Soft and moist pumpkin spice cupcakes topped with a sweet and tangy maple cream cheese frosting. This easy pumpkin cupcake recipe is full of delicious fall flavor!

Single pumpkin spice cupcake with maple cream cheese frosting swirl, decorated for fall.

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Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

These pumpkin spice cupcakes are everything you want in a fall dessert, moist, tender, and full of cozy pumpkin spice flavor. The pumpkin puree keeps them soft, like pumpkin muffins, but the maple cream cheese frosting makes them party-ready!

They’re easy to make (no mixer required!) and always a hit at Halloween parties, Thanksgiving dinner, or any fall get-together. Pumpkin cupcakes are simpler than pumpkin pie but every bit as festive!

And if you’re feeding a crowd, my pumpkin bundt cake is another seasonal favorite worth trying.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients laid out for pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting including pumpkin puree, flour, sugar, eggs, spices, powdered sugar and cream cheese.

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.

  • Flour: All-purpose flour works best. It is thick and creates the base of the pumpkin cupcakes.
  • Pumpkin pie spice: All the pumpkin spice fall flavors in one bottle, ground allspice, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cloves.
  • Baking soda: This helps the cupcakes rise while baking.
  • Cinnamon: Just a pinch gives a beautiful flavor of sweet and woody flavor.
  • Pumpkin puree: Homemade or store-bought pumpkin puree works great.
  • Sugars: Brown sugar and granulated sugar are both used in this pumpkin cupcake recipe. Both sugars bring in sweetness but also give the cupcakes a soft texture.
  • Canola oil: A moist cupcake comes from the oil. You can also use vegetable oil too.
  • Eggs: Have the eggs at room temperature before mixing them together.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cupcake Recipe

Step-by-step process of making pumpkin spice cupcakes with frosting, from mixing to decorating.
  1. Combine. Whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
  2. Whisk. In a large bowl, whisk together or use a hand mixer to mix the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, sugar, canola oil, and eggs and mix until well blended. Mix in the flour mixture until combined.
  3. Fill muffin tin. Scoop into prepared muffin tin with cupcake liners.
  4. Bake: Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack.
  5. Mix. For the frosting, beat together the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar slowly and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the vanilla and maple extract.
  6. Frosting. Frost the cooled pumpkin spice cupcakes with a 1M frosting tip or piping bag if desired.

Frosting for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

The maple cream cheese frosting is the perfect match for the cupcakes. It comes together in 5 minutes with just 5 ingredients. You could use a classic cream cheese frosting or cinnamon buttercream, but the maple extract adds a sweet, cozy flavor that makes these pumpkin spice cupcakes stand out.

Make sure the frosting is thick enough to hold its shape when piping. I like to use a 1M star tip for a bakery-style swirl. No piping tip? Just snip the corner off a zip-top bag and pipe it on that way.

Pumpkin spice cupcakes on a white plate topped with swirls of maple cream cheese frosting.

Recipe Tips

  • Pumpkin puree vs. pie filling: Make sure to use pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling already has sugar and spices added, which will make the cupcakes overly sweet.
  • Filling the pan. Don’t overfill the muffin cups, about ½ to ⅔ full is just right so they have room to rise. A large cookie scoop gives you the perfect portion every time.
  • Toothpick test. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, they’re ready. Avoid opening the oven too often, since heat loss can cause the cupcakes to deflate.
  • Cool before frosting. Let the pumpkin cupcakes cool completely before adding frosting. If they’re even a little warm, the frosting will melt and lose its shape.
  • Top with extras. For an extra-special touch, drizzle with caramel sauce and finish with a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Pumpkin spice cupcake with a bite taken out, showing moist texture and maple cream cheese frosting swirl.

More pumpkin recipes to try include pumpkin roll, pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

More Delicious Pumpkin Recipes

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Pumpkin cupcake on a cake stand.

Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes

5 from 51 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 12
Light and tender pumpkin spice cupcakes with a sweet and tangy maple cream cheese frosting. This pumpkin cupcake recipe is easy to make and full of delicious fall flavor!
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Ingredients 

Pumpkin Cupcakes:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • ½ cup light brown sugar , packed
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • 2 eggs

Maple Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 8 Tablespoons butter , softened
  • 8 ounces cream cheese , softened
  • 4 cups powdered sugar , more as needed
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons maple extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare 12 muffin cups by lining them with paper liners.
  • Dry ingredients. Whisk together 1 cup flour, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Wet ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup canola oil, and 2 eggs and mix until well blended. Mix in the flour mixture until combined.
  • Scoop into prepared muffin tin, filling 1/2 to 2/3 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan and let cool on a cooling rack.
  • For the cream cheese frosting, beat together 8 Tablespoons butter and 8 ounces cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add 4 cups powdered sugar slowly and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 2 teaspoons maple extract. If necessary, add more powdered sugar until the frosting is firm enough to hold its shape but still light and fluffy.
  • Frost the cooled cupcakes with a 1M frosting tip or piping bag if desired.

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

Notes

Storage: Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. The cupcakes will keep for about 4-5 days. You may freeze the cupcakes up to 3 months, however I prefer to freeze the cupcakes before frosting. 

Nutrition

Calories: 494kcal, Carbohydrates: 68g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 24g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 285mg, Potassium: 135mg, Sugar: 57g, Vitamin A: 3705IU, Vitamin C: 0.8mg, Calcium: 56mg, Iron: 1.2mg

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

Recipe FAQs

How do you keep cupcakes moist?

Oil, sugar, and butter all add moisture. In these pumpkin spice cupcakes, pumpkin puree also keeps them extra soft.

How do you pipe frosting nicely?

A piping bag with a 1M star tip makes an easy bakery-style swirl. If you don’t have one, snip the corner of a zip-top bag and pipe that way.

How to store pumpkin cupcakes?

Yes! These cupcakes keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Because of the cream cheese frosting, don’t store them at room temperature.

Can I freeze leftover cupcakes?

You may also freeze the cupcakes for up to 3 months, however, I prefer to freeze them before adding the frosting on top.