These easy pumpkin muffins are a spot-on Panera copycat! Soft, spiced, and topped with streusel; 5-star rated by 30+ readers and easy to make at home. These pumpkin streusel muffins have been tested from sea level to high altitude.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader JP Raved: “This is a fabulous recipe. And one of the few that includes adjustments for us high-altitude (Wyoming) bakers. A big THANKS! for that. I feel like it was a gift from you to me…in addition to what is now the best muffin recipe I have. Kudos!”
Why You Will Love this Recipe for Pumpkin Muffins
My youngest is a big Panera Bread fan, especially their orange scones and pumpkin muffins. So when they stopped selling his favorite muffin, I set out to recreate it at home. After a few test runs (okay, maybe more than a few), I handed him one and waited. He took a bite, looked up, and gave me the look. Nailed it.
These pumpkin muffins are soft, tender, full of warm spices, and topped with the dreamiest streusel. And the best part? They’re out of the oven in about 30 minutes.
Since I bake at high altitude, I’ve got recipe testers across the country making sure these turn out great no matter where you live. Don’t just take my word for it; Carol left a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review saying, “Tasted just like Panera. I’ve been missing them.” And SP shared, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “We made these last night and loved them! My kids have been bummed that Panera discontinued the Pumpkin muffin and these are the perfect replacement.”
What are you waiting for? You should probably make a double batch.
Watch our video showing how easy they are!
Easy Pumpkin Muffin Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil – For these muffins, I used avocado oil. But you can use melted coconut oil, veggie oil, or canola oil. If you choose coconut oil, use refined unless you want it to taste of coconut.
- Sugars – You will need both white sugar and brown sugar for this recipe. For High Altitudes, the sugars are reduced. As for the brown sugar, feel free to use light or dark brown.
- Honey – Honey locks in moisture and keeps the muffins deliciously moist!
- Eggs – I use large, room-temperature eggs for my baking.
- Pumpkin Puree – Not pumpkin pie filling. You want pure pumpkin puree to get the authentic flavor of pumpkin.
- All-purpose Flour – I used organic, unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Baking Soda, Baking Powder, & Kosher salt – They are the leavening agents. If your baked goods don’t rise well, check that these are fresh!
- Warm Spices – Cinnamon and pumpkin spice brings together the distinct spicy fall essence, with hints of ginger, cloves, allspice and nutmeg.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
How to Make Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel Topping
Preheat the oven to 375° F (190° C) and line your muffin pan with paper liners.
Step 1 – Making the Crumb Topping
Take a small bowl and combine all the crumb ingredients called for in the recipe card. Use a fork to stir until a crumbly texture forms. Then place that bowl into the fridge while you make the pumpkin batter.
Fresh Tips: For the best crumb topping, use softened or mostly melted butter; it makes everything easier to mix together. Just don’t forget to pop it in the fridge or freezer for about 10 minutes so it firms up before baking. And for less mess, I highly recommend using these parchment baking cups; they do a great job of keeping all that delicious topping in place instead of spilling over the muffin tin.
Step 2 – Mix the Wet Ingredients
Now you are ready to begin mixing the spiced pumpkin muffin mix.
In a large bowl, measure in the oil, sugars, honey, eggs, and canned pumpkin. Whisk the pumpkin batter until smooth and creamy.
Step 3 – Mix the Dry Ingredients
Now mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Give it a quick whisk so everything’s evenly combined (no one wants a bite full of baking soda!).
Step 4 – Combine the Two
Add the flour mixture to the wet, about a cup at a time, gently folding with a spatula. Don’t overmix, just fold until you no longer see streaks of flour.
Step 5 – Fill the Muffin Tin
Place liners in a regular or jumbo muffin tin, your choice! Use a large cookie scoop to fill each cup about ⅔ full with pumpkin muffin batter so they have room to rise without overflowing.
Step 6 – Add the Streusel Crumble
Break the crumble apart with a fork. Then, using a tablespoon, add the streusel crumb topping to the top of the muffins.
Now you are ready for the oven! This is why I love these tulip cupcake liners; they hold everything in place, preventing it from tumbling onto the muffin tin!
Step 7 – Bake and Cool
Place your pan of batter with crumble in the oven and wait for that comforting smell to waft throughout the house!
Bake the muffins according to the size of the muffin tins. See the recipe card for instructions.
When the timer’s up and a toothpick comes out clean, move the pan to a cooling rack. Let the muffins sit for 10 minutes before removing, trust me, they’re hot, and I’ve learned the hard way!
Once they have cooled completely, dust the tops with the powdered sugar and serve.
Best Pumpkin Muffins Tips
- Don’t overwork the batter! Mixing the batter will result in heavy, tough muffins.
- Don’t overbake; these muffins are best when just barely finished cooking. A few moist crumbs on the toothpick are fine!
- Allow pumpkin muffins to cool in the muffin pan for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely.
Variations & Substitutions
- Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute – If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, (make your own!) or replace it with ¾ teaspoon cinnamon + ¼ teaspoon of each of these spices: ginger, allspice, cloves, or nutmeg (or some combination, omit spices you dislike, increase spices you love!)
- Additions – Feel free to add chopped nuts; walnuts, pecans, grated carrots, cranberries, or even raisins. Heck, why not add chocolate chips?! You can even pipe in a cream cheese filling.
- Vanilla Extract -I almost always add vanilla to a recipe, but not why I didn’t in these, so feel free to add up to 2 teaspoons of vanilla.
- Out of Muffin Cups? No problem. Either grease your muffin pan or use squares of parchment paper pressed into the muffin form.
- Want Cream Cheese Frosting? Skip the Crumble topping and frost away! Use my easy cream cheese frosting.
Dairy-Free Pumpkin Muffins
The only ingredient you need to switch is the butter in the crumb topping. Just use a dairy-free butter substitute in the crumble, and you’re all set!
Gluten-Free Panera Pumpkin Muffin Recipe
I have had great success replacing unbleached flour with a ½ oat flour (or almond flour) and ½ GF All-Purpose Flour, my favorite mixture!
High Altitude Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C), then REDUCE to 375° F (190° C) for baking.
- Increase all-purpose flour to 1 ¾ cups.
- Decrease granulated sugar to ⅓ cup.
- Reduce brown sugar to ⅓ cup.
- Decrease baking powder to ½ teaspoon.
How to Store Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
- Store the muffins on the counter in an airtight container for 3-7 days. Muffins are best when not refrigerated, as it can dry them out!
- Freeze: These muffins may be frozen for up to 3 months when wrapped in plastic wrap or foil and sealed well in an airtight freezer bag or container. To enjoy, thaw overnight in the refrigerator or on the counter.
How to reheat Panera Pumpkin Muffins
In a preheated 350° F (175° C) oven, place the muffins back into the muffin tin or on a baking sheet. Warm for 10-15 minutes and enjoy. Or if desired, place on a microwave-safe plate and heat at 70% in 30-second increments until warmed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Panera pumpkin muffins used to be dairy-free, but they have since changed their ingredients to include dairy based ingredients. But you can easily adapt my Pumpkin cupcakes to be dairy-free and even vegan! Swap the butter for coconut oil or plant-based butter and use your favorite egg replacement or try using 2 small ripe mashed bananas.
According to the Panera website, their pumpkin muffin has 40 grams of sugar, not to be confused with the pumpkin muffie which has 270 calories. Each pumpkin muffin contains 560 calories; my copycat version has 335 calories and 27 grams of sugar.
Refrigerating muffins and other quickbread recipes can actually dry them out. Cover them well in an airtight container and leave them on the counter for 2-7 days. Freeze if needed up to 3 months.
Typically, they will last between 2 and 7 days depending on storage, house temperature, and humidity. Pumpkin muffins are always best served warm or at least room temperature.
As long as you adjust the cooking time, any size is great. Make jumbo, traditional muffin tops, mini muffins, and even mini donuts.
Where are my Panera lovers?
If you love a good Panera copycat recipe, you are not alone! For instance, try my popular Orange Scones and my Cinnamon Crunch Scones recipe.
Try out one of these tried-and-true copycat soup recipes like my Panera Autumn Squash Soup, 10 Vegetable Soup Recipe, or my copycat Broccoli Cheese Soup.
More Fluffy Muffin Recipes to Enjoy
- Healthy Banana Streusel Muffin
- Honey Bran Muffins <<== a crazy popular muffin recipe, Mimi’s copycat!
- Healthy Strawberry Bread Muffins
More Copycat Recipes You’ll Love
- Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken and Rice Recipe
- Copycat Crumbl Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe {The Best}
- Best White Chocolate Raspberry Bundt Cake {Nothing Bundt Cake Copycat Recipe}
- Maple Pumpkin Scones {Starbucks Copycat}
- Cilantro Lime Rice {A Chipotle Copycat}
- Olive Garden Steak Alfredo (Copycat Recipe)
10+ Ways to Use Leftover Pumpkin Puree
- Make these incredible Copycat Noosa Pumpkin Yogurts — NOM!
- Add a tablespoon to your coffee or chai tea, even! Stir in well!
- Stir it into your oatmeal for a delicious fall twist.
- Spread it like jam onto your favorite toast or bagel.
- Make a pumpkin milkshake or smoothie by adding a generous scoop, a little cinnamon, and milk, then whir!
- Stir into soups to thicken or chili — nobody will even know!
- Add into pancake batter for the best pumpkin pancakes ever! Waffles too!
- Mix in butter or cream cheese for a delicious spread or cracker dip!
- Stir into apple cider or your favorite fall cocktail for a pumpkin flare!
- Make a pumpkin pie smooth! YUM!
- Stir ¼ cup into your favorite pasta sauce, for a fall twist.
- Pumpkin bread of course!
- Stir into your favorite curry or hummus!
More Pumpkin Recipes
Like this recipe?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!
Video
Ingredients
Crumb Streusel Topping
- ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour regular may be used
- ¼ cup granulated sugar I used all natural cane sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar light or dark, I used light
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice Make your own (see notes)
- 6 tablespoons butter partially melted, or soft (see notes for dairy-free or vegan version)
Panera Pumpkin Muffins
- ½ cup vegetable oil I used avocado oil
- ½ cup granulated sugar I used organic cane sugar (reduce to ⅓ cup for high altitude)
- ½ cup brown sugar packed, light or dark (reduce to ⅓ cup for high altitude)
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup pumpkin puree heaping or mounded, not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour I used organic (increase to 1 ¾ cups for high altitude)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder reduced to ½ teaspoon for high altitude
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon ground
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice see notes on how to make your own
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F (400° F for High altitude, then reduce to 375 once muffins are placed in the oven). Line pan with cupcake liners or spray well.
- In a small bowl combine crumb topping ingredients, using a fork to stir until crumbly. Place in the fridge while you prepare the pumpkin muffin mixture.¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour, ¼ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, 6 tablespoons butter
- In a large mixing bowl combine vegetable oil, sugars, honey, eggs, and canned pumpkin and whisk until smooth and creamy.½ cup vegetable oil, ½ cup granulated sugar, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 large eggs, 1 cup pumpkin puree
- In a smaller bowl mix together dry ingredients, flour, salt, soda, baking powder cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, whisk until combined.1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, folding with spatula to combine, do not overmix but make sure no flour streaks remain.
- Place muffin liners in a 12 cup muffin tin or 6 jumbo liners in a jumbo muffin pan. (note that tulip liners will still fit jumbo muffin tin)
- Scoop pumpkin muffin mixture using an ice cream scoop filling to ⅔ full. Remove the crumb topping from the fridge and break apart.
- Using a tablespoon, spoon crumb topping onto top of each muffin evenly. Pressing down slightly into batter.
- Bake regular muffins for 18-22 minutes and jumbo muffins for 25-30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven when a toothpick inserted comes out clean or just a few moist crumbs. Important to allow pumpkin muffins to rest in the pan for 10 minutes on a wire rack before removing them from the pan.
- After 10 minutes, remove the muffins from the pan onto rack to cool completely, then sprinkle with powdered sugar., if desired.
Notes
- Preheat oven to 400° F (205° C) then REDUCE to 375° F (190° C) for baking
- Decrease granulated sugar to ⅓ cup
- Increase all-purpose flour to 1 ¾ cups
- Decrease brown sugar to ⅓ cup
- Decrease baking powder to ½ teaspoon
Nutrition
Bernie
These muffins are much better than the bakery!!! I doubled the recipe so I could use the entire can of pumpkin, and I’m sure glad I did! I ended up making 24 regular size muffins and baked for 18 min. Followed the recipe exactly! Try this now, you won’t be disappointed! I’ll be making these again very soon! Thank you for the BEST pumpkin recipe I have ever found! ❤️
Awe, Bernie, you made my month!! Thank you so much for your kind words!!
Nikki
These are amazing! Made them for my ladies group and everyone loved them!
Yay! Love hearing that!!
Casey
These were so moist and delicious. The kids absolutely loved them too!
So glad you loved them!
Chenee
This looks so good. I love Panera but it’s so far away from me. I’m excited to be able to make this at home!
You will love them, even better!
Erik
Topping is wonderful. Been craving some fall flavors and this hit the spot!
So glad you loved it!
Kristen
These muffins were wonderful! Loved the streusel topping!
So glad you loved them!
So glad you enjoyed them!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
This looks so good! Cannot wait to make it, thank you!
Glad you liked them.
Thanks!
Tina
Followed the recipe and it produced The Most Delicious pumpkin muffins! They were a huge hit amongst family and friends. Moist and the crumb topping awesomeness. This is a keeper
Thank you, Tina! You made my month!
Jenny
These turned out absolutely perfect!! Even better the next day! Very appreciative of the HA version, please keep those coming. Simple to make, delicious and a show stopper with the tall wrappers. One thing- There are so many ads on the website I find it a little clunky to navigate but the recipes themselves are spot on. I’ll be back! Thanks
Thanks Jenny!! So glad you found me too! And yes we don’t like the ads either but they are necessary so that I can continue bringing readers free recipes. Have a beautiful day!
Nancy
The copy cat pumpkin muffin was fantastic. I love that it isn’t too sweet and i don’t have to buy it anymore
Thank you so much Nancy, so glad you enjoyed it!
Tasia ~ two sugar bugs
That crumb topping is perfection!!! My girls are going to flip when they see these pumpkin muffins on their plates for breakfast. Thanks for another winning recipe!
Woot! Happy girls, happy momma!
Samantha
A “heaping ” cup of pumpkin puree? I’d much prefer a weight.
Hi Samantha, if you hit the metric conversion on the recipe it will show you the weight in gram. By heaping just fill a cup measure and mound it, I tried to make that a bit more clear in the recipe after your question.
Hope that helps!
Kathleen
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
Love the flavour in these muffins but I really like the crumb topping. I think I’ll be using this technique with other flavours too.
I hope you do Amanda!
Natalie
Loved your pumpkin muffins. They will be perfect for my daughters school lunch box, thanks!
A great lunch box treat!
Ieva
These were perfect! Light and fluffy, but moist at the same time. And that streusel topping?! I don’t think I will ever make a muffin without one now…
Haha, I know right! Gotta love streusel!
MacKenzie
My daughter made these yesterday. My entire family loved them they taste just like Panera.
Yay, love hearing that!
Casey
These were amazing served warm with coffee!!! Everyone loved them!
Perfect with a cup of coffee!
Tara
I’m so thrilled to have found this wonderful muffin recipe. Perfect for fall, these muffins came out so moist and tasty!!
So perfect for Fall!
Biana
These pumpkin muffins sound delicious! Will be great with some pumpkin spice latte.
That would be delicous!
Cam
These look even more fluffy and delicious than the Panera muffins!! Such an easy recipe, I can’t wait to make them!
Hope you love them!
Janessa
Wow, these taste just like the Panera muffins! Thank you for including high altitude adjustments!
You are very welcome!
Michaela Kenkel
These were SO MUCH better than the ones at Panera!! I have made them twice already. Thanks for another winner of a recipe!
YAY, so glad you made them and loved them!
Julie
These muffins were absolutely delicious! They sure didn’t last very long, and I baked them in the tulip papers which made them look gourmet!
I love those Tulip papers!! Thanks Julie!
Erin
These are just the PERFECT muffins and taste just like Panera’s! My daughter and I baked a batch this morning, and we barely have any leftover for tomorrow morning!
The sign of a great recipe! Glad to have been a part of some mother-daughter time.
Debi
These were great for breakfast. I’m already feeling the fall flavors so I’m diving in. Thanks for the easy to make recipe!
So glad you liked them.