These decadent pumpkin cream cheese muffins are topped with sweet cream cheese that melts into the tops as they bake. Ready in just 30 minutes, these moist pumpkin muffins will be a new family favorite!
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Don’t worry, while I did update the photos, this is still the original recipe that went viral and made everyone start swirling cream cheese into the tops of their pumpkin muffins! Here’s why you will love this recipe:
- Impressive: If you are looking for a touch of sophistication, these swirled beauties are sure to impress with thick ribbons of cream cheese that melt right into the top of the pumpkin muffins as they bake.
- Extra Moist: These pumpkin cream cheese muffins are pure melt-in-your-mouth goodness and use an entire can of pumpkin to keep them moist with no leftover pumpkin to worry about.
- Crowd-Pleaser: You might want to make a double batch, because these pumpkin cheesecake muffins tend to disappear FAST!
- Quick and Easy: These muffins come together in just 30 minutes using budget-friendly pantry staples.
If you love pumpkin as much as I do make sure to also check out my bakery style classic pumpkin muffins, sweet pumpkin streusel muffins or these pumpkin oatmeal muffins.
Ingredients You’ll Need
This easy pumpkin cream cheese muffins recipe uses simple baking ingredients that you may already have on hand. For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Pumpkin Muffin:
- Flour: All-purpose flour.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: Use store bought pumpkin pie spice, or I shared my recipe for homemade pumpkin spice mix below in the recipe card.
- Baking Soda: Rising agents insure tender, fluffy muffins.
- Salt
- Pumpkin Puree: I use a 15 oz can of pumpkin. Make sure it is pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling which is already sweetened.
- Sugar: I use a combination of granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
- Eggs
- Vegetable Oil: For an extra-moist muffin I recommend using oil, however you can use melted butter instead.
- Vanilla Extract
Cream Cheese Swirl:
- Cream Cheese: Use full fat cream cheese for the best taste and texture.
- Sugar
- Egg Yolk: Used for richness and to help with the texture of the swirl.
- Vanilla Extract
How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Even with two parts, both the muffin and the swirl come together quickly and easily in these pumpkin cheesecake muffins – doubly delicious!
- Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt.
- Wet Ingredients: Whisk together pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract.
- Combine: Slowly whisk in the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture, until there are no lumps. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.
- Cream Cheese Mixture: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Swirl: Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter.
- Bake: Bake muffins for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Tips & Variations For Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Guarantee your muffins turn out just the way you want with these recipe tips and variations:
- Caution: Don’t overfill cups with muffin batter as the cream cheese dollop will make up some of the volume.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: For texture purposes, it’s important for the eggs and cream cheese to be at room temperature. Eggs and cream cheese can be left on the counter for approximately an hour, or to speed up the process, eggs can rest in a bowl of warm water and cream cheese can be cut into small cubes.
- Don’t Over-Mix: Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients gently, just until combined. If you over stir the batter, it can overdevelop the gluten and cause dry muffins.
- No Pumpkin Spice? Make your own by combining 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp allspice.
- Dollop: Don’t have time to swirl the cream cheese into the top of each muffin? Try adding a dollop of the cream cheese filling to the center of the batter instead.
- Bake A Loaf: If you would prefer to bake a loaf of bread instead of muffins, head over to my pumpkin cream cheese bread. It’s the same recipe, but baked into a loaf!
Storing Pumpkin Muffins
Store these pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I personally like these muffins best served at room temperature or slightly chilled, so I take them out of the fridge for a few minutes before serving to allow them warm up.
I do not recommend freezing these muffins as the cream cheese will change the texture once frozen and thawed again.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
- Best Pumpkin Cake
- Best Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Easy Pumpkin Dump Cake
- Best Pumpkin Cheesecake
Yield: 18 standard muffins
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins
Pumpkin cream cheese muffins are topped with sweet cream cheese that melts into the tops as they bake. Ready in just 30 minutes, these moist pumpkin muffins will be a new family favorite!
Ingredients
Muffin:
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Swirl:
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place paper baking cups into muffin pan. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda and salt until well combined. Set aside.
- In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar.
- Beat in eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture, until there are no lumps. Fill muffin tins 3/4 full.
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add in sugar, egg yolk and vanilla extract and beat until well combined.
- Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter. This will not look smooth, but it will bake up much prettier. (You can see exactly how I did this in the video below.)
- Bake muffins for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes, then serve warm or let cool completely to store.
Video
Notes
Storage: Store these pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I personally like these muffins best served at room temperature or slightly chilled, so I take them out of the fridge for a few minutes before serving to allow them warm up.
No Pumpkin Spice? Make your own by combining 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and 1/2 tsp allspice.
Dollop: Don’t have time to swirl the cream cheese into the top of each muffin? Try adding a dollop of the cream cheese filling to the center of the batter instead.
Bake A Loaf: If you would prefer to bake a loaf of bread instead of muffins, head over to my pumpkin cream cheese bread. It’s the same recipe, but baked into a loaf!
Don’t Over-Mix: Combine the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients gently, just until combined. If you over stir the batter, it can overdevelop the gluten and cause dry muffins.
Nutritional Note: Nutrition facts are only estimates. Please be sure to calculate your own nutrition facts with the brands you choose to use for precise measurements.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 muffin, Calories: 241kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 176mg, Potassium: 98mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 3888IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 1mg
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