The Best Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins

These moist pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins are the perfect breakfast treat for Autumn. With pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and a sweet cream cheese topping, they taste like Fall in a bite. You can whip up a batch in just 30 minutes!

It's Fall, AKA pumpkin season, my favorite time of the year! Now is the perfect time to make these delicious pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins! With pumpkin puree, a combination of warm spices, and a rich swirl of cream cheese, these are the best moist pumpkin muffins ever.

These muffins are moist, tender, and have the perfect Fall flavor. The base is made with an entire cup of pumpkin puree! That and the oil makes them incredibly moist. The delicious thick swirls of cream cheese melt into the muffins while they bake. They're truly the best pumpkin muffins!

For more pumpkin recipes, try pumpkin chai snack cake, pumpkin spice cookies, brown butter pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin brownies, and almond flour pumpkin muffins.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Extra moist muffins- Pumpkin puree has lots of water and is perfect for making moist pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice cupcakes, and muffins!
• Cream cheese topping- The best part of this recipe has to be with thick swirl of sweet cream cheese on top of each muffin. The tangy cream cheese complements the pumpkin flavor perfectly, just like this cream cheese frosted pumpkin bread! If you love a cream cheese swirl, try this cranberry cream cheese bread or red velvet cream cheese muffins too.
• Easy and quick to make- You can whip up a batch of pumpkin cream cheese muffins in 30 minutes with simple ingredients! They're perfect to make for brunch or as an on-the-go breakfast treat during the Fall season.

Ingredient Notes

Here are some notes about the ingredients used. For quantities and the full instructions, see the recipe card below.

• Oil- I made the muffins with only oil, no butter. Oil is liquid at room temperature while butter is solid, which is why oil makes muffins extra moist! Use a flavorless oil like vegetable oil or canola oil.
• Granulated sugar- Granulated sugar sweetens the batter and holds on to moisture. Don't reduce the sugar or the texture will be off.
• Brown sugar- This a warm, caramel-like flavor. You can use light brown sugar or dark brown sugar depending on your preference. Just make sure it's fresh and not dried out.
• Eggs- Use room temperature large eggs; take them out of the refrigerator an hour before baking. Eggs bind the ingredients together and help the muffins rise in the oven.
• Vanilla extract- Adds depth of flavor to the muffins. Use vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract for the best flavor!
• Pumpkin puree- Use real pumpkin puree, not a can of pumpkin pie filling! We want steamed canned pumpkin with no extra spices or sweeteners. The only ingredient should be pumpkin. Use extra puree to make pumpkin energy bites or sour cream pumpkin bread!
• Buttermilk- I love buttermilk muffins! This ingredient tenderizes the gluten stands, creating extra soft muffins. Take it out of the refrigerator with the eggs.
• All purpose flour- All purpose flour gives the muffins a hearty structure but keeps the crumb tender. I recommend measuring it in grams with a kitchen scale because flour is super easy to overmeasure in measuring cups. Too much flour leads to dry muffins.
• Baking powder- This leavener reacts with heat and helps the muffins rise. Baking powder has a relatively short shelf life, so check the expiration date on yours before using!
• Pumpkin pie spices- Ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice are all used to flavor the muffins with pumpkin pie spice goodness.
• Salt- Pumpkin muffins need a little salt or they'll be too sweet. Use finely ground table salt, kosher salt, or pink Himalayan salt.
• Cream cheese- Use softened full fat cream cheese that comes in a brick for the swirl on top. Don't use cream cheese spread because it's too runny.
• Egg yolk- This helps the cream cheese swirl set as it bakes. Make sure it and the cream cheese are room temperature so they're easy to mix.

Substitutions and Variations

• Buttermilk substitutes- Plain kefir, sour cream, or Greek yogurt can be substituted for the buttermilk. Or you can make your own by mixing a tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice with a cup of milk.
• Gluten free option- Make gluten free pumpkin cream cheese muffins by using gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour. I recommend Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour.
• Spices- If you don't have the individual spices, use 1 tablespoon of pumpkin spice mix. It contains all the spices in the recipe and can be found at spice shops and the grocery store. You could also use a tablespoon of homemade pumpkin spice.
• Add nuts- Fold in chopped nuts like walnuts or pecans for added crunch and a nutty flavor.
• Add chocolate chips- Mix in ½ cup semi-sweet, dark, or white chocolate chips for even more sweet, creamy flavor.
• Pumpkin seed topping- Sprinkle pumpkin seeds on top of the muffins before baking as a garnish and for a little crunch.

Helpful Equipment and Tools

You need a 12-tin muffin pan filled with paper muffin liners. I recommend light-colored metal pans, like aluminum, because they heat up evenly.

You also need an electric hand mixer for mixing the cream cheese layer. I recommend a digital food scale for accurately measuring the dry ingredients too!

Step by Step Instructions

Before you start, preheat a conventional oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). Line a muffin pan with liners and set aside.

Expert Baking Tips

1. Use room temperature ingredients. It's important for the eggs, buttermilk, and cream cheese to be room temperature so they're all easy to mix. We don't want a lumpy cream cheese swirl!
2. Don't overmix the batter. Mix just until the dry patches of flour are combined. Overmixing the wet and dry ingredients makes too much gluten form, resulting in gummy, tough muffins.
3. Don't over bake your muffins. Preheat your oven and keep and eye on the time to make sure the muffins stay perfectly moist and tender. Also consider getting an oven thermometer to make sure your oven's at the right temperature.
4. Bake at an initial high heat. Baking the muffins at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes gives the leaveners a head start for sky-high muffin tops!
5. Bake in every other well. To get extra tall muffins, bake only 6 at a time in every other muffin well. This allows the air to evenly circulate around each muffin, making them rise even more!

Storage and Freezing

Store the pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. I recommend placing some parchment paper between each muffin so they don't stick together. They last in the refrigerator for about a week too.

Freezing

You can freeze pumpkin cheesecake muffins in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Simply thaw them in the fridge or on the counter for a couple hours until soft.

Frequently Asked Questions