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Top moist and tender pumpkin muffins with brown sugar streusel and a simple vanilla glaze for the best pumpkin streusel muffins! With the mild sweetness of real pumpkin, rich brown sugar, and warm spices, these easy muffins make for a delicious fall breakfast or after-school snack. Recipe makes 18 muffins with just 1 cup of pumpkin puree and 20 minutes of hands-on time.
I’ve been making my classic pumpkin bread recipe for decades now, and it’s been a reader favorite since I first shared it here in 2011.
But even I know that you don’t always want a loaf of pumpkin bread. Sometimes it’s better to make a batch of pumpkin muffins!
This pumpkin streusel muffin recipe is based on that original pumpkin bread, but scaled down to make 18 tender, moist muffins. I added a brown sugar streusel topping and finished them with an optional glaze, similar to my pumpkin cream cheese muffins.
These muffins use just 1 cup of pumpkin puree, so they’re perfect when you have leftover canned pumpkin that you aren’t sure what to do with. Enjoy them for breakfast (they’d be perfect for Thanksgiving morning!) or whip them up for a special afternoon snack.
What readers are saying
The base for this recipe is the batter from my classic pumpkin muffin recipe, which readers love. Here’s what they have to say about the original:
“I made these for an elementary school garden party (we were planting pumpkin seeds!) and they were a top hit with the kids. I doubled the recipe but only had one can of pumpkin purée (or about 1.5 cups) but it still worked beautifully.” -Kirsten
“Made these tonight … quick and easy recipe. Yes, they are moist and tasty. Very happy with this recipe, thank you.” -Jean
Jamie’s testing tips and tricks
- Pop the streusel in the freezer while you make the muffin batter. This keeps the streusel cold and makes for bigger, crunchier pieces on the finished muffins.
- Feel free to add chopped nuts to the streusel topping. Stir in about 1/2 cup of finely chopped pecans with the other ingredients for a nutty flavor.
- If you don’t have pumpkin, swap it for winter squash puree. Butternut squash works especially well and tastes very similar in this recipe. You can use my butternut squash puree recipe in place of the canned pumpkin.
Helpful resources as you bake
⬇️ For the full recipe, including ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below!
- Before you start making these pumpkin streusel muffins, make sure you are familiar with the fluff, scoop, and sweep method for measuring flour. Getting this seemingly simple step right can make all of the difference in the end result.
- Out of brown sugar? Make an easy brown sugar substitute.
- Did your brown sugar harden in the pantry? Don’t throw it out! Check out my tips for how to soften brown sugar.
- Skip the store-bought pumpkin pie spice and make your own using my pumpkin pie spice recipe. I always make a double batch to use all fall long.
- If you’re out of powdered sugar, learn how to make powdered sugar with just 2 ingredients.
How to make my pumpkin streusel muffins
These pumpkin streusel muffins have a couple extra steps compared to my regular pumpkin muffins, but none of the steps are hard. You can still throw these together quickly on a weekend morning or before your kids get home from school!
- Make the streusel.
- Make the muffin batter.
- Bake and cool.
- Add the optional glaze.
I like to make the streusel topping first so it can rest in the freezer while I make the muffin batter. Combine all of the streusel ingredients and use a fork to mix them together. Using a fork keeps the mixture in clumps, which is exactly what we want here.
While that’s resting in the freezer, make the batter. You can use an electric mixer or do this by hand with a whisk and a spatula. Totally up to you!
Combine the wet ingredients until they are smooth and well combined. This includes the sugar, which is considered a wet ingredient!
Separately, whisk together the dry ingredients. This makes sure the baking soda and spices are evenly dispersed so the muffins can rise evenly.
Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Only mix just until everything is combined and there aren’t any dry patches of flour left—you don’t want to over mix and make your muffins tough.
From there, divide the batter between 18 muffin cups. I like to use a large cookie scoop to do this. It makes it super quick and easy and ensures that each muffin is the same size. Add the streusel crumbs and bake.
After baking, let the muffins cool. If you want to add the glaze, whisk it together until smooth and drizzle it over the top of the muffins. Let it rest for about 30 minutes so it can set before digging in!
Storage
Pumpkin streusel muffins will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. If you store them in the fridge, they’ll stay good for 5-6 days.
For longer-term storage, place them in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the muffins thaw at room temperature for a couple of hours or microwave individual muffins for 30-60 seconds to both thaw and warm them through.
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Ingredients
For the streusel topping
- ½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
For the muffin batter
- 1 cup pure pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
For the optional glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 18 muffin cups or line with paper baking cups. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine ingredients for the streusel. Mix until crumbly. Place the bowl in the freezer while you prepare the muffin batter.½ cup lightly packed brown sugar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, ¼ cup salted butter
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine pumpkin, eggs, oil, water, vanilla and sugar until well blended.1 cup pure pumpkin puree, 2 large eggs, ½ cup vegetable oil, ⅓ cup water, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until combined.1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Use a large cookie scoop to divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups. Top each muffin with streusel topping and very gently press the streusel into the muffin batter.
- Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the muffins to cool in the pan for a few minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the muffins have cooled, combine the glaze ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add more milk in very small amounts (½ teaspoon at a time) until you reach the desired consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins. Allow the glaze to set for at least 30 minutes before serving.1 cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste, 2 tablespoons milk
Notes
Ingredients
- Feel free to use light or dark brown sugar in the streusel.
- Ground cinnamon can be used if you do not have pumpkin pie spice.
Mixing
- If you do not have an electric mixer or don’t want to use one, the batter can be made by hand in a large mixing bowl. Whisk the wet ingredients together until well combined, then stir in the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined and no pockets of dry ingredients remain.
Storage
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or in the refrigerator for 5-6 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Things to do with the rest of the pumpkin puree
This recipe uses 1 cup of pumpkin puree, which means you will have around 3/4 cup of pumpkin left. Instead of throwing it out, try making these pumpkin recipes:
- Pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls make for a decadent Thanksgiving breakfast. They’ve got plenty of pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 cup pumpkin puree in the filling.
- Pumpkin coffee syrup is the perfect way to make a coffee-shop drink right at home with 1/2 cup pumpkin puree.
- If you love snickerdoodle cookies, you have to try pumpkin snickerdoodles for fall! Make with 1/2 cup pumpkin puree.
- My pumpkin molasses sandwich cookies are a cross between whoopee pies and chewy molasses cookies. They just just 2/3 cup pumpkin puree!
