I made these last Sunday morning and my daughter walked into the kitchen asking if we were having dessert for breakfast. Honestly? Kind of felt like it.
These pumpkin cheesecake muffins are the kind of thing you pull out of the oven and immediately wonder if you should hide a few before everyone sees them. That swirl of cream cheese filling sinks right into the warm spiced pumpkin, and the tops get this perfect golden dome that’s just barely crisp around the edges.
I love how the house smells while these bake—cinnamon, nutmeg, that deep pumpkin sweetness. It’s the kind of smell that makes people wander into the kitchen asking what’s happening.
The texture is incredibly soft and moist, almost like a really good pumpkin bread but in muffin form. And that cheesecake center? It stays creamy and tangy, cutting through all the sweetness in the best way.
**INGREDIENTS:**
*For the Pumpkin Muffins:*
– 4 large eggs
– 1¾ cups granulated sugar
– 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
– 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree
– 3 cups all-purpose flour
– 2 teaspoons baking soda
– 1 teaspoon baking powder
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
– ½ teaspoon ground ginger
*For the Cheesecake Filling:*
– 8 oz cream cheese, softened
– ⅓ cup granulated sugar
– 1 large egg
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
**INSTRUCTIONS:**
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Make the cheesecake filling first: beat the softened cream cheese with sugar until smooth and fluffy, then mix in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and oil until well blended.
4. Stir in the pumpkin puree until smooth.
5. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.
6. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just combined—don’t overmix.
7. Fill each muffin cup about halfway with pumpkin batter.
8. Add a generous spoonful of cheesecake filling to the center of each muffin.
9. Top with a little more pumpkin batter until the cups are about ¾ full.
10. Use a toothpick or knife to gently swirl the cheesecake into the pumpkin batter—just a couple of swirls.
11. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the tops are golden and spring back when lightly pressed.
12. Let them cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
They’re incredible warm, but they also keep beautifully for a few days in an airtight container. My husband ate three in one sitting and said absolutely nothing because his mouth was full the entire time.
Would you eat these for breakfast or save them for dessert?