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
These are amazing!! Perfect muffin recipe! I’ve made them several times this fall! I added chopped cranberries to one batch and they turned out so good!
Excellent
I used 1/2 c. of canola oil like the recipe called for but these came out smelling and tasting of oil. They were really terrible!
Hi Sara, Thank you for giving this recipe a try. The 1/2 cup of oil is correct and helps keep them soft and moist. Canola oil should have a fairly neutral flavor, so we’re wondering if the oil may have been old or developed an off flavor. Did you happen to notice any unusual smell or taste from the oil before baking?
Hi! I made these but they turned out a little gluey/tough. Should I have blotted the pumpkin? What else could be the culprit?
Hi Ariel, 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 amd giving you that tough texture. 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!
Thank you! Is it possible I measured the flour incorrectly so there wasn’t enough?
Mine also came out gluey. And they stuck to the cupcake liners.
These are the best pumpkin muffins I have ever made. So moist, flavorful, and quick to make.
Made these for our church Fall fair. They sold out quickly and people came back for seconds, only none were left. Note to self ~ make two batches next year!
Hi Charlene,
How did you package these muffins for your Church Bake Sale? Did you do the crumb topping with the icing?
Thank you!
Great idea! Thanks so much!
Muffins are in the oven right now. Lol
These muffins are fantastic! So easy to make and come out perfect. Delish!
How do you find recipes you have saved here?
Excellent. The house also smelled phenomenal! I weighed thr ingredients but only got 13. I didn’t need the entire crumb or icing topping so I cut both in half. Thanks!
Hi there Sally, oooh myyy , just got through baking these muffins !!! I’ve been baking for 45 years & I have to tell you these came out Scrumptious!!! Followed recipe exactly!!! No deviation, they were so moist , & the combo of pumkin and spices were perfect !!! I cooked them on convection oven 375 for 22 minutes & they were perfect !!! Great job sally!!! This recipe is a keeper for me! ❤️
My family loved these muffins. I would like to use my new loaf pans .i have two of both 8 and 9 inch ones. Would this recipe work in loaf pans with the same topping? If so, which size would be best. Thank you !
Hi Jennie, We are glad your family enjoys them! We recommend a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
I’ll never need to buy costco muffins again! Actually your recipe is better and when I made my own parchment paper liners it made 12 large muffins woot woot! Thank you ( changed out butter for coconut oil & it works!)
Wow. Sally does it again. The muffins were full of pumpkin flavor (which I’ve struggled with in other recipes) and well-spiced. I swapped the AP flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour and used almond milk in the batter and coconut oil in the streusel to make it gluten and dairy-free… you would truly never know (my family couldn’t tell). They’re the best I’ve made – so moist yet tender and light, not heavy and wet like many out there. For those curious, I used the same volume of GF flour, which I weighed out to be 245g in the batter and 105g in the streusel. Then I let the batter rest at room temp for 30 minutes before baking which always improves the texture of my GF bakes. One note about the coconut oil – I needed significantly less coconut oil to get the right streusel consistency, so start with less. Thanks Sally and team!
Se puede usar calabaza natural cocida?
Hi Magaly, we prefer canned pumpkin puree here, but you can use fresh homemade pumpkin puree. We hope you enjoy the muffins!
Pretty sure these are the best muffins I’ve ever made, maybe even best I’ve ever eaten 🤩 wow! So good!!!!! Thank you for this delicious recipe. Highly recommend!
i love this recipe! i added chocolate & butterscotch chips. i found this recipe tasted even better the next day and the liner peeled off much easier.
These are delish!! Next time I think I’ll bake them for a couple minutes less because they were a little tough but nobody else that ate them thought that so it might just be personal preference! I also am going to make more crumb topping because it was sooooo good and once the muffins puffed up there really wasnt that much topping. I’m not sure how she got the pieces so tiny because mine immediately turned into one big blob that I had to break up into pieces (a delicious blob). I love the icing too!
Is there anyway to make this a whole crumb cake instead of muffins?
Hi Meghan, here’s our pumpkin crumb cake recipe!
I understand why they are a favorite! First time making them, it won’t be the last. Perfect Fall muffin.
The muffins were very moist but the crumbs were very hard and crunchy. Did I mess up?
Hi Mel, you’ll want the crumbs to be slightly crunchy, so it doesn’t sound like you necessarily did anything wrong. You can try decreasing the bake time by just a minute or so next time for a softer top, or move the pan a rack further from the heating element. Be sure to use a toothpick to test that the insides are still done. Thanks for giving these a try!
Hello! Can this be made into loaf format? 🙂
Hi Sydney, absolutely! We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it should be close to this pumpkin loaf.
What’s the caloric count for each muffin?
Hi Vicky, we don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients. Plus, many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients listed. However, there are many handy online calculators where you can plug in and customize your exact ingredients/brands. Readers have found this one especially helpful: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076
“these muffins are AMAZING!!!! I baked 12 muffins and the crumbs are a little bit too much, so if you can, halve or use 2/3 of the crumbs so you don’t waste them
I made these muffins for my coworkers and they all loved them!! Even the pumpkin haters loved them! I did modify the recipe slightly to get a stronger pumpkin flavor by cooking down my pumpkin puree on the stovetop until it halved in size and reduced almost all water. I also switched out the white sugar with maple syrup to reduce the amount of refined sugar! They turned out so nicely! Super moist, great flavor, and smells wonderful!
I was going to make the Simply Pumpkin Muffins, but I’m a sucker for a crumb topping so I made these but skipped the frosting. So good! The muffin isn’t overly sweet, but the topping balances it perfectly.
I made these as mini muffins for a tea at church . They were so cute and good! Very moist. Every one liked them!
How long did you bake the mini muffins?
Hi Rebecca, For mini muffins, bake for 11–13 minutes at 350°F (177°C) the entire time.
How long will the batter be ok in the refrigerator before cooking?
Hi Amy! It is best to bake muffin batter right away after mixing.
So delicious! Best pumpkin muffin recipe ever! I will make these often.
Made these this morning and WOW. The whole family was blown away. They came out perfectly!
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.