Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins

Baked pumpkin cream cheese muffins arranged on a cutting board.

5 from 8 votes

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins

These light and fluffy pumpkin cream cheese swirl muffins are packed with warm pumpkin spice and topped with a rich cream cheese swirl. The cream cheese mixture melts into the muffins, kind of like a baked-in frosting. And, we use a whole can of pumpkin, so nothing goes to waste!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: muffins

Calories: 215kcal

Author: MaryAnne

Equipment

muffin tin
whisk

Ingredients

For the Muffins:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ Tablespoons pumpkin spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 (15 ounce can) pumpkin puree
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
½ cup vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Swirl:

1 (8-ounce package) cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the Muffins:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place paper baking cups into muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together canned pumpkin, sugar, and brown sugar.
Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Pour in vegetable oil and vanilla extract, and whisk thoroughly.
Add dry mixture to pumpkin mixture and whisk jut until there are no lumps remaining, being careful not to overmix.
Use a spoon or ¼ measuring cup to scoop batter into muffin cups, filling them ¾ full.

Make the Cream Cheese Swirl:

In a medium bowl, whisk the cream cheese until light and smooth. Add sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, and mix until well combined.
Using a Tablespoon measure, scoop around one tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on top of muffins. Use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter (or use a knife).
Bake muffins for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm or store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Video

Notes

Make sure you are using canned pumpkin (often sold as “100 % pure pumpkin”) for this recipe, which only contains pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling is a different ingredient, and contains sweetener and spices.
Avoid over-mixing batter. Over-mixing could produce extra gluten, creating chewier muffins, and we want a light and fluffy texture.
If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice on hand, make your own homemade version! This spice blend varies depending on which spices you want more or less of, but I make this version in my kitchen: 1 ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, ¾ teaspoon allspice, ¾ teaspoon cloves.
Recipe adapted from The Novice Chef.

Nutrition