Pumpkin Muffins
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These truly are the best pumpkin muffins—moist, fluffy, and full of warm spice, with a buttery cinnamon-pecan streusel that takes them over the top.
Of all the baking recipes I’ve shared over the years, my grandmother’s pumpkin bread remains the most popular. First published in the 1963 edition of McCall’s Cook Book, the recipe has truly stood the test of time. Like most sweet quick breads, it’s easily transformed into muffins.
For this pumpkin muffin recipe, I use nearly the same batter—which, by the way, is so delicious there’s always a scramble over who gets to lick the bowl and beaters—then spoon it into a muffin tin and top each with a cinnamon-pecan streusel for irresistible crunch. Even my kids, who claim I “ruin everything with nuts,” can’t resist the topping.
“These are the best muffins I have ever made! Thank you so much for this recipe. We host a family reunion every October and these will be on the breakfast menu!”
What You’ll Need To Make Pumpkin Muffins
- All-Purpose Flour – The backbone of the muffins and the streusel. Be sure to measure it right: spoon it into the cup, then level it off (scooping packs it down and can make your muffins dense).
- Butter – Adds richness to the batter and binds the streusel together so it bakes up crumbly and crisp.
- Sugars (Granulated + Demerara) – Granulated sugar sweetens the batter and helps keep the muffins moist, while demerara sugar (also called turbinado or raw cane sugar) goes in the streusel for a subtle caramel crunch.
- Chopped Pecans – Toasty, nutty, and crunchy, they make the streusel topping irresistible. Feel free to substitute walnuts or simply leave them out if you’re not a nut person.
- Leaveners (Baking Powder + Baking Soda) – These work together to give the muffins their lift and light texture.
- Spices (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves) – Classic pumpkin pie spices that bring cozy warmth to every bite.
- Eggs – Add richness and bind everything together.
- Canned Pumpkin Purée – Adds moisture and pumpkin flavor. Use 100% pure pumpkin, not pie filling. I love Libby’s, but if you’d like to make your own, look for 4- to 8-pound sugar (aka cooking or pie) pumpkins. For step-by-step instructions, see this guide from King Arthur Flour.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the streusel topping. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, butter, demerara sugar, pecans, and cinnamon. It should look a little wet and clumpy—that’s exactly right. Set it aside. Tip: You can make the streusel up to three days ahead and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg until everything’s well combined. Set aside.
Step 3: Beat the butter and sugar. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar at low speed until just blended.
Step 4: Mix in the eggs. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Continue beating at medium speed until very light and fluffy, a few minutes.
Step 5: Add the pumpkin. Beat until it’s evenly combined, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary.
Step 6: Mix wet and dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the batter and mix on low speed until just combined.
Step 7: Load up the muffin pan. Use an ice cream scoop or two spoons to fill the muffin cups right to the top. Then, with your fingers, sprinkle the streusel evenly over each one.
Step 8: Bake and cool. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. The muffins are best enjoyed the day they’re baked, but they’ll stay fresh for several days in an airtight container at room temperature. They also freeze beautifully—just tuck them into a sealed container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Video Tutorial
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Pumpkin Muffins
Ingredients
For the Topping
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 5 tablespoons demerara sugar (also called raw cane sugar or turbinado)
- ¾ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
For the Muffins
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 15-ounce (425-g) can 100% pure pumpkin (I use Libby’s)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a standard muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Begin with the topping: Combine the flour, butter, demerara sugar, chopped pecans and cinnamon in a small bowl. The mixture will be quite wet. Set aside.
- Move on to the muffins: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar at low speed until just blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; continue beating until very light and fluffy, a few minutes. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Using an ice cream scoop or two spoons, transfer the batter to the prepared muffin pan, filling each cup completely full. Using your fingers, divide the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack to cool completely.
Notes
- This recipe makes 12 large muffins. For smaller muffins, divide the batter into 18 muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The muffins can be frozen in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag for up to 3 months. Thaw for 3 to 4 hours on the countertop before serving. To reheat, wrap individual muffins in aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350°F oven until warm.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn,
I just discovered your blog a few weeks ago and am absolutely loving it. Thanks for all the awesome recipes! I was wondering if I could substitute sweet potato for the pumpkin in this recipe?
Hi Katie, Glad you are enjoying the recipes! Yes, sweet potato should work. Please let me know how it turns out 🙂
Just made for Easter Brunch and they are fantastic. Everyone thought they were the best muffins ever!
Hi Jenn, I really dislike butter, can I use some type of oil for these muffins on the top, that wouldn’t ruin the taste?
I found your blog last week when looking for a recipe for Shrimp Tacos, yours was unbelievably delicious. I made your Vietnamese Carmelized Shrimp on Thursday, fabulous. Your Spinach & Gruyere Quiche last night, there is only one slice left and there were only two of us eating! Tonight I am making your Thai Minced Chicken Lettuce Cups. Tomorrow I am bringing your Crab Cakes and Coconut Dream Pie to an Easter dinner. I have many cookbooks and websites I use to find recipes, but yours is truly the best!! Thank you!
Hi Mary, Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback…so glad you are enjoying the recipes! For the topping, I would use shortening instead of oil. Good luck, and hope you enjoy them 🙂
I just made these muffins and they are awesome. At Christmas I was given a mason jar of homemade chunky pumpkin pie filling. Since the spices were already in the pumpkin I simply folowed the recipe minus the spices and made the topping a little drier by adding a couple TBS of extra flour. My husband ,who is not a pumpkin anything fan ,loves them and I know I will be using this recipe over and over again. Tomorrow I am going to take a couple of the muffins to the person who gave me the filling. That’s how wonderful they turned out! Thanks for the recipe.
I just made these and they are fantastic. Moist, light crumb. I added 2 additional tablespoons of flour to the topping as a reviewer suggested and it was perfect. The family absolutely loved them!
These are very good. I had all the ingredients except the sugar for the topping so I used a brown sugar streusel topping and it was a winner. I can tell these will be a family favorite so next time I will have to double batch.
I was looking for recipes I could adapt for using coconut oil instead of other types of fats. My mother has Alzheimer’s and coconut oil has been shown to significantly lessen symptoms for some people when used in dosages of roughly one tablespoon three times a day. So I substituted organic, non-refined coconut oil for butter in the topping and the batter. I also added a tablespoon of butter buds to the topping mixture. Then, after baking, I brushed the tops lightly with real butter and put a very light dusting of real sugar. Love the demerara but added this too for a tiny bit more sweetness when biting in. The only other thing I changed is I grated almost a whole nutmeg nut into the batter instead of using pre-ground nutmeg. It’s amazing how much better it tastes when freshly grated. These muffins turned out to be absolutely delicious! Thanks so much.
I should add that where I said “real sugar” I meant white cane sugar. I also toasted the tops of the muffins (barely) after brushing on the butter and sprinkle of sugar. I had to be careful because they will burn in an instant. Toasting gave the pecans a great flavor as well.
Can I use this cupcake recipe as a bread? and put the topping on top of the bread?
Hi Janice, Yes, it will work well.
I am a pastry chef who creates desserts for an upscale restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. We opened for brunch each Sunday this December and I looked around the web for some good muffin and scone recipes. These were some of the best muffins I’ve ever tasted ~ fine textured, deeply moist, delicate, tender, and full of flavor. They were a huge hit with our guests and I have found my Pumpkin Muffin recipe for life !!! I noticed that the topping looked as if it melted/baked into the muffin a bit and I preferred that mine not spread like that- so by adding a few more tablespoons of flour to the topping – I got just what I wanted…a sandy, light, and crunchy topping that sat upon the muffins in a nutty crunchy canopy. Couldn’t recommend these more !!! I made larger muffins than the ones depicted- and they baked just fine in the giant muffin tins- losing no moistness in the longer baking time. I assume they would be delightful as mini’s as well. Thank you !!!
Very nice texture and flavor but much too sweet. Made them with the topping but next time I”ll decrease the sugar in the batter to 1 cup.
I had to substitute the flour and butter in this recipe to accommodate for gluten & lactose allergies. Ended up using Krusteaz gluten free flour and Earth Balance buttery sticks. Exchanged them with the same quantities. What a treat! No one knew that they were even GF!