Pumpkin crumb muffins are soft, moist, and filled with pumpkin spice flavor. Finished with a buttery brown sugar crumble topping, they’re the perfect fall breakfast treat.

A plate with pumpkin crumb muffins with crumble topping.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy.

Pumpkin Crumble Muffins

Pumpkin crumb muffins combine moist pumpkin muffins with a buttery crumble topping for the ultimate fall treat. With pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and applesauce in every bite, they’re just as perfect for a breakfast treat as they are for an after-school snack.

That golden brown sugar crumble is what makes them truly irresistible, giving each muffin the flavor of a cozy pumpkin coffee cake.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Easy to make: These soft and fluffy pumpkin crumb muffins are made in one bowl, ready in 30 minutes and perfect for cozy fall mornings!
  • Bakery-style treat: Every bite has a tender pumpkin spice base with a sweet, buttery crumb topping that feels straight out of a bakery.

Recipe Ingredients

A muffin tin with unbaked pumpkin crumb muffins.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Pumpkin puree: I like Libby’s pumpkin puree or homemade pumpkin puree.
  • Pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon: Pumpkin pie spice is the perfect blend of spices to give these muffins that fall feel and extra cinnamon gives them a warm cozy flavor!
  • Applesauce: I like this, not only for its flavor, but because it gives extra moistness to the muffins. I used my easy crockpot applesauce, but any applesauce works.
  • Baking staples: All-purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda and baking powder.
  • Oil and eggs: Vegetable oil adds moisture while eggs bind the ingredients.
  • Vanilla extract: This balances the spices perfectly.
  • Crumble topping: Flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and butter add the right amount of sweetness and crunch.

How to Make Pumpkin Crumb Muffins

Pumpkin crumb muffins on cooling rack.
  1. Whisk dry ingredients. Add flour, sugar, pumpkin spice, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
  2. Stir in wet ingredients. Add pumpkin puree, oil, apple sauce, eggs, and vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overmix, this will help keep your muffins nice and fluffy.
  3. Fill muffin tin. Using a cookie or ice cream scoop, fill the muffin liners part way full, with the batter.
  4. Make topping and bake. Combine flour, brown sugar, pumpkin spice and butter in a bowl. Cut in butter. Mix (you can even use your fingers!) until it has formed crumbs and spread evenly overtop the muffins. Bake muffins at 375°F for 20 minutes.
Soft and fluffy pumpkin crumb cake muffins on a white plate with glaze.

Recipe Tips

  • More spice. Double the amount of pumpkin pie spice if you like more of an intense flavor.
  • Icing. Drizzle some powdered sugar icing on top of the crumb topping for some added sweetness.
  • Add-ins. Add walnuts, raisins or chocolate chips for another layer of flavor and added crunch or texture.
  • Topping. Add oats to the crumb topping to make it a chewy and crispy streusel topping.
Sliced pumpkin crumb muffins.

More muffin recipes we love this time of year include pumpkin muffins with cake mix, snickerdoodle muffins and pumpkin chocolate chip muffins!

More Pumpkin Recipes

See all
See all
A plate with pumpkin crumb muffins with crumble topping.

Pumpkin Crumb Muffins

5 from 6 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12
Pumpkin crumb muffins are soft, moist, and filled with pumpkin spice flavor. Finished with a buttery brown sugar crumble topping, they’re the perfect fall breakfast treat.
Print Pin This! Rate

Video

Ingredients 

  • 1 ¾ cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (use 2 teaspoons if you like extra spice)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil , or canola oil
  • ¼ cup apple sauce (I use a 3-ounce pouch)
  • 2 large eggs , whisked
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Crumb topping

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup light brown sugar (I like to a do half-and-half)
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice , or ground cinnamon
  • 4 Tablespoons salted butter , melted

Instructions

  • Prep. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a muffin pan with liners or spray with nonstick spray.
  • In a large bowl, whisk 1 3/4 cups flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
  • Add wet ingredients.Stir in 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup apple sauce, 2 eggs, and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla until just combined, bring careful not overmix.
  • Fill muffin pan. Using a large cookie or ice cream scoop, fill each liner in the muffin pan 2/3 the way full.

Crumb topping

  • Combine crumb topping. In a medium bowl, mix 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, and 4 Tablespoons butter until it has formed crumbs. Spread evenly across the tops of the muffins.
  • Bake muffins. Bake 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Variations: Add walnuts, raisins or chocolate chips for another layer of flavor and added crunch or texture.
Icing. Drizzle some powdered sugar icing on top of the crumb topping for some added sweetness.
Storage: Store in an airtight container up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1muffin, Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 49g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 249mg, Potassium: 127mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 21g, Vitamin A: 3217IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 32mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Substitutions

  • Pumpkin: For a slight twist, replace pumpkin with pureed sweet potatoes if that’s what you have on hand.
  • Eggs: You can use 1 Tablespoon chia or flax mixed with 3 Tablespoons water and refrigerated 10 minutes in place of each egg.
  • Applesauce: Use mashed banana instead of applesauce for a 1:1 ratio.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make plain muffins?

Sure! You may want to add some extra cinnamon to the batter to compensate or just sprinkle the tops of the muffins with cinnamon sugar before baking.

How do I make tall bakery style muffins?

For taller, bakery-style muffins, start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Place the muffins in the oven, then immediately reduce the temperature to 375°F. The initial burst of heat helps them rise higher, while lowering the temp ensures they bake through without overbrowning.

How to store leftover muffins?

These muffins will keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Store them for longer in the refrigerator up to 5 days, although I prefer to freeze them at that point.

Can I freeze these pumpkin crumb muffins?

Yes, these can be frozen for up to 3 months. Use an airtight container or wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc freezer bag.

To reheat, thaw at room temperature and place in the oven at 350°F for about 10 minutes to heat through or quickly warm up in the microwave.