Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
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These pumpkin streusel muffins are soft and moist with a warm pumpkin spice flavor. Topped with crunchy cinnamon streusel and drizzle of vanilla glaze – you’ll bake these again and again. 
If you’re looking for the perfect pumpkin muffin recipe, then look no further. These muffins are extremely moist and tender with a delicious pumpkin spice flavor. They’re made with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and vanilla to perfectly complement the pumpkin. Then the cinnamon streusel adds a delicious crunch. If you’re looking to make them a little sweeter, a drizzle of glaze on top is the perfect addition. I love how the warm pumpkin spice flavor and perfectly moist crumb pairs with the crunch of the streusel. And while these muffins aren’t overly sweet, they’re just a little extra special.
I like to think of these like pumpkin coffee cake muffins, only not quite as sweet as my favorite cake version.
Making the Muffins: Step By Step Photos
There’s 2 parts to this recipe: the pumpkin muffin batter and the cinnamon streusel topping. The recipe itself is very simple and can be made entirely by hand using a metal whisk.
First, you’ll make the streusel topping
- In a small bowl, you’ll stir together flour, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon until there are no lumps.
- Then you’ll stir in the melted butter. It should form crumbles around the size or a pea or a little smaller and feel like very damp sand.
Then set the streusel topping aside, and it’s time to get on with the pumpkin muffin batter.
- You’ll first whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Then in a separate large bowl you’ll whisk together the wet ingredients. The moisture in these muffins comes from using oil, 2 eggs, pumpkin puree and sour cream. Then the brown sugar adds a delicious hint of caramel to the flavor.
- Whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until there are no more lumps. This can take a little arm work, but can definitely be done by hand
This recipe makes a total of 12 muffins. You’ll:
- Spoon the batter into your lined muffin pan. I recommend using a cookie scoop or ice cream scoop if you have one – this way your fingers won’t get too messy. The muffin papers will be about 3/4 full.
- Then sprinkle the streusel on top of each muffin. It will look like a lot of streusel, but as the muffins bake the tops will expand and won’t be so densely covered.
They’ll need to bake for around 25 minutes at 375F, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. If you’d like to add the glaze on top, then you’ll need to wait for the muffins to cool fully (otherwise the glaze will just melt). But that’s really up to you. They’re equally delicious without the glaze, just a little less sweet.
Baking Tips
This recipe is very simple, but there’s a few important points I should make:
- Make sure you’re using canned pumpkin puree (often labeled “pure pumpkin). Do not use canned pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already has spices and sugar added to it – and this recipe was designed with pure pumpkin puree.
- This recipe uses 1 cup of pumpkin puree – not 1 can. A 15 ounce can has almost 2 cups of pumpkin puree in it. So make sure to measure out your pumpkin.
- If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/4 teaspoon each of ground nutmeg, ground cloves, ginger powder, and allspice.
- I used full-fat sour cream (18% MF) in these muffins. You could also substitute the sour cream with plain Greek yogurt (make sure you’re not using vanilla flavored).
And if you want to really take these up a notch – you can also add in 3/4 cup chocolate chips…. Just a delicious idea
Or if you need more pumpkin recipes, then be sure to try:
- Pumpkin Streusel Bars
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake – it’s like the dessert version of these muffins
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Equipment
- 12-cavity muffin pan
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (62.5 grams)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar (50 grams)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter (56 grams), melted
Muffin Batter
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (187.5 grams)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, see recipe notes for substitution
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil (80 ml), canola works too
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (100 grams), packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup sour cream (60 ml)
- 1 cup pure pumpkin (240 ml), AKA pumpkin puree
Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (55 grams), AKA icing sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons cream , or milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F degrees. Line a 12-cavity muffin pan with muffin papers.
Streusel Topping
- Stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until no lumps remain.
- Stir in the melted butter. It should form crumbles and feel like damp sand. Set aside.
Pumpkin Muffin Batter
- Whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt until there are no longer lumps of brown sugar.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, vanilla, sour cream and pumpkin puree. Whisk until smooth.
- Carefully whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients about 1/2 at a time until there are no more lumps.
Baking the Muffins
- Spoon the batter evenly between the 12-muffin cavities (they'll be about 3/4 full).
- Spoon/crumble the streusel on top of each muffin. It will look quite thick and like there's quite a lot. This is ok.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes (I typically first check around 22 minutes) or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool the muffins in the pan for at least 10 minutes, then carefully remove from the pan and continue cooling on a wire rack.
Glaze
- Whisk together 1/2 cup powdered sugar with 1 tablespoon of cream (or milk).
- Whisk in a little more powdered sugar or cream until it's thin enough to drizzle, but should still look white in color.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cooled muffins.
Notes
- Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute: 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice can be substituted with 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder and 1/4 teaspoon allspice.
- Pumpkin: Make sure to use canned pure pumpkin and not canned pumpkin pie filling. Using homemade pumpkin puree can lead to inconsistent results, as it will have different amounts of moisture. Do not use 1 full can of pumpkin puree - this recipe uses 1 cup (which is a little more than half of a 15 ounce can).
- Storage: Store muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Fully cooled muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge, then bring to room temperature before enjoying. I do find that the streusel loses some of its crunch after the muffins have been frozen.
- Nutrition: Information provided is an estimate only and based on 1 muffin with streusel and glaze, assuming the recipe yields 12 equal-sized muffins.
My family loved them and were all eaten within a half hour of coming out of the oven.
They are excellent! I made them with butterscotch chips no icing and I had honey vanilla Greek yogurt not sour cream 🤷♀️ will be making all fall long!
I need to try these with butterscotch chips – that sounds delicious!
The consistency of these muffins are wonderful! Very nice and moist. And they turn out so beautiful and plump! They were a hit among the family, however, I didn’t care for them (oddly enough). I typically love pumpkin but something felt “missing” – like it needed an extra flavor to make it more interesting. Not sure exactly what I would add to give it more zing-maybe some ginger, some Granny Smith apple, or maybe even some coffee powder-not sure. There just wasn’t much flavor to me other than sugar. Again, beautiful muffins and seemingly a hit among folks but not for those that like extra spicy/flavorful things.
Hi Ash,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. I’m glad your family enjoyed them, even if they weren’t your favorite flavor wise. You could always increase the spices for a bit more zing. Another option would to be to add in a 2 teaspoons of grated orange zest. I find that in pumpkin treats it really brightens the flavor.
My three year old and I made these and they were so delicious. 10/10! Definitely will be making some again!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now, and it’s officially my go-to for pumpkin muffins! Super moist and really quick and easy. Another hit recipe from Fiona!
Thank you so much! I think it’s hard to beat pumpkin season
The most moist muffins I think I’ve ever had before! Super easy and a total success for my first time making muffins from scratch! I will be saving this recipe and using it in the future for sure!
This is such a fantastic recipe! I love pumpkin muffins, and this is my new favorite recipe. My family devoured them for breakfast. My youngest couldn’t get enough. It’s so hard to find the “Goldilocks” recipe for pumpkin muffins. This is it. Not too complicated, not too simple. Just right! The streusel is perfect. Exactly how I like it. I did use the pumpkin pie spice substitute. These are delicious. You won’t be disappointed!
One thing I noticed is that the directions say to add the sugars to the dry, and to the wet ingredients. I added them to the dry and everything came out great. I don’t know if I read the recipe wrong or it’s a typo. Either way, I’m making these again and again! Thank you so much Fiona, for the perfect pumpkin streusel muffin recipe!!
Hi, I did notice the same thing with the wet and dry ingredients. I will try thexway you suggested, fingers crossed!
Curious as to how many muffins one batch makes. So excited to make these I know they will be delicious!
It makes 12 muffins