Pumpkin Muffins with Pecan Streusel
The fluffiest and most tender pumpkin muffins ever. Muffin is made with pumpkin puree and topped with a crunchy pecan streusel. Takes 10 minutes to make, 1 hour to rest, and 20 minutes to bake with that beautiful crispy muffin top!
I’ve made so many muffins lately and you all are here for it so here’s another, fall flavored one!
Why these are the best pumpkin muffins
- They’re large and shareable (if you want lol)
- HUGE crispy muffin top with a toasty pecan streusel
- Packed full of fall pumpkin spices
- Stay moist, fluffy/bouncy for days
If you love muffins with streusels, make sure to check out these strawberry crumble muffins or my white chocolate blueberry ones. If you’re just here for pumpkin spice and everything nice, I also have chocolate chip pumpkin muffins or pumpkin bread.
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Ingredients
- Flour: I use all purpose flour in most of my recipes and I HIGHLY recommend using a digital scale, as flour is so often over measured.
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: We’re going to need both here and a lot of them to get that gorgeous muffin top.
- Sugar: I used light brown sugar but granulated or dark brown will work well in this recipe also.
- Oil: I used oil in this recipe because I wanted to keep the muffins a little fluffier and spongier. I used olive oil but any neutral oil works fine as well.
- Eggs: I use room temperature, large eggs. Pop them in hot water for a few minutes if they’re cold.
- Greek Yogurt: I like to add greek yogurt to my muffins to justify eating them for breakfast, lol. Plain yogurt and sour cream work as well.
- Pumpkin: I usually use Libby’s pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling). I’ve also used Kroger brand or Whole Foods 365 brand.
- Spices: I make my own pumpkin pie spice at home or you can just buy some. It’s just a combination of spices with a higher ratio of cinnamon.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Whisk together the oil and sugar, just until they’re combined.
Step 2: Whisk in the eggs: this is important; whisk in one egg at a time for about 30 seconds, until it’s completely combined, pale and fluffy. Then add another egg, etc.
Step 3: Add the yogurt and pumpkin: whisk in the greek yogurt and pumpkin until they’re completely smooth.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients together: whisk in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt into the wet ingredients until they’re completely combined.
Step 5: Rest the batter: another important step – Cover the bowl and let the batter rest at room temperature for 1 hour. This allows the gluten to relax and the leaveners to get a head start. (If you’re in a rush, 30 minutes is fine but definitely don’t go past 90 minutes or you’ll get a wonky bake).
Step 6: Make crumble topping: combine melted butter with sugar, flour and chopped pecans, until pea size chunks form,
Step 7: Fill the muffin pan: line 12 muffin tins and fill them all the way to the top rim.
Step 8: Top with streusel topping generously, pressing it into the batter so it sticks a little.
Step 9: Bake: for five minutes at 425F and then reduce oven temperature to 375F and bake for another 15 minutes.
Step 10: Make maple glaze by whisking together maple syrup and powdered sugar.
Pro Tips for the best muffin tops:
- The baking powder and baking soda seem excessive but you’ll need that much to get a nice muffin top, especially on a batter with heavy ingredients like pumpkin and banana, so don’t reduce or skip one of them.
- The resting allows the baking soda to activate before it hits the oven, helping you get that nice large muffin top.
- Make sure to whisk each ingredient well before adding the next. This is especially important with the eggs. Beating a little air into the batter with each egg will help make these muffins fluffier.
- If you’re baking in a regular sized pan with 12 muffin tins, bake the muffins in every other tin to allow equal air flow.
- If you double the recipe and make 12 muffins, feel free to bake them all in one batch, right next to each other.
Frequently Asked Questions
Omg yes. You can add some chocolate chips or white chocolate chips to these pumpkin muffins.
Or you can even add ½ cup of chopped pecans (or pralined nuts) to the batter as well.
I just use canned pumpkin puree. Someday I’ll get to making my own pumpkin puree but that day is not today. I recommend Libby’s brand or something of similar consistency.
Make sure you don’t accidentally buy pumpkin pie filling.
You can use dairy free butter, milk, cream, yogurt or sour cream in any of my muffins but the flavor/texture will be a tiny bit changed 🙂
I have not tested this recipe specifically but all of my cake recipes work with a 1:1 substitute of gluten-free flour so I don’t see why this wouldn’t work. I recommend King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill.
To get that gorgeous muffin top I increased the leavening agents a little more than usual. Allowing the batter to rest for an hour gives you the perfect bake but if you wait longer, the muffins will bake with a wonky, lop sided muffin top.
I haven’t tested this yet, but if you want to make the batter ahead of time, I would try skipping the baking soda.
How to store these pumpkin muffins
I LOVE crispy muffin tops but if you store these in an airtight container, you lose that crispiness. So I leave them out overnight and then after the first night, I store them in an airtight container or bag at room temperature.
I don’t recommend refrigerating, as they’ll just dry out. You can freeze them and bring them back to room temperature before serving but again, you’ll lose that crisp muffin top.
How to freeze muffins
Bakes stay more fresh when they’re frozen. Place muffins in an airtight container and then place the container in a freezer bag.
You can also wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then place those in a freezer bag so you can easily remove one at a time.
Freeze for up to a couple of months. Bring back to room temperature before serving.
Thanks so much for reading today’s post, if you have any questions just comment down below. Make sure to leave it in the comment section because I can’t answer in the rating section :).
If you make this pumpkin muffin recipe I would love to see it so make sure to tag me @baranbakery on instagram!
As always, have a blessed day and happy baking!
Love, B
I just made these and they were okay. The strudel topping seemed off. I had a lot of extra flour that had to be tossed. Why do you call for a whole cup just for strudel topping for 12 muffins ? Otherwise the muffins were moist and pumpkin-y and not very sweet which is nice for a true muffin vs cupcake like other “muffin” recipes.
I just made these. Muffins taste really good but can you please tell me why your recipe keeps changing ? I took screen shots of your recipe about a week ago. At first it was granulated sugar that was used in your recipe and then I noticed it changed to brown sugar only. Today and checking your website I noticed that the melted butter has now changed to canola oil or vegetable oil. I ended up using a mixture of both melted butter and oil. I am just wondering why there are so many inconsistencies with your recipe. Thank you
Hi Stephanie, sorry for the confusion. The granulated sugar was a mistake, I forgot to change it to brown sugar but it works with both. The butter and oil, I tested the recipe with both and it’s good with both so I wanted to give two options but it seemed to confuse people so I changed it to just oil.
What thickness should pumpkin purée be as I can’t purchase it in stores here so will have to make my own.
I used Libbys which is pretty thick, not runny.
Hi just want to know if full fat Greek yoghurt is required or whether non fat or low fat Greek yoghurt would be fine? I wouldn’t want it to affect the bake
Hi Natalie, you can use low fat yogurt too. The higher fat content just helps keep them more moist for a longer period of time 🙂