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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
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Pumpkin cream cheese muffins are packed with spices and a sweet cream cheese filling. Tender and fluffy, skip the coffee shop, and make these drool-worthy pumpkin muffins at home.
If you love bakery-style muffins you’ll want to make pumpkin spice muffins, blueberry muffins with sour cream, and banana cream cheese muffins.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Ingredients
You will need:
Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
Cream Cheese Filling
8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
⅓ cup granulated sugar
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
PRO TIP: Watch out when you are at the grocery store that you buy pure pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling.
Substitutions and Additions
CHOCOLATE CHIPS: Add chocolate chips to the muffins to create delicious pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
PUMPKIN SEEDS: I have seen variations of this recipe with pumpkin seeds baked into the batter or a few on top of the cream cheese mixture for decoration. This would add a lovely crunch to an already scrumptious muffin.
VEGETABLE OIL: You can use any neutral oil for this recipe (canola, vegetable, avocado). I would not use coconut or olive oil as they will give the muffins a stronger flavor that may not work well with the pumpkin and cream cheese for this recipe.
CREAM CHEESE: Make sure you use full-fat cream cheese for this recipe. I have found that the ⅓ less fat and fat-free versions make the cream cheese mixture much thinner and it does not work well for the recipe.
How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two standard muffin tins with 20 paper liners. Set aside.
PRO TIP: I like using muffin liners that are parchment paper because the muffins come out of the liners much easier than some of the paper brands available. I do not suggest using the generic brands of paper liners as they are pretty but they tend to really make the muffins stick to the paper.
STEP TWO: To make the cream cheese filling, add the cream cheese and granulated sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl. With a handheld mixer, on medium-low speed, beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar for 1 minute or until smooth.
STEP THREE: Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds to fully incorporate and create a smooth cream cheese filling. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Set aside.
PRO TIP: Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, or you will end up with lumps in your creamy filling.
STEP FOUR: In a medium bowl, add the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice blend, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
STEP FIVE: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the canned pure pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, large eggs, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk until all the ingredients are completely blended and the mixture is smooth.
STEP SIX: Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and whisk just until all the ingredients are combined and the batter is thick and smooth.
STEP SEVEN: Fill all 20 muffin liners ¾ full with the pumpkin muffin batter.
STEP EIGHT: Squeeze 1½-2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each pumpkin muffin.
PRO TIP: A 2-inch cookie scoop or ice cream scoop works well to fill the muffin tins.
STEP NINE: Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin part of the muffin comes out clean. Allow the pumpkin cream cheese muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
How to Serve Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Moist and delicious pumpkin cream cheese muffins are perfect for a cozy fall breakfast. Serve them for brunch in a basket of other muffins to share with friends. Enjoy them warm, at room temperature, or even after being chilled in the refrigerator. They go perfectly with a warm mug of pumpkin spice latte or an iced caramel macchiato.
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: Store the pumpkin cheesecake muffins in an airtight container for 4 days.
IN THE FREEZER: Freeze these pumpkin muffins with cream cheese filling for up to 1 month sealed in an airtight container.
Pumpkin cream cheese muffins are an irresistible pumpkin spice breakfast treat. These incredibly soft and moist muffins melt in your mouth with the perfect combination of sweet cream cheese and warm spices. Whip up a batch of muffins when you need a bite of warm and cozy fall flavor.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I keep these muffins on the counter?
Because they have cream cheese in them, we would recommend keeping them in the fridge rather than on the counter.
If I can’t find pumpkin pie spice, what can I use instead?
If you can’t find pumpkin pie spice in the store, you could use either cinnamon or a combination of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Can you freeze these muffins?
You can freeze the muffins for up to a month although the texture of the cream cheese filling may change slightly once thawed.
MORE RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice blend
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar granulated
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ⅓ cup sugar granulated
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two standard muffin tins with 20 paper liners. Set aside.
- To make the cream cheese filling, add the cream cheese and granulated sugar into a medium-sized mixing bowl. With a handheld mixer, on medium-low speed, beat together the cream cheese and granulated sugar for 1 minute or until smooth.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat for another 30 seconds to fully incorporate and create a smooth cream cheese filling. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice blend, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the canned pure pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, large eggs, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk until all the ingredients are completely blended and the mixture is smooth.
- Add the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture and whisk just until all the ingredients are combined and the batter is thick and smooth.
- Fill all 20 muffin liners ¾ full with the pumpkin muffin batter.
- Squeeze 1½-2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each pumpkin muffin.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin part of the muffin comes out clean. Allow the pumpkin cream cheese muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
- Watch out when you are at the grocery store that you buy pure pumpkin puree and not canned pumpkin pie filling.
- I like using muffin liners that are parchment paper because the muffins come out of the liners much easier than some of the paper brands available. I do not suggest using the generic brands of paper liners as they are pretty but they tend to really make the muffins stick to the paper.
- Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature, or you will end up with lumps in your creamy filling.
- A 2-inch cookie scoop or ice cream scoop works well to fill the muffin tins.
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