Copycat Panera Pumpkin Muffins
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These Copycat Panera Pumpkin Muffins will have you ordering pumpkin spice lattes like a Basic B in 5 seconds flat! They’re a delicious balance of pumpkin spice flavor and a mouth-watering aroma that will fill your home!
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Why you will LOVE this pumpkin muffin recipe!
The powdered sugar streusel topping is the magical thing about these muffins! But they’re also super simple – I mixed these muffins up in five minutes – and affordable!. Panera Bread charges $3.49 for one muffin and I made this recipe for about $5 for 12 muffins! These are the perfect snack or breakfast anytime.
What are the ingredients in Panera’s Pumpkin Muffins?
Don’t be too alarmed – this easy copycat recipe does have quite a few ingredients – but most are pantry staples. Here’s what you need:
For the muffins:
- vegetable oil – they use palm oil, I swapped for vegetable oil
- granulated sugar
- honey
- large eggs
- canned pumpkin – be sure to get pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling
- all-purpose flour – Panera uses and enriched wheat flour which I couldn’t find so I went with AP
- salt
- baking soda
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- ground ginger
- pumpkin pie spice
For the topping:
How to make Panera Pumpkin Muffins recipe?
These muffins are super simple to make! I made a variety of sizes – to share with you various baking times from mini donuts, regular sized muffins and Texas sized muffins.
- Preheat oven to 375º
- In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, sugar, honey, eggs and pumpkin in a bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and pumpkin pie spice.
- Add the pumpkin mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
- Spoon the batter into muffin pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray.
- This makes 12 Texas sized or 18 regular sized muffins
- You can use parchment paper liners – but I just find it easier to spray with cooking spray and go right in the pan.
- In a small bowl, cut the butter into the flour and sugar with a fork. Mix until it resembles crumbs and the butter is in small pieces. Add honey, cinnamon and salt and mix again.
- Divide the streusel crumb topping between the muffins, spoon it over the unbaked batter. (This makes those PERFECT muffin tops!)
- Bake the muffins until the cupcakes have risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Jumbo muffins– 25 minutes (oven)
- Regular sized muffins – 18 minutes (oven)
- Regular sized muffins – 13 minutes (air fryer)
- Mini donuts – 10 minutes (oven)
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the muffins are cool, use a handheld sifter, shake powdered sugar over top.
Tips, Tricks & FAQs
Nope! Just store them in an airtight container at room temperature so they don’t dry out. You can also add a paper towel on top and bottom so they don’t get soggy. It’s a balancing act – not too dry – not too soggy.
I always pop them in the microwave for 10-30 seconds before eating. The streusel topping is great – you don’t even need butter! So good!
Yup – they are $3.49 each. This whole recipe cost about $5 to make and it makes a dozen Texas-sized muffins!!!
Their muffins are 560 calories, mine come in around 487 calories.
Yes! I wrapped each muffin in press & seal plastic wrap individually and then put the muffins in a freezer bag. To eat, remove from the freezer and let sit out for about 30 minutes. Then microwave for 20 seconds and they’re perfect!
Of course! Chocolate chips are a great addition to pumpkin muffins!
Other Panera Copycat Recipes
I love Panera and go frequently – so I’ve ended up making a lot of Panera Copycat Recipes – here are some of my favorites:
More Muffin Recipes & Baked Goods
Copycat Panera Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp honey
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups canned pumpkin
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Streusel Topping
Topping
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375
- Mix together the oil, sugar, honey, eggs and pumpkin in a bowl. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and pumpkin pie spice. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
- Spoon the batter into muffin pans that have been sprayed with cooking spray. This makes 12 Texas sized or 18 regular sized muffins
- In a small bowl, cut the butter into the flour and sugar with a fork. Mix until it resembles crumbs and the butter is in small pieces. Add honey, cinnamon and salt and mix again.
- Divide the streusel between the muffins, spoon it over the unbaked batter.
- Bake the muffins until the cupcakes have risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. – Texas sized – 25 minutes (oven)– Regular sized – 18 minutes (oven)– Air Fryer Regular Sized – 13 minutes– Mini donuts – 10 minutes (oven)
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the muffins are cool, use a handheld sifter, shake powdered sugar over top.
Streusel topping includes cinnamon, honey, and salt; however, Step 4 of instructions, doesn’t mention when to add them.
After you get the butter/sugar/flour to a crumb point – add those ingredients and mix in with a fork. I fixed it! thanks!
Thanks. Can’t wait to try them for Thanksgiving!
Step 5 tells you to add to unbaked batter. That’s before you put in the oven.
My crumble isn’t a crumble it’s more like a dough texture and it didn’t form in the oven, any idea what I might’ve done wrong?
I would guess too much honey or the butter was too soft. You don’t want it moist. Hope that helps…
can you use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?
I was hesitant to say yes – but in the research I’ve done – yes you can – it’s a 1:1 ratio for olive oil. the flavor might change slightly because olive oil has a stronger flavor than vegetable oil – but yes – it’s fine!
10/10! These are such an incredible substitute for Panera’s pumpkin muffins. Absolutely delicious and easy to make!
Aw thanks!!!!
Hi! Excited to try these for a breakfast at my school. Just wondering if you think it would be ok to make the batter the night before and then scoop and bake them in the morning? I’ve done this with other kinds of muffins but never pumpkin.
Thanks for your help!
oh yeah – should be fine!
OMG!!! So delicious!! Definitley a keeper!
Made mine with fresh pumpkin and wholewheat flour.
Turned out amazing
These are the best pumpkin muffins I have ever had! Recipe was very easy. I added a few spoonfuls of mini chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds to the topping and didn’t use the powdered sugar.
My new go-to for fall! Made the house smell wonderful!
Aw thanks!!!!!
One of my favorite treats at Panera are the pumpkin muffins. I tried this recipe and it is a perfect match for those muffins! Thank you for sharing!
Very good, very, very sweet.
I apologize if this question has already been asked, but can these muffins be frozen? Thawed at room temperature?
yes – you can freeze – thaw on the counter yes!
I’ve just made a second batch! I had to freeze half the first batch to slow my husband and myself down. These are the best muffins I have ever made and I’ve been baking muffins for 40 years
Love that!!!!