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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Pumpkin cream cheese muffins with a fluffy pumpkin spice crumb and a creamy cream cheese ribbon swirled through the center. Finished with a cinnamon-sugar topping, they bake to a domed, tender texture in under 25 minutes.
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Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 220
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

dry ingredients
  • 1.75 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
muffin batter
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 0.67 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.33 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs large
cream cheese filling and topping
  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened
  • 0.25 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp cinnamon sugar, for topping

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with liners.
Mix the dry and wet batter
  1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until evenly combined.
  2. Mix the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs until smooth and uniform.
  3. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir until just mixed, stopping as soon as no dry flour remains.
Make the cream cheese filling
  1. Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and spreadable.
Fill, swirl, and bake
  1. Fill muffin cups halfway with batter.
  2. Add a dollop of the cream cheese filling to the center of each muffin.
  3. Swirl with a toothpick, dragging it through the batter 2-3 times for a ribbon effect.
  4. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top of each muffin.
  5. Bake at 375°F for 18-20 minutes, until the tops spring back and a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
Cool and serve
  1. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.

Notes

Pro tip: don’t overmix after combining wet and dry—stir just until the flour disappears so the pumpkin muffins stay tender. If you want cleaner swirls, chill the cream cheese filling for 10-15 minutes before dolloping. Store muffins in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days; freeze up to 2 months for best texture. For a lighter option, use low-fat cream cheese in the filling (swap 1:1) while keeping the rest the same.