This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Starbucks copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are moist, fluffy, and perfect for fall! They’re an easy muffin recipe made with spiced pumpkin batter baked with a warm, gooey cream cheese center.
Move over, Starbucks, there’s a new pumpkin cream cheese muffin in town! This homemade copycat recipe is moist, fluffy, and filled with gooey cream cheese just like the original. And if you ask me, it’s way more delicious than anything you’ll find at a drive-thru. Honestly, this pumpkin muffin filled with cream cheese is one of those home-baked goods where you can taste the love with every bite. Okay, maybe it’s the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and vanilla you’re tasting. But they’re made with lots of love, too!
If you’re looking for more delicious pumpkin treats to make this fall, check out my pumpkin banana muffins and these pumpkin spice chocolate chunk muffins loaded with sweetness and spice!
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Delicious pumpkin flavor. These muffins are the perfect dessert for breakfast! I’ve yet to serve these to anyone who could say no. I mean, they’re soft pumpkin muffins with a sweet and creamy center… What’s not to love?
- Better than Starbucks. Save money and time and enjoy everyone’s favorite Starbucks treat at home. Even better, baked fresh from your own oven!
- Easy to make. I love serving any kind of a filled muffin or cupcake, because it always looks like I did so much more work than what was actually required. In reality, these sweet treats are super simple to assemble and always hit the spot!
Ingredients You’ll Need
The biggest bragging right, besides how picturesque these muffins are, is that they’re 100% made from scratch. Below are some ingredient notes on what you’ll need for the batter. Scroll to the recipe card for the full ingredient amounts and details.
For the Pumpkin Muffin
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Pumpkin pie spice – Use your favorite store-bought blend or make homemade pumpkin pie spice!
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Eggs
- Pumpkin puree – Canned pumpkin puree works just fine. Make sure you’re using 100% pumpkin and not canned pumpkin pie filling, which has sweeteners and spices added.
- Sugar – You’ll need both white and brown sugar.
- Oil – Vegetable oil works best, or you can use another neutral-flavored oil, like canola or avocado oil.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract has the best flavor, but imitation vanilla also works in this recipe.
For the Cream Cheese Filling
- Cream cheese – Use the kind that comes in bricks (not the spreadable kind), brought to room temperature beforehand.
- Sugar
- Vanilla
- Salt
How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
It’s time to make the ultimate homemade pumpkin cream cheese muffins! You’ll be amazed at how easy it is. Let’s get this recipe started:
- Mix the dry ingredients. First, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs with pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Afterward, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring to combine.
- Fill the pan. Pour the batter into a greased and lined 12-well muffin tin. Set this aside for now while you prepare the cream cheese filling.
- Make the cream cheese filling. Get out your mixer and beat the cream cheese together with sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt.
- Fill the muffins. You can do this by dropping spoonfuls of sweet cream cheese directly on top of the muffin batter, or you can pipe the filling into the batter using a piping bag. (Or, try a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off!)
- Bake. Bake these pumpkin cream cheese muffins at 350ºF for 15-20 minutes, and allow the muffins to cool for a bit before serving.
Recipe Tips and Variations
Follow these tips to ensure that your pumpkin cream cheese muffins turn out exactly to your liking:
- Use a piping bag for less mess. When it comes to actually filling your muffins with the cream cheese mixture, I recommend using a piping bag or a Ziploc baggie with the corner snipped. It’s way less messy than using a spoon!
- Try another filling. In place of cream cheese, you can fill these pumpkin muffins with your favorite jam, or fill them with frosting. In this case, I recommend filling the muffins after they’re baked.
- Add a topping. I think these muffins would taste amazing topped with a buttery streusel or crunchy pecan topping! Or, simply sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar.
- Add frosting. What’s better than a pumpkin muffin bursting with sweet cream cheese filling? A pumpkin cream cheese muffin swirled high with homemade cream cheese frosting!
How to Store Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
In an airtight container at room temperature, these fall-favorite muffins will stay fresh for about 5 days. That’s plenty of time to enjoy them with your morning coffee!
Unlike most muffin recipes, I don’t recommend freezing these pumpkin cream cheese muffins as the cream cheese tends to change in texture once it’s thawed.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin Cornbread Muffins
- Pumpkin Blondies
- Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Brownies
- Pumpkin Apple Olive Oil Muffins
- Pumpkin Roll
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 1 ⅓ cup (167 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup (184 g) pumpkin puree
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or imitation vanilla flavor
For the cream cheese filling:
- 6 ounces (170 g) cream cheese, at room temperature
- ¼ cup (50 g) white sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or imitation vanilla flavor
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (177 °C)
- Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Whisk the eggs in a separate large bowl that add the pumpkin puree, sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil and vanilla and stir to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients then stir just until combined.
- Add cupcake liners to a 12 capacity muffin pan and spray with nonstick spray.
- Fill the liners ¾ of the way with the batter then set aside.
- Beat the cream cheese until smooth then add the sugar, vanilla and salt to the cream cheese and beat again until smooth.
- Spoon the mixture directly on top of the muffin batter or fill a large zip lock bag with the cream cheese, cut a small hole in the bottom and pipe the cream cheese into the batter.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of one of the muffins.
- Let them cool for 10 minutes before serving.
