This pumpkin cupcake recipe with cream cheese frosting is easy to make and packed with pumpkin flavor. Every time I bake them, friends beg me for the recipe!
As soon as fall arrives, my family and friends start asking for these pumpkin spice cupcakes. I don’t mind one bit, because they’re simple to make and, honestly, one of my favorite pumpkin recipes.
We make the batter with plenty of pumpkin puree, cozy pumpkin pie spices, and brown sugar for sweetness. Then, once baked, I love topping each cupcake with a spoonful or two of homemade cream cheese frosting. These are good!
Key Ingredients
- Pumpkin: I always use pure pumpkin puree for these cupcakes. Libby’s and Whole Foods 365 are two store-bought brands I trust. If you can get your hands on baking pumpkins, homemade pumpkin puree is even better. If you have some leftover, make pumpkin spice lattes.
- Spices: Pumpkin pie spices makes these cupcakes taste like fall in every bite. You can use a store-bought blend, make your own, or follow our recipe’s combo of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Here’s our pumpkin pie spice recipe.
- Flour, Baking Powder + Baking Soda: All-purpose flour is ideal for this recipe. Baking powder and baking soda help the cupcakes rise and stay light. We use the same combination for pumpkin muffins.
- Butter: I prefer unsalted butter, but salted works in a pinch (skip the extra salt in the recipe.)
- Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar adds a warm, toasty flavor that pairs so well with pumpkin and spice.
- Eggs: Two eggs give the cupcakes structure and help them bake up tender.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: I make my frosting from scratch. It’s easy! You’ll beat cream cheese and butter with powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and a little milk. The almond extract works so well with the pumpkin pie spices in the cupcakes!
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Tip 1: Use an electric mixer. A handheld mixer is perfect for this recipe (a stand mixer works, too). You’ll need to cream softened butter with sugar, and the extra power from an electric mixer makes it much easier than doing it by hand.
Tip 2: Boost the pumpkin spice. There’s a generous amount of pumpkin in this cupcake recipe, but bor an even cozier fall flavor, use the pumpkin spices two ways. Stir them into the batter with the pumpkin. Then, to turn these into pumpkin spice cupcakes, sprinkle even more on top of the frosted pumpkin cupcakes before serving.
Tip 3: Check for doneness. Your cupcakes are ready when a toothpick comes out clean or the tops spring back when gently pressed. If your finger leaves an indent, they need a few more minutes.
Tip 4: Cool before frosting. Patience here is key! If the cupcakes are even slightly warm, the cream cheese frosting will melt and slide off. Wait until they are completely cool before frosting.
Tip 5: Make ahead. You can prepare these cupcakes a couple of days in advance. Store the unfrosted cupcakes covered at room temperature, and refrigerate the frosting. Then, frost and serve.
More Pumpkin Desserts
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- My Favorite Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
- Pumpkin Mousse Parfaits
- Spiced Pumpkin Scones
- Maple Pumpkin Butter – amazing with vanilla ice cream!
Easy Pumpkin Cupcakes
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
My family’s favorite pumpkin cupcake recipe is packed with flavor thanks to pumpkin, brown sugar, and lots of spices. These pumpkin spice cupcakes are really easy to make. Before frosting them, make sure your cupcakes are completely cool (otherwise the frosting will melt).
You Will Need
For Cupcakes1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (195g)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature (113g)
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed (200g)
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup pure pumpkin puree, try homemade pumpkin puree (227g)
For Cream Cheese Frosting3/4 cup cream cheese at room temperature (170g)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature (113g)
2 cups powdered sugar (227g)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon milk or orange juice to thin frosting
Directions
- Make Cupcakes
1Preheat the oven to 325°F (162°C) and line 12 muffin cups with paper or foil cupcake liners.
2Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
3In a small bowl, stir the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Add 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until blended. Set the leftover spice mix aside to decorate the cupcakes later on.
4Add the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer at medium speed to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, for about 3 minutes.
5Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium-low speed until incorporated.
6Turn the mixer to low. Add half the pumpkin puree, mixing on low speed until mostly incorporated. Scrape the sides of the bowl, then mix in half of the flour mixture. Repeat with the remaining pumpkin and flour mixture.
7Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. You should have enough for 12 cupcakes.
8Bake the pumpkin cupcakes until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean when inserted into the middle, 20 to 25 minutes. (You can also lightly tap the top of a cupcake. If the cupcake springs back, they are done, if an indent remains, they need a little more time.) Cool the cupcakes completely before frosting.
- Frost Cupcakes
1In a large bowl, use a hand blender to beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add a third of the powdered sugar, turn the hand blender to low, and beat until incorporated. Repeat with another third of powdered sugar, scraping the bowl down, then repeating with the final third.
2Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, and milk, then use the hand blender on low until the frosting is whipped and fluffy, adding more milk to thin it out.
3Frost cooled cupcakes, then sprinkle a little spice mix from earlier on top of each cupcake.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Spice mix: You can substitute store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice. You will need 2 teaspoons for the cupcake batter and another teaspoon for decorating the cupcakes.
- Amount of frosting: This recipe makes enough to generously pipe on your cream cheese frosting. If you use a knife to spread it on (like we did in our photos), you will have some leftovers.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Can I make this using gluten-free self-raising flour by omitting the baking flour and soda?
Hi there, self-raising flour usually has baking powder added (not baking soda). For the best results, I recommend following the ingredient list above. Regular gluten-free all-purpose flour should work, though.
Made exactly as directed and WOW! I dont even like cupcakes but…thought I would take a taste and kept “tasting” until an entire cupcake was gone lol. Amazingly light, not too sweet but sweet enough. Perfect for Fall. Will definately be making these again! Thank you for the recipe.
Great recipe! It is so delicious cupcake and frosting both. I love how we use to sprinkle the spices on the top. Looks fancy. I brought to my work today and got a lot of compliments:)
Wonderful! I love the spices on top, too. It adds the perfect amount of extra, without too much work from you.
Hi, can you double this easily?
Yep!
My search is over! Yay … I have wasted so much ingredients, it’s a shame. But now my search is over, I found my go to cupcake! Thank you so much for sharing a recipe that works! The cupcake came out fluffy and not dense at all and that is what I wanted in a cupcake. The only thing I changed was, I used 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice, with a dash of cardamon and all spice. So, if you are searching as I was … try this recipe and you won’t regret it!
Hello! Can I use store-bought pumpkin pie spice? If so, how much of it would I use?
Hi Mimi, You can, I’d assume that you will need about 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice instead of the homemade spice mix shared in the recipe.
Hi! Thanks for the great recipe 🙂 do you think it’s possible to make this without a hand blender?
I used my stand mixer did great lot less hand work
I didn’t make them yet. Tomorrow morning
Hi Joanne, I want to make a cake version of this cupcake recipe. Do you have any tips for that?
Hi Sam, We have only made cupcakes with this recipe. If you do make the cake, let us know how it goes.
Hi, can the cupcakes be stored at room temperature and for how many days? Planning to make it for my daughter’s birthday party. Thank you.
Yes, I’d keep them on the counter for a day or two. To store them an extra day or so, keep them in the fridge.
My neighbour gave us a huge chunk of pumpkin he had picked from his brothers farm. I made these cupcakes exactly as the recipe and I’m glad I did. Delicious!!! Well written recipe, easy to follow and the result was spectacular. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I wanted to eat them all, but I gave some to my neighbour to say thanks for the pumpkin. They loved these muffins too.
Super moist and sweet but not too sweet. Fluffy and had a good pumpkin seasoning flavor. I’m not a fan of the “pumpkin pie” spice you buy already done in the store so the fact that all spices were what I like was a bonus! I could eat the frosting just by itself Lol. 3rd recipe I’ve tried on this site and all 3 were fantastic! Please come up with a pumpkin cheesecake recipe 😋
Made these today for Halloween – I didn’t read the instructions very closely at first and ended up putting the entire spice mix in with the flour – they turned out great anyway, and super moist – honestly they don’t need frosting, but the cream cheese frosting complemented them well nonetheless
Hi, if I use pumpkin pie spice mix, how much would I use since all the spices listed are in this mix?
I’d use 2 to 3 teaspoons.
I only have salted butter right now, will this recipe still work and taste good?
Yes, simply leave out the salt called for in the recipe.
OMG, these were heavenly!! I think I may have added too much extra cinnamon into my batch of cupcakes but other than that, this is one of my go-to recipes now. I pureed a pumpkin by roasting it and there’s still plenty more left, and I will be turning them into the second batch of your cupcakes. Thank you so much!
I made the easy pumpkin cupcakes and they were amazing!! I also made the homemade pumpkin purée recipe you offered. It was super easy and kinda fun to have the pumpkin seeds to roast afterwards.
Made this as mini cupcakes – bake for 13 minutes and they’re perfect. And I frosted with a salted bourbon butterscotch swiss meringue buttercream, yum! This recipe makes about 36+ mini cupcakes. Also made it once with ghost chili powder in it with the cream cheese frosting, super delicious.
Just made these for my coworkers… but my boyfriend couldn’t keep his paws off of these. Sooo very delicious and perfectly balanced. Definitely gonna make it again so maybe they’ll make it to work!
So, I live at 9600ft. Should I do anything extra to make sure these cupcakes come out amazing?
Thanks,
McKenzie
Hi McKenzie, Great question! Here’s a great article from King Arthur Flour about high-altitude baking. I wish we could be more helpful, but it is really hard for us to say what will and won’t work when it comes to higher altitudes.
One of the best recipes I’ve ever tried. I doubled the proportions and cupcakes came out splendidly. The cupcakes were moist, flavorful and had the right amount of sweet. The batter was delicious on its own but the cream cheese frosting took the cupcakes to a new level. Will definitely bake again.
I just made these exactly as directed and they are FANTASTIC!!! Perfect texture, wonderful flavor and the frosting is a delicious complement. I made them for tomorrow but I’m afraid I’m going to have to make another batch – these won’t make it.
So glad they turned out well for you. These are wonderful in the Fall!
Since you do many cupcakes to you what taste better cinnamon or pumpkin spice cupcakes?
I love pumpkin ANYTHING! These cupcakes look splendid!
I’m seeing a lot of pumpkin dishes lately, but it’s now almost summer in Australia…nevertheless, I love pumpkin so these cupcakes look fantastic!
Love these cupcakes, and that frosting is to die for! How did you know that cream cheese frosting is my absolute favorite?! 🙂