Homemade Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Better Than Starbucks!)
If you’ve ever waited all year for Starbucks’ Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins to come back, you’re going to love this recipe! These taste just like Starbucks, but even better warm from your own oven. Soft, pumpkin-spiced muffins with a creamy cheesecake center. They’re the perfect cozy fall bake to make at home.
I love having a batch on the counter for busy mornings or as an afternoon treat with coffee. They’re easy to make, and your whole kitchen will smell like fall.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Pin Recipe Print RecipeIngredients
Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- 1 ½ cups pure pumpkin purée
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup whole milk
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 5 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 ½ tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Mix the pumpkin batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, oil, and vanilla, and whisk until combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture, pour in the milk, and gently fold until just combined. Don’t overmix—small lumps are totally fine!
- Make the cream cheese filling. In a small bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla until smooth. Add the milk and mix until creamy. Transfer to a small piping bag or a zip-top bag.
- Fill the muffin cups. Divide the pumpkin batter evenly among the muffin liners, filling each about ¾ full. Snip a small corner off the piping bag and squeeze about ½ tablespoon of cream cheese filling into the center of each muffin. Add a small swirl on top if you’d like the cream cheese to show.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake another 12–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the edge comes out clean.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Tips:
- These muffins stay soft and moist for several days. Store covered at room temperature or refrigerate if you like the cream cheese center extra cold.
- If you want that classic coffee shop look, sprinkle a few chopped pumpkin seeds on top before baking.
- Freeze leftovers for up to a month, just thaw or warm slightly before serving.
Let me know what you think of these pumpkin muffins! I always love hearing from you.
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