Pumpkin Muffins
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Sink your teeth into the ultimate fall treat: pumpkin muffins topped with a can’t-resist pecan streusel!
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, this recipe has truly withstood the test of time. Like most sweet quick breads, it’s easily transformed into muffins. In this pumpkin muffin recipe, I use nearly the same batter—which, by the way, is so delicious that there are always negotiations over who gets to lick the bowl and beaters! I then spoon it into a muffin tin and crown each with a cinnamon-spiced pecan streusel for an irresistible crunch.
Even my kids, who claim I “ruin everything with nuts,” love the topping. In the mood for a pumpkin muffin but would prefer something a bit more savory? These pumpkin cornbread muffins will surely scratch that itch!
Table of Contents
“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: Provides structure and texture to the batter and forms the base of the streusel. Measure by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off to ensure accuracy.
- BUTTER: Used in the batter for richness and flavor. Additionally, it binds the streusel ingredients together, helping create a crumbly texture.
- DEMERARA SUGAR: Adds sweetness and a subtle caramel flavor to the streusel topping. Also called turbinado or raw cane sugar.
- CHOPPED PECANS: Provide crunch and nuttiness, enhancing the texture and flavor of the streusel.
- BAKING POWDER AND BAKING SODA: Act as leavening agents helping the muffins rise.
- CLOVES, CINNAMON AND NUTMEG: Add warm, spicy flavor notes characteristic of pumpkin treats.
- GRANULATED SUGAR: Adds sweetness and contributes to a moist texture.
- EGGS: Add richness and help bind the muffin ingredients together.
- CANNED PUMPKIN PURÉE: Provides moisture and pumpkin flavor. Make sure to purchase 100% pure pumpkin — not pumpkin pie filling.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Begin with the streusel topping: Combine the flour, butter, demerara sugar, chopped pecans and cinnamon in a small bowl.
The mixture will be quite wet. Set aside. (Note: If you want to plan ahead a bit, the streusel topping can be made up three days ahead of time and kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready for use.)
Move on to the muffins: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Whisk well and 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 at medium speed until very light and fluffy, a few minutes.
Add the pumpkin.
Beat until combined, scraping down the sides of bowl as necessary.
Add the flour mixture.
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 full.
Using your fingers, divide the topping evenly over the muffin 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Definitely! If canned pumpkin isn’t available where you live, or you’d just prefer to use fresh, that’s not a problem. For baking, the most flavorful pumpkins are smaller than those typically associated with Jack-O-Lanterns. They’re usually in the 4 to 8-pound range and are referred to as sugar, cooking, or pie pumpkins. This detailed piece from King Arthur Flour provides guidance on how to convert a whole pumpkin into purée that can be used in any of my pumpkin baked goods, pumpkin butter, or pumpkin soup.
You can just omit the pecans. The streusel will still be delicious.
For sure — 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.
Yup — if you’re craving a plain muffin, simply omit the topping and add an extra ¼ cup of sugar to the batter.
Video Tutorial
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Pumpkin Muffins
Sink your teeth into the ultimate fall treat: pumpkin muffins topped with a can’t-resist pecan streusel!
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
- 1½ sticks (¾ cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 (15-ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin (I use Libby’s)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. 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.
- Note: 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 – 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
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- Serving size: 1 muffin
- Calories: 416
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 51 g
- Sugar: 30 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Sodium: 235 mg
- Cholesterol: 74 mg
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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These are fabulous!!
These are next level delicious! Have made with and without the topping and also with tinned and home made pumpkin (hard to find tinned pumpkin in Australia) and both were a hit with the family. Thanks for your recipes
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. By far the best pumpkin muffin I’ve ever made.
I made the pumpkin bread, reducing butter a little and I typically reduce sugar in a batter. I added the Streusal indicated for the muffins and the bread was fabulous! Super light and fluffy and the Streusal was so so good on the bread. Thank you for recipe. It’s a keeper!
My muffins sank in the middle and were to big they did not look like yours😔😔😔
So sorry to hear that! It sounds like they were undbaked. If you make them again, leave in the oven for a few extra minutes.
One thing I always check when this happens to me is the expiration date on the baking soda and baking powder. Either one of these used when expired can leave your baked goods flat. Just a thought! It could be underbaking as also suggested.
I made these muffins and they came out well. I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour and 1.5 cups of all purpose flour. Also I used jumbo tulip muffin liners which work well for muffins with toppings that rise up high. The recipe made 8 jumbo muffins. However, I think that 1.5 sticks of butter is too much for our taste. The liners were soaked with the melted butter once I removed them from the muffin pans which also had a residue of melted butter inside. If I were to make these again, I would cut the butter down to one stick, add another egg and 1 T of milk to help offset the loss of volume. They are a lot of work, but as a holiday treat for week-end guests over the Thanksgiving holiday, they will be perfect.
changing the flour and making 4 fewer muffins in paper. sounds like the butter issue was your doing. i just made the 12 and they were perfect
Wow! Probably the best muffins I’ve ever tasted. And I’m not a pumpkin lover. The streusel topping is perfect-love the pecans.
Thanks Jenn for this amazing recipe.
This recipe is the best I have ever made ! My husband gave me a handshake, just like on the British show “Bake”!
I do not like anything pumpkin, but these muffins….YUM!! That topping just puts it over the top!
I made these today to give to family and friends for Halloween. I think I am going to have to make another batch as my husband and oldest love them. There may not be any left to share. Great recipe!
Hi, I absolutely love your recipes and wanted to ask what brand/type of flour you use for baking. I usually get organic products so I’m not sure which one is the best. Thanks in advance.
Hi Claudia, So glad you like the recipes! I use King Arthur all-purpose flour. 🙂
I just read that you let family members lick the beaters from the batter for this? Really? I have always heard that we should not lick uncooked batter that contains raw eggs or flour.
I have enjoyed making many of your recipes, but I continue not licking batter that contains raw eggs or flour.
Thanks for your many great recipes. Loved the pumpkin cornbread muffins!
we always lick the beaters. 🙄
So do we 😉
I am 66 and my siblings and I ALWAYS fought over the beaters for years when Mom and Grandma baked — Great memories! P.S. Still licking!!
These are delicious! Thank you. Is there any way to add oat bran without destroying these?
Glad you like them. It would be fine to replace 1/4 cup of the flour with oat bran. Hope you enjoy!
Love love love these muffins. Have made them for many friends/relatives and I’m always asked for the recipe. Make these-you’ll be glad you did!
My family loves these muffins! I have made them three times in the past couple weeks. After some of the topping fell off the first batch, I lightly pressed the topping into the batter before baking the next batches and that did the trick.
“ But if you’re craving a plain pumpkin muffin, simply omit the topping and add an extra ¼ cup of sugar to the batter.”
Just adding your instructions here for a nut-free alternative, since we have nut allergies. Would be great if you added that to the recipe. Can’t wait to try these!
You do not mention if you grease the muffin pan? Or use muffin liners?
Hi Judy, the muffin tin should be sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Hope you enjoy the muffins!
These are our favorite muffins (possibly except for your other muffin recipes, like blueberry….), and our guests love them, too. I have standard muffin pans, (the size that holds regular paper liners) and for me this recipe makes 15 muffins of that size. Since the recipe says “makes 12”, the first time I made these (before company arrived) I divided the batter into the 12 cups and had a disaster. The batter spread over the entire top of the pan and flowed over the side onto the bottom of my oven. Lesson learned – we now enjoy 15 muffins. Most of your other muffin recipes seem to make one extra muffin (and I just use a glass custard cup for that one). But these are truly delicious!
Delicious GIANT muffins. Didn’t have any pecans on hand so used almonds and date sugar. What a treat!
These were so so delicious! I will make them again (like for Thanksgiving). I love cinnamon, but cloves less, so increased cinnamon to 1 1/2, and decreased cloves to 1/2 tsp. Other than that, followed exactly. I may have filled a bit to full because the baked tops touched each other. Thinking I may increase baking powder to 1 tsp so that the tops spread less-and rise more.
These are excellent. I bake gluten free and used Kristen’s gluten free flour blend. My husband appreciated the spice level. I do also, and the muffin crumb is perfectly tender without falling apart.
So delicious… a real treat for breakfast or coffee break. Will make as mini muffins minus the streusel topping for Thanksgiving bread basket
I am a huge pumpkin fan so always looking to make muffins like these. I made 6 jumbo muffins , cooked 40 minutes. Looked beautiful in the oven, then fell a bit and were flat. Some slight cracking appearance then topping fell off all over the place . They were somewhat dense but had great taste. Used a sugar substitute in muffins. Topping made exact to recipe with turbinado sugar.
I liked these so much I made these to give out for Christmas. I wrapped them in fancy wrappers with a ribbon. Everyone LOVED them. About the best muffin I have ever had.
Could I replace spices with pumpkin pie spice? If so, how much would I use?
Sure – you’ll need 1 tablespoon. Enjoy!
I pureed the pumpkin yesterday following the King Arthur instructions in your link. My husband baked the muffins today (he’s the baker in our family), only had to make one substitution as we didn’t have any ground cloves – he used allspice instead. The muffins were very sweet, but absolutely delicious, a lovely light sponge. The pecan streusal topping was perfect too. Will definitely make these again, but it might have to wait until next year as there’s only one small pumpkin left on our patch.
I am NOT a pumpkin spice fan. But these muffins…oh my word! Fantastic!!!
Made these exactly like the recipe instructed…and they were delicious!! This recipe is a keeper!
Ohhhh. This muffin recipe is so delicious. I’ve made it twice this week and my family just gobbles them up. I used Bake My Day GF flour blend and toasted the pecans before adding them to the heavenly streusel. For some reason I only had to cook them for 26 minutes. Could this be because I’m at sea level? Thank you for yet another incredible recipe. I can always rely on you, Jenn. 🤗
Hi Alanna, Glad you enjoyed them! I don’t think the baking time would have been affected by you being at sea level. It may be that your oven runs hot. Here are some tips for checking your oven temp for accuracy.
we are at sea level too and for me they were done at 30 minutes.
Will it be an issue if I don’t add the pecans in the topping? My family doesn’t like nuts.
Not a problem – it’s fine to omit the nuts. Enjoy!
Easy Peasy Light and Wonderful!!!!!
Thank You.
J. Sandoval Topock AZ
Absolutely delicious! I used measure for measure gluten free flour and it came out amazing! I also did these as muffins instead of loaves, and cooked them for 35-40 minutes. I can’t wait to make these again and again all fall.
But the recipe is for muffins and not loaves 🙂
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!
These are DEVINE! Moist, perfectly spiced and not too sweet. A huge hit! I had a lot of extra batter after filling 12 normal size muffins so I made minis that came out even better. My only complaint (not really a complaint) was that the streusel topping falls off quite easily on the large muffins. Regardless, this recipe is excellent and will stay on our fall muffin rotation forever!
Needed to use up some canned pumpkin, so tried your pumpkin muffin recipe and was I ever glad that I did! The muffins were so tender and nicely spiced, not overly sweet, but such a treat! Another winner Jenn!
These were delicious. I ran out out the turbine sugar but had maple sugar instead and I added only 3 tablespoons in place of the five. Absolutely delicious. So tender and moist. Thank you so much !
Lost the copy of this recipe and went on a 30 min search to try and find it again. It’s that DELICIOUS! Thank you 😀
I tried this recipe today. I made smaller muffins and baked 22 mins. They were delicious! I will definitely make again. Thanks for great recipe.
Jenn thank you for a wonderful recipe! I had my pantry stocked with pumpkin for the Holidays and the combination of illness and bad weather kept most of my family from traveling home. So what to do with all these cans of pumpkin?! I recently found this recipe and made 2 batches to take to friends in need. Both families LOVED them!
These are so delicious! I have made them a few times now and they turn out perfect. Also love your pumpkin scones in the fall as well. I have a question, do you think I could make this in a loaf pan instead of individual muffins? Or do you think there would be to much batter for a single loaf pan? Thanks
Hi Sandy, It should work in a 9×5 loaf pan, but it may be a bit dense. If you have two 8×4 loaf pans, that would be ideal.
They were amazing!I will definitely be making more, perfectly spiced and the toppings were just perfectly crunchy and they freeze very well for lunches.
Hi Jen – Bravo on all your recipes! Always, outstanding!
About the muffins. Since my oven is out of use right now, I can only use my large countertop Breville convection oven, which can only accomodate a 14-inch 6-muffin pan. Each muffin is twice the size (yaye), but what would you recommend for any adjustments, in ingredients, temperature or bake time, before I give these a try? I am dying to try them, but am not sure how, or whether, to adjust recipe. Thanks much for your time.
Hi Rita, so it sounds like you have a jumbo muffin tin? If so, you wouldn’t need to modify anything about the recipe except for the baking time. I’d add 5 minutes onto the baking time and then check them for doneness. I’d love to her how they turn out if you make them!
These are by far the best pumpkin muffins I have ever made. People who are really fussy, ask me to make these for them. Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks so much for this super fun, delicious, and fragrant pumpkin muffin recipe. I adapted it to my tastes with less sugar (1 1/4 cup in the batter) (4 tbsp in the topping +added 1 tbsp flour), a tad less spices in the batter (1/2tsp cloves, 3/4 tsp nutmeg), and a tad bit more in the topping (1/2tsp cinnamon). I also added 1 tsp of vanilla and grounded up the pecans in the topping. My kids (and I) are going nuts over the muffins. Thanks so much!!!
These turned out delicious! I love the fluffy batter. Great recipe.
Word to the wise: because of the butter in the topping and the fact that the muffin tins are completely full, you should consider putting a baking sheet with a rim below your muffin pan. I didn’t and had to air out my kitchen because the butter overflowed in my oven and set off the smoke detector.
i had no issue with overflow. i did bang the muffin pan a few times so the batter was settled before pressing on the topping
These were amazing! Gave some to friends, and they haven’t stopped talking about them, lol
If you want to eliminate the nuts, will the topping still taste right or does it need some modifications?
It’s fine to omit the nuts, the muffins will still taste delicious. 🙂
im in au – cant find tinned pumpkin – is it ok to (roast or bake?) then blend pumpkin?
Definitely! Just make sure to squeeze out any excess liquid before you incorporate it into the batter.
Can’t wait to make this recipe. Two questions – instead of muffins, can this be made in a 13 x 9 pan? Also, can I substitute vegetable oil for the butter?
Hi Jan, the only oil that will work in place of the butter is (solidified) coconut oil because you’ll need something solid to cream with the butter. And I haven’t tried it, but you should be able to bake it in 9 x 13 Pyrex dishes (I think you’ll need 2). The baking time will be different – I’d start checking for doneness at about 45 minutes. Please LMK how it turns out if you try it!
Made it twice on two separate occasions. Ididn’t make strudel because as a senior I’m trying to watch my sugar lol. They are fine without it my husband loves them and both times came out well even though I’m not one of those people who have a special knack for baking. So successful thanks for the recipe .
I made these today with some leftover pumpkin puree from Thanksgiving. The streusel topping is SO nice. I added a few more pecans to the batter. This is a really great muffin! Thank You
These were great! My kids were looking for pumpkin rolls, and don’t like nuts – we omitted the topping and increased the sugar as recommended in the batter. I made 20 smaller (cupcake sized muffins) that baked for a bit under 30 minutes. Moist, tender, and a nice mix of pumpkin and spice. I served them with a dollop of vanilla cream cheese icing to mimic a low effort pumpkin roll. My picky kids are already asking for another batch. I might do half with “grown up” topping for the next round. 5/5 recommend!
Fabulous! Just made these and they are delicious. Tender crumb and great flavor. Kids love them 🙂