These Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are soft and moist with warm pumpkin spice, a sweet and tangy cream cheese center, and crunchy pepitas on top. They're an easy homemade version of the fall coffee-shop favorite, baked right in a standard muffin pan.
This Starbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffins recipe combines everything I love about fall baking in one muffin: plenty of pumpkin, cozy spices, creamy filling, and a little crunch on top. This Starbucks pumpkin muffin recipe is especially good when you want the Starbucks-style treat without making a coffee run.
Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins At a Glance
- 🍽️ Course: Breakfast, Snack, Dessert
- ⏱️ Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes
- 🍴 Servings: 12 muffins
- 🧄 Flavor Profile: Pumpkin spice, sweet cream cheese, and nutty pepitas
- 🍚 Best Served With: Coffee, tea, or your favorite fall drink
- 🧊 Make Ahead?: Yes; refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months
Summarize and Save This Content On
My grandson has his own way of eating these muffins-he eats all the pumpkin muffin around the outside first and saves that creamy cream cheese center for the very last bite. Apparently, the best part deserves to be saved for last, and I can't really argue with his logic!
If you love making your favorite coffee-shop treats at home, try our pumpkin scones for another Starbucks-inspired fall favorite. They're thick, pumpkin-spiced, and finished with a maple glaze and pumpkin drizzle that makes them especially good with a cup of coffee.
Jump to:
- Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins At a Glance
- Why You Will Love This Recipe
- How We Tested Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Ingredients
- Variations
- How to Make Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Expert Tips
- Storage Directions
- Serving Suggestions
- Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins FAQs
- More Pumpkin Recipes
- Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Starbucks-Inspired: Pumpkin-spiced muffins, cream cheese centers, and pepitas recreate the flavors and textures that make the coffee-shop muffins so popular.
- Soft and Moist: A full can of pumpkin plus oil and butter keeps the pumpkin muffins tender and moist.
- Easy to Make: The batter and filling use straightforward ingredients, and the cream cheese is piped directly into the muffins before baking.
How We Tested Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Cream Cheese Filling: We inserted the piping tip about ¾ inch into the batter, then slowly lifted it straight up while piping. This kept the filling primarily in the center while leaving it clearly visible on top before and after baking. Using all the filling works out to about 1½ tablespoons per muffin.
- Bake Time: Our muffins were perfectly baked at 18 minutes at 350°F, with a moist, tender crumb.
- Warm vs. Cooled: We loved these warm for their especially soft, comforting texture, but once cooled they were still moist, soft, and fluffy with a wonderful crumb.
- After Refrigerating: Even after 3 days, the muffins stayed moist and delicious - see Storage Directions for our preferred reheating method.
- Pepitas: We preferred chopped pepitas over whole ones. They looked more uniform, distributed their flavor more evenly, and avoided the overly large, chunky texture of whole pepitas.
- Compared With Starbucks: Our family taste-tested these alongside the Starbucks version. Ours were slightly smaller, with more cream cheese, fewer pepitas, and a stronger pumpkin-spice flavor. We also thought ours looked prettier, and everyone preferred the homemade version-especially my grandson.
Ingredients
These muffins use basic baking ingredients along with pumpkin puree, cream cheese, warm spices, and pepitas.
- Dry Ingredients: All-purpose flour provides structure, while baking powder and baking soda help the muffins rise. Granulated sugar sweetens them, and salt balances the flavors.
- Pumpkin and Spices: Pure pumpkin puree provides pumpkin flavor and moisture, while pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon give the muffins their warm fall flavor.
- Oil, Butter, Egg, and Vanilla: Vegetable oil and butter add moisture and richness, the egg provides structure, and vanilla rounds out the flavor.
- Cream Cheese Filling: Full-fat cream cheese, powdered sugar, flour, milk, and salt create the smooth, sweet-tangy center. Soften the cream cheese before mixing so the filling is easy to pipe.
- Pepitas: Unsalted, unroasted pepitas add the signature crunchy pumpkin-seed topping and toast as the muffins bake.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Skip the Pepitas: Leave them off if you don't have pumpkin seeds or prefer the muffins without the crunchy topping.
- More Pumpkin Spice: For a stronger spice flavor, slightly increase the pumpkin pie spice to suit your taste.
- Different Seed Texture: Leave the pepitas whole instead of chopping them for a more noticeable crunch.
- No Piping Bag: Spoon the filling into a zip-top bag and snip off one corner to make an easy substitute for a piping bag.
How to Make Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Don't let the cream cheese center make these muffins look complicated. The Starbucks pumpkin muffin recipe comes together in four main steps: make the pumpkin batter, prepare the cream cheese filling, assemble, and bake.
Step 1: Make the Pumpkin Batter. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon. Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, egg, cooled melted butter, and vanilla, mixing just until combined.
Step 2: Fill the Muffin Cups. Divide the pumpkin batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, using about ¼ cup per muffin.
Step 3: Add the Cream Cheese and Pepitas. Beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, flour, milk, and salt until smooth. Transfer the filling to a piping bag. Gently insert the tip about ¾ inch into the center of each muffin, then slowly lift it straight up while piping about 1½ tablespoons of filling. Sprinkle the chopped pepitas around the cream cheese.
Step 4: Bake and Cool. Bake at 350°F for 18 minutes, or until the pumpkin portion is set and a toothpick inserted away from the cream cheese comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Use Pure Pumpkin: Choose 100% pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sweeteners and spices and would change the recipe.
- Mix Gently: Stop mixing as soon as the batter is combined. Overmixing can make the muffins tougher instead of soft and tender.
- Watch the Filling: Pipe a generous center without overfilling, which can cause the cream cheese to spread or overflow.
- Use Unroasted Pepitas: They'll add crunch while naturally toasting on top as the muffins bake.
For another pumpkin treat that's perfect with your morning coffee, our pumpkin olive oil cake is exceptionally soft and moist with warm fall spices and cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
Storage Directions
Refrigerator: Once completely cool, store the muffins in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Because they have a cream cheese center, they should be refrigerated rather than stored on the counter like regular muffins, consistent with USDA's food-safety guidance for baked goods with cream fillings.
Freezer: Wrap the cooled muffins individually and freeze in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Reheat: For the soft, warm texture we preferred during testing, microwave a refrigerated muffin for about 15 seconds or a room-temperature muffin for about 10 seconds.
Make Ahead: Bake the muffins a day or two before serving and keep them covered in the refrigerator until needed.
Serving Suggestions
- Coffee or Espresso: The pumpkin spice and cream cheese flavors make these a natural coffee-shop-style pairing.
- Fall Drinks: Serve alongside pumpkin coffee, chai, or hot chocolate for an easy fall breakfast or snack.
- Breakfast or Brunch: Add them to a brunch spread with fruit and other breakfast favorites.
- Fall Gatherings: Serve them on a tray for Halloween, Thanksgiving morning, or other autumn get-togethers with our pumpkin dip with cream cheese.
- Afternoon Snack: Enjoy one on its own when you want a sweet pumpkin treat.
Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins FAQs
Yes, although canned pumpkin puree provides the most consistent moisture and texture. If using homemade puree, make sure it isn't excessively watery.
Yes. The pepitas provide crunch and help give the muffins their familiar Starbucks-style appearance, but the muffins will still work without them.
Make sure the cream cheese is fully softened. If the filling is still too thick, mix in additional milk about ½ teaspoon at a time until it is pipeable without making it runny.
The pumpkin portion should be set and spring back lightly when touched. Insert a toothpick into the pumpkin portion rather than directly into the cream cheese; it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
More Pumpkin Recipes
If you love these pumpkin cream cheese muffins, try more of our easy pumpkin recipes for fall breakfasts, snacks, and desserts.
If you try this recipe and love it please leave a star rating in the recipe card below or even better, drop a review in the comment section. I always appreciate your feedback. Be sure to follow along with me on Facebook, Pinterest, and YouTube for more easy recipes!
Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Pumpkin Muffins
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted and slightly cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Filling
- 1 brick (8 oz) full-fat cream cheese softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Topping
- ¼ cup unsalted, unroasted pepitas chopped
Instructions
- Step 1: Make the Pumpkin Batter. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon together. Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, egg, slightly cooled melted butter, and vanilla. Mix just until combined.
- Step 2: Fill the Muffin Cups. Divide the pumpkin batter evenly among the 12 prepared muffin cups, using about ¼ cup per muffin.
- Step 3: Add the Cream Cheese and Pepitas. Beat the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, flour, milk, and salt until smooth. Transfer the filling to a piping bag. Gently insert the tip about ¾ inch into the center of each muffin, then slowly lift it straight up while piping about 1½ tablespoons of filling. Sprinkle the chopped pepitas around the cream cheese.
- Step 4: Bake and Cool. Bake at 350°F for 18 minutes, or until the pumpkin portion is set and a toothpick inserted away from the cream cheese comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Pumpkin: Use 100% pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling, which contains added sugar and spices.
- Batter: Mix just until combined. Overmixing can make the muffins dense or tough.
- Cream Cheese: Use softened, full-fat cream cheese for the smoothest filling and easiest piping.
- Filling: Pipe a generous amount into the center of each muffin without overfilling, which can cause the cream cheese to spread or overflow.
- Pepitas: Unsalted, unroasted pepitas add crunch and toast naturally while the muffins bake.
- Doneness: Check the pumpkin portion rather than the cream cheese center. A toothpick should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Storage: Because of the cream cheese filling, refrigerate cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Freeze individually wrapped muffins for up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator.
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