These soft and fluffy pumpkin muffins are a cross between a coffee cake and a muffin. They’re flavored with pumpkin and warm spices, topped with a brown sugar crumble, and finished with a drizzle of cinnamon icing.
This recipe is a reader favorite and a family favorite. In fact, I love them so much that I use this as the base recipe for our Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and Pumpkin Cranberry Muffins.
What an amazing recipe!! The muffins are light and fluffy, not overly sweet. The crumble is just right in sweetness. Then the cinnamon drizzle, perfection!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
– Maya (reader)
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What sets this recipe apart
Three parts: Soft pumpkin muffins, brown sugar crumble, and cinnamon icing!
Versatility: These muffins are fancy enough to serve to guests but simple enough to throw together any day of the week.
Not too sweet: Although these muffins include a crumb topping and icing, they aren’t overly sweet like some store bought muffins.
Visual recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card.*
Crumb topping
Prepare the crumb topping by combining sugars, cinnamon, salt, flour, and melted butter.
Muffin batter
Prepare the muffin batter and divide between 12 greased or lined muffin cups.
Bake
Add the crumb topping to the muffins and bake.
Icing
Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and cinnamon. Drizzle over cooled muffins.
Recipe tips
Canned pumpkin: Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling (which is already sweetened). I find that Libby’s brand is the most consistent.
Don’t overmix the batter: Overmixing can make the muffins tough. Mix just until the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are combined.
Ice cream scoop or large cookie scoop: These work great for evenly portioning the batter into the muffin cups.
Small batch: I have successfully halved this recipe to make 6 muffins. Bake time will be the same.
Leftover pumpkin puree: Use the remaining pumpkin puree to make a batch of Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer.
Option: basic pumpkin muffins (no crumb topping)
Feel free to leave off the crumb topping and icing for a more “basic” pumpkin muffin. I frequently make these without the topping and we enjoy them just as much.
Note: I add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon to the muffin batter since there is no additional topping. These muffins are not overly sweet on their own. If you are making them without the topping you might want to add an additional ¼ cup granulated sugar to the batter.
Recipe
Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
Crumb topping:
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Muffins:
- 1-¾ cups all purpose flour*
- 1-½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 1-¼ cups canned pumpkin puree, not "pumpkin pie filling"
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup apple juice or milk
Cinnamon icing:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- dash of ground cinnamon
- 2+ teaspoons milk
Instructions
For the crumb topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, salt, and flour. Add the melted butter and stir until combined (I use a fork). Set aside.
For the muffins:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, oil, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and milk or juice until combined. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined, being careful not to over-mix.
- Divide the batter between 12 muffin cups (I use an ice cream scoop). Crumble the topping over the tops of each muffin. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the muffins from the pan and place on the rack to cool completely.
For the icing:
- Whisk all ingredients until smooth, increasing the milk 1 teaspoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency. Adjust the consistency as necessary by adding more powdered sugar (to thicken) or more milk (to thin). Use a small spoon to drizzle icing over the tops of the cooled muffins.
Video
Notes
Serving and storage:
These muffins are best within 1-2 days of being made. Over time the crumb topping will soften from the moisture in the muffin. Leftover muffins can be stored at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. The muffins can be frozen for up to 2 months.Basic pumpkin muffin (no crumb topping):
You can omit the crumb topping and icing for a more “basic” pumpkin muffin. Note: the muffins themselves are not overly sweet so I add an extra ¼ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon into the muffin batter.Small batch:
Prefer a smaller batch? I have successfully halved this recipe to make 6 muffins. Bake time will be about the same.Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!More pumpkin recipes
Post and photos updated August 2022, recipe remains the same.
Angie Scimone says
I just made these!! Haven’t tasted them yet, they are almost too beautiful to even eat!! I added just a few fall maple leaf sprinkles to the tops of these that is the only thing I did differently so I know they are going to taste delish!! Thank you for your recipe!!
Allison says
You’re welcome. Enjoy!
Lorraine says
Can you use fresh pumpkin ?
Allison says
Hi, Lorraine. I haven’t tried it but I would assume so. Fresh pumpkin can be a bit thinner and more “wet” than canned pumpkin, so I recommend blotting it with a paper towel or draining it in a fine mesh sieve until it resembles the consistency of canned pumpkin.
Kritika says
Can we sub almond flour or oat flor instead of using all purpose flour for both muffin and crumble? Also, can we sub olive oil instead of canola or vegetable oil?
Allison says
Yes to olive oil as long as its mild flavored. I would recommend a 1:1 gluten free baking blend as a sub for the all purpose flour.
Sothera says
I wanna make these for my family that’s gluten and dairy free. Do I only need to change the butter, milk, and all purpose flour? For some reason I think I need xananthan gum? Is that always needed?
Allison says
You will need a butter substitute for the topping and a plant based milk for the milk. For the all purpose flour I would recommend a gluten free 1:1 baking blend. I haven’t tried it, but I would assume that would work just fine.
Allyson says
I absolutely love this recipe!
Allison says
I’m so glad! Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Christi says
Absolutely delicious! I may have added a bit more pumpkin than the recipe called for as I just added the whole 15 ounce can that I had but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly as written. The crumb topping offsets the moist cake nicely and they look so pretty with the cinnamon glaze and crumb topping! So many compliments and one person said these taste like they are from an expensive bakery…they are that good! Thanks for the recipe!
Allison says
You’re welcome! Thanks for the kind review. 🙂
Megan says
Unsure on the taste yet, lol, as they’re still in the oven, but that’s the problem… There’s no way they only take 20 minutes at 350. They’re soupy still! Could it be because I subbed coconut sugar???
Allison says
The coconut sugar could possibly affect the bake time but I’m not sure as I’ve only made the recipe as written. I would recommend checking your oven temperature with an oven thermometer, perhaps it’s running cool. They might take a few minutes longer than 20 minutes but shouldn’t be soupy after 20 minutes.
Cheryl J. says
Made then again tonite and turned out perfect, as always !!! They were a huge hit at work, my co workers LOVED them ! Thanks for a great recipe !
Allison says
I’m so glad! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
Melisa says
This was the best pumpkin recipe I’ve made to date. They’re moist, not too sweet and the crumble top adds a nice texture and light crunch. I skipped the frosting, and cooked for 2 extra minutes and they’re PERFECT. Pinned in my favorites bar!!
Allison says
I’m so glad! Thanks for the kind review. 🙂
Wanda says
Thank you for the recipe! They were amazing!
Allison says
I’m glad you enjoyed them!