These incredibly delicious pumpkin cupcakes are easy to make, packed with pumpkin flavor, and topped with our favorite cream cheese frosting. Every time I make these cupcakes, I’m asked for the recipe, so here it is!
When Fall comes around, my family starts requesting these homemade pumpkin cupcakes (especially around Halloween). I don’t mind because these cupcakes are so simple to make and taste incredible. They are truly one of my favorite pumpkin recipes!
The cupcakes are super flavorful, thanks to a generous amount of pumpkin puree, spices, and brown sugar. Then we top them with homemade cream cheese frosting, which I love so much that I could eat it with a spoon.
Key Ingredients
- Pumpkin: I recommend using pure pumpkin puree for these cupcakes. Libby’s or Whole Food’s 365 are reliable store-bought options. If you have access to baking pumpkins, feel free to make your own pumpkin puree. Here’s our pumpkin puree recipe.
- Spices: I love using pumpkin pie spice! You can use your favorite blend, a homemade one, or follow the recipe’s recommendation for individual spices (cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg). Here’s our pumpkin pie spice recipe.
- Flour, Baking Powder, and Baking Soda: All-purpose flour works great in this recipe. We need baking powder and baking soda to help the cupcakes rise.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is preferred, but if you only have salted butter, go ahead and use it. Just omit the salt called for in the recipe.
- Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar adds a warm, toasty flavor that perfectly complements the pumpkin spices.
- Eggs: Two eggs provide structure, help the cupcakes rise, and contribute to their tender texture.
- 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 pairs beautifully with the pumpkin pie spices in the cupcakes!
How to Make Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
These pumpkin spice cupcakes are a must during the Fall! I use my electric hand mixer and a few bowls, but you can always use your stand mixer if you’d like.
To make them, you’ll beat butter with sugar until fluffy and then add the remaining cupcake ingredients. The batter only takes a few minutes to put together.
You can make our frosting while they bake (this recipe makes 12 cupcakes). Again, it’s easy! Beat cream cheese and butter followed up with powdered sugar, vanilla, and my secret ingredient, almond extract. I don’t always add the almond extract to cream cheese frosting, but it works so well with all the pumpkin pie spices!
When your cupcakes are completely cool, frost them with as much or as little frosting as you like (our recipe makes enough so you can be really generous). And that’s it! We hope you try them soon! If you have some pumpkin puree left, try making our homemade pumpkin spice latte!
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 (195g) all-purpose flour
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 (113g) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup (200g) brown sugar, lightly packed
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup (227g) pure pumpkin puree, try homemade pumpkin puree
For Cream Cheese Frosting3/4 cup (170g) cream cheese at room temperature
8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups (227g) powdered sugar
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.
4Add 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.
5Add 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.
6Scrape the side and bottom of the bowl, then add the eggs, one at a time, beating on medium-low speed until incorporated.
7Turn 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.
8Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full. You should have enough for 12 cupcakes.
9Bake 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.
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
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.