Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins with a Tangy Cheesecake Swirl

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Somewhere between a fluffy pumpkin quick bread and a slice of cheesecake sits one of the best treats you can pull from a muffin tin. Pumpkin cream cheese muffins take a moist, warmly spiced pumpkin crumb and tuck a tangy cheesecake layer inside, so every bite lands sweet, creamy, and a little bit tangy at the same time.

The recipe offers two ways to bring those two elements together: a piped cream cheese center that bakes into a thick cheesecake style filling, or a swirled, marbled look where the batters ribbon through each other. Both methods are forgiving, and both deliver something that tastes like a coffee shop splurge made in your own kitchen.

The recipe has been tested and remade for years since it was first shared, sometimes with the cheesecake mixture piped into the centers and sometimes with alternating scoops swirled together. All of that repetition went toward one goal, keeping the creamy filling and the fluffy pumpkin crumb in balance.

It all starts with a can of 100 percent pumpkin purée and a spoonful of pumpkin pie spice. Add cream cheese, butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla, and you are about 15 minutes of prep away from a breakfast that makes the whole kitchen smell like autumn.

If this flavor pairing wins you over, our Pumpkin Cream Cheese Coffee Cake is a wonderful next bake.

Chill the filling before you pipe it. Ten minutes in the refrigerator gives you far more control at the bag and a cleaner cheesecake center.

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When Pumpkin Meets Cheesecake

The complete list with measurements sits in the recipe card at the end of this post. Before you start measuring, here are the details that matter most.

• Pumpkin purée: Use 100 percent pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which already contains sugar and spices. You need just 1 cup, so freeze the rest of the can or use it for pumpkin pancakes. If you make your own purée, drain off the excess liquid so the muffins bake up fluffy rather than dense or gummy.
• Cream cheese: A full fat block gives the best taste and texture. Save the spreadable kind for your morning bagel.
• Pumpkin pie spice: Store bought works beautifully, and a homemade blend is just as welcome.
• Unsalted butter: Butter gives a rich flavor and a denser crumb than oil, and it needs to be at room temperature so it creams smoothly with the sugar.
• Vanilla extract: It rounds out both the pumpkin batter and the cream cheese filling.
• The supporting cast: All purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, two large eggs, and water.

For the filling, you will also need one large egg, two tablespoons of sugar, and a teaspoon of vanilla. Room temperature ingredients do real work here. Softened butter creams into the sugar instead of sliding past it, and soft cream cheese beats into a silky filling rather than a lumpy one.

Ingredients You'll Need

The original pumpkin cream cheese muffin recipe was first shared in 2015, and it has been made dozens of times since. Some batches went into the oven with the cheesecake mixture piped into the centers. Others were built from alternating scoops of pumpkin batter and cream cheese filling, swirled together with a toothpick.

The lesson from all of those rounds is refreshingly simple. There is no wrong way to combine pumpkin and cheesecake. Pick the look you like best and bake with confidence.

Kelly's Note from the Test Kitchen

Both batters are forgiving, so you can pipe the cream cheese mixture into the middle of each muffin or swirl it through the batter and still land on something delicious. Here is how each version comes together.

Option 1: Cream Cheese, Filled Muffins

Choose this method when you want a thick, tangy cheesecake center waiting in the middle of every muffin.

1. Spoon the pumpkin batter into each muffin cup until it is about 3/4 full.
2. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a piping bag, or to a resealable plastic bag with one corner snipped off.
3. Pipe about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the filling into the center of each cup.

Chilling the cheesecake filling for 10 to 15 minutes before piping is a small step with a big payoff. It firms the mixture slightly, which gives you better control at the bag and helps the filling hold its shape as the muffins rise in the oven.

Option 2: Swirled Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

For a marbled effect, alternate scoops of pumpkin batter and cream cheese filling in the cups, filling each about 3/4 full. Then drag a toothpick or a thin skewer through the batter using just two or three gentle figure eight motions.

That is enough to pull the cheesecake into defined ribbons. Swirl too much and the two batters blend into a single muddy color.

Bake & Cool

Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops spring back lightly when you touch them. For the most accurate doneness test, slide a toothpick into the muffin just beside the cream cheese center.

It should come out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached. Poking straight into the filling will always leave residue on the toothpick, and that is completely normal.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. They actually taste better once they have cooled, because the pumpkin flavor deepens and the cheesecake centers firm up. Warm from the oven they are wonderful. An hour later they are even better.

How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (Two Ways!)

• Bring everything to room temperature. Softened butter creams well with the sugar and eggs, and soft cream cheese blends in smoothly, which gives you an even crumb and a creamy center.
• Use muffin liners. They prevent sticking, help the muffins rise evenly, and make cleanup and sharing much easier.
• Do not overfill the cups. About 3/4 full gives you domed tops without batter spilling over the edges.
• Add a bakery style finish. Scatter pumpkin seeds, also called pepitas, over the muffins before baking for crunch and a look that nods to the coffee shop version.
• Try a different shape. The same flavors work as a mini pumpkin cream cheese bread, which slices beautifully, freezes well, and makes a lovely gift wrapped in parchment and tied with twine.

If you are new to baking with pumpkin, the classic Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are a friendly place to start before you branch out into loaves, cakes, and bars. Bake one batch, taste the balance of spiced crumb and tangy filling, and you will understand why this combination keeps showing up on fall tables.

Success Tips & Variations

Because of the cream cheese filling, these muffins belong in the refrigerator. Store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days, and enjoy them chilled straight from the fridge or let them sit out for a few minutes to take the chill off.

Freezing works too, with one honest caveat. The muffins keep for up to 2 months, but the cheesecake centers can turn slightly softer or a little grainy after thawing. To limit that change, freeze them as soon as they are completely cool.

Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then move them to a freezer safe bag or container with parchment between the layers.

Thaw the muffins overnight in the refrigerator, then warm them gently in a 300°F oven for a few minutes to bring back that fresh baked quality.

If you know a batch is headed for the freezer, skip the paper liners. They tend to pull away after thawing, so grease the muffin tin generously with cooking spray instead.

Storage and Freezing Tips

This is the full recipe behind the muffins above, adapted from the original source.

For the muffins

• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/3 cup water

For the cream cheese filling

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the muffins

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with baking cups.
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set the bowl aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, then add the pumpkin and mix until combined.
4. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the water, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Blend the batter well, scraping down the sides as needed. Set the batter aside.

Make the cream cheese filling and assemble

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla.
2. Alternately add dollops of the pumpkin batter and the cream cheese filling into the muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full. Using a toothpick or a sharp knife, swirl the mixture together. For a filled center instead, follow Option 1 above.
3. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Nutrition per muffin: 188 calories, 29g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 6g fat, 3g saturated fat, 18g sugar, 155mg sodium, 46mg cholesterol.

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Somewhere between a fluffy pumpkin quick bread and a slice of cheesecake sits one of the best treats you can pull from a muffin tin. Pumpkin cream cheese muffins take a moist, warmly spiced pumpkin crumb and tuck a tangy cheesecake layer inside, so every bite lands sweet, creamy, and a little bit tangy at the same time.

• Total Time: 35 min
• Yield: 16 muffins 1x

Ingredients

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For the muffins
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup water

For the cream cheese filling
1 8-oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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Instructions

Make the muffins
1-Preheat the oven to 350ºF: Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a muffin pan with baking cups.
2-In a large bowl, sift together the: In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set the bowl aside.
3-In the bowl of a stand mixer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the pumpkin and mix until combined.
4-Alternately add the dry ingredients and water: Alternately add the dry ingredients and water to the bowl, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Blend the batter well, scraping down the sides as needed. Set the batter aside.

Make the cream cheese filling
5-In the bowl of a stand mixer: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and vanilla.
6-Alternately add dollops of the pumpkin batter: Alternately add dollops of the pumpkin batter and cream cheese filling into the muffin cups, filling each ¾ full. Using a toothpick or sharp knife, swirl together the mixture.
7-Bake the muffins for 20 to 25: Bake the muffins for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.

Last Step:

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• Prep Time: 15 min
• Cook Time: 20 min
• Method: bake

Nutrition

• Calories: 188kcal
• Sugar: 18g
• Sodium: 155mg
• Fat: 6g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Carbohydrates: 29g
• Protein: 2g
• Cholesterol: 46mg