Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese

If it’s the fall season, it’s time for pumpkin cream cheese muffins! These muffins are incredibly soft, moist, and spiced with fall spices.

a baked muffin in a muffin pan mold.

What better way to celebrate fall than with a batch of homemade pumpkin cream cheese muffins? You’re less than an hour away from a delicious batch of pumpkin muffins with a cream cheese swirl baked in.

Ingredients

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking powder
  • Pumpkin pie spice
  • Kosher salt
  • Granulated sugar
  • Vegetable oil
  • Large eggs
  • Pumpkin puree
  • Vanilla extract
baked pumpkin muffins in a muffin pan.

How to Make Them

Whisk the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan. Fill each muffin mold about halfway with the batter.

the batter being scooped into the pan.

Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and egg in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the mixture on the batter in the muffin pan. Swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter using a dinner knife.

the batter and cream cheese in the muffin pan.

Bake the muffins for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Leave the muffins in the pan for a few minutes before removing them.

the baked muffins in a pan.

Recipe Tips

  • Use two bowls to make the batter. One to whisk the dry ingredients and another (larger bowl) to combine the wet ingredients. This makes it easier to combine all of the ingredients without overmixing the batter.
  • The cream cheese will bake into the muffin at the top so, once baked they will be light orange in color with flecks and streaks of cream cheese.
  • Cool the muffins in the muffin pan and then run a dinner knife around the edges to loosen them before lifting them out of the pan.
  • The muffins will keep well at room temperature for two days. You can also freeze the pumpkin muffins. Just pop them in an airtight container, and they will keep in the freezer for up to three months or so. You can thaw them at room temperature or pop them in the microwave to warm them up.

I hope you try them soon!

Happy baking,

April
a basket of muffins.

📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe, along with your recipe star rating.

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Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese

a baked muffin in a muffin pan mold.

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Bring on the pumpkin spice! These pumpkin muffins with a cream cheese swirl are a must-bake fall treat.

  • Author: April Anderson
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 12 muffins 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale

For the Muffins

  • 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (see note)
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Swirl

  • 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.
  2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt in a medium bowl. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, pumpkin, and vanilla.
  3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir just until combined. Divide the batter evenly in the muffin pan, filling each about ½ way full.
  4. Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and egg in a bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of the mixture on the batter in the muffin pan. Swirl the cream cheese mixture into the batter using a dinner knife.
  5. Bake the muffins for 20 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Leave the muffins in the pan for a few minutes before removing them.

Notes

Measuring the flour: Use the spoon and level method to measure the flour into a dry measuring cup. I like to stir the flour in the container first.

Pumpkin spice: If you don’t have any on hand, you can use the same amount of cinnamon or nutmeg.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 muffin
  • Calories: 209
  • Sugar: 14.7g
  • Sodium: 75.6mg
  • Fat: 9.2g
  • Saturated Fat: 6.1g
  • Unsaturated Fat: 2.3g
  • Trans Fat: 0g
  • Carbohydrates: 28.3g
  • Fiber: 1.1g
  • Protein: 4g
  • Cholesterol: 56mg

Do you love this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a comment and your recipe star rating!

The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.

10/20/2023: Post, photos, and recipe updated from the archives.

20 Comments

  1. I made these this morning. They are so light and airy. I used some maple cookies instead of gingersnaps. To enhance the maple cookies, I added some maple extract to the batter. I can’t stop eating them. Great recipe!

  2. Oh, I am a nerd. I made your muffins, but added a streusel topping from another recipe, hense the maple/gingersnap cookie comment. As a side note, try adding a maple streusel topping, it tastes really good 🙂

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