The Best Bakery-Style Pumpkin Streusel Muffins (Maple Glaze!)

It's a beautiful, crisp Saturday morning here on October 25th in Casablanca. While I'm thousands of miles from my home kitchen in Austin, Texas, the minute the air gets that autumn chill, my baking instincts are exactly the same. My mind is filled with the scent of pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg. These Pumpkin Streusel Muffins are, without a doubt, my ultimate fall bake. They are incredibly moist and tender from the pumpkin, packed with warm spices, and feature a crunchy, buttery oat streusel. The sweet maple glaze on top is the perfect finishing touch. They are pure, cozy fall in every single bite.

Jump to:

• The Ultimate Fall Muffin Experience
• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• How to Make Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
• Tips and Tricks for Success
• Variations
• How to Serve
• Make Ahead and Storage
• Recipe Notes / What I Learned
• Nutrition Snapshot
• Pumpkin Muffins
• FAQs

The Ultimate Fall Muffin Experience

This recipe is a true celebration of fall textures and flavours. The muffin batter itself uses a full can of pumpkin puree, which creates an unbelievably moist, tender crumb. The streusel isn't an afterthought; it's a thick, rustic, crunchy layer made with rolled oats and room-temperature butter. But the real star is the maple glaze, which gets its intense flavour from maple extract. It's an impressive, "bakery-style" muffin that is surprisingly simple to make right at home.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Bakery-Style Muffin Top: This recipe uses a special two-temperature baking method that gives the muffins that coveted, high-domed, professional-looking top.
• Three Textures in One: You get a moist cake from the pumpkin, a crunchy streusel from the oats, and a smooth maple glaze.
• Incredible Fall Flavour: Packed with pumpkin and a warm, fragrant blend of cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg.
• Easy to Make: The batter comes together in minutes, and the streusel is easily made by hand.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need for these cozy muffins. For the full list with precise measurements, see the recipe card at the end of the post!

For the Streusel Topping

• All-Purpose Flour
• Brown Sugar: Packed light brown sugar for that molasses flavour.
• Oats: Old-fashioned or Quick Oats both work for the topping.
• Spice: Pumpkin pie spice (or just cinnamon).
• Butter: Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature.

For the Muffins

• Flour: All-Purpose (Plain) Flour, spooned and leveled.
• Sugars: A mix of packed brown sugar and granulated sugar.
• Leavening: Baking powder and baking soda.
• Spices: A full, fragrant blend of pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and salt.
• Eggs: 2 large eggs, at room temperature.
• Pumpkin: One 15-ounce can of 100% pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling).
• Fat & Flavour: Vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil) and pure vanilla extract.

For the Maple Glaze

• Powdered Sugar: Sifted to ensure a smooth, lump-free glaze.
• Maple Syrup: Pure maple syrup.
• Maple Extract: This is the secret! It provides an intense, clear maple flavour.
• Liquid: Heavy cream or whole milk.

How to Make Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

This recipe is simple, but the key is the two-temperature bake for that perfect muffin-top.

Step 1: Preheat and Prep

First, I preheat my oven to a very hot 415°F (213°C). I line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners or grease it very well.

Step 2: Make the Streusel Topping

In a medium bowl, I mix the flour, brown sugar, oats, and pumpkin pie spice for the streusel. I add the room temperature butter. Using my clean fingers, I rub and squeeze the butter into the dry ingredients. I'm looking for thick, irregular clumps, not a fine, sandy meal. I set this aside.

Step 3: Mix the Muffin Batter

In a large bowl, I combine the sugars, pumpkin puree, room-temperature eggs, vanilla, and vegetable oil and whisk or beat until it's all fully combined.

In a separate medium bowl, I whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and salt. I place a sieve over the bowl of wet ingredients, add all the dry ingredients, and sift them in.

Using a rubber spatula, I gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Be very careful not to overmix the batter! A few streaks of flour are perfectly fine.

Step 4: Bake the Muffins (The Two-Temp Method)

I use a large cookie scoop to scoop the batter evenly into the muffin pan. I'm not afraid to fill them all the way to the top-this is what helps create that big muffin top.

I sprinkle the streusel heavily over the muffin batter, pressing it down gently.

I bake at 415°F for 5 minutes (this is the "oven spring" step!). Then, without opening the oven door, I reduce the temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for an additional 10-13 minutes. The muffins are done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

I place the muffin tin on a wire rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before I even think about glazing.

Step 5: Make the Glaze

While the muffins are cooling, I make the glaze. In a small bowl, I mix together the sifted powdered sugar, maple syrup, maple extract, and 1 tablespoon of cream or milk. I whisk until it's smooth. If it's too thick, I add a tiny bit more milk, a teaspoon at a time, to reach a perfect, thick-yet-drizzlable consistency.

I place the wire rack of muffins over a dishtowel (for easy cleanup!) and drizzle the maple glaze over the top.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Overmixing the Batter: This is the #1 muffin sin! As soon as the flour is combined, stop. Overmixing will result in tough, dense, and gummy muffins instead of light, fluffy ones.
2. Using Cold Butter for Streusel: This recipe is unique; it calls for room temperature butter, not cold, for the streusel. This helps you form the big, rustic clumps (rather than a sandy meal) with your fingers.
3. Opening the Oven Door: When you reduce the temperature after 5 minutes, do not open the oven door. That initial blast of high heat is creating the steam and lift for the muffin top; opening the door lets all the heat escape and will make them deflate.

Variations

This recipe is a wonderful base for customization!

• Add Nuts: Add ½ cup of chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts to the streusel topping for extra crunch.
• Add Chocolate: Fold ¾ cup of mini chocolate chips or white chocolate chips into the batter at the very end.
• Make it Dairy-Free: Use a plant-based milk (like oat or almond), a plant-based butter (for the streusel), and flax eggs (2 tablespoon ground flax + 6 tablespoon water) for the eggs.
• No Glaze: These muffins are still incredibly delicious with just the streusel topping!

How to Serve

These Pumpkin Streusel Muffins are the ultimate fall breakfast or snack.

• They are fantastic served warm with a generous pat of salted butter.
• They are the perfect centerpiece for a Thanksgiving breakfast or a fall brunch.
• I love to serve them with a hot cup of coffee or a Chai Latte.

Make Ahead and Storage

• Make Ahead: The streusel topping can be made 2-3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Storage: Store the completely cooled muffins in an airtight container at room temperature. They are best eaten the day they are made but will last for up to 3 days.
• Freezing: These muffins freeze beautifully! Once completely cool (and before glazing), place them in a freezer-safe bag or container. They will keep for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and glaze before serving.

Nutrition Snapshot

Estimated Nutrition Per Muffin: ~360 calories · 5g protein · 58g carbs · 13g fat (This is an approximation and can vary based on the exact size of your muffins.)

FAQs