Tall domes, silky cream-cheese swirl, ready in about 30 minutes.
When you crack one open, the warm pumpkin spice meets a cool, tangy cream-cheese center, soft crumb, melty chips optional, bakery vibes guaranteed.

Why You’ll Love It
- Café copycat at home: All the cozy charm of Starbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffins without the line.
- Tall, tender domes: High-then-low bake gives lift and a plush crumb (better than most pumpkin muffins).
- Choose your mood: Keep classic or add melty chips for a pumpkin chocolate chip muffins batch.
- Protein-friendly: Easy boost to swing toward pumpkin protein muffins for meal prep.
- Scales to minis or jumbo: Great for lunchboxes (weight watchers pumpkin muffins style portion control).
- Freezer-ready: Swirl stays creamy after thaw.
Ingredients (notes only)
Dry (structure & lift)
- All-purpose flour (or 1:1 GF blend) — spoon & level for accuracy.
- Baking powder + baking soda — duo rise for tall crowns.
- Pumpkin pie spice + cinnamon — layered aroma, café scent.
- Fine sea salt — sharpens sweetness and spice.
Wet (moisture & flavor)
- Pumpkin purée (100% pumpkin) — not pie filling.
- Brown sugar + a little granulated — caramel notes + structure.
- Neutral oil (or melted butter) — stays tender longer; butter = richer flavor.
- Eggs, vanilla, milk — gloss and stability.
Cream-Cheese Filling
- Cream cheese, powdered sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, pinch salt — silky, pipeable swirl.
Optional
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips (for a pumpkin chocolate chip muffins twist).
- Pepitas — coffee-shop look and toasty crunch.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep: Heat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with parchment liners.
- Make Filling: Beat 8 oz cream cheese, ¼ cup powdered sugar, 1 egg yolk, ½ tsp vanilla, pinch salt until smooth; chill.
- Dry: Whisk 1¾ cups flour, 1½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, ½ tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp salt.
- Wet: Whisk 1 cup pumpkin, ½ cup light brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup oil (or melted butter), 2 eggs, ⅓ cup milk, 2 tsp vanilla until glossy.
- Combine: Fold dry into wet just until no streaks remain (batter is thick). Fold in ¾ cup chips if using.
- Fill: Spoon about 2 Tbsp batter into each liner. Pipe or spoon 1 Tbsp cream-cheese in center. Cover with more batter to reach ¾ full. Top with pepitas and a few chips.
- Bake: 5 minutes at 400°F, then reduce to 350°F (175°C) and bake 12–14 minutes until domes are set and a tester (avoiding the center) has moist crumbs.
- Cool: Rest 5 minutes in pan; move to rack. The swirl sets as they cool—best texture at warm-room temp.
Pro Tips
- High-then-low heat triggers rapid lift → round crowns.
- Don’t overmix: Stop as soon as flour disappears to avoid tunneling.
- Chill the filling so it stays centered and creamy.
- Pepitas last: Sprinkle right before baking so they stay crisp.
- Gluten-free? Use a quality 1:1 blend; if it lacks xanthan, add ½ tsp.
Variations (mapped to Related Interests)
- Classic Pumpkin Muffins: Skip filling; add +½ tsp vanilla for pure spice-pumpkin flavor.
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins: Fold 1 cup chips into batter; skip swirl or keep a thin ribbon.
- Pumpkin Protein Muffins: Whisk ¼ cup unflavored whey or egg-white protein into dry; add 1–2 Tbsp extra milk.
- Sourdough-Style Tang: Add 2 Tbsp yogurt + ½ tsp cider vinegar to wet for gentle tang.
- Keto-Leaning: Use almond/coconut-flour base + sugar-free chips (see your keto pumpkin muffins recipe).
- Weight Watchers Minis: Bake 24 minis 10–12 min at 350°F; add just ½ tsp filling per muffin.
How to Serve
Perfect with black coffee or chai. For dessert, warm slightly and dust with cinnamon sugar; for breakfast, pair with Greek yogurt and fruit.
Make Ahead & Storage
- Room Temp: Airtight up to 24 hours.
- Fridge: 4–5 days (best texture after 15 minutes at room temp).
- Freeze: Up to 2 months; thaw overnight in fridge.
- Reheat: 300°F (150°C) for 5–7 minutes or air fryer 320°F (160°C) 3–4 minutes.
FAQs
Why is my swirl sinking? Filling too warm or batter too thin—chill filling and avoid over-loosening batter.
Can I use neufchâtel? Yes; slightly lighter and still creamy.
Oil or butter? Oil = softer for longer; butter = richer flavor and slightly denser crumb.
Make it less sweet? Reduce granulated sugar by 2 Tbsp; the filling still pops.
Gluten-free tips? Rest the batter 10 minutes before baking to hydrate starches.
Simple Nutrition (estimate per muffin, 12 servings)
Calories 285 · Fat 14g · Carbs 36g · Fiber 2g · Sugar 22g · Protein 5g
(Without chips: subtract ~25 kcal and ~3g sugar.)

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Starbucks-Style Copycat)
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (or 1:1 gluten-free flour blend)
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup pumpkin purée
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup neutral oil or melted butter
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ⅓ cup milk (dairy or almond)
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾–1 cup chocolate chips, divided (optional)
- 2–3 Tbsp pepitas (optional)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch fine salt
Equipment
- 12-cup muffin tin
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- spatula
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- measuring cups and spoons
- cooling rack
Method
- Heat oven to 400°F (205°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Beat cream cheese filling ingredients until smooth and chill until ready to use.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk pumpkin purée, sugars, oil, eggs, milk, and vanilla until glossy.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet just until combined. Fold in ¾ cup chocolate chips if using.
- Spoon batter into liners, adding a scoop of cream cheese filling in the center, then cover with more batter to ¾ full. Top with reserved chips and pepitas if using.
- Bake 5 minutes at 400°F, then reduce to 350°F (175°C) and bake 12–14 minutes more until set. Cool 5 minutes, then transfer to rack.