Easy Copycat Panera Bread Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

You need these easy copycat Panera Bread pumpkin streusel muffins this fall! Light and airy pumpkin muffins with a crunchy crumble topping and the perfect hint of cinnamon and pumpkin puree. Serve these warm with a slather of butter and a drizzle of honey. These will leave your house smelling like fall, great for pumpkin season.

It’s always difficult to exactly clone a restaurant recipe as we are using household ingredients and equipment, not commercial, but these are pretty dang close! Check out my other Copycat Recipes for more Panera recipes you can make at home.

Highlights of This Copycat Recipe

• Crunchy streusel topping: these muffins are topped with a buttery, cinnamon and brown sugar streusel. The sugar gets nice and crunchy while baking and adds a beautiful look to the finished product. I like to add spices like cinnamon and nutmeg to my topping for extra flavor.
• Simple ingredients: pumpkin muffins are made with mostly pantry ingredients you already have on hand like all-purpose flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Butter, eggs, and vanilla are also common ingredients. Make sure you have a can of pumpkin puree on hand for this recipe!
• Copycat recipe: want to make your favorite Panera recipe at home, now you can! Make these muffins for a fraction of the cost and handpick your ingredients to accommodate any special allergies or sensitivities. Not to mention, you can make these whenever you want from your own kitchen!
• Great for fall: when fall comes around everyone is eager to pick up pumpkin and similar pumpkin flavored products. Stock up on some canned pumpkin and make these for family gatherings or a fun fall weekend baking session!

Try these Cinnamon Sugar Apple Cider Muffins or my Fluffy Chocolate Chip Muffins! If you stocked up on pumpkin, you have to make my Overnight Baked Pumpkin French Toast Casserole or Easy Pumpkin Pie.

These pumpkin muffins can be made without the streusel, but I highly recommend adding it. The streusel is buttery, crunchy, and loaded with hints of cinnamon.

Grocery Store List & Substitutions

These muffins are made of simple pantry ingredients with a few fresh additions. Some of the ingredients are used in both the batter and streusel. In baking there are minimal substitutions, but if an ingredient can be swapped you’ll find it below:

• Vegetable oil: a neutral oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or soybean oil works best here.
• Milk: whole milk, skim milk, 2% milk, or half and half will all work. Or use a non-dairy milk such as almond milk or oat milk.
• Pumpkin puree: grab a can of 100% pumpkin puree or make your own homemade pumpkin puree. Do not use pumpkin pie filling.
• Cinnamon: ground cinnamon adds the perfect touch of spice, use pumpkin pie spice as a substitute if desired.
• Unsalted Butter: if using salted butter, omit adding more salt later in the recipe. Do not substitute margarine and make sure the butter is softened at room temperature.
• Granulated white sugar: I do not recommend swapping any other type of sugar for this recipe. Other sugars can impact the batter differently and change how the muffin bakes and rises.
• Brown sugar: make sure to pack your brown sugar. Light or dark brown sugar works.
• Whole eggs: I like fresh pasture raised farm eggs if available, but any kind will work for this cookie. Let your eggs come to room temperature for this recipe, it helps the egg to incorporate better into the batter.
• Pure vanilla extract: use homemade or store-bought vanilla extract, almond extract can be added for additional flavor is desired.
• All-purpose flour: no substitution here, other types of flour will change the texture and affect baking differently.

How to Make The Pumpkin Streusel Muffins

Let’s talk a little about how to make the Easy Copycat Panera Bread Pumpkin Streusel Muffins (The printable instructions are in the recipe card below.)

Quick overview:

• In a large mixing bowl combine sugars, oil, eggs, vanilla, and milk.
• Whisk in pumpkin puree. Fold in dry ingredients.
• Transfer batter into a lined muffin tin.
• In a small bowl combine streusel ingredients. Top batter with a sprinkle of streusel.
• Bake and enjoy.

1. In a large mixing bowl (no mixer needed!) combine the oil, sugars, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. Add in the pumpkin puree, mix again.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, grease or line a 12 cup muffin tin, set aside.

3. Add the dry ingredients into the wet and combine until completely incorporated.

4. In a small mixing bowl combine the sugars, flour, and butter for the streusel. Mix until tiny crumbs have formed, the mixture should be uniform.

5. Use a portion scoop to fill each muffin cup 2/3rds full. Top each muffin evenly with the streusel mixture, gently press into the batter, if baking in batches of twelve reserve some of the streusel for the second batch.

6. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and allow to cool before enjoying!

Tools I Used For The Copycat Panera Muffins

• Rubber Spatula – a must have! I like these because they don’t come apart so I don’t have to worry about water getting inside the spatula and causing mold.
• Pyrex Mixing Bowl Set – I love this set of nesting bowls. I use them for everything, Pyrex glass does not break easily so you can trust on these bowls for years, plus they come in 3 useful sizes and can be stacked!
• Muffin Tin: I love my USA Pan products and this muffin tin is no exception. It’s easy to clean and the non-stick surface means no more burnt on batter. I have a few of these on hand for cupcakes and muffins.

More Drool-Worthy Baked Goods

Panera Buttery Shortbread Cookie Recipe – soft, melt in your mouth shortbread.

Cream Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe – a simple coffee cake swirled with cream cheese and topped with cinnamon streusel.

Lemon Poppy Seed Streusel Muffins – these airy muffins are loaded with fresh lemon and poppy.

Coffee Cake Cookies Recipe – your favorite coffee cake in cookie form!

Rich Chocolate Espresso Muffins – fudgy chocolate muffins made with chocolate milk and espresso.

Tips & Tricks For Perfect Muffins

• Line or grease your pan so the muffins don’t stick and release easily.
• Don’t overmix muffin batter stop once the dry ingredients have been incorporated.
• Fill muffin cups 2/3rds full, any more they can bake over and any less they look a bit empty.
• Press streusel into batter before baking so it sticks better and doesn’t fall off.
• Cool completely on a wire rack so the bottoms of the muffins don’t get soggy.

Recipe FAQ’s

Can I make these into mini muffins?

Yes, if using a mini muffin pan, fill each about halfway and top with a little bit of streusel. Bake at 375 degrees F for 11-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. You will get about double the amount if making them mini.

Can I freeze the pumpkin muffins?

Yes, you can freeze these muffins, the streusel doesn’t freeze very well since it gets a little soggy – or bake them without the crumb topping and freeze in a large airtight container or freezer bag. Simply set out at room temperature or pop one in the microwave when you want one.

Can I add chocolate to my muffins?

Yes! Mix in mini chocolate chips or chunks or even swirl in a small dollop of chocolate hazelnut spread. Note, if too much chocolate is added, you may need to increase the baking time.

Do I have to add the streusel topping?

No, you can leave these muffins plain – you will still get delicious light, airy pumpkin muffins.

Storage

Let the muffins cool completely an transfer to an airtight container or zip top bag. Store at room temperature for 2-3 days. These are best warmed just a bit before serving! Serve with a slather of butter or a drizzle of honey to elevate these muffins!

More Panera Bread Copycat Recipes

Make the whole Panera Bread menu at home, try these other fan favorites!

Panera Bread Chicken Tortilla Soup

Copycat Panera Cranberry Orange Muffins

Copycat Panera Bread Strawberry Banana Smoothie

Panera Bread Inspired Watermelon and Feta Salad

Copycat Panera Bread Lemon Drop Cookies Recipe

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