These healthier pumpkin cream cheese muffins are the perfect Starbucks dupe, but made from real food ingredients. They have the same yummy pumpkin flavor, warm spices, and sweet cream cheese filling as the traditional recipe, but with half the calories and fat. Plus they are gluten free and can be made dairy free, too.
If you are a long time reader here, you know I love a good muffin recipe. Whether it’s my Banana Blender Muffins, my Blueberry Muffins, or my fave Cranberry Orange Muffins, I love a muffin with my morning coffee or as an afternoon snack.
And when a longtime reader requested a healthier option to satisfy her Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins cravings, I couldn’t wait to get started. I used my super popular Apple Muffins recipe and switched out the apple sauce for pumpkin purée. And I used the cream cheese frosting from my Healthy Carrot Cake Muffins as the inspiration for the sweet cream cheese filling.
Total winner.
Love pumpkin recipes? You have to try my Healthy Banana Pumpkin Bread and my Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins!
Why I love these muffins
- The perfect Fall breakfast paired with some Turkey Bacon or Homemade Chicken Sausage Patties.
- Gluten free and can be made dairy free if you use vegan cream cheese
- No additives, carrageen or seed oils like Starbucks muffins and around half the calories and fat, and a third of the sugar, too!
- Easy and quick to make for even novice bakers!
Ingredients
These classic pumpkin muffins come together with simple ingredients that you likely have on hand already!
For the Muffins:
- Melted coconut oil or avocado oil
- Pure maple syrup
- Room temperature eggs
- Pure pumpkin puree – be sure not to use pumpkin pie filling
- Vanilla Extract
- Gluten free baking flour
- Cinnamon + extra for top of muffins
- Pumpkin pie spice – you can use store bought or a homemade pumpkin pie spice blend
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Salt
For the Cream Cheese Swirl:
- Reduced fat cream cheese or laughing cow cheese triangles
- Raw sugar
- Vanilla Extract
For full ingredient list and quantities, be sure to see the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations
- If you don’t need a gluten free muffin, you can use a whole wheat flour or all purpose flour.
- Instead of a cream cheese filling, you can do a cream cheese frosting.
- Add some chocolate chips for a different flavor profile.
- For a more authentic Starbucks feel, add some pumpkin seeds to the top!
Step By Step Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix wet ingredients for muffins.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
3. Stir wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
4. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, whip cream cheese or laughing cow cheese in a small bowl with sugar and vanilla.
5. Divide muffin batter into prepared cupcake tins using a small cookie scoop or ice cream scoop. Using the back of a spoon, make a little divot in muffin batter for cream cheese filling.
6. Place 2 teaspoons of the cream cheese in the divot, then try to cover the cream cheese back up with the muffing batter. You can do this with a spoon, or place the cream cheese frosting in a ziplock bag or pastry bag and pipe the cheesecake filling into the center of each muffin. For a swirl effect, take a toothpick and swirl the top.
7. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until muffins are set and a toothpick comes out clean (poke in the muffin park, not the cream cheese part).
8. Let muffins cool before enjoying.
Storage
Store Muffins in an airtight container or ziplock baggie in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Muffins can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight or warm in the microwave for intervals of 30 seconds.
Recipe FAQs
Technically, cream cheese is not on the 21 Day Fix food list. But Autumn has used it in several recipes and the macros are similar to other cheese products. You can also swap in Laughing Cow Cheese Triangles, but I prefer this recipe with reduced fat cream cheese.
These muffins are made with 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour and subbing almond flour will not work. You can sub all purpose flour if you are not gluten free. You can also sub in oat flour.
A few members of my Supporters group tried it this recipe with dairy free cream cheese and they did have success. The vegan cream cheese is a bit more oily, so it spreads more when cooking, but it tastes delicious.
More Healthy Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Bites
- Healthy Pumpkin Pie
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Muffins
- Pumpkin Pie Hummus
- Pumpkin Pasta with Spicy Sausage
Healthy Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- ¼ cup melted coconut oil avocado oil, or extra virgin olive oil (I used avocado oil)
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs room temp
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 ¾ cup 1-1 gluten free baking flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon + extra for top of muffins
- 1 ½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- Optional pumpkin seeds and pinch of cinnamon for garnish like Starbucks
For The Cream Cheese Swirl
- 4 oz low fat cream cheese or 6 triangles of laughing cow cheese
- 2 tablespoon raw sugar
- ¼ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 and prep your muffin tin with liners – I LOVE the parchment kind because you know nothing is gonna stick.
- In a medium sized bowl, mix up those wet ingredients for muffins.
- In a larger mixing bowl, mix flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir wet ingredients into the dry until just incorporated. Don’t overmix.
- Divide muffin batter into prepared cupcake tins.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, whip cream cheese or laughing cow cheese with sugar, vanilla, and a tiny dash of cinnamon.
- Using the back of a spoon, make a little divot in muffin batter for cream cheese filling. Place 2ish teaspoons of the cream cheese in the divot, then try to cover the cream cheese back up with the muffing batter. For a swirl effect, take a toothpick and swirl the top.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until muffins are set and a toothpick comes out clean (poke in the muffin park, not the cream cheese part). These were done for me right at the 14 minute mark, so watch closely!
- Enjoy!
Marsha Dunsmoor says
What would be the amount of flour needed if not using gluten free? (Regular flou). Thank you!
Nancylynn says
The same!
Tamara Rook says
YUMMY! I love this fall recipe, it’s the perfect amount of sweetness, pumpkin & cream cheese. My muffins turned out perfectly & were so delicious! Thank you for this recipe!
Nancylynn says
Thank you Tamara!!
Cat says
Sadly my family did not enjoy these. We recently enjoyed the Starbucks version and I was excited to find this recipe. Not only did it not come close to the Starbucks version, we just didn’t think these were good muffins. I used coconut oil and a mixture of whole wheat and all purpose flours. The muffin batter was VERY thick and the muffins were very dense (I did not over mix the batter). And strangely for having a full cup of pumpkin puree, there was very little pumpkin flavor. Maybe using less flour next time might help but not sure we will make again as it was a lot of effort for something no one in our house ate. They smelled great baking though. They were done right at 14 min for me.
Nancylynn says
This is a bummer! Thanks for your feedback!
Anna Rogers says
Any chance you’ll add air fryer directions? Just got one and I’ll trying all of yours! ❤️
Nancylynn says
Oooh definitely something to think about! Thanks for the idea!
Janet says
These turned out great! Perfect pumpkin cream cheese muffin for fall. I love to bake but also try to stay fit so it’s great to find healthier versions!
Nancylynn says
Thank you for your comment and star rating! So glad you found this recipe!
Jennifer says
How much sugar is in these? I am trying to figure out WW points. Thanks!
Nancylynn says
Sorry – I just updated the nutritional info – there is 12 grams of sugar.
Breeanna says
What is the sugar count for this? Checking to see if it’s worth it as a type 2 diabetic. Thanks!
Nancylynn says
Hey there – there are 12 grams of sugar in the muffins. Just updated the nutrition info!
Ashley says
Has anyone tried making these vegan? I have a tofutti cream cheese substitute for the cream cheese. but looking to see i anyone knows what to substitute the eggs with.
Nancylynn says
I have not tried this, but I do think the flax egg sub would work!
Melissa says
I loved making these with my 5 year old daughter. We used stevia in the cream cheese mix, since that’s what I had. They were delicious and we had them for breakfast all week long. (I also have 11 yr old son and a 15 yr old son, the 15 yr old may have eaten one all week since he’s up and out for school really early). I paired a muffin w chicken and apple sausage. It was a great breakfast with fall flavors!
Thank you, Nancy!
Nancylynn says
This made my day, Melissa! Thanks for taking the time to rate and review!
Kelly Melo says
Kelly
Brooke Hartranft says
These turned out so good! What a delicious treat that tastes like fall!
Nancylynn says
I am THRILLED to hear that, Brooke! Thank you for taking the time to rate and review!
Casey says
yet another amazing recipe! i also made mine in silicone muffin liners and didn’t need any adjustments in the time. do you think it’s possible to get the cream cheese more throughout the muffin vs just mostly on the top?
Nancylynn says
Hi!! Yes- so if you use the piping bag approach- fillin the frosting in a ziplock bag, cut a small corner off the side, then use the ziplock to fill the muffin, you will get it deeper into the cake! Hope this helps!