A close-up of a muffin with a bite taken out, revealing a creamy filling inside. The muffin sits in a crinkled paper liner, with more muffins blurred in the background on a pink surface.

Why you’ll love these pumpkin muffins

I think the thing that stinks the most about having food restrictions is missing out on fun seasonal and holiday stuff – like pumpkin spice lattes in the fall. That’s why after I tasted the cream cheese filled pumpkin muffins at Starbucks, I knew I had to make some for you.

And, honestly, I was a little nervous that the cream cheese wouldn’t hold up in the oven. I’ve had a few test runs for other baked/heated recipes with dairy free cream cheese that just didn’t work. Thankfully, Jell-o pudding mix came to the rescue.

Not only does it help the cream cheese set, it also adds a more realistic cream cheese flavor to the muffins – without adding dairy! It’s one of my favorite hacks, and it all started with my dairy free cheesecake cups and it worked really well in my dairy free tiramisu, so I knew it would be perfect here.

More dairy free cream cheese recipes: sugar cookie fruit pizzas / red velvet brownies / chai spice cake / Wisconsin beer dip

Four muffins with oat topping and a creamy center are arranged on a pink surface, alongside a small dish containing more oats and seeds.
Pumpkin muffins topped with oats and creamy filling on a cooling rack, next to a bowl of oats, a checked kitchen towel, and a pumpkin-shaped container on a pink surface.

Ingredient notes & substitutions:

  • Dairy free cream cheese – I used Violife cream cheese for this recipe because I’ve found it works best in the most recipes, but I think you could use other brands. Feel free to use dairy cream cheese if that works for you.
  • Coconut yogurt – One of my favorite dairy free ingredients is So Delicious coconut yogurt. We buy the unsweetened, plain version to give us the most versatility. If you can’t find that I would opt for a [sweetened] plain or vanilla in this situation.
  • Cheesecake instant pudding mix – I normally buy Jello brand, but any instant pudding mix will work. You can also substitute vanilla if you can’t find cheesecake. Just make sure it’s the instant and not a cook-and-serve version, and double check the label for any hidden dairy.

Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.

Melissa’s tips & tricks

  1. Don’t over mix the batter! If you mix it too much, you’ll end up with dense muffins. Only mix the batter until it’s combined and then stop. Don’t worry about lumps in the batter.
  2. Overfill the cream cheese. It’s ok if the cream cheese filling sticks up a bit over the muffin batter before baking. It will even out while the muffins are baking. I promise!
  3. You may have extra filling. Depending on how much you add to each muffin, you might have some left over. It doesn’t mean you did it wrong. It’s just impossible to make a perfect amount when you’re working with such small measurements.
A pumpkin muffin with a cream cheese center sits on a pink surface, partially unwrapped with a bite taken out. Other whole muffins, seeds, and a decorative autumn leaf are nearby.
Pumpkin muffins topped with oats and creamy filling on a cooling rack, next to a bowl of oats, a checked kitchen towel, and a pumpkin-shaped container on a pink surface.
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Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins (dairy free!)

Skip the coffee shop lines and make your own pumpkin cream cheese muffins at home! These dairy free Starbucks copycats are soft, spiced, and filled with tangy cream cheese goodness — all without any dairy. The perfect fall treat for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 12 muffins
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Ingredients 

For the muffins:

  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour, 180g
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup sugar, 200g
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 cup pumpkin purée
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the filling:

  • 1/2 7- ounce package dairy free cream cheese, 100g
  • 1/2 package Jello cheesecake instant pudding mix, 48g
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup coconut yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the topping:

  • 2 tablespoons roasted, salted pepitas
  • 2 tablespoons raw turbinado sugar
  • 2 tablespoons rolled, old-fashioned oats

Instructions 

  • Prep. Preheat oven to 425˚F and line a cupcake pan with paper muffin liners.
  • Make the filling. In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat the softened cream cheese with the pudding mix until light and fluffy. Transfer to a piping bag.
  • Make the topping. In a food processor, add oats, sugar and pepitas. Pulse until slightly chopped. Set aside.
  • Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and spices. Set aside.
  • Beat the wet ingredients. In a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the pumpkin, oil, eggs, and molasses.
  • Combine everything. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined.
  • Assemble the muffins. Fill each liner with about 3 tablespoons of batter. Then pipe about 1 – 1 1/2 tablespoons cream cheese filling into the center allowing a small circle to form on top of the muffin. Sprinkle the pepitas mixture around the cream cheese circle.
  • Bake the muffins. Transfer the muffins to the oven and bake for 5 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F for the remaining 10 minutes – or until the tops have fully set.
    Remove from oven and allow the muffins to cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling sheet.

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 15g, Trans Fat: 0.04g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 279mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 20g, Vitamin C: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Hi! I'm Melissa.

I create easy, dairy free recipes because I know how hard living without milk can be. I believe you can live a completely satisfying life without dairy, and I want to teach you how.

Read more about me

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