Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins recipe

Happy PSL Day! Today is the unofficial start of fall (and don’t mind the fact that the high was 104 here in Texas yesterday), so I had to have a new recipe ready to celebrate. Introducing a recipe inspired by the Starbuck pumpkin cream cheese muffins: Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins! These soft and delicious pumpkin streusel muffins have those fall pumpkin spice flavors and a rich cream cheese filling, but are easier to make than you might think. They’re pumpkin muffins with spice cake mix as a shortcut. I’ve got the full recipe for cream cheese pumpkin muffins at the end of this post (click the Jump to Recipe button above to go straight to it), but if you keep reading, I’ve got lots of tips for making these homemade pumpkin muffins with streusel topping, along with step-by-step recipe photos to help your pumpkin spice cream cheese muffins come out perfectly the first time and every time. Make your own Starbucks Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins to nibble while you enjoy your first pumpkin spice latte of the season!

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More pumpkin recipes like these pumpkin cream cheese muffins

If you’re craving #pumpkineverything like I always do this time of year, don’t stop with these pumpkin spice cream cheese muffins! Here are more pumpkin recipes we love:

• Air Fryer Mini Pumpkin Hand Pies (mini pumpkin pie bites)
• Pumpkin Spice Truffles (No-Bake Pumpkin Truffle Recipe)
• Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake
• Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
• Bourbon-Spiked Pumpkin Pecan Bundt Cake
• Caramel Pumpkin Spice Popcorn Recipe
• Pumpkin Spice Sugar Free Whipped Coffee
• Sugar-Free Hot Pumpkin Cider
• Low-Sugar Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini Recipe

What you need to make these pumpkin muffins with spice cake mix

These spice cake pumpkin muffins with streusel topping are surprisingly beginner-friendly, despite how delicious they taste and impressive they look. You prepare them in three different steps (a streusel topping, the muffin batter, and the cream cheese filling) before assembling and baking. Here are the ingredients and tools you’ll need before starting the Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins recipe.

For the Streusel Topping:

• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Pinch salt
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

For the Pumpkin Spice Muffin Batter:

• 1 box spice cake mix. If you don’t have or can’t find spiced cake mix, you can use a vanilla or yellow cake mix and add warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves and/or cardamom in about 1/2 teaspoon measurements.
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling). It’s better if you use actual 100% solid-pack pumpkin instead of pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already has sugar and spices included, and can be a little more watery, all of which may throw off the muffins’ taste and texture.
• 2 large eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

• 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Tools:

• 2 12-cup muffin pans
• Cupcake liners
• Mixing bowls of various sizes
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Hand mixer
• Small cookie scoop (I use a 1 tablespoon/4 teaspoon capacity scoop like this one from Wilton)

Tips and common recipe questions for making these cream cheese pumpkin muffins with streusel topping

Do I have to use the cream cheese filling? No, you can leave out the cream cheese and you will still have a fabulous pumpkin spice muffin with streusel topping.

Can I make large, bakery-style muffins with this recipe? Yes! This recipe can be used for bakery-style muffins. Use a large muffin pan and the larger liners to make 10-12 large pumpkin cream cheese muffins.

Be careful not to overmix the batter. Overmixing can make your muffins denser and tougher as opposed to the lighter crumb that you see pictured.

How should I store my leftover pumpkin streusel muffins? Store muffins in an airtight container on the counter or in the refrigerator. Make sure your muffins are completely cool before closing them in an airtight container, otherwise the residual warmth may produce steam inside the container and cause the streusel topping to become soggy.

Can I freeze my muffins? Yes, you can freeze the pumpkin spice cream cheese muffins for about 2-3 weeks in an airtight freezer bag.

How to make these copycat Starbuck pumpkin cream cheese muffins

I have the full Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins recipe listed at the end of this post, but first I’ll walk you through each of the steps so you can familiarize yourself with the process and get some of my tried-and-true tips to follow as you go. First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line 18-20 of the cups of 2 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.

The cooking steps start with making the streusel topping, which you’ll chill while working on the next parts of the recipe. To make the streusel, Add flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt to a small bowl and mix together with a fork.

Pour melted butter over the mixture and cut with the fork until the mix is crumbly. Place the streusel crumble in the refrigerator while working on the next steps in the recipe for cream cheese pumpkin muffins.

Now for the muffin batter, add cake mix, pumpkin puree, eggs, vegetable oil, and vanilla to a large mixing bowl and whisk together until all ingredients are mixed in and pretty smooth (be careful not to overmix the batter, or it could result in the muffins being dense as opposed to a light crumb). Set the spice cake pumpkin muffins batter aside.

Next, you’ll make the cream cheese filling. In a medium bowl, add softened cream cheese and granulated sugar. Mix with a hand mixer for a few minutes to incorporate the sugar. Add an egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix for 1 more minute.

To assemble the pumpkin muffins with spice cake mix, add about a full tablespoon of muffin batter (I use a 1 tablespoon/4 teaspoon capacity cookie scoop) in the bottom of each prepared muffin cup, trying to make sure the bottom of muffin liner is filled all the way across with cake batter. Next, top with just under a tablespoon of the cream cheese filling, keeping it in the center. Finally, top with another full tablespoon scoop of muffin batter, doing your best to cover the cream cheese filling completely.

Remove the streusel from the refrigerator and break it up a little. Spoon the crumbles generously over the top of each muffin (don’t skip your streusel step; that’s what gives your muffin a little kick and provides a texture difference to the soft cake of the muffin itself!). You should use up all the streusel, dividing between all the muffins. It might seem like a lot, but trust me on this.

Bake the pumpkin muffins with streusel topping in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out of the center of the muffin clean. Try not to confuse crumbs from the crumble topping with crumbs from inside the muffins on your toothpick, otherwise you might overcook the muffins.

Remove the pans from the oven and allow the pumpkin spice cream cheese muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes. When they are cool enough to touch, remove the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.

Starbuck pumpkin cream cheese muffins? Nah, we’ve got Starbucks at home.

Look at this cheesecakey goodness inside the muffins!

Would you have that that pumpkin muffins with spice cake mix could turn out like a coffee shop muffin? Here’s the Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins recipe! Please leave a rating on the recipe if you love it as much as we do, and happy pumpkin spice season!