These super soft pumpkin crumb cake muffins are topped with pumpkin spice crumbs and finished with sweet maple icing. They’re a reader favorite and after baking one batch, you’ll understand why!
I originally published this recipe in 2016 and have since added new photos and more success tips.
Let’s be honest: the crumbs are the best part of crumb cake.
At least, that’s what I thought… until I created these. Underneath the crumbly pumpkin spice topping is an irresistible pumpkin muffin—soft, moist, and full of fall flavor. And when you add the maple icing? Forget about any other breakfast food (unless you’re making a batch of these baked pumpkin donuts!).
Readers’ Favorite Pumpkin Muffins
Like clockwork, September rolls around and we all go crazy for these pumpkin crumb cake muffins. They’re the perfect combination of everything we love about fall. Their ease and flavor also help us transition into the chillier months.
Here’s why you’ll love them:
- The batter is based off of my pumpkin bread—it’s SO good
- Easy to make and no mixer required
- Ready in less than one hour
- Soft and moist thanks to power ingredients like pumpkin, oil, eggs, and milk
- Topped with pumpkin spice crumbs + maple icing (you could also leave them plain and you’ll basically have my regular pumpkin muffins)
- Delicious as a breakfast, snack, or dessert
- Packed with warm and cozy fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
How to Make Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins
Instead of using my iced pumpkin coffee cake recipe as the base, I turned to my pumpkin bread. I LOVE using that bread recipe to make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. All you do here is take out the chocolate chips, reduce the sugar, and use milk instead of orange juice. Though you could definitely use orange juice if you’d like! (Orange juice provides incredible flavor to the bread, trust me on that one.)
Made with basic ingredients, these pumpkin muffins come together quickly.
Mix the dry ingredients together. This includes lots of spice flavor and you can use homemade pumpkin pie spice here.
Whisk the wet ingredients together. Combine wet and dry ingredients, then fill the muffin cups—almost full, but leave room for the topping.
Make the crumb topping. Spoon it evenly onto each muffin, pressing the crumbs into the tops. Bake, then whisk the 3 icing ingredients together. Drizzle and serve.
Pumpkin Spice Crumb Topping
If you thought crumb topping couldn’t get any better, think again. We’re topping pumpkin crumb cake muffins with pumpkin spice crumbs. YES!
We use oil in the muffins themselves for extra moisture, but we use melted butter in the crumb topping. Why? FLAVOR. The crumb topping also has brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, and pumpkin pie spice. (Like my traditional crumb cake topping but with pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon.) There are repeat ingredients used in the muffins, so this is not only an easy recipe, it’s a convenient one too. By the way, this crumb topping would be fantastic on zucchini muffins and these chocolate pumpkin muffins, too.
I reduced the sugar in these muffins because they’re getting an extra dose of sweet from the crumb topping and maple icing. With that, I also reduced the salt to make sure the muffins didn’t taste salty with less sugar.
Optional Maple Icing
“Optional” might not be the right word here, because the icing seeping into the crumb topping is outstanding. While the muffins are wonderful on their own, I highly recommend the quick maple drizzle for an extra indulgent finish.
You could also try the maple icing on these mini pumpkin muffins, too.
Be sure to enjoy a batch with a cup of coffee and homemade pumpkin coffee creamer for the ultimate fall breakfast!
More Crumb Lover Recipes
- Coffee Cake
- Apple Cinnamon Muffins
- Crumb Cake Donuts
- Apple Crumb Cake
- Crumb Cake Muffins
- Raspberry Almond Crumb Cake
- Zucchini Crumb Cake
- Crumb Coffee Cake
Pumpkin Crumb Cake Muffins
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 15 muffins
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft and moist pumpkin crumb cake muffins with pumpkin pie spice and maple icing topping.
Ingredients
- 1 and 3/4 cups (219g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113g/120ml) canola or vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 cups (340g) canned pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60g/ml) milk, at room temperature*
Crumb Topping
- 3/4 cup (94g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
Maple Icing (optional)
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (40g/30ml) pure maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons (30g/ml) milk*
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C). Spray a 12-count muffin pan with nonstick spray or line with cupcake liners. This recipe makes 15 muffins, so prepare a second muffin pan in the same manner. Set aside.
- Make the muffins: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together until combined. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk the oil, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, eggs and milk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, then whisk everything together just until combined and no flour pockets remain.
- Spoon the batter into liners, filling them almost full.
- Make the crumb topping: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice together until combined. Using a fork, lightly mix in the melted butter until crumbs form. Don’t over-mix. Spoon crumbs evenly on top of the batter and gently press them down into the batter so they’re snug.
- Bake for 5 minutes at 425°F (218°C) then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C). Bake for an additional 16–17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The total time these muffins take in the oven is about 21–22 minutes, give or take. Allow the muffins to cool for 10 minutes in the muffin pan as you make the icing. *For mini muffins, bake for 11–13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) the entire time.
- Make the icing: Whisk all of the icing ingredients together until combined and smooth. Drizzle over muffins and serve warm. Cover tightly and store at room temperature for 1–2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: For longer storage, freeze muffins (with or without icing) for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature or warm up in the microwave if desired. Top with icing before serving if needed.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Muffin Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Spatula | Whisk
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: You can find pumpkin pie spice in the baking aisle of most grocery stores or make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have either and want to use individual spices, use 1/4 teaspoon each of ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, and ground allspice in the muffin batter. Do not leave out the 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon that is also in the muffin batter. The crumb topping also uses pumpkin pie spice and, again, if you don’t have store-bought or homemade, use 1/4 teaspoon of each of those spices and add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon too.
- Milk: Any milk works. I’ve tested with unsweetened vanilla almond milk, whole milk, and skim milk. You can use any, dairy or non.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I have made the pumpkin cake recipe. Many, many times and it is absolutely the best pumpkin recipe on the planet.
I’ve made the muffins also, and I leave the orange juice in because I think it it’s amazing. We will be doing these tomorrow and my baking class that I do at school.
Those look so good!
Have you ever added walnuts and/or chocolate chips, raisins?
Hi Bob! You absolutely can add chocolate chips/nuts/raisins to these. We’d recommend about 1 cup – 1.5 cups of add-ins total.
I made these just now and halfed the recipe. It made 8 muffins and they turned out perfectly! I had to eat one right away to test them out since I am taking them to some friends! Everything that I have made from your recipes have always gotten rave reviews!
These muffins are delicious however mine did not rise. I opened a new box of baking soda just to be sure but maybe something else was wrong? I used Lactaid instead of milk. Might that have prevented them from rising? This is the first recipe of yours that I’ve made that didn’t come out quite right. Usually the results are spectacular!
Thank you for making these recipes available without a subscription.
Hi Sue, was your batter over mixed by chance? That can cause muffins to bake up squat and dense. Did your pumpkin purée seem especially heavy/wet? If so, it could be that it was weighing down the crumb and preventing rise. You could try just gently blotting the pumpkin (not too much though, because it provides necessary moisture!) before using. We hope this helps for your next batch!
I will be making these for sure but I use fresh pumpkin that I have grated and frozen…I find the canned pumpkin has a strong taste I don’t like and fresh or frozen pumpkin is very nice and have used it for making pumpkin breads and rolled cakes.
Hi Sally and Team!
How can I adjust the recipe to make a cake instead of cupcakes. Thanks!
Bekah
Hi Bekah, here’s our pumpkin crumb cake recipe!
Can you use olive oil instead of vegetable or canola?
The flavor would change quite a bit, we don’t recommend it.
Do not skip on making this recipe!!! Best pumpkin muffins ever!
Hello! These are my go to fall muffins! Do you think it would be ok to double the recipe?
Hi Cari, for best results, we recommend making 2 separate batches rather than doubling.
I was wanting to make this recipe, but in my mini muffin tin, how would this change baking time and temperature? How long would I need to bake the mini muffins and what temperature?
Hi Gwen! For mini muffins, bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) the entire time. We’re unsure of the yield.
I made this with homemade pumpkin puree and it turned out great. The muffins did not last long. Will definitely make again!!
My husband said this might be the best thing I’ve ever baked. These are so moist and delicious and easy to make.
I’ve made these muffins twice and the crumb topping “melts into” the muffin. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Mary, it sounds like your crumb topping may be a bit too warm/overworked a bit. After you make the crumb topping, you can place it in the refrigerator for a few minutes to help it cool/solidify, which should help it retain its shape better on the muffins. Be sure to also slightly press down on the crumbs, but not too much, so that they stay in place. We hope this helps for next time!
Easy to make, followed recipe exactly, and comes out tender and moist. The crumb topping is the perfect compliment to a muffin that is not sugar forward. I found that the icing wasn’t necessary but will try it next time. Family and friends gobbled up this delicious fall treat!
Do you reckon I could make this as a crumb cake in a spring form pan using a cream cheese layer under the topping like in your blackberry cream cheese crumb cake? Would it be a similar bake time to that recipe? My parents love that crumb cake and they’re visiting for a fall trip soon, so I’d love to make something like it but fall-themed. Thanks!
Hi Emily! Here’s our pumpkin crumb cake recipe – you could absolutely try adding a cream cheese layer! Sounds delicious.
These muffins are absolutely the best! I top the crumble with chocolate chips and sometimes instead of the maple icing, I microwave in 30 second interals at 50% power a 1/2 cup Kraft caramels with 1/4 cup heavy cream, stirring after each 30 second interval. The grandkids just LOVE them and ask me to make them all year long. Thank you for the great recipes Sally!
This recipe is definitely a keeper. I made these muffins and took them to work. They lasted about 5 minutes. Everyone said they were the best pumpkin muffins they ever had. I will certainly make this recipe again soon.
Can I use jumbo muffin pans?
Hi Kati, absolutely — you can follow the bake time from the jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide. You can fill the jumbo cavities to the top. You will get 5-6 jumbo muffins. Enjoy!
Can you sub half whole wheat flour for the white flour?
Hi Jen, if using whole wheat flour, you can expect a denser muffin, but yes, you can do half whole wheat and half AP flour. Or you might enjoy these whole wheat mini pumpkin muffins!
These were the best muffins I’ve ever made!
Can these be make in a jumbo muffin pan??
Hi Cynthia, absolutely — you can follow the bake time from the jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide. You can fill the jumbo cavities to the top. You will get 5-6 jumbo muffins. Enjoy!
Made these with a friend (per her recommendation) and they were fabulous!! One of my new favorite fall treats, so I had to try making them again at home. Can I use regular maple syrup for the icing drizzle? Or do I need to buy pure maple syrup? Feels kinda wasteful (& pricey) to buy it JUST for this recipe.
Hi Maddie, pure maple syrup is best here. Pancake syrup is thinner and has added sugars.
Sally- can’t wait to make this! Do you think I can make it in a loaf pan with this topping??
Hi Christine, absolutely! We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it should be close to this pumpkin loaf.
Amazing! I took these to church and not a single one was left behind
Can I sub mashed bananas for the pumpkin? I have some over ripe bananas I want to use up.
Hi Teresa, here is our recipe for banana muffins instead. Feel free to use this crumb topping with the banana muffin batter.
I want to make these in my silicone mini muffin tin. Will the time and temperature be any different than your current recommendation for mini muffins? Also, how many mini muffins will it make?
Hi Stacey, absolutely. For mini muffins, bake for 11-13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) the entire time. We’re unsure of the yield.
Oh my gosh. So easy to make and so moist and delicious. I thought there are 3 steps to this muffin recipe, batter, crumb topping and maple drizzle…too much work for a “muffin”. Glad I decided to try this recipe anyway because I had them baked and drizzled in a very reasonable time. They were yummy from first to last bite.
Can I use the Jumbo Muffin Pan for this recipe and if so, do I double the amount of muffin batter in each of the 6 muffin cups?
Hi Harold, absolutely — you can follow the bake time from the jumbo blueberry muffins as a guide. You can fill the jumbo cavities to the top. You will get 5-6 jumbo muffins. Enjoy!
These are the best pumpkin muffins and I didn’t have time to make the glaze. I did add twice the amount of spices (cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice). Was surprisingly easy for a muffin that looks and tastes bakery worthy. Looking forward to making them soon and going to add a vanilla glaze.