This Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins recipe is a great dupe of the popular coffee shop version! Using simple ingredients, you can have these moist muffins any time of the year.
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Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins?
These cream cheese pumpkin muffins are packed with pumpkin spice flavor, loaded with a luscious center of a sweet cream cheese filling, and topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds.
Make these fluffy pumpkin muffins for a family gathering, a church potluck, or a work event, and everyone will love you!
This fall favorite makes for the best afternoon snack or dessert treat. Serve your warm pumpkin muffin with a glass of cold milk or a pumpkin spice latte, and you’ve got the perfect fall breakfast!
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The Players for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin Purée – You’ll be needing a 15 ounce can of pure pumpkin puree for this Starbucks copycat recipe. Be sure that it’s 100% pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
- Sugar – White granulated sugar is what you’ll be using for this recipe.
- Eggs – Place your eggs out on the counter for at least 15 minutes before you start making these muffins. You want the eggs to be room temperature.
- Oil – I’m using canola oil for this recipe, but feel free to use vegetable oil if you’d like.
- Vanilla Extract – Using Vanilla extract will help enhance and round out the overall taste and aroma of our muffin batter.
- Flour – I’m using plain all-purpose flour for this easy recipe.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – It’s way easier to use a jar of pumpkin pie spice, but if you don’t have that, you can certainly make your own! Head down to the bottom of the post for a quick recipe.
- Baking Powder – This helps the muffins rise and become light and airy.
- Baking Soda – This leavening agent makes the muffins tender.
- Salt – Using salt in baking helps balance out all of our flavors.
- Cream Cheese – Make sure to use the full-fat cream cheese for the delicious cream cheese filling.
- Cornstarch – This will help to thicken our cream cheese center.
- Pumpkin Seeds – While optional, using pumpkin seeds adds saltiness and a lovely crunch factor to our moist pumpkin cream cheese muffins.
Tools:
- Muffin Tins – This is my all-time favorite muffin pan to bake with! They bake the muffins perfectly and come out easily.  I also use it for my Starbucks Copycat Blueberry Muffins recipe.
- Muffin Liners – I like to use these parchment paper muffin cups to line my muffin pan with.
How to Make Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Muffins
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 muffin liners and spray the top of the pan and liners with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl using a whisk or hand mixer, mix together the pumpkin puree, sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla extract.
To the same bowl, whisk in your flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Fill up your muffin liners with your muffin mixture all the way to the top of the muffin tin.
Moving on to the cream cheese mixture. In a small mixing bowl, mix together all of the cream cheese filling ingredients. Dollop a heaping tablespoon of the rich cream cheese filling mixture into the middle of the pumpkin batter.
If using, take your crushed pumpkin seeds and sprinkle lightly around the rim of the batter. You can use as much or as little as you’d like.
Place your muffin tin into the oven and bake for 28-30 minutes. Once baked, allow the muffins to cool completely in the pan before removing.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
These Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins should be stored in a ziplock bag or covered with plastic wrap and kept in the fridge due to the cream cheese filling. They can be kept in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
To reheat this pumpkin cream cheese muffin recipe, place your muffin on a microwave-safe plate, and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power.
Homemade vs Starbucks Pumpkin Muffins
In the above picture, the Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin is the darker one on the left, and my copycat version is on the right.
As you can see, there are very slightly differences when comparing between the two pumpkin muffins. But what is great about the homemade version is that you can control the amount of spices and pumpkin seeds that go into the pumpkin mixture.
Also, the homemade copycat recipe tastes ‘cleaner’. Less preservatives, more pumpkin flavor, and much more affordable? Yes please!
How Much is the Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin at Starbucks?
A pumpkin cream cheese muffin from my local Starbucks in California is currently $3.45. Of course, that price may vary depending on your location.
However, you can spend about $5.00 for a block of cream cheese and pumpkin puree (assuming you have all of the other ingredients in your pantry and fridge) and get 11 more delicious pumpkin cream cheese muffins!
What can I use if I don’t have Pumpkin Pie Spice?
Making your own homemade pumpkin pie spice seasoning is easy, and it allows you to adjust the flavors to your liking. Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of warm spices commonly used in pumpkin pies and other fall recipes. Here’s a basic recipe for making your own pumpkin pie spice:
- 3 tablespoons ground Cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground Nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground Allspice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground Cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground Ginger
Transfer your homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice blend to an airtight container. Be sure to label it with the date, so you know when you made it. You can definitely adjust the proportions of the spices to suit your taste. If you prefer a stronger flavor of one spice over another, feel free to customize the blend.
From this homemade blend, you’ll only need 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice for this recipe. But you can use the rest of your homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice for other pumpkin recipes like the ones listed below.
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If you end up making these Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins, leave me a comment. I would love to chat with you!
Looking for other Starbucks Copycat recipes? Check these out next!
- Starbucks Copycat Pumpkin Loaf Recipe
- How to Make Starbucks Iced Shaken Espresso Recipe
- Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Scone Recipe
- The Best Copycat Starbucks Blueberry Muffins Recipe
- Starbucks White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cold Brew (Copycat)
- Starbucks Dupe Iced Lemon Loaf Recipe
- One-Bowl Fudgy Espresso Brownies Recipe (Starbucks Copycat)
Starbucks Dupe: Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin
Ingredients
Pumpkin Muffin Mixture
- 1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
Cream Cheese Filling
- 4 oz cream cheese block, softened (1/2 block)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Pumpkin topping
- 1/3 cup crushed pumpkin seeds optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Line a standard muffin tin with 12 muffin liners and spray the top with cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix together all muffin ingredients. Fill up muffins tins with muffin mixture all of the way to the top.
- In a small mixing bowl, mix together all cream cheese filling ingredients. Dollop heaping teaspoons of cream cheese mixture into the middle of the muffins.
- Sprinkle the outsides of the muffins with crushed pumpkin seeds if desired.
- Bake in oven for 27-30 minutes. Allow muffins to cool completely in muffin tin. Enjoy!
Psalm 84:1 - "How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty!"
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