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.
Highlights of this copycat Panera recipe:
- Cinnamon streusel topping is crunchy and buttery
- Copycat recipe you can make at home
- More budget friendly
- Good use for canned pumpkin puree
- Moist crumbs
- Family favorite, kids will love them
- Perfect addition to a holiday table
First Steps:
- Combine sugars and oil, whisk well to combine
- Add in eggs and vanilla
- Mix in milk
- Gently whisk in pumpkin puree until smooth
Grocery Store List & Substitutions:
- Granulated white sugar
- Brown sugar
- Vegetable oil, or any neutral oil like canola oil
- Whole large eggs
- Vanilla extract
- Milk, can be a non-dairy milk like oat milk or almond milk
- 100% pumpkin puree, or for extra spice use pumpkin pie filling (may slightly change the texture)
- Cinnamon
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Baking soda
- Baking powder
- Unsalted butter
- Optional, add in pumpkin pie spice
Similar to pumpkin bread, these go great with a spread of cream cheese – you could also make these into mini muffins, just reduce baking time! The muffin tops get crunchy and are most definitely the best part!
Tools I used for the best pumpkin muffins:
- KitchenAid 6 Qt. Stand Mixer – I always recommend a stand mixer as it saves time and helps to keep baked goods consistent.
- Rubber Spatula – a must for any home baker! Perfect for scrapping batter out of the mixing bowl.
- Non-stick Muffin Tin – just one of those pans you need!
- White Paper Liners – good basic muffin or cupcake liners to have on hand
Final Steps:
- Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon
- Mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients
- Transfer to muffin cups
- Top with streusel
If you like these Panera Bread Pumpkin Muffins, you’ll love these other easy recipes…
One-Bowl Chocolate Chunk Banana Muffins
Copycat Panera Cranberry Orange Muffins
Bakery Style Blueberry Muffins
Recipe FAQ’s:
Can I freeze the pumpkin muffins?
Yes, you can freeze these muffins, the streusel doesn’t freeze very well since it gets a little dry – but you can bake them without the crumb topping and freeze as it in a large airtight container or freezer bag. Simply 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 dollop of chocolate hazelnut spread. You can also mix in chopped nuts if desired. You may need to bake for an additional minute of two if adding toppings into the batter.
Do I have to add the streusel topping?
No, you can leave these muffins plain and bake into traditional pumpkin muffins – you will still get delicious light, airy pumpkin muffins.
These pumpkin muffins are topped with a delicious streusel – it’s a must! Panera’s muffins have the same exact crunchy topping Add as much or as little cinnamon as desired, these go great with a warm cup of coffee! Top with a sprinkle of powdered sugar if desired.
Pro tips & tricks for this easy pumpkin muffin recipe:
- Line your muffin pan so nothing sticks
- Don’t overmix muffin batter
- Fill muffin cups 2/3rds full so they do not bake over
- Press streusel into the top of the muffins so it doesn’t fall off while baking
- Allow to cool on a wire rack so the bottoms don’t get soggy
- Top with a drizzle of honey and a smear of peanut butter
Instructions for the easy copycat Panera pumpkin muffins:
For the streusel:
- In a small mixing bowl combine the sugars, flour, and butter. Mix until tiny crumbs have formed, the mixture should be uniform, set aside.
For the muffins:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, grease or line a 12 cup muffin tin, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the oil, sugars, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. Add in the pumpkin puree, mix again.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, stir to combine.
- Combine the flour mixture and the wet ingredients, mix until combined.
- 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.
- 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!
*You can make these into jumbo muffins if you have a large muffin tin – simple adjust baking time. When baking jumbo muffins, it can help to bake the muffins for 15-20 minutes before adding the streusel so the streusel doesn’t burn before the muffin bakes.
Easy Copycat Panera Bread Pumpkin Streusel Muffins
Equipment
- Muffin Tin
Ingredients
For the muffins:
- 1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
- 1 cup Brown Sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Eggs, room temperature
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 cup Milk, a non-dairy substitute will work
- 15 oz. can Pure pumpkin puree
- 2 1/2 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 tsps Baking soda
- 2 tsps Baking powder
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Salt
For the streusel:
- 1/4 cup Brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup All-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp Unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
For the streusel:
- In a small mixing bowl combine the sugars, flour, and butter. Mix until tiny crumbs have formed, the mixture should be uniform, set aside.
For the muffins:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, grease or line a 12 cup muffin tin, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the oil, sugars, eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until combined. Add in the pumpkin puree, mix again.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, stir to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients into the wet and combine until completely incorporated.
- 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.
- 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!
Nutrition
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