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.
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: These pumpkin pie spices add warm 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.
Yes, 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.
Yep, 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
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.
- 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 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.
Comments
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These muffins are delicious. My husband is always asking me to add raisins to various recipes. Is it possible to replace the nuts in the streusel topping with raisins? Or a different idea is for me to add raisins to the muffin batter instead. And if one of these ideas is doable, what amount of raisins do you recommend? Many thanks for your ideas!
Glad you like them! If you want to add raisins, I’d add them to the batter and would start with about 1/2 cup. Enjoy!
Thank you, Jenn. I sing your praises to friends all the time with several following you as closely as I do. In fact, one couple made your coq au vin recently and loved it, of course. They also bought your cookbook. Your chat room is such a wonderful service with always quick answers to our cooking/baking questions. Thank you for all you do and for how well you do it all! 💙💜💙
Thank you for your sweet words, Karen — you made my day! xo
Delicious! The batter made 13 regular muffins and 3 jumbo muffins. This was my first time baking jumbo muffins so I was anticipating adjusting the cooking time, but I cooked all 16 muffins (regular and jumbo) for 35 minutes and they turned out perfect. I assumed the jumbo muffins would need a bit more time, but they didn’t. The muffins turned out moist and had a nice balance of spices. I thought they tasted even better the next day. The topping was a perfect compliment to the soft muffin — I particularly liked the crunch of the topping. I will definitely make these again!
I was thinking of trying these with monk sugar, I have never baked with it but my understanding is that it’s an equal swap for white sugar. Do you have any experience with using monk sugar in baking?
I don’t, Marina, I’m sorry! If you try these with monk sugar, I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Has anyone tried making these gluten free? If I substituted the flour with 1 to 1 GF flour will they come out good?
Hi Seth, A number of readers have commented that they’ve had good luck making these with gluten-free flour. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Amazing! Huge hit with my boys and husband!! I also did half with some cream cheese icing and I added pumpkin seeds to the topping.
Wow… just wow! These pumpkin muffins are a 10 instead of only 5 stars! This is only the second recipe of Jenn’s I’ve tried since discovering her a few weeks ago but it won’t be the last. They are huge though so next time I’ll make the 18 version instead of 12. I love that an entire can of pumpkin is used and a good amount of spices… so perfect. This isn’t a super sweet recipe which I also like. The only slight revisions I made was to add a tsp of vanilla to the batter and a pinch of salt to the topping. Can’t wait to try some savory recipes next!
What is the 18 version?
Hi Barbara, This recipe makes 12 large muffins. For smaller muffins, divide the batter into 18 muffin cups and bake for 30 minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Could you use brown sugar for the streusel instead of cane sugar
Sure!
Love these, my husband won’t touch a pumpkin pie, but he sure gobbles these muffins up. I make my own topping.
Great muffins! My father-in-law is gluten intolerant, so I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour instead of regular flour. It turned out delicious! The crust was crunchy, and the muffin was light and pumpkiny. My father-in-law can’t stop at his usual half, but has to eat a whole muffin at each sitting! My husband loves them, too! Thanks!
Can I make them in a jumbo muffin pan? How would you recommend adjusting the baking time or oven temp?
Hi Jasmine, yes, you can make jumbo muffins. I’d start checking them at 45 minutes but keep a close eye on them!
Delicious!!!!! So moist and really, really tasty muffins. Thank you, Jen, for the tip about how to measure flour as that seems to make a huge difference in baking results. Love your website!
Love the spices in this recipe! It gives a nice kick to the muffins, unlike some other recipes where the spice is very subtle and almost not present. I measured each ingredient exactly to ensure concise amounts, but my muffins did come out a bit dry. I do not bake often but am trying to learn more. Is it possible I left them in the oven too long? Or maybe overmixed?
Hi Rosalba, Sorry to hear these were a bit dry for you. You mentioned that you were very precise with your measurements, but dryness is usually caused by too much flour. Did you use the spoon and level method for measuring flour? Even a little bit of extra flour can cause a problem. If you did, it could be that they were a little overbaked.