This post contains affiliate links.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are a soft and moist pumpkin spice muffin filled with a creamy cheesecake center and topped with buttery streusel. This easy fall recipe is even better than the bakery and makes the perfect sweet breakfast, snack, or dessert.
If Fall were a muffin, it'd be this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin.
If Fall were a muffin, it'd be this Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin. I look forward to them every year! The pumpkin spice flavor is cozy and nostalgic, while the surprise cream cheese filling makes them taste like little bites of pumpkin cheesecake wrapped in a muffin. I especially love the streusel topping that gives them the best crunch on top. They’re easy enough to whip up on a weeknight but special enough to bring to a fall gathering, and my family never lets a batch last more than a day.
How to make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins:
Cream Cheese Filling: In a small bowl, beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate while you prepare the muffin batter.
Muffin Batter: In one bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix the eggs, oil, sugar, and pumpkin purée until smooth. Gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined.
Streusel Topping: In a small bowl, combine the streusel topping ingredients. Use a fork or pastry blender to cut the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
Bake: Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup. Add a teaspoon of cream cheese filling in the center, then cover with more batter until each cup is about ¾ full. Sprinkle generously with the streusel topping. Bake for 18–20 minutes, then remove from the pan and let cool on a wire rack before serving.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Pumpkin Muffins:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup oil
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree, , or homemade
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 oz plain cream cheese, , softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Streusel Topping:
- 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, , packed
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Cream Cheese Filling: Prepare cream cheese filling by combining the cream cheese and powdered sugar and mix well until smooth. Refrigerate while you make the muffins.4 oz plain cream cheese, ½ cup powdered sugar
- Muffins: In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir and set aside. In a separate large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sugar and pumpkin puree. Mix until well combined. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 large eggs, ¾ cup oil, 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
- Streusel Topping: Add the streusel topping ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine using a pastry or fork, until crumbly.2 Tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 Tablespoons cold butter, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a standard muffin pan, or line with paper liners.
- Fill each muffin cup with a heaping tablespoon of batter. Place a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese filling into the center of each muffin cup. Add additional muffin batter until the cups are ¾ way full. Sprinkle crumb topping over the top of each. (This recipe will make 18 regular size muffins, or 12 very large muffins. If you want to use all the batter to make large muffins, add 6-10 minutes to the bake time. I’ve never had them overflow on me.)
- Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes. Remove from muffin pan and allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Text me new recipe ideas!
Simple, tasty ideas sent once a week. No spam.
Follow Me
I originally shared this recipe August 2016. Updated October 2020, August 2023 and September 2025.
These pumpkin muffins were amazing! I made them in a larger cupcake tin. Because I love cream cheese icing so much I doubled the cream cheese filling, it was so good! Thank you for sharing this recipe, so so enjoyed it!
not much flavor at all. kick up the amount of spices in this to make it better
Might just be the best muffin recipe EVER!
Maybe I’m missing it. What kind of oil do you use?
We recommend vegetable, canola or coconut oil.
These look sooo good! How much sugar for the muffins though? It’s showing as 11/4 cup.
Thank you for pointing that out! My apologies for the oversight. It should be 1 1/4 cups of sugar for the muffins. I’ve updated the recipe now. Hope you enjoy making and eating the pumpkin cream cheese muffins! They’re a treat!
No need to apologize! My family and I LOVE your recipes! Have yet to find one we haven’t liked. Thank you!
Delicious! Try these this fall!
Amazing. Now that my fam has eaten these fall can officially start.
Made these per recipe, they are wonderful!
Salted or unsalted butter?
Unsalted but if you use salted just decrease the additional salt slightly!
Love these muffins with the surprise cream cheese filling. After experimenting, I like to change it up sometimes and swap out the crumble topping for a sprinkle of pepitas instead. Works great either way!
BEST MUFFINS EVER!!!