Swirled Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins — Moist, Bakery-Style, and Perfect for Fall

If you’re craving the ultimate fall bakery treat, these Swirled Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins deliver everything you love: warm pumpkin spice flavor, ultra-moist pumpkin batter, and a sweet, velvety cream cheese swirl baked right into the top. They’re cozy, beautiful, and unbelievably easy — the perfect fall breakfast, snack, or dessert.

These muffins taste like something straight from a high-end coffee shop (yes — even better than the famous Starbucks version!), but they’re homemade with simple ingredients and ready with very little effort. The combination of spiced pumpkin batter and tangy cream cheese swirl creates the perfect contrast: sweet, creamy, warm, and perfectly balanced.

Whether you’re prepping for a fall brunch, stocking up your freezer, or just craving the best pumpkin muffin ever, this recipe will quickly become a seasonal favorite.

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

1. The Creamiest Swirl

The rich cream cheese mixture melts into the pumpkin batter for a luscious cheesecake-like ribbon.

2. Perfect Fall Flavors

Pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and brown sugar create the classic cozy flavor.

3. Bakery Texture

Tall muffin tops, moist centers, and a fragrant, soft crumb.

4. Freezer Friendly

Make a batch and freeze them for quick breakfasts all season long.

5. Easy Swirl Technique

Two simple mixtures and a quick swirl with a toothpick — no special skills needed.

Ingredients

Pumpkin Muffin Batter

• 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Swirl

• 6 oz cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven:
   Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Mix Dry Ingredients:
   In a large bowl, whisk flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Mix Wet Ingredients:
   In another bowl, whisk pumpkin purée, eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Combine:
   Add wet mixture to dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
5. Make Cream Cheese Swirl:
   Beat softened cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk until smooth.
6. Fill Muffin Cups:
   Fill each muffin liner about ¾ full with pumpkin batter.
7. Add Swirl:
   Add 1 tablespoon of cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin.
   Swirl with a toothpick or knife to create a marbled pattern.
8. Bake:
   Bake 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean (avoid the cream cheese streaks).
9. Cool and Serve:
   Let muffins cool slightly — the cream cheese sets perfectly as they rest.

Swirled Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Moist pumpkin spice muffins swirled with a creamy, sweet cream cheese mixture for the perfect fall bakery-style treat.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12 muffins

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Calories: 290

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

Pumpkin Muffin Batter

• 1.75 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 0.5 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 0.5 tsp cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 2 large eggs
• 0.5 cup vegetable oil
• 0.25 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Swirl

• 6 oz cream cheese softened
• 0.25 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk egg yolk

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Whisk
• Electric mixer
• Muffin pan
• Paper liners

Method

 

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a muffin pan with paper liners.
2. Whisk flour, sugars, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl.
3. Whisk pumpkin purée, eggs, oil, milk, and vanilla in another bowl.
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients gently until just mixed.
5. Beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk until smooth.
6. Fill muffin cups ¾ full with batter. Add 1 tbsp cream cheese mixture on top.
7. Swirl with a toothpick to create a marbled pattern.
8. Bake 18–22 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean from the muffin portion.
9. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

For extra tall muffins, rest batter 10 minutes before baking.

Tips for the Best Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

• Use room temperature cream cheese for the smoothest swirl.
• Do not overmix the batter — keeps the muffins tender.
• Fill only ¾ full to prevent overflow.
• Use good-quality pumpkin purée — not pumpkin pie filling.
• Let them cool for at least 10 minutes to set the cream cheese.

Variations

Pumpkin Pecan Cream Cheese Muffins

Add chopped pecans to the batter or sprinkle on top.

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Add ½ cup chocolate chips.

Maple Cream Cheese Swirl

Replace some sugar with maple syrup.

Mini Muffins

Bake 10–12 minutes for bite-sized treats.

Serving Suggestions

Serve with:

• Hot coffee
• Maple latte
• Chai tea
• Whipped cinnamon butter

Perfect for:

• Fall breakfasts
• Thanksgiving brunch
• Snacks and lunchboxes
• Holiday gifting

Storage & Freezing

• Room temperature: 2 days
• Refrigerator: Up to 5 days (recommended for cream cheese desserts)
• Freezer: Up to 2 months
• Reheat: 10 seconds in microwave for warm, soft muffins