Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins
As soon as September rolls around, I switch straight into fall mode: warm spices, cozy sweatshirts, and of course, a pumpkin spice latte. Since it’s my go-to coffee order, I knew I had to bake something to go with it. These pumpkin spice latte muffins are soft and moist, with warm pumpkin spice in every bite. They’re topped with a crunchy spiced streusel and drizzled with a bold espresso glaze. It’s all the flavors of your fave PSL wrapped up in a bakery-worthy treat.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins
- Coffee Shop Flavors, Homemade: The perfect mix of pumpkin spice and instant espresso in every bite — pairs perfectly with your favorite fall latte.
- Crunchy Streusel and Espresso Glaze: Trust me, you want both. The streusel adds the perfect crunch, while the espresso glaze brings a bold finish — the batter keeps the espresso subtle, so the glaze is where that coffee punch really comes through.
- Bakery-Style Rise: These muffins bake up fluffy and tall, and look beautiful in tulip liners.
- Simple to Make: No mixer required! All the components come together quickly and easily.
Ingredients Overview
You can find the full list of ingredients in the recipe card below.
- Pumpkin Puree: Make sure to grab plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. My go-to is always Libby’s.
- Instant Espresso Powder: This is what gives the “latte” flavor its punch. Instant dissolves easily right into the batter and glaze — regular ground coffee won’t work here.
- Pumpkin Spice: I opted for my Spicewalla pumpkin spice since I had it on hand, but you can easily make your own and add it to your spice drawer.
- Sour Cream: Adds moisture and a slight tang that keeps the muffins soft for days.
- Oil: Keeps these muffins moist and tender — canola or vegetable oil both work well here.
- Granulated and Dark Brown Sugar: The combo does double duty — granulated sugar for sweetness, dark brown sugar for extra moisture and that warm, molasses depth.
- Butter: Just for the streusel and glaze, it adds richness and helps the streusel turn that perfect golden, crumbly texture.
Homemade Pumpkin Spice Blend
Don’t have pumpkin spice on hand? It’s easy to make your own with spices you probably already have in your pantry. I like using Spicewalla’s blend when I want something ready-made, but here’s the mix I use when making it from scratch:
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
Whisk together and store in an airtight container. This makes a little more than you’ll need for this recipe, so keep the extra on hand for your next batch of muffins, a sprinkle in your coffee, or anywhere else you want that warm fall flavor.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Preheat and Prep the Muffin Tins
Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins, but only fill every other cup (6 liners per tin). Leaving that gap helps heat circulate evenly around each muffin, which gives you a taller rise and a better muffin top.
2. Make the Streusel
Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Combine the brown sugar, flour, pumpkin spice, and salt, then stir in the butter until crumbly. Pop it in the fridge while you make the batter — a cold streusel holds its texture better in the oven.
3. Mix the Dry Ingredients
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin spice, and espresso powder. Set aside.
4. Mix the Wet Ingredients
Whisk the oil, both sugars, and eggs until smooth, then mix in the pumpkin puree, sour cream, and vanilla.
5. Combine
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined. Stop as soon as you don’t see streaks of flour — overmixing will create dense, tough muffins.
6. Fill and Top with Streusel
Divide the batter evenly among your 12 muffin cups using a cookie scoop, then top each with 1-2 tablespoons of the chilled streusel.
7. Bake
Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then, without opening the oven, reduce the heat to 350°F and bake another 10-12 minutes, until the tops spring back or a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
8. Glaze
While the muffins cool, melt the butter and milk together, whisk in the espresso powder until dissolved, then whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Drizzle over cooled muffins.
Blue Mountain Baker Tips
Tall Bakery-Style Muffins: Baking at a high temp for the first few minutes gives that tall bakery-style dome. Skip every other muffin cup for even heat and room to rise without running into each other.
Chill the Streusel: Chilling the streusel keeps it crumbly on top instead of melting into the batter. Just pop it in the fridge while you make the muffin batter.
Don’t Overmix: Stir just until the dry ingredients disappear — overmixing leads to dense, tough muffins.
Glaze Just Before Serving: For the best texture, glaze right before eating. Still delicious the next day, but the streusel will begin to soften once glazed.
Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffin FAQ
Instant coffee granules work just the same, or even decaf if you don’t want the caffeine. Regular coffee grounds won’t work here — they won’t dissolve into the batter or glaze the way instant does.
You don’t have to, but it helps give a better rise and keeps the muffins from running into each other as they bake.
Store glazed muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Want more fall baking? Check out these recipes!
I hope these pumpkin spice latte muffins bring a little cozy coffee-shop feel to your kitchen this fall! If you give them a try, I’d love to hear how they turned out — leave a comment below or tag me in your photos.
Happy baking, and thanks so much for being here!
XO, Blue Mountain Baker 💙
Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins
Equipment
- 2 muffin tins
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- cookie scoop
- Microwave-safe bowl
Ingredients
Pumpkin Spice Streusel
- 3 tablespoons butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup (110g) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup (63g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice
- pinch of salt
Muffin Batter
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
- ½ cup (100g) canola oil
- ¾ cup (165g) dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ¼ cup (300g) pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup (60g) sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Espresso Glaze
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat and prep the muffin tins. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins, filling every other cup (6 liners per tin).
- Make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, pumpkin spice, and salt. Stir in the melted butter until fully combined and crumbly. Refrigerate while you prepare the muffin batter.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, pumpkin spice, and espresso powder. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, both sugars, and eggs until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree, sour cream, and vanilla extract, and mix to combine.
- Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined; do not overmix.
- Fill and top. Using a cookie scoop, divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups. Top each with 1-2 tablespoons of the chilled streusel.
- Bake. Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F (without opening the oven) and bake for another 10-12 minutes, until the muffins spring back to the touch or a toothpick inserted comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Make the glaze. Combine the milk and butter in a small bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds, until the butter is melted. Let cool slightly, then whisk in the espresso powder until dissolved. Whisk in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until smooth.
- Glaze and serve. Let the muffins cool completely, then drizzle with the espresso glaze.
Notes
- Use store-bought pumpkin spice, or make your own — recipe for my pumpkin spice blend in the post above.
- If you don’t have instant espresso powder, Instant coffee granules work as a substitute.
- For the best rise, fill liners all the way to the top and use every other muffin cup so heat circulates evenly. Starting the bake at a higher temperature for the first 5 minutes, then lowering to 350°F, is what gives that tall, domed top.
