🎃🧡😋 Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are even BETTER than the original! Super soft, moist, and brimming with pumpkin spice flavor, they’re filled with a tangy-sweet cream cheese. You are going to LOVE being able to replicate the coffee shop fall favorite at home in no time!
The Best Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
If you wait all year for Starbucks pumpkin muffins to return, you’re going to love this homemade copycat recipe. These pumpkin cream cheese muffins taste just like the ones from Starbucks—only better. They’re soft, moist, packed with warm pumpkin spice flavor, and topped with a tangy-sweet cream cheese center that stays perfectly creamy.
Even better, this easy pumpkin muffin recipe comes together without a mixer, uses simple pantry ingredients, and costs a fraction of what you’d pay at the coffee shop.
This is an easy, no-mixer base recipe that I have used over the years in these Mini Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins, Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins, and Vegan Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins. So, it’s guaranteed to turn out great. Whether you’re craving a fall treat, meal prepping breakfast, or baking for a crowd, these muffins are a guaranteed hit!
Comparing Homemade vs Starbucks Pumpkin Muffins
How do these homemade pumpkin cheesecake muffins compare to the Starbucks version?
In a word, they’re better.
Yes, that’s right. I will happily proclaim that my recipe is better than Starbucks for many reasons:
- Not greasy in the least. Sometimes I find that Starbucks baked goods can have a greasy taste. Ever set something on one of their paper napkins and look at it after? Yeah.
- Not dry. Although sometimes their items are greasy, I find that they can also be dry and greasy at the same time. Sounds impossible, but I’ve eaten plenty of treats from them that are plagued by this problem.
- Robustly flavored. I am a big fan of big and bold fall-inspired flavors when it comes to my pumpkin desserts, muffins, breads, and pumpkin treats in general, and these muffins deliver.
- No preservatives. And because you’re not trying to have these taste “fresh” after sitting in a delivery truck and then a glass case, they actually taste fresh because they are homemade from scratch with common ingredients and nothing artificial!
- Healthier. I am surprised by just how light the nutritional stats came in using computer-generated info. Just over 200 calories per muffin! Bakery and coffee shop muffins never tend to be particularly waistline-friendly.
- Cheaper. Provided that you have a decently stocked baking cupboard and have most of the spices on hand (or just use more pumpkin pie spice), muffin-for-muffin, homemade is far less expensive than at Starbucks or a bakery.
- Can easily be made vegan with one minimal change. Pretty amazing and see below!
What’s in Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins?
To make these easy pumpkin muffins with cream cheese, you’ll need:
- Sweet Cream Cheese Filling – Combine brick-style cream cheese, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, milk, and vanilla extract. I haven’t tested it, but I’m sure a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour will also work if you need to keep your muffins gluten-free. Do NOT use lite cream cheese
Muffin Batter
- All-purpose flour – Again, I’m sure a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free flour will work just fine, if needed
- Baking powder – Make sure it’s fresh, or your muffins won’t rise!
- Spices – cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and salt
- Sweeteners – Granulated sugar and brown sugar (light or dark) sweeten the muffins while giving them structure and keeping the center moist
- Pumpkin puree – Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which has added sugar and spices
- Oil – Any neutral oil, such as avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil will work
- Milk – Full-fat milk will yield the best taste and texture, but use whatever you have on hand
- Flavor Enhancers – Molasses and vanilla extract. You want to use a mild or medium molasses like the Grandma’s brand. Do NOT use blackstrap molasses as it’s too strong in flavor and will overpower the muffins
- Pumpkin seeds, optional – If you’re looking for a true copycat Starbucks pumpkin muffin, then use pumpkin seeds. However, you’ll notice that in the photos, I made some muffins without pumpkin seeds because, frankly, I can take it or leave it when it comes to seeds in baked goods, so I left them off in some. You could also use chopped walnuts or pecans, if preferred
- Coarse sugar (such as decorator’s sugar or Sugar In The Raw), optional
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Pumpkin muffins filled with cream cheese are actually so simple to prepare! Here’s an overview of the recipe:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F, spray a 12-count muffin pan with cooking spray, coating the muffin cups well. Set it aside.
- Beat together the ingredients for the cream cheese filling and set that aside.
- Whisk together the dry ingredients for the muffins in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Add the wet to the dry and then stir to mix. Turn the batter into the greased muffin wells, filling each well about 2/3-full.
- Using a piping bag, pipe the cream cheese mixture into the center of each of the uncooked muffins. Make sure just a little bit of the cream cheese is poking through on top. Optionally, sprinkle around the center of each muffin with pumpkin seeds or coarse sugar.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, and let them cool before serving. Don’t overbake the muffins. They will set up as they cool, and while the cream cheese may look a bit unset as you pull them from the oven, it will firm up!
Storage and Freezing:
Due to the cream cheese filling, it’s best to store these pumpkin muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. For the best texture, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving or warm briefly in the microwave.
Some bakers prefer to keep cream cheese baked goods at room temp for a few days to avoid dryness. Use your best judgment and follow food safety guidelines.
Freezing: These pumpkin cheesecake muffins freeze well! Store in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or at room temperature before serving.
Recipe FAQs
I have made these muffins with all types of milk, including whole cow’s milk, almond milk, and cashew milk. They all work perfectly, so don’t be afraid to use a dairy-free vegan milk if you’re so inclined.
With no eggs or butter, the only wild card element is the cream cheese. However, there are so many vegan cream cheeses on the market today, such as Violife or Tofutti, that you can feel confident using one in these pumpkin cream cheese muffins.
In theory, you can. However, in reality, it sounds like a headache!
Mini muffin pans have wells that are so shallow, and trying to navigate the batter, then adding just a teeny tiny amount of cream cheese, then seeds or sugar, sounds like a real pain.
If you want a great mini pumpkin muffin, try either these Mini Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins or these Mini Cinnamon Sugar Pumpkin Muffins. Much easier, faster, and not at all overly fussy.
I’ve never made these as jumbo muffins, but I’m sure you could if you have a jumbo muffin pan, making sure to lengthen the baking time as needed.
Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Equipment
- 1 small mixing bowl
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 4 ounces cream cheese*, very well-softened to room temp
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon milk**
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Pumpkin Muffins:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice***
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¾ cup pure pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 2 to 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Toppings:
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, optional; divided
- 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, optional; divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 12-count muffin pan very well with floured cooking spray or grease and flour the pan; set aside.
- Cream Cheese Filling: To a small bowl, add all the ingredients, and beat with a handheld electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary; set aside. Tip – Make sure the cream cheese is very well softened to room temp to make this much faster and easier.
- Pumpkin muffins: To a large bowl add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice**, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, salt, and whisk together; set aside.
- To a separate large bowl add the sugars, pumpkin puree, oil, milk, molasses, vanilla, and whisk until combined.
- Pour the wet pumpkin mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir until just combined; don’t overmix.
- Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, add enough batter to each prepared cavity of the muffin pan, in between 2/3 and 3/4-full. Don’t exceed 3/4 full or muffins could overflow while baking. Divide batter evenly among the 12 cavities.
- Place the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag or into a plastic bag and snip the very end tip off.
- Pipe the cream cheese mixture into the center of each of the uncooked muffins, making sure just a little bit of the cream cheese is poking through on top. You aren’t adding too much, 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons approximately per muffin.
- Optionally, evenly sprinkle around the center of each unbaked muffin with pumpkin seeds or coarse sugar like decorator’s sugar or Sugar In The Raw.
- Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until the tops are no longer wet looking and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffin next to the cream cheese filling comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.****
- Allow the muffins to cool in pans for about 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Pumpkin Breakfast Recipes:
Cooking With Pumpkin: Recipes That Go Beyond the Pie is my second cookbook and was released October, 2014.. There’s over 50 pumpkin recipes including sweets, savory, drinks, and a photo for nearly every recipe. I’d be super grateful if you headed over to Amazon.
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What can I use instead of molasses?
There really is no substitute because it’s a very distinct ingredient and nothing else in the world really tastes like it.
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