These Soft and Moist pumpkin muffins are swirled with cream cheese filling to create a delicious treat for fall!
Every fall holiday deserves these pumpkin cheesecake muffins–they are such a fun and tasty treat–plus they’re easy to make!
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Ever since I started making old-fashioned pumpkin bread every fall, I’ve been occasionally branching out and making variations of it.
That’s because there’s pretty much nothing better in the fall than a delicious pumpkin treat!
So I made pumpkin chocolate chip bread, then started making muffins, including pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, pumpkin gingerbread muffins, and pumpkin banana muffins.
But one of my personal favorites is these pumpkin cheesecake muffins!
Seriously, they are so good—they’re a classic pumpkin muffin with some cheesecake-type filling swirled on top. It’s almost like a pumpkin cupcake with the frosting baked right in.
Skip the line at Starbucks and make your own pumpkin cream cheese muffins at home this fall!
These are absolutely perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving!
Looking for a cupcake recipe? Try these easy pumpkin spice cupcakes!
Why You’ll Love these Pumpkin Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
So first of all, these are the easiest cheesecake pumpkin muffins I’ve ever made.
I’ve tried other recipes, which included making, piping, and freezing pieces of cream cheese filling and baking those pieces in the centers of the muffins.
While those are tasty, they are A LOT of effort. Ain’t nobody got time for that.
That’s when I knew I needed to make a simpler version!
My goal was to create a cream cheese filling that was sweet, but didn’t overpower the pumpkin flavor.
The result is a delicious filling that is very similar to what you might find in a cream cheese danish, and it’s the goes perfectly with the pumpkin muffins.
I just know you’re going to love these as much as I do!
More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes:
- Pumpkin Pecan Cobbler
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- Pumpkin Donut Holes
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake from a Mix
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Coffee Cake
How to Make Pumpkin Muffins with a cream cheese swirl
You start off with a simple pumpkin muffin recipe, then make the filling separately and swirl it on top.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- Sugar
- Shortening
- Eggs
- Hot water
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Baking soda
- Pumpkin puree
- Cream cheese
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Egg yolk
How to Make It:
(Full printable recipe is available below)
Mix the batter. First, you’ll make the batter for the pumpkin muffins and scoop it into a prepared muffin pan.
Make the cheesecake filling. Next, you’ll mix up the cream cheese filling using an electric mixer. Once it’s smooth, spoon some of the filling on top of each well of muffin batter.
Swirl. Using a toothpick or a knife, swirl the cheesecake filling into the pumpkin batter, keeping it mostly on top.
Bake. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow them to cool slightly before serving. Enjoy!
Notes and Adaptations:
- These muffins can be frozen if desired.
- I like these best when warm, so you can always pop one or two in the microwave to reheat them.
- Need another easy breakfast idea? Try these simple German muffins!
Recommended Equipment:
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Every fall holiday deserves these pumpkin cheesecake muffins! Perfect for Halloween or Thanksgiving, these delicious pumpkin muffins are swirled with a cream cheese filling, making a tasty breakfast or snack!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup hot water
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- For the Cream Cheese Swirl:
- 8-oz cream cheese
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Grease a muffin pan or line with cupcake liners (you'll need about 15-16 wells prepared).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the sugar and shortening.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, followed by the hot water. Mix until combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, add in the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking soda, mixing just until combined.
- Mix in the pumpkin puree until batter is smooth.
- Scoop batter by 1/4-cup into the prepared muffin pan.
- In a separate small mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk with an electric mixer until smooth.
- Drop about a tablespoon of cream cheese mixture onto each well of muffin batter. Use a toothpick to swirl the cream cheese into the batter.
- Bake for about 20-22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Notes
To freeze these muffins, simply cool completely and wrap well.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
15Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 285
