Pumpkin streusel muffins are my new favorite fall treat. I still love my Easy Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffins, but these skip the chocolate and rely on warm spice and a buttery crumb topping instead.

My son insists he doesn’t like pumpkin. I talked him into trying one, and then I caught him sneaking more when he thought I wasn’t looking.

I baked a second batch the same week after my pottery class and my family cleared out the first one. They’re not overly sweet, even with the streusel on top, so it’s hard to stop at one.

A plate with a single muffin sits next to a metal muffin tin holding five more muffins on a wooden surface.

This recipe also uses the whole 15-ounce can of pumpkin. I’m known for making recipes that call for a cup or two, then tucking the rest in the freezer and forgetting about it. I hate wasting food, so I love recipes that empty the can.

Some links in this article are affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

Bakery-Style Pumpkin Muffins Start With a Hot Oven

These muffins start in a very hot oven, and then you turn the heat down partway through baking. That early blast of heat makes the batter rise fast, so the muffins set with tall, rounded tops like the ones in a bakery case.

I use the same hot-oven trick for my Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins, Cranberry Pumpkin Muffins, and Blueberry Sour Cream Muffins.

A streusel-topped muffin in a green paper liner on a plate, with more muffins in a muffin tin in the background on a wooden surface.

The streusel adds a buttery cinnamon crunch to every bite. If you love a crumb topping as much as I do, try my Homemade Peach Kuchen Muffins or Individual Blueberry Coffee Cakes, too.

Use Pumpkin Puree, Not Pumpkin Pie Filling

Look for a can labeled pumpkin puree or 100% pure pumpkin. The only ingredient on the label should be pumpkin.

Pumpkin pie filling sits right next to it on the grocery store shelf, and the cans look almost the same. Pie filling already has sugar and spices, so it makes these muffins too sweet and throws off the texture.

How to Make Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and line 18 muffin cups with paper liners. I sometimes use two six-cup tins plus an eight-cup tin, which leaves two empty cups.

Three muffin pans with empty paper liners are arranged on a granite countertop, ready for baking.

If you have empty cups, fill them halfway with water. Empty cups can warp or scorch in a hot oven, and the water protects your pan. If you’re using three six-cup tins, you can skip this since you don’t have any empty slots.

An empty muffin cup filled halfway with water next to baked pumpkin streusel muffins in the same tin.

Make the streusel first. Whisk the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl, then add the melted butter and stir with a fork until it forms coarse, wet crumbs.

A glass bowl with flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon, while melted butter is being poured in from a measuring cup.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until the dry ingredients are evenly combined.

Whisk the eggs and oil together. To make one less dirty dish, I measure the oil in my liquid measuring cup, then add the eggs and whisk before adding this, the pumpkin puree, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and mixing.

Eggs and oil whisked together in a glass measuring cup with a green whisk.

Stop mixing as soon as you no longer see dry streaks of flour. Overmixing the batter can make the muffins dense instead of soft and tender.

Use a #12 muffin scoop to fill each cup to the top for a taller dome. I like using the scoop to keep the muffins the same size so they bake evenly.

Close-up of a muffin tin lined with paper cups and filled with orange batter, as a scoop is used to fill one of the cups.

Sprinkle a generous layer of streusel over each one and press it down lightly so it sticks. The topping measurement matters a little less, but using a spoon helps distribute it evenly.

A spoon is adding brown crumb topping to muffin batter in a lined muffin tin.

Bake at 425 degrees for five minutes without opening the oven door. Then lower the oven to 350 degrees and bake another 15 to 17 minutes, until a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.

Let the muffins cool in the pan for five minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Six baked muffins with a crumb topping sit in a metal muffin tin on a wooden surface in front of a white tiled wall.

How Do You Store Pumpkin Streusel Muffins?

Keep cooled muffins in an airtight container on the counter for up to three days. Freeze any you won’t eat by then.

Can You Freeze Pumpkin Streusel Muffins?

Yes, and they keep for up to two months. I wrap each muffin in plastic wrap, then put the wrapped muffins in a container and freeze them together.

Wrapping them one at a time helps prevent freezer burn and keeps them from sticking together, so you can grab just one. Let it thaw unwrapped on the counter, and if you like it warm, microwave the thawed muffin for 10 to 15 seconds.

Can You Make Pumpkin Streusel Muffins in a Stand Mixer?

Yes, and that’s how I made them the first time. A stand mixer works fast, though, so it’s easy to overmix the batter and end up with tough muffins.

Mix on low and stop the mixer as soon as the flour disappears. I switched to whisking by hand because only a few steps require mixing, and it’s low effort, so I don’t really need a mixer.

Can You Use Individual Spices Instead of Pumpkin Pie Spice?

Yes, you can mix your own. I usually keep individual spices instead of the blend, but pumpkin pie spice is easiest for this recipe.

To replace the one teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, use 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves.