These soft pumpkin streusel muffins are made with a whole can of pumpkin puree and topped with crunchy brown sugar pecan streusel. Made in one bowl in under one hour, they're an easy bake to satisfy your cozy fall-flavor cravings.
Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Butter Pecan Streusel
Fall has always my favorite time of year, when the leaves turn red & orange, crisp morning fog clings to the ground, and the smell of something baking constantly drifts throughout our home. That feeling is exactly what I was chasing when I created this pumpkin streusel muffins. They started as a fall craving for pumpkin spice, and a quick one-bowl muffin batter is the easiest way to solve that! Plus I created this recipe to use an entire can of pumpkin puree, so you're not left with an awkward half-empty can knocking around in your fridge.
In testing, both chocolate chips and cream cheese overpowered the pumpkin, losing that earthy flavor under sweetness or tang. Pecans (or walnuts or hazelnuts, if you have those on hand instead) do the opposite: their warm, nutty flavor plays off the caramel-like brown sugar in the streusel without competing with the pumpkin, so it stays the star of the muffin instead of getting buried.
The batter itself comes together in one bowl without an electric mixer, which means fewer dishes, and honestly, fewer excuses not to bake on a weekend morning. The crumbly streusel is non-negotiable in my opinion, loaded with brown sugar and pecans, and dangerously easy to eat by the spoonful before it ever makes it onto the batter.
If you love this streusel, it's a great topping to double up and use on other bakes, like my cinnamon streusel muffins. And if you're craving more pumpkin after these, my pumpkin bread rolls swap pumpkin puree right into the dough for a savory-leaning fall bake.
Let's Make Pumpkin Streusel Muffins!
1. Mix the pecan streusel & set aside.
2. Mix the butter & sugars together.
3. Add pumpkin puree, egg, vanilla, & milk.
5. Arrange the batter in a muffin tin & sprinkle the streusel topping on top.
4. Gently mix in all of the dry ingredients.
6. Bake until the muffins are puffed up and golden brown.
My Baking Tips for the Most Moist Muffins
- Your muffins are done baking with a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center of the muffins comes out with moist crumbs stuck to it. Wet batter means the muffins need to bake longer. But a perfectly clean toothpick means the muffins might be a little overbaked, so watch out!
- Don't overmix the batter, which encourages gluten formation and leads to dry, chewy muffins rather than soft, moist muffins.
- Fill muffin cups nearly to the top. Pumpkin batter doesn't rise as dramatically as other quick breads, so a fuller cup gives you that classic domed, bakery-style muffin top instead of a flat one.
- Let the muffins cool for at least 10 minutes before removing from the pan. That streusel topping is delicate straight out of the oven, and can crumble off if you try to move the muffins too soon.
Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
developed & tested by:
Equipment
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Pumpkin Muffins
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (1 stick)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin puree (one can) (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with muffin/cupcake liners.
- Prepare the streusel by combining the all purpose flour, brown sugar, chopped pecans, pumpkin pie spice, and softened butter in a mixing bowl. Use a large spoon, silicone spatula, or your hands to mix the mixture until it's crumbly. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until it is pale and fluffy, after a few minutes.
- Add the pumpkin puree, egg, vanilla, and milk. Mix on low speed until it's well combined, after about 1 minute.
- Add the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Gently mix with a large spoon or silicone spatula until you no longer see dry pockets of flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well mixed.
- Use a cookie scoop or a large spoon to drop muffin batter into each muffin cup to fill it nearly to the top. Sprinkle the pecan streusel topping on top.
- Bake the muffins for 18 to 22 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out without any wet batter stuck to it. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Don't use canned pumpkin pie which contains added sugar and other ingredients that will totally mess up your muffins. Use canned pumpkin that only contains one ingredient - pumpkins!
- Storing: Store cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up the 3 days. To freeze, wrap cooled muffins individually in plastic wrap then in aluminum foil and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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Shanon says
Pumpkin season here we come! Can't wait to try these!
Carissa Erzen says