
great recipe
Wonderful recipe! Since I was making this for the first time it took me about an hour to prep. I didn’t want to mess anything up so I was slow and meticulous. Also, the. cupcake liners kept slipping on me which made the process a bit messy. I will go with aluminum ones next time.
OMG these are wonderful. I might double the cream cheese next time, I did the jumbo muffin tins.
I am so excited to make these after reading all the exceptionally positive reviews. Can you use this to make mini bunt cakes?
Hi Eveleen, absolutely. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but you can follow the baking times and directions from these mini Bundt cakes as a guide. Enjoy!
So good. I thought there was too much crumb but I was wrong.
Unbelievably delicious Thank you.
Well Ms Sally, when making this recipe I made a huge mistake! When I was putting this together I was having a conversation/argument (in my head) with my husband. By the time I put all the ingredients together I realized that I did not separate the filling and the batter! I mixed it all together, that is why you don’t have those conversations/arguments in your head when you are cooking! No way to fix it so I went ahead put it in the muffin tin and added the crumble mix of which I put pecans in the mix. Well Ms Sally those muffins were moist, favorable and delicious! thank God this mistake worked out. Next time I make them I will keep the filling separate so I can actually have a filling! Great recipe thank you!
Thank you for this recipe! I reduced the sugar a little bit and used an oat topping instead. Absolutely delicious and my toddler loved the few minis I made him!
I’m wondering what size pan to use if you wanted to bake this as a cake, rather than muffins?
Hi Lisa, here’s everything you need to know about cake pan sizes and conversions. This batter as written will fit well into a 9×5-inch loaf pan. Or, here is our pumpkin cake recipe instead.
Thank you, Sally, for yet another mouthwatering recipe! The house is still filled with the warm scent of pumpkin and spices from baking these pumpkin cream cheese muffins last night. They were the perfect way to welcome the arrival of fall, my favorite season.
Can you add mini chocolate chips to this recipie?
Hi Brittany, absolutely! Enjoy!
I added white chocolate chips yo the cheesecake filling to kind of mimic black bottom cheesecake muffins…very good!
Not sure what I did wrong but I ran out of batter after only 12 muffin tins!
Hi Tammy, you didn’t do anything wrong. This recipe makes 12 to 14.