Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Copycat Recipe)

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Written ByDorothy Kern

Published OnSeptember 15, 2023

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These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are just like the one’s you can get at Starbucks but BETTER because they’re homemade and less expensive to make!

Each soft and tender pumpkin muffin has a dollop of cream cheese filling baked inside – they are so good! Make these copycat muffins and you’ll want to skip the expensive coffee shop ones.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Copycat Recipe) - Crazy for Crust (2)

Starbucks Pumpkin Muffins Copycat

Every fall I am SO excited when Starbucks has their pumpkin cream cheese muffins but last year, they were always out of them when I stopped by. It was such a bummer!

I’ve been making my own and I am loving having my freezer stocked so I don’t even have to leave the house to have one. It’s also so much cheaper – all of those coffees and muffins add up!

And I have to tell you – these homemade pumpkin cheesecake muffins are so much better. Pumpkin muffins are soft and moist with the perfect amount of pumpkin spice. There’s a little scoop of cream cheese filling so you get that cheesecake flavor and creaminess in every bite.

Now we don’t have to wait until Starbucks decides to serve them – having this recipe means you can make them all year if you want!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Copycat Recipe) - Crazy for Crust (3)

Ingredients Needed

For this recipe I adapted my mom’s banana bread recipe, which I’ve used as a base for so many quick breads and muffins. It’s a really easy recipe and turning it into pumpkin muffins was a breeze.

There are two parts to the recipe: the pumpkin muffin batter and the cream cheese filling.

Instead of butter, I like to use vegetable oil in this recipe. Butter is a little heavy and so using oil makes muffins that are airier and fluffier.
For the pumpkin be sure to buy canned pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling. They are two different things! Pumpkin pie filling has other ingredients while puree is just… well, pureed pumpkin.
The muffins are flavored with pumpkin spice which is usually a combination of ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and sometimes allspice. I make a lot of pumpkin baked goods during the fall season and it’s just easier to use a spice mix – less measuring!
Cream Cheese – make sure it’s room temperature to avoid lumps in your cheesecake mixture.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Copycat Recipe) - Crazy for Crust (4)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Copycat Recipe) - Crazy for Crust (5)

How to make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Add pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, and vegetable oil to a large bowl. Stir until combined then add pumpkin spice and eggs.
Stir in salt, baking soda, milk, and flour and mix until combined. Place batter into muffin pan with cupcake liners.
The filling is so good – like a little bite of cheesecake in each muffin! Just combine softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together in a bowl.
Drop one tablespoon of the mixture onto each muffin before they go in the oven. As the muffins bake, they will puff up around the cream cheese filling. When you take them out the filling will be peeking out and will be soft and creamy when you bite into it.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Copycat Recipe) - Crazy for Crust (8)

Tip From Dorothy

Expert Tips

Let the muffins cool for at least five minutes before serving them – they are so delicious warm from the oven! I usually treat myself to one right away and then freeze the rest. They are very tempting!
You can keep them in the refrigerator, too, but they will keep for a long time in the freezer. It’s such a treat to pull one out and warm it in the microwave for a sweet afternoon snack.
It might be tempting to use a hand mixer for this recipe but I don’t recommend it. For really tender muffins it’s best to mix it by hand just until the dry ingredients are absorbed into the wet ingredients. With a mixer you risk overmixing the batter.
Make sure your cream cheese is softened to avoid lumps!

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Copycat Recipe) - Crazy for Crust (10)

Muffin FAQ

My cheesecake sunk or slipped off and don’t look like yours!

In order to achieve the look that I have, make sure to make a little divot in the muffin batter, then place the cheesecake in that little indentation. Flatten the cheesecake slightly, pressing it into the batter.

Do I have to use pumpkin seeds?

No you can skip them.

Can I make these as just muffins without the cream cheese?

Yes you can!

Can I use nondairy milk?

Yes you can use any milk.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

4.89 from 18 votes

Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are my favorite pumpkin muffin recipe with a cheesecake filling! These easy muffins are a Starbucks Copycat and are the perfect easy breakfast or brunch muffin recipe for fall!

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Yield 18 muffins

Serving Size 1 muffin

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Ingredients

For the Muffin

▢ 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
▢ ⅓ cup (79ml) vegetable oil
▢ 1 cup (244g) pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie mix
▢ 2 large eggs
▢ ¼ cup (59ml) milk
▢ 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
▢ 2 cups (248g) all-purpose flour

For the Cream Cheese Filling

▢ 8 ounces (226g) cream cheese softened
▢ ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
▢ Pumpkin Seeds optional

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°. Line muffin tins with liners.
Stir pumpkin, oil, and sugar together in a large bowl. Do this by hand – don’t use a mixer. Stir in eggs, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Stir in 1 cup flour, then stir in milk, then stir in remaining 1 cup flour.
Divide evenly among muffin pans, filling each liner 1/2 full. Make a small indentation in the top of the muffin with the back of a spoon, a little holder for the cream cheese filling.
Stir together cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.
Drop 1 tablespoon onto the top of each muffin. Use the back of a spoon to spread the cheesecake mixture into the little indentation you made and adhere it to the muffin batter. Sprinkle with 4-5 pumpkin seeds, optional.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the muffin part comes out with just a few crumbs stuck too it.
Cool at least 5 minutes before serving. Store in refrigerator. Muffins can be frozen for quick breakfasts!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

You can keep them in the refrigerator, too, but they will keep for a long time in the freezer. It’s such a treat to pull one out and warm it in the microwave for a sweet afternoon snack.

It might be tempting to use a hand mixer for this recipe but I don’t recommend it. For really tender muffins it’s best to mix it by hand just until the dry ingredients are absorbed into the wet ingredients. With a mixer you risk overmixing the batter.

Make sure your cream cheese is softened to avoid lumps!

Recipe Nutrition

Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Favorite Pumpkin Recipes

Fall

Pumpkin Spice Snowballs

Holidays

Pumpkin Magic Bars

Toffee Pumpkin Gooey Bars

Breakfast Recipes

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bread with chocolate chips

Last Updated on September 15, 2023

Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

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21 Comments

Are these good as a dessert treat? Or more like a breakfast item?
Reply
1. My daughter eats them for dessert all the time!
  Reply
  Super delicious. These are some of the best cream cheese pumpkin muffins I’ve ever had! They were a huge hit with my family and friends (made some as gifts for others). I had no problems with the cream cheese spreading thanks to the indenting and filling the muffins only half way up.
  Highly recommended!
  Reply
  Could I use melted butter?
  Reply
  yes
  Reply
  I wish I could leave a picture comment … my cream cheese spread all over the top of the muffins and next time I will definitely pipe it into the muffin with a piping bag and tip. They smell really good and I’m just waiting for them to cool so I can taste one!
  Reply
  OMG! I just made these. Hands down! The best pumpkin muffins ever! Very moist and tasty not too sweet with beautiful cream cheese! AMAZING . I added baking powder and substitute granulated sugar with dark brown sugar
  Reply
  Do you know how these muffins could be made gluten free?
  Reply
  While I haven’t made this recipe with it, I have had good success using Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (teal/light blue bag) in other muffins and cupcake recipes!
  Reply
  I have make it today , very delicious and perfect , thank you
  Reply
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