Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins are soft, warmly spiced pumpkin muffins with a sweet cheesecake center and a crunchy praline pumpkin seed topping. This easy copycat recipe tastes just like the bakery case version, with a little extra topping because more crunch is always better. No mixer needed, and they freeze beautifully for busy fall mornings!
Want to save this recipe for later?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it anytime!
Recipe at a Glance
Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Copycat Starbucks pumpkin muffins with a sweet cream cheese center and crunchy praline pumpkin seeds on top. Basically frosting you’re allowed to eat for breakfast!
Total time: 40 min
Difficulty: Easy
Best for: Fall Breakfast, Brunch & Holiday Mornings
Best Tip: Spray the muffin papers, not the pan!
🔍 COPYCAT SECRETS UNCOVERED!
I don’t call myself the Queen of Copycat for nothing, so I grabbed one from Starbucks and put it right next to mine. Y’all. They look identical! The warm pumpkin spice, the cream cheese center, the crunchy pumpkin seeds on top, the moist texture… it’s all there.
The one real difference is size. Starbucks sells a regular muffin. I made mine Texas-size because bigger is better, and I will not be taking comments on that. (Want regular size anyway, fine. Bake times are below.)
At around $4.25 a muffin at Starbucks, a dozen would run you over $50. Make 12 Texas-size muffins at home for about $11 total. That’s less than a dollar a muffin, and they’re BIGGER than the ones in the pastry case!
Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin Recipe Ingredients
- Cream cheese. Block cream cheese gives you the smoothest filling. Full confession, I used an 8 oz block plus 4 oz of whipped because that’s what was in my fridge, and it was totally fine. Use what you’ve got!
- Canola oil. Starbucks lists oil, not butter, in their muffins, so that’s what we’re using here.
- Pumpkin puree. One 15 oz can. Make sure it’s plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Raw pumpkin seeds. Grab them already shelled (you might see them called pepitas) and give them a rough chop. They toast a little on top while the muffins bake.
- The spices. Pumpkin pie spice, plus extra cinnamon and ginger, so these taste like fall in a paper cup.
- The basics. If you’re making muffins – you’ll need all purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla extract and salt.
How to Get the Cream Cheese Inside
This is the part that makes these Starbucks copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffins, and it’s way easier than it looks.
I use a ziplock baggie because they’re more plentiful in my house than a piping bag. Fill the bag with cream cheese mixture, squeeze out the air, and cut a small tip off one corner. Start small, like 1/4″. You can always cut more.
Stick the open corner into the center of the pumpkin batter and give it a good squeeze. You want the cream cheese down in the muffin. Then pull up and make a nice round circle on top. No need to mound it.
Because it’s basically a cheesecake filling in the center of each muffin, it may sink a little while it bakes. Some of mine sank and some didn’t, and every single one was delicious. Don’t stress!
Recipe Tips for Bakery-Style Muffins
- Skip the hand mixer. I didn’t use one at all. Mix the dry ingredients with a fork, then stir in the wet ingredients with a spatula in a large bowl. It takes about two minutes, and it’s hard to overmix when you’re doing it by hand.
- Spray the papers, not the pan. Give the paper liners a quick spritz of cooking spray before you add the batter, and the papers peel right off instead of taking half your muffin with them. This one really worked!
- Fill them all the way to the top. That’s how you get those big bakery domes – perfect for that little crunch from the praline pumpkin seeds!
- Angle your toothpick. Go in at an angle so you’re testing the middle of the muffin, not the cream cheese. The toothpick should come out clean when your muffin is done.
Texas-Size or Regular Muffins
Why not make bigger muffins? They’re better – right! Here’s the muffin tin I used!
- Texas-size: Makes 12. Bake 25 minutes. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of filling in each.
- Regular-size: Makes 24. Bake 18 to 22 minutes, checking at 18. Use about 1 tablespoon of filling in each so you don’t run out.
Storing, Freezing and Reheating
Storing Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Because of the cream cheese filling, store these in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing Them
These freeze great! I froze a batch of mine for a couple of days, thawed them on the counter, and they were good to go. And full confession, I’ve kept the actual Starbucks ones in my freezer for two weeks, and after a quick zap in the microwave they tasted like I’d just bought them.
Reheating Without Melting the Filling
Cut the muffin in half first so it heats evenly, then microwave it for about 15 seconds. That’s just enough to warm it up without the filling getting too hot or melting all over the place.
Not a Cream Cheese Person
I don’t understand you, but I still love you. Try my Copycat Panera Pumpkin Muffins instead!
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our disclosure policy.
Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling
- 12 oz cream cheese
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Pumpkin Praline Topping
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds chopped, raw pepitas
Pumpkin Muffins
- 3 cups enriched all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 cup canola oil
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 15 oz pumpkin puree
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º and line 2 Texas-size muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- To make the filling: Microwave cream cheese in a microwave-safe bowl on low power for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Transfer to a piping bag or ziplock (without a tip) and set aside.12 oz cream cheese, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract
- To make the pumpkin praline topping: In a small bowl combine pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar, salt and pumpkin seeds and stir to combine.1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- In a medium bowl combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside.3 cups enriched all-purpose flour, 1 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger
- In a mixing bowl, combine oil, sugar, eggs and pumpkin. Mix until combined with whisk.1 cup canola oil, 2 cups granulated sugar, 3 large eggs, 15 oz pumpkin puree
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix until just combined with a spatula.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin pan, filling the cups all the way to the top. Cut off the tip of the piping bag and press about 2-3 Tbsp of cream cheese filling into the center of the batter (for Texas-size muffins; about 1 Tbsp for regular). Sprinkle the top of each muffin with Pumpkin Praline Topping.
- Bake for 25 minutes at 375º until golden brown on top and cream cheese filling is set. You can test the muffins with a toothpick to be sure they are cooked through. The toothpick should come out of the MUFFIN portion clean.
- Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the muffins cool for 5-10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the pan and let cool to room temperature on the rack.
Notes
- Regular-size muffins: Makes 24. Bake 18-22 minutes, checking at 18. Use about 1 Tbsp filling per muffin.
- Spray the liners: Lightly spray the muffin papers with cooking spray before adding batter so they don’t stick. No need to spray the pan.
- Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to [4] days. Freeze, then thaw on the counter.
- Reheat: Cut in half and microwave about 15 seconds.
