These pumpkin muffins with streusel topping are sure to be your new favorite fall bake! Our recipe creates a soft and perfectly spiced pumpkin muffin base that is topped with a spiced and buttery crumble topping and a sweet glaze to bring it all together.
You Will Love These Pumpkin Spice Muffins!
I have spent YEARS trying to find the perfect pumpkin muffin recipe. After trying dozens of recipes that were fine… I decided it was finally time to make my own. These pumpkin muffins with crumble topping are the result of intensive testing and result in muffins worthy of any bakery or coffee shop. I’ve had a handful of adults and handful of kiddos try them out, and everyone agreed – they are SUPER YUM.
Why You’ll Love These Muffins
- They’re easy to make (no mixer required).
- You’ll be able to enjoy them in less than an hour!
- They have the perfect balance of warm fall spices with just the right amount of pumpkin.
- They’re sweet (I mean, what muffin with a streusel topping isn’t?!) but not overly so.
- Perfect for breakfast, as a snack, or even as a dessert!
Pumpkin Muffin Ingredients
- Large Eggs. We use large eggs to make our muffins (no need to separate the egg yolks and egg whites). Eggs help create structure and stability as well as add moisture to our muffins.
- Neutral Oil (Vegetable or Canola). Oil adds richness to our pumpkin muffins as well as helps to create a tender texture.
- Granulated Sugar AND Brown Sugar. We use both white and brown sugar in our muffin recipe to achieve the perfect balance of sweetness, flavor, and texture.
- 100% Pure Pumpkin Puree. This is what gives our pumpkin muffins their pumpkin flavor! Make sure you use 100% pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling) if you’re used canned. You can also use homemade pumpkin puree if you make your own.
- Milk of Choice. I always use dairy milk for baking (either skim, 2%, or whole depending on what we have in our fridge). However, you can use a non-dairy milk if preferred. According to Food Network, soy milk is the best non-dairy alternative for baking, but use what you have and like to use. Milk is used in both the muffins and the glaze.
- Baking Soda AND Baking Powder. Our recipe uses both baking soda and baking powder to get the best texture and rise.
- Ground Cinnamon AND Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend. We use both cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice in our pumpkin coffee cake muffins, as well as additional pumpkin spice in the streusel topping. The mix and ratio of these spices brings out that fall flavor you’re craving.
- Salt. Used as a flavor enhancer and to help balance the sweetness of our muffins.
- All-Purpose Flour. Using all-purpose flour in muffins results in a sturdier muffin. Plus, it’s a common and versatile flour you likely already have in your pantry. We use flour in both our muffin base and in our streusel topping.
- Salted Butter. Butter is used in our streusel topping, which helps to create our crumbles. If you need to use a non-dairy butter, replace the salted butter 1-for-1 with a vegan butter alternative of your choice.
- Powdered Sugar. Powdered sugar (also known as confectioners’ sugar) is used to make our glaze because it dissolves easily with just a little liquid to create a silky-smooth topping.
- Vanilla Extract. We use vanilla extract to flavor our glaze, for just a little extra pop of goodness.
All measurements, sorted by the muffin base, crumble topping, and vanilla glaze, listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
How to Make Pumpkin Muffins
Preheat the oven to 375°F prep your muffin tin by placing muffin liners in each cup (or spray them with cooking spray) and set aside.
Begin making your muffin batter by whisking together the eggs, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, and milk in a large mixing bowl until well combined.
Slowly whisk in the dry ingredients (the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and flour).
Once you’ve added about half the flour, you’ll want to switch over to a rubber scrapper, then add the remaining flour.
Mix until JUST combined (a few lumps are ok! Do NOT overmix).
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups, filling each cup about ¾ of the way full. Set aside.
Make the streusel topping by mixing together the flour, white sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice in a medium bowl with a fork.
Pour the melted and slightly cooled butter over the dry ingredients, and begin to mix them together gently.
Continue to mix until clumps and crumbles are created, breaking larger clusters up with your fork (avoid overmixing).
Divide the crumb topping over the 12 muffin cups by spooning it on top of the muffin batter.
Very gently press them down into the batter to help them stay after baking.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok).
Prepare the vanilla glaze while your muffins cool in the tin. Place all glaze ingredients (powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract) into a small bowl.
Whisk / mix together until a smooth glaze has formed and is the consistency you like.
Drizzle the glaze over the pumpkin muffins.
Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tip: Don’t Overmix Your Batter!
Overmixing your batter can lead to dry, dense, and rubbery muffins (no thanks!). This is because overmixing your batter until perfectly smooth can result in extra gluten developing which leads to elongated holes (aka tunnels) developing in your muffins as they bake. This in turn leads to a muffin with a less than desirable texture. Mix your batter until the wet and dry ingredients are JUST combined (a few lumps left are ok).
How Long to Bake Pumpkin Muffins
You will need to bake our pumpkin muffin recipe for 15-20 minutes because our muffins bake at 375°F.
If you defaulted to 350°F (as my mother says, “when in doubt pick 350!”), your muffins will take 20-25 minutes to bake.
How to Store Pumpkin Muffins
Store fully cooled muffins in an air-tight container. See below for information on storing them on the counter, in the fridge, or in the freezer.
How Long Do Pumpkin Muffins Last?
Pumpkin muffins will last 1-2 days when stored at room temperature or up to 1 week if stored in the fridge.
Do Pumpkin Muffins Need to be Refrigerated?
If you plan to enjoy your muffins within a day or two, you won’t need to refrigerate them. However, you can store them in the fridge to extend how long you can enjoy them.
Can You Freeze Pumpkin Muffins?
Yes! You can freeze these pumpkin streusel muffins for up to three months (with or without the glaze on them). Just be sure the muffins are fully cooled before storing to prevent ice crystal build up.
Allow the muffins to thaw overnight in the refrigerator when ready to enjoy and then bring them up to room temperature. Or you can warm them up in the microwave if preferred too!
Pumpkin Muffins Recipe FAQs
How do you store pumpkin muffins so they don’t get soggy? Ensuring your muffins are cooled completely before storing is key! If you’re worried about this, you can also line your air-tight container with paper towels to help absorb any excess moisture.
Why are my pumpkin muffins gummy? This is likely because the batter was overmixed, resulting in additional gluten development. You may have also underbaked your muffins. Always be sure to check that a toothpick comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok, not liquidy batter) before removing them from the oven.
Should the streusel topping be added before or after baking? Streusel topping should be added before baking. This ensures the topping sticks to the muffins through the baking process.
Why are my pumpkin muffins so dense? Again, dense muffins are likely the result of an overmixed batter.
Love These Pumpkin Streusel Muffins? Try One of These Muffin Recipes Next!
Best Recipe for Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
- 2 large eggs
- ½ Cup neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
- ½ Cup granulated sugar
- ½ Cup brown sugar (light of dark)
- 1 + ½ Cups 100% pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- ¼ Cup milk of choice (I use skim, 2%, or whole dairy milk)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 + ¾ Cups all-purpose flour
Streusel Topping
- ¾ Cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ Cup granulated sugar
- ¼ Cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 5 Tablespoons salted butter
Vanilla Glaze (Optional)
- 1 Cup powdered sugar
- 1 + ½ Tablespoons milk of choice (I use skim, 2%, or whole dairy milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with muffin liners (or spray with cooking spray) and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, and milk until well combined.
- Slowly whisk in the baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and flour. Mix until JUST combined (a few lumps are ok! Do NOT overmix).
- Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups, filling each cup about ¾ of the way full. You can use a spoon or a large cookie scoop to do this.
Streusel Topping
- In a small bowl, melt the butter. Then set it aside to cool.
- In another small or medium bowl, whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together.
- Drizzle the slightly cooled melted butter over the dry ingredients and use a fork to gently mix the ingredients together to create clumps and crumbs (avoid overmixing as the topping will get a paste-like texture).
- Spoon the crumbs evenly over the muffin batter, and very gently press them down into the batter to help them stay after baking.
- Once the streusel topping has been added on top of the muffin batter, bake for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (a few crumbs are ok).
- Allow the muffins cool in the tin for about 10-minutes while you prepare the vanilla glaze.
Vanilla Glaze (Optional)
- Whisk together all glaze ingredients (powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract) in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle over the muffins before serving and enjoy!
Nutrition
*You’ll have about ½ cup of pumpkin puree left (from a standard 15oz can) after making this recipe. Check out our post on ‘What to do with Leftover Pumpkin‘ which shares over 50 ideas, sorted by amount of pumpkin needed, on how to use up your pumpkin puree!
Brieanna J says
Simply unreal. Made a lot of pumpkin muffins, but these are hands down the best!
Meredith says
So happy to hear you loved these pumpkin muffins too!!
Casey says
Can’t wait to make these 🤤
Meredith says
I hope you love them Casey!! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Bailey says
Delicious muffins! The pumpkin is perfect for fall and the topping is so good. Sweet enough for my kids to devour but not too sweet so my husband and I loved them too.
Meredith says
I’m so glad you, your hubs, and the kiddos loved them too! Thanks Bailey 🙂
Kendra says
Yum!!!! Definitely a new fall staple!!
Meredith says
YAY!! So, so happy to hear this Kendra! Thank you 🙂
Marge says
The BEST pumpkin muffins EVER!!!!