This Starbucks pumpkin muffin recipe with cream cheese center is a delicious homemade copycat recipe of one of the best items on the Starbucks fall menu! Light, fluffy, and moist pumpkin muffins are full of warm spices. The perfect fall breakfast or afternoon snack!
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Jump to:
- Why This Starbucks Copycat Recipe is Even Better Than the Original!
- Ingredients and Substitutions
- How to Make This Starbucks Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
- Expert Tips
- How to Serve, Store, and Freeze Pumpkin Muffins
- Recipe FAQs
- More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes You'll Love!
- Starbucks Pumpkin Muffin Recipe with Cream Cheese Filling
Spending too much time and money on a Starbucks pumpkin muffin, pumpkin spice latte, or cold brew from Starbucks? This recipe will help to bring the coffee shop home!
Starbucks pumpkin muffins with cream cheese are one of the top fall menu items from last year. Making them at home requires simple ingredients and helps to save money!
I've made many homemade recipes like these copycat Starbucks pumpkin muffins before! Try these perfect bars, low-carb Krispy Kreme donuts, Panera Mediterranean grain bowl, or Ruth's Chris sweet potato casserole.
Why This Starbucks Copycat Recipe is Even Better Than the Original!
Here are the top 5 reasons you should make these homemade pumpkin cheesecake muffins:
- Delicious pumpkin flavor, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and full of warm spices.
- Moist, light, and fluffy pumpkin muffins with a delicious cream cheese filling.
- This Starbucks pumpkin muffin recipe is easy to make homemade without a hand mixer.
- Less sugar pumpkin cream cheese muffins are made with simple ingredients and no refined sugar.
- Can be made into pumpkin bread!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here are the ingredients you need to make this recipe. Reference the recipe card at the bottom for exact measurements and the notes below for substitution ideas.
Dry Ingredients
All-purpose flour, baking soda, and baking powder are the base of the dry ingredients for making pumpkin muffins. Use gluten-free flour if needed.
Pumpkin spice provides the classic pumpkin pie flavor of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. You will find it labeled as pumpkin pie spice in some cases.
Salt balances out the sweetness of the recipe.
Wet Ingredients - Pumpkin Filling
Maple syrup naturally sweetens this Starbucks pumpkin muffins recipe. Substitute brown sugar or white sugar for a sweeter muffin.
Vanilla extract provides a warm flavor.
Coconut oil creates moist muffins. Use refined coconut oil to remove the coconut flavor. Olive oil, unsalted butter, or vegetable oil are alternatives.
Canned pumpkin puree provides delicious pumpkin flavor. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
Eggs help to bind the muffins together and provide moisture and fluffy texture.
Sweet Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
Cream cheese and a bit of milk create the creamy cheesecake filling that tops the muffins. Use full-fat cream cheese in the block.
Powdered monk fruit sweetener sweetens the cream cheese mixture with no sugar (just like our pumpkin cheesecake!) Use powdered sugar for the traditional, sweeter recipe.
Add a few drops of vanilla extract for warm flavor in the cheesecake topping.
Pumpkin seeds are found in the Starbucks pumpkin muffin recipe, however, you can omit them or substitute them with walnuts or pecans.
The pumpkin seeds are sprinkled around the muffins after you fill them with the cheesecake filling.
How to Make This Starbucks Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
Below are step-by-step instructions for how to cook this recipe. The recipe card at the bottom shows the exact cooking time and temperatures.
Step 1
Prepare a muffin tin by lining it with 10 muffin liners and spraying them with cooking spray or coconut oil spray.
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
Step 2
In a separate medium mixing bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
Step 3
Carefully pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a wooden spoon to stir until just mixed.
Step 4
In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese filling ingredients. Spoon them into a Ziploc bag and snip off the end using kitchen shears.
You could also use a piping bag if you have one.
Step 5
Use an ice cream scoop to scoop approximately ten large muffins into the prepared muffin liners.
Insert the Ziploc bag of filling into the center of the batter. Evenly squeeze out cream cheese filling into each muffin.
Squeeze the bag into the muffin batter of each muffin until you see the cream cheese filling coming to the top.
Step 5
Sprinkle chopped crunchy pumpkin seeds around the top of the muffin if you are using them. Bake at 425 F for 5 minutes then reduce heat to 350 F and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
Allow the muffins to cool in the muffin tins for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire baking rack to fully cool.
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature cream cheese for easy mixing. Microwave it for 15 seconds in a microwave-safe dish to quickly soften the cream cheese block.
- Spray the muffin liners with cooking spray or coconut oil spray before filling them. These muffins tend to stick to the liners and the spray makes them easier to remove.
- Opt for a piping bag or Ziploc bag rather than a small cookie scoop when filling the muffins with cream cheese.
- Do not use low-fat cream cheese or Neufchatel cream cheese as it tends to not mix as well as full-fat cream cheese.
- For muffins with lighter color, use white sugar in place of maple syrup.
- Mix muffin batter only until mixed to avoid dense muffins. Do not overmix.
How to Serve, Store, and Freeze Pumpkin Muffins
- Serve these muffins after baking, once cooled, or slightly warmed in the microwave for 15 seconds.
- Store muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Freeze muffins in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Recipe FAQs
Toasted pumpkin seeds are sprinkled around the outside of the cream cheese pumpkin muffins. You can omit them when making this copycat Starbucks pumpkin muffin recipe.
Pumpkin muffins consist of traditional dry ingredients of a basic muffin recipe like flour, leavening, spices, and salt. The wet ingredients include a fat source like coconut oil along with eggs and pumpkin puree.
This recipe includes a cream cheese filling. See the recipe card for a full listing of ingredients.
Starbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffins have 350 calories and 34 grams of sugar per serving according to their website.
This homemade recipe has 285 calories and 15.6 grams of sugar per serving.
Yes, these easy pumpkin muffins need to be refrigerated because of the cream cheese filling.
I recommend warming them in the microwave for 15 seconds when eating them from the refrigerator.
Insert a toothpick at an angle on the outside of the cream cheese filling. Do this to avoid the filing which stays soft.
Muffins are done when the toothpick comes out clean.
More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes You'll Love!
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Starbucks Pumpkin Muffin Recipe with Cream Cheese Filling
Equipment
- muffin tin
- coconut oil spray
- ice cream scoop
Ingredients
Pumpkin Filling Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup refined coconut oil melted and slightly cooled
- ¾ cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs beaten
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour use gluten-free if needed
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoon powdered monk fruit sweetener
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour gluten-free if needed
- 3 drops vanilla extract
Instructions
Muffin Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a muffin tin with baking cups or silicone muffin liners and spray with coconut oil or cooking spray.
- Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.1 cup all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin filling ingredients.1 cup pumpkin puree, ½ cup refined coconut oil, ¾ cup maple syrup, 2 large eggs
- Carefully pour the pumpkin filling mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese filling ingredients. Spoon the mixture into a Ziploc bag and snip off the end with kitchen shears.4 oz cream cheese, 2 tablespoon powdered monk fruit sweetener, 1 teaspoon milk, 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour, 3 drops vanilla extract
- Use an ice cream scoop to scoop out 10 large muffins and scoop them into the prepared muffin liners.
- Insert the Ziploc bag into the center of each muffin and gently squeeze until you see the cream cheese filling come to the top.
- Bake the muffins at 425 F for 5 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted diagonally (avoiding the cream cheese mixture) comes out clean.
Pumpkin Bread Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a bread pan with parchment paper and spray with coconut oil or cooking spray.
- Follow the muffin instructions for preparing the wet pumpkin filling and dry ingredients. Prepare the cream cheese filling.
- Spoon the pumpkin mixture into the prepared bread pan. Squeeze the cream cheese filling in a zig-zag line or in small dots on top of the loaf.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the pumpkin bread section comes out clean.
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