Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins are soft, spiced, and filled with a creamy surprise in the center. They’re topped with a buttery streusel that bakes into a golden crumble, making every bite cozy and irresistible. Perfect for fall mornings, bake sales, or pairing with a hot cup of coffee, if you love pumpkin, you’re going to flip over these muffins!
I always make a double batch because these disappear fast. You get all the best fall flavors wrapped into one muffin: warm pumpkin spice, sweet tangy cream cheese, and that buttery crumb topping everyone loves. Plus, you can freeze them and enjoy pumpkin season any time of year.
These Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins are perfect for breakfast, in a lunchbox, and they’re even better warmed up a bit with an afternoon cup of coffee or tea. For plenty of fall flavor in a truly tasty muffin, these really deliver!
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- Brown sugar – You can use light brown sugar, or for a deeper, richer flavor, opt for dark brown sugar.
- Flour – You don’t need to sift it.
- Butter – I cook with salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt to the melted butter and dissolve it.
- Ground cinnamon – Fresh spices make so much difference!
- Pumpkin pie spice – I always buy a new container of pumpkin pie spice each season. Fresher is so much tastier!
Spiced Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- All-purpose flour – No need to sift.
- Baking powder – Watch the expiry date on your baking powder. Expired baking powder won’t rise well.
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Salt
- Butter
- Brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Pumpkin puree – Ensure you’re using pure pumpkin puree. Don’t use pumpkin pie filling.
- Eggs – Large or even extra large eggs are fine in this recipe.
- Buttermilk – If you don’t have buttermilk, add a spoonful of sour cream to ¼ cup of milk and mix until smooth. Then top up with milk until you get to ½ a cup. This is a good buttermilk substitution.
- Vanilla extract – Use artificial vanilla. It’s fine, trust me.
Cream Cheese Filling
- Cream cheese – Softened. You want your cream cheese to be quite soft. Don’t be afraid to microwave it for 10-second bursts until it is quite soft but not liquid.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg – Large or extra large.
- Vanilla extract – Artificial vanilla is fine.
How To Make Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
In a mini mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, melted butter, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice. Stir gently until clumps form. You want it crumbly, not a paste. Set aside.
In a separate large batter bowl, whisk the brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet and stir with a flex-edge silicone spatula, just until it’s all incorporated. Don’t overmix. Set aside while we work on the filling.
Use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. This is the luscious center, so don’t skimp on the mixing.
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line your nonstick muffin pan with paper liners or grease each well with a bit of butter or oil. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of pumpkin batter to each cup, followed by 1 heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling. Top with another heaping tablespoon of muffin batter. Finish with 1 tablespoon of streusel on top and gently press it in so it sticks.
Wipe away any excess batter from the pan edges using a silicone pastry brush. This helps the muffins release cleanly.
Bake the muffins at 425°F for 5 minutes. Without opening the oven, reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for another 12 to 15 minutes. A cake tester or thin skewer should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack with legs to finish cooling completely before serving.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Use a cookie scoop set to portion the batter and filling cleanly. It keeps the muffins uniform and makes layering easier.
- Don’t skip the temperature change when baking. Starting hot helps the muffins rise tall with a nice dome.
- If your cream cheese isn’t fully softened, warm it in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time to avoid lumps.
Recommended
Make It A Meal
Pair one of these muffins with a fall fruit salad or scrambled eggs for breakfast, or serve them on a brunch board with apple butter and coffee for a cozy weekend spread. I also love them as a not-too-sweet dessert.
Storage
Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. To freeze, wrap individually and store in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight and reheat gently in the microwave.
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
Cinnamon Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup butter melted
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
Spiced Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter melted
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the streusel topping
- Mix together the brown sugar, flour, melted butter, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice in a small bowl until crumbly. Set aside.
For the muffin batter
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, pumpkin puree, melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla extract in another large bowl until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin and egg mixture. Mix well until combined. Set aside.
Make the cream cheese filling
- Beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla in a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or use a hand mixer, until smooth and creamy.
Assemble and bake
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a muffin tin with paper liners or grease well.
- Spoon 1 heaping tablespoon of muffin batter into each muffin well. Then top each with 1 heaping tablespoon of cream cheese filling. Add another heaping tablespoon of muffin batter over the cream cheese. Press about 1 tablespoon of streusel topping gently onto each filled muffin.
- Repeat to fill all muffin cups.
- Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F without opening the door and continue baking for another 12–15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tip
- Use a cookie scoop set to portion the batter and filling cleanly. It keeps the muffins uniform and makes layering easier.
- Don’t skip the temperature change when baking. Starting hot helps the muffins rise tall with a nice dome.
- If your cream cheese isn’t fully softened, warm it in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time to avoid lumps.