These super moist pumpkin cupcakes are easy to make, perfectly pumpkin spiced, and finished with tangy cream cheese frosting. I adapted this recipe from my very favorite pumpkin cake. They’re a must-try during the fall season!
Pumpkin cupcakes deserve their own spotlight, right?
I received some questions about turning my pumpkin cake into cupcakes, so I figure a completely separate post for pumpkin cupcakes would be helpful. Compared to cake, cupcakes cook faster and are easier to decorate, transport, and serve. LOVE THAT!
These are the BEST Pumpkin Cupcakes
And I have a list to prove it!
- Easy to prepare
- Simple, basic ingredients
- Moist and soft
- Heightened pumpkin spice flavor (just like pumpkin pie!)
- Sweetened with brown sugar
- Topped with tangy cream cheese frosting
- Fun to decorate! 🙂
Let’s Compare
Let’s compare these pumpkin cupcakes to my beloved pumpkin muffins recipe. There’s definitely a few differences!
- Ease: Both pumpkin cupcake recipes are super low maintenance. You don’t need a mixer to make either batter (though you could certainly use one!) and both batters come together in minutes.
- Actual Recipes: The recipes themselves are pretty similar. Here I cut out the milk and reduced the flour to make up for less liquid. You only need 1 cup of flour, so you are basically guaranteed mega moist cupcakes. There’s also slightly less pumpkin because it can weigh down your baked good (totally fine in a hearty, slightly denser muffin though).
- Flavor: The flavors are pretty identical, including spices.
- Texture: But here’s the real difference—these pumpkin cupcakes are not quite as dense. They’re incredibly moist and soft, but have more of a cake and cupcake texture and less of a muffin texture.
My tip: As with most of my cupcake recipes, fill the liners only about 2/3 full. This is about 3 full Tablespoons of batter per cupcake. (See 9 more tips for baking the BEST cupcakes!)
Ingredients in Pumpkin Cupcakes
Because this homemade pumpkin cupcake recipe is based off of my pumpkin cake, you’ll notice the ingredients are almost exactly the same. In a nutshell, we halve the cake recipe to yield about 12 cupcakes. The spices and vanilla extract aren’t completely halved. Rather, I kept both on the higher side for plenty of FLAVOR!
Here’s what you need:
- Flour: All-purpose flour serves as the base. It’s sturdy enough to support the thick batter.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: These help the cupcakes rise.
- Cinnamon & Pumpkin Pie Spice: Instead of prepared pumpkin pie spice, you can use 1/2 teaspoon each: ground allspice and ground ginger AND 1/4 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg and ground cloves. I love using homemade pumpkin pie spice here!
- Salt & Vanilla Extract: Both add flavor. Try making your own homemade vanilla extract sometime.
- Oil: Oil, as opposed to butter, guarantees a moist crumb.
- Eggs: Eggs provide structure and moisture.
- Sugar: I only use brown sugar to sweeten these cupcakes because it’s the best!
- Pumpkin: Use 1 cup of pumpkin puree in this recipe, then browse my pumpkin recipes to use up the rest of the can.
Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting is a pumpkin cupcake’s BFF.
Here’s what I love most about this duo: cream cheese frosting doesn’t take away from the pumpkin flavor. Rather, it lets the pumpkin cupcakes shine. Cream cheese frosting is not selfish. That’s a true friend, is it not?! 😉 We’d have a different story with, say, vanilla buttercream because it’s too sweet, too heavy, and too overpowering.
This cream cheese frosting will hold a little shape if you pipe it, though a simple swirl with a knife works too. I like to use a round tip for piping, like Ateco 808 large round because it resembles a big puffy cloud on top. It’s the same frosting and piping tip I use for carrot cake cupcakes, too.
If you really want to go wild, try this brown butter cream cheese frosting from my banana layer cake, this cinnamon cream cheese frosting from my banana cupcakes, this pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting from my pumpkin bars, or this salted caramel frosting. Or use chai spice buttercream—another favorite fall flavor!
For decoration/garnish, we love using these little pumpkins. Or you can try these festive fall sprinkles or mellowcreme pumpkins. We also used these cupcakes as the perfect base to decorate Halloween cupcakes!
More Perfect Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Muffins & Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies & Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Roll
- Brown Butter Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Pumpkin Bread
- Pumpkin Bundt Cake
- Recipes to Make With Leftover Pumpkin Puree
For even more inspiration, here are my 30+ favorite pumpkin dessert recipes.
PrintPumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 cupcakes
- Category: Cupcakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my favorite recipe for super moist and easy pumpkin spice cupcakes topped with delicious cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) canola or vegetable oil*
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 cup (225g) canned pumpkin puree*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3 cups (360g) confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a 12-count muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a large bowl. Set aside. Whisk the oil, eggs, brown sugar, pumpkin, and vanilla extract together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and use a mixer or whisk until completely combined. Batter will be thick.
- Pour/spoon the batter into the liners—fill only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.
- Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it).
- Frost cooled cupcakes however you’d like. I used an Ateco 808 large round piping tip for these pictured cupcakes. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I recommend a cupcake carrier for storing and transporting decorated cupcakes.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: Cupcakes can be made ahead 1 day in advance, covered, and stored at room temperature. Frosting can also be made 1 day in advance, covered, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to use. Leftover cupcakes keep well covered tightly in the refrigerator for 3 days. Frosted or unfrosted cupcakes can be frozen up to 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 12-count Muffin Pan | Cupcake Liners | Glass Mixing Bowls | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable) | Ateco 808 Piping Tip | Cupcake Carrier
- 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 1/2 teaspoon each: ground allspice and ground ginger AND 1/4 teaspoon each: ground nutmeg and ground cloves. This is in addition to the 1 teaspoon of cinnamon—you will still add that.
- Oil: Instead of 1/2 cup of oil, try 1/4 cup (45g) unsweetened applesauce and 1/4 (60ml) cup oil. The cupcakes are just as moist.
- Pumpkin: I strongly recommend using canned pumpkin puree over homemade in this recipe, though 1 cup of homemade would work just fine. I found the flavor better with canned. I prefer Libby’s brand.
- Mini Cupcakes: For around 30 mini cupcakes, bake for about 12-13 minutes, same oven temperature.
- Be sure to check out my 10 tips for baking the BEST cupcakes before you begin!
Awesome thanks!
Hi!
I’m doing a wedding in October and your recipes are about the only ones I’ve found that come out every time no fail. Do you have a way to convert this maybe to round cake sizes? I’d like to use your recipe but am not sure how to do this on my own. The cake will be a double 9 inch layer then a double probably 6 inch layer.
Hi Haily! We recommend following this pumpkin cake recipe instead – same great flavor! See recipe notes for layer cake instructions. You can also reference this cake pan sizes and conversions guide if needed. Happy baking!
Can I make this as six inch cake?
Definitely! Here’s our blog post on 6 inch cakes.
So good! I subbed some of the brown sugar for maple syrup, and some of the oil for apple sauce, and they still turned out amazing! Would make again
These are incredible!! I had a pumpkin cupcake recipe I used before discovering this one, and this recipe blows that last one out of the water! They’re super fluffy, perfectly spiced, and absolutely delicious. I also topped my cupcakes with homemade salted caramel sauce— yum!! Thanks for sharing Sally!
Hi! I absolutely love this recipe I have baked these cupcakes several times I was just wondering if I could bake this in a bread loaf??
Absolutely! You might also enjoy my pumpkin bread recipe.
I make this recipe into loaves all the time! never had a complaint! Some did say they liked it better than Starbucks pumpkin loaf
Hi! I was wondering — can I substitute applesauce for the eggs? I wanted to try this recipe for my boyfriend, who is vegan. I normally substitute 1/4 cup applesauce per egg, so I would use 1/2 cup for this recipe.
Hi Lizzie, We haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes but let us know if you try it!
Can I sub white sugar for brown?
Hi Romy, yes you can.
Hi, Sally! I would love to make these for Thanksgiving, but I have the Russian ball piping tips do you think it would hold? It worked with your peanut butter frosting on the snicker cupcakes!
Hi Alyssa, Cream cheese frosting isn’t thick enough for Russian piping tips. You can pipe it with a simple round tip as shown in the pictures above – if you don’t have one you can simply cut off the end of your piping bag and use that without a tip. You can certainly try to add more sugar to thicken it up and also fill your piping bag and then place the entire thing in the refrigerator before piping, but again buttercream works better for intricate piping!
Hellllllooo Fall! Sally, these are exceptional! We devoured half the batch in one go. Fluffy, perfectly spiced. We had enough frosting left over that we are planning on topping our pumpkin pancakes with it for breakfast tomorrow. Thank you again Sally!!
These were the best cupcakes I’ve ever had. Very moist and tons a flavor! I piped in some pumpkin butter since I had some. Yum
Just baked my 5th or 6th batch of these and had to come leave a review. My co-workers are obsessed, they mention them daily and are now offering to pay me to make them. I have yet to try one myself because they disappear so quickly!
This recipe is amazing !! I followed it as is, and I used the note regarding the homemade pumpkin pie spice !! These cupcakes were moist and delicious !!!! It took me less than 15 minutes to prepare them and get them into the oven, and I got a perfect 12 which is also awesome !!! I filled them with cannoli filling (per family member request) and added my own homemade vanilla buttercream that I use for all my cupcakes!!!! This pumpkin cupcake recipe is a KEEPER!! I have made so many cupcakes and this is my first time doing pumpkin cupcakes,…. I knew I could rely on Sally!! Thank you so much !!
I love Sally’s recipes. They are usually very straightforward. This one needs a little adjustment:
1) One batch of frosting is double what is needed for 12 cupcakes.
2) 3.25 cups powdered sugar would have been too sweet. I used 3 scant cups of powdered sugar (spooned in and leveled).
3) The spice level is so high it’s hard to taste pumpkin flavor. I will dial it back in future.
With adjustment, a great recipe!
did the applesauce substitution as mentioned in your notes, added 1 tbsp of apple butter (which contained some cinnamon, nutmeg and clove), cut the brown sugar to 1/2 cup (this resulted in a good sweetness level), omitted the allspice and clove, used coconut oil (the one that doesn’t solidify, dunno what the proper term is), and the cake turned out wonderfully spiced and moist!!
Great recipe, easy and absolutely delicious. Except for the pumpkin puree, all the ingredients are common to my pantry. I love that. I followed the directions faithfully and the end result was perfection. Light, fluffy, and a wonderful full pumpkin spice taste.
As a relatively new baker, I love the videos, the tips, and the visuals of each recipe. This website is beautifully laid out, easy to use and follow. I am so grateful to have found Sally.
Thank you.
Anne
These cupcakes were great and I look forward to making them again. They stuck to the liners though so I need to do something different. My liners are old and I believe I may have put a tad too much oil in the recipe. I used a vegetable oil and applesauce combination. Would too much oil cause them to stick?
Thank you for this recipe!!!
These are absolutely delicious. The cupcake is moist and tender and pumpkiny. The frosting is excellent, just as good if not better than the cupcake. A big hit at our house!
This is the best recipe ever! Easy to make and delicious. The cupcakes rose perfectly in the oven, and the frosting came together in seconds. Love it! ❤️ Thank you, Sally!
This is an amazing recipe! I absolutely love these cupcakes, they’re the best pumpkin cupcakes I’ve ever made! Thank you!!
I do have one question. I just made 4 dozen for a birthday on Saturday. As the last batch was coming out of the oven I got a call the party is being moved to Tuesday. How would you recommend going about freezing these? I have not frosted them yet, but plan to do that Monday. I want to make sure to keep them as moist as possible, but I’ve never frozen cupcakes before! Any help is much appreciated! Thank you!
Hi Ashley, We are so happy you enjoy these cupcakes! They do freeze well in an airtight container. I usually use large tupperware containers to freeze them, but if you are short on room a freezer friendly zip top bag also works. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before frosting.
This recipe with miraculous delicious and the cream cheese was perfect on my God give this a 10.
These are the BEST pumpkin cupcakes! Even my husband who claims to not love pumpkin enjoyed them. They are so moist and flavorful, and the flavors are not overpowering or too sweet. I used a different frosting recipe as I prefer more of a whipped cream cheese frosting. You have to make these!!!
HEY!
ANY chance this recipe can be used for cake pops?
Hi Andrea, I don’t see why not! Enjoy 🙂
How long would jumbo cupcakes need to be baked?
Hi Chris, We are unsure of the exact time for jumbo cupcakes. Bake at the same oven temperature until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!
This recipe was phenomenal!! I’ve shared it with all of my friends already. The PERFECT fluffy and moist cupcakes.
Hello! Can I turn this recipe in a cake instead of muffins? And for how long and which temperature should I bake it? Also, can I use juice instead of the oil? Thanks!
Hi Isabella, For a pumpkin cake, I recommend using this pumpkin cake recipe. It’s written for a 9×13 inch cake pan and also includes directions for other size pans in the recipe notes.
I loooove this recipe! The cupcakes were moist and perfect. The cupcakes are not too sweet so the frosting compliments it well.
Hi! I tried this recipe, but my cupcakes came out slightly dry. Do you have any recommendations to make them more moist?
Hi Mariah, Did you make any ingredient substitutions? The oil and the pumpkin should keep these very moist! Be sure you are measuring the flour correctly (spoon and level) as too much flour can soak up too much liquid. Also, every oven is different so check yours before the suggested bake time to be sure they weren’t simply overbaked.
Hi sally- I’m making these cupcakes since it’s around that fall time! Only problem is that I bought a cupcake tray with ghosts shapes and pumpkin shapes, I don’t know if the time/temp would differ? Theres only room for 6 cupcakes but i’m willing to do as many batches as it needs. Could you let me know if the temp or time of baking differs!
Hi Sushan, Without knowing how much batter each shape holds it’s difficult to recommend a bake time – the temperature should stay the same though. Keep an eye on them and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
I love this recipe so much, but I was wondering if anyone had used it in a loaf pan for pumpkin bread? Ive seen the pumpkin bread recipe on the site but I love the lightness of the cupcakes and wanted to see if it would translate to a loaf?
I doubled the recipe today and did 12 cupcakes and one loaf. It worked beautifully; only thing I did different from the recipe as stated was used a whole can of pumpkin the the doubled recipe (it’s a tiny bit less than 2 cups) and folded in some chopped candied pecans that were sitting around. Great recipe!