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Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins Recipe

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Prep Time 20 minutes
25 minutes
Total Time 44 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 muffins
Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the Muffins:

  • ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice (or homemade blend)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 large eggs (room temperature)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup milk (whole or 2% for richness)

For the Cream Cheese Filling:

  • 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

ptional Topping:

  • ¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), lightly salted or raw

Instructions
 

  • Preheat and Prep
    Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or lightly grease each cup.
  • Mix Dry Ingredients
    In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
  • Combine Wet Ingredients
    In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, both sugars, eggs, oil, vanilla, and milk until smooth and glossy.
  • Combine
    Gradually fold the dry mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir gently — just until you don’t see streaks of flour. (Overmixing = dense muffins.)
  • Make the Cream Cheese Filling
    In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. You can use a handheld mixer or whisk.
  • Fill the Muffin Cups
    Fill each muffin cup about ⅔ full with pumpkin batter. Add 1 heaping teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture in the center of each cup. Top with a small spoonful of pumpkin batter to mostly cover the filling.
  • Add the Topping
    Sprinkle pepitas on top for that classic Starbucks texture and a little crunch.
  • Bake
    Bake for 18–22 minutes, rotating halfway through. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted near the edge (not the cream cheese center) comes out clean.
  • Cool
    Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cream cheese center will firm up as they rest.