Fall is in the air, which means it's time to break out the pumpkin spice and get baking! I love making these pumpkin streusel muffins with crumb topping - they're soft and the crumb topping provides a crunchy texture on top. It's a perfect bite every time. Preheat your oven and get baking! These pumpkin streusel muffins are sure to become a new fall favorite. Enjoy!
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💭 Why you'll love this recipe
- They're perfect for breakfast or a snack. These pumpkin muffins are hearty enough to keep you satisfied until lunchtime, but they also make a great mid-morning or afternoon pick-me-up.
- They're easy to make. This recipe only calls for a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry. Plus, the streusel topping is so easy to put together - no need to fuss with complicated frostings!
- They're always a hit. Whether you're taking them to a potluck or serving them at a holiday brunch, and whether you use homemade pumpkin spice or storebought, these muffins are sure to please everyone. The pumpkin and spices give them a festive flavor that everyone will love.
📋 Ingredients and notes
You'll need brown sugar, butter, eggs, pumpkin puree, vanilla, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice for the muffins.
To make the crumb topping, you'll need butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar, cinnamon, and all purpose flour.
Notes and Variations
- Pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling: You'll want to use canned pumpkin puree (typically love Libby's brand!) and not pumpkin pie filling. The former is unsweetened, while the latter has additional sweeteners.
- Use homemade or storebought pumpkin pie spice. Pumpkin pie spice is typically made from cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger and cloves.
- You can use dark or light brown sugar for this recipe. Higher molasses content in dark brown sugar gives extra moisture to the pumpkin streusel muffin compared to light brown sugar (so I prefer that!)
📖 Make the BEST Pumpkin Streusel Muffin & Crumb Topping!
This is a super easy recipe, and only comprises three steps.
Make Pumpkin Streusel Muffin
In a large bowl whisk the pumpkin pie spice, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until together they are fully combined.
Cream the brown sugar, softened or melted butter, eggs and vanilla together. Add pumpkin puree, and mix until combined well.
Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin puree mixture and slowly integrate with a spatula until they are fully combined. Make sure not to mix or beat so gluten doesn't activate.
Now, preheat oven to 375°F and line a muffin baking tin with muffin liners (these are my favorite!) Fill the muffin liners just under the top, leaving a little space, with the muffin mixture.
Make Crumb Topping
Combine butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth. Then add the flour and mix at medium speed until a granulated texture forms.
Top the muffins with 1 tablespoon of crumble each. Then, press the crumb topping down with a tablespoon so that it stays in place and secure.
Bake and Enjoy
Bake for about 20 minutes.
Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then remove them from the baking tin. Toothpick inserted should come out clean with few crumbs. Serve and enjoy the most delicious pumpkin muffins with crumb topping!
👩🏽🍳Tips For the Perfect Pumpkin Muffins!
- Line the muffin tin with cupcake liners, use a non-stick muffin tin or a baking spray. This keeps the muffins from sticking.
- Use canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling (which is already sweetened). I find that Libby’s brand is the most consistent.
- Do not overmix the batter or the crumb topping! Overmixing causes the gluten to activate with all purpose flour, so you'll want to mix the batter until just combined. Likewise, after pouring butter into flour mixture, mix with a fork until crumbles form.
- Fill the muffin tins just shy of the top - this will leave enough room to add a tablespoon of the crumb topping! If you prefer larger bakery-style muffins, divide batter across 6 large muffin cups. But make sure to bake muffins an extra 5-6 minutes.
- Do not overbake the muffins. Cook until a toothpick inserted, comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
I've tested this recipe a number of times, but ovens and mixing strengths all vary. So I've pulled together some of the most common questions here!
Streusel is a German word for a crumbly topping or filling made from fat, flour, sugar, and often cinnamon.
Pumpkin muffins are dense due to two reasons: too much leavening (i.e., too much baking soda or powder) can cause muffins to rise temporarily, then collapse, thereby making it dense. Alternatively, it could be because of overmixing, which activates the gluten and makes the muffin dense.
This means they are rising too fast, typically because the oven is too hot. To prevent this, lower the temperature of the oven.
This is likely because the crumb topping is over-mixed or if the butter was too hot when being added to the crumb mixture. Over-mixing results in a tough batter-like mixture and using hot butter can cause sugar to melt, leaving you with a greasy mixture.
If your crumb topping is too dry and crumbly (that is, even for a crumble) then, add a bit more melted butter, a tablespoon at a time
Absolutely! I love adding nuts (e.g., pecans or walnuts), seeds (e.g., pumpkin seeds!) or even chocolate chips. Start with a quarter cup!
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
Serve the muffins warm or at room temperature, and consume within 1-2 days of being made. I mean, they never last more than a day in my house, but the crumb toppings will soften due to moisture in the muffin. Or store the muffins at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
To freeze the muffins, allow them to first cool completely and then place them in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag. Freeze for up to 2-3 months. Remove from the freezer and allow the muffins to thaw before serving.
If you have leftover canned pumpkin puree, don't fret! You can check out two of my favorite pumpkin recipes:
- Vegan pumpkin banana bread with chocolate chips - this is such a great dessert and breakfast favorite rolled into one. You can either bake it as a loaf or you can bake them as muffins too.
- Spicy vegan pumpkin soup - this typically uses roasted pumpkin, but instead you can also easily use pumpkin puree (which is unsweetened). You can also check out some great options to serve with this pumpkin soup.
If you like this recipe, check out my other easy dessert recipes:
Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much
Pumpkin Streusel Muffin (with Crumb Topping!)
Ingredients
Muffins
- 2½ tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Crumb Topping
- ⅔ cup butter
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1⅓ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prepare Muffin Batter
- Use the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl to cream the brown sugar, softened or melted butter, eggs, and vanilla together. Mix at low speed until they are fully integrated and liquid.
- Add pumpkin puree to the mixer and beat for about 2 minutes (or whisk strongly).
- In another large bowl whisk the pumpkin pie spice, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until together they are fully combined. Add the dry mixture to the pumpkin puree mixture and slowly integrate with a spatula until they are fully combined. Make sure not to mix or beat so gluten doesn't activate.
- Now, preheat the oven to 375°F and line a muffin baking tin with baking liners. Fill the baking liners just under the top, leaving a little space, with the muffin mixture.
Make Crumb / Streusel Topping
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Mix until smooth. Then add the flour and mix at medium speed until a granulated texture forms.
- Top the muffins with 1 tablespoon of crumble each. Then, press the crumb topping down with a tablespoon so that it stays in place and secure.
Bake and Enjoy!
- Bake for about 20 minutes. Let them cool for about 10 minutes, then remove them from the baking tin. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I love making pumpkin pie spice at home! If not, you can use storebought pumpkin pie spice from the baking aisle of any grocery store.
- Pumpkin Puree, not Pumpkin Pie Filling: It's important to use pumpkin puree, and not pie filling (which has additional sugars!) I find that Libby’s brand is the most consistent. You can also use fresh pumpkin to make puree (not the Jack-o-Lantern types, but rather the smaller, "sugar" or "pie pumpkins"
- Prevent muffins from sticking to the tin! Use muffin papers, non-stick muffin trays, or spray the pan with some baking spray. Baking spray contains flour and shortening which keeps baked goods from sticking.
- Skip the crumb topping for a more “basic” pumpkin muffin. They're not super sweet, so it's quite good.
- Don’t overmix the batter, since this can activate gluten and make the muffins quite tough. Mix until the dry ingredients and wet ingredients are just combined.
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