If you’re looking for the best pumpkin muffins ever, get ready to try these Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins. These muffins with thick swirls of sweet cream cheese that melt right into the top as they bake are exactly what you need. Enjoy a bite of one of these wonderful muffins while curling up with a hot cup of coffee or cocoa. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins will be a hit for the whole family, adults, and kids alike!
Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Muffins
Even though I like to bake cakes, bars, cheesecakes, and other sweet treats, occasionally baking muffins is a lot of fun. Each perfectly shaped muffin is a tiny slice of sweetness and makes a great mid-morning snack, lunchtime treat, or lunchbox addition.
Muffins are also a fantastic option for a quick breakfast on the run.
These muffins were a hit with my grandchildren and my son, who both enjoyed them. My daughter wanted extras to take to school for their lunch, so I had to make two batches. All of this indicates that the recipe worked as intended!
I decided to make one of the batches as mini muffins; this is a little bit easier for my daughter to place them in their lunch boxes. The first batch of muffins has cream cheese batter on top with pumpkin-flavored bottoms, thanks to my mild swirling technique. I chose to swirl a little more when making the second batch so the cream cheese batter would appear more incorporated into the muffin.
If you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, these Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Muffins are a perfect choice!!
MUFFIN INGREDIENTS:
These Pumpkin Cream Cheese Swirl Muffins require simple ingredients that you probably already have most of them on hand:
Pumpkin Muffins:
- all-purpose flour
- pumpkin spice or cinnamon
- baking soda
- salt
- Pumpkin puree- make sure to use pure canned pumpkin puree.
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar- adds a little extra depth of flavor.
- eggs
- oil
- vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Swirl:
- cream cheese
- granulated sugar
- egg yolk
- vanilla extract
HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE MUFFINS:
Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt.
Step 2: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, and brown sugar. Incorporate the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture until there are no lumps.
Step 3: Fill muffin cups a little more than halfway with the pumpkin batter and set aside.
Cream Cheese Swirl:
Step 4: In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until well combined.
Step 5: Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter. Bake muffins for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I made two batches. I used muffin cups for the first one and made subtle swirls with a toothpick. The cream cheese was not completely incorporated into the batter for those muffins, as seen in the image below. I used a chopstick for the second batch for a more integrated swirl. Choose whichever you want, or you can do a combination of both.




More Pumpkin Recipes You Might Like:
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Pumpkin Flan Recipe
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Loaf Recipe
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Mini Pumpkin Pie Bites
- Pumpkin Spice Hot Chocolate
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake
Give this recipe a try, and then leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out. I hope that your family enjoys it as much as we do!
Below you will find a convenient printable recipe card.
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How to Make Pumpkin Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 (15 oz.) can pure pumpkin puree
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup oil I used olive oil or avocado oil for cooking
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Swirl:
- 1 (8oz) cream cheese
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a medium bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, pumpkin spice, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, and brown sugar. Incorporate the eggs, oil, and vanilla extract. Slowly whisk in the flour mixture until there are no lumps.
- Fill muffin cups a little more than halfway with the pumpkin batter and set aside.
Cream Cheese Swirl:
- In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until well combined.
- Top each muffin with about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture and use a toothpick to swirl it into the batter. ( See Notes)
- Bake muffins for 18–20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Notes

Nutrition
Tell me what you think about this recipe, and don’t forget to contact me if you have any questions. It’s always a pleasure to hear from YOU!
Until the next one…
