Try these delectable keto pumpkin muffins with a rich gooey cream cheese center. They’re a delicious fall breakfast or snack. So good that you might even want to eat them for dessert!
You don’t want to mess with perfection. Take these keto pumpkin muffins, for example. I first posted this recipe back in 2013 and they were a huge hit from the get-go. Readers love them, and my family does too. So we make them every fall.
It’s one of my most popular keto muffin recipes, and with good reason. They have that classic pumpkin spice flavor, with a gooey, creamy cheesecake center. No one can believe they’re sugar free.
They are, of course, modeled after the famous pumpkin muffins from Starbucks. And they taste just as delicious, but with a mere fraction of the carbs.
How does that sound to you, pumpkin lovers???
Why you must try this recipe
In case you haven’t noticed, I am a huge fan of keto pumpkin recipes. There is something so lovely and comforting about the warm spices paired with pumpkin puree.
And these muffins are no exception. They are tender and sweet, with hints of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. And that sweet cheesecake center takes them to the next level. But if you prefer them plain, I offer instructions for that too!
Best of all, these keto pumpkin muffins have only 3.7g net carbs per serving. Compare that to the hefty 53g of carbs in the Starbucks version.
Other fan favorites include my Keto Pumpkin Cream Pie and Easy Pumpkin Breakfast Bars. And let me not forget my updated Keto Pumpkin Bread, which gets rave reviews every time!
Reader Testimonials
“I made these exactly as written. They were easy to make and tasted fabulous! I can always count on your recipes to be delicious!” — Dana
“These are pure perfection, so delicious! I like extra simple recipes with standard ingredients, and even with the a separate filling, these are simple enough for me to put in regular rotation. I just need to remember to make a double batch next time. Thank you!” — Jamie
“These muffins are the VERY BEST thing I’ve made using Keto ingredients! Thanks!” — Kathy
Ingredients you need
Cream Cheese Filling:
- Cream cheese: Use full fat cream cheese as low fat cream cheese has fillers that can make it higher in carbs.
- Powdered Swerve Sweetener: Use a powdered sweetener for the cream cheese filling so there’s no residual grittiness.
- Heavy cream
- Vanilla extract
Pumpkin Muffins:
- Almond flour: Choose a good, finely ground almond flour for the best texture. This recipe won’t work well with coconut flour, but you can use sunflower seed flour for a nut-free version.
- Swerve Brown: A brown sugar replacement is ideal for the best keto pumpkin muffins. But any granular sweetener should be fine in these, so use what you like best. Do be aware that allulose will make them brown much faster.
- Unflavoured whey protein powder: It’s important to understand the science behind keto baking. Gluten is a protein and in its absence, another dry protein helps baked goods rise properly. You can skip the protein powder, but your muffins will be more dense and fragile. You can also use egg white protein powder instead.
- Pumpkin pie spice: If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can combine ground cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
- Pumpkin purée: You can use homemade or canned pumpkin purée. If it’s on the thinner side, reduce the amount of added liquid.
- Pantry staples: Eggs, butter, baking powder, salt and vanilla extract.
Step-by-step directions
1. Prepare the filling: Beat the cream cheese with the powdered sweetener, cream and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
3. Stir in the wet ingredients: Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, melted butter, water, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
4. Fill the muffins: Line a muffin tin with parchment or silicone liners. Drop a spoonful of batter into the bottom of each and use a spoon to make a well in the center. Drop a tablespoon of the filling into the well, then top with more batter to cover.
5. Bake the muffins: Bake at 325F for 23 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are set and the edges are browned. Let cool in the pan.
Expert tips
The filling is optional! I have made these keto pumpkin muffins several different ways. I love the filled muffin style, but I have also swirled the cream cheese into the top of the batter (very pretty!). And I’ve made them with no filling at all!
So if you prefer a classic pumpkin muffin, feel free to skip the filling. Adding chopped nuts or chocolate chips is delicious too.
The rise and fall of keto pumpkin muffins: If you do make filled muffins, expect them to rise nicely and then sink a bit as they cool. That is the nature of cream cheese stuffed goodies. The filling expands during baking, and then contracts as it cools. So a little sink hole will appear in the tops of the muffins. They still taste fabulous!
Dairy-Free Option: You can make these muffins dairy-free as well, with egg white protein powder, dairy-free cream cheese, and coconut cream. Replace the butter with your oil of choice and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Canned pumpkin puree has 12g of carbs and 4g of fiber per half cup serving. While it’s not the lowest carb option, it can be consumed on a keto diet in small quantities. This keto muffin recipe uses only half a cup spread out over 12 servings, so it’s very keto-friendly.
This keto muffin recipe has 6.1g of carbs and 2.4g of fiber per serving. That comes to 3.7g net carbs per muffin.
This keto pumpkin muffin recipe was developed and tested using almond flour. However, you can use sunflower seed flour as a 1 to 1 replacement. Just remember to add a tablespoon of lemon juice to offset the reaction between sunflower seeds and baking powder. They will turn a lovely shade of green if you forget!
More recipes you might enjoy
Keto Pumpkin Muffins Recipe
Ingredients
Cream Cheese Filling:
- 6 oz (170.1 g) cream cheese, softened
- 3 tbsp powdered Swerve Sweetener
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Pumpkin Muffins:
- 2 cups (210 g) almond flour
- 1/2 cup (91 g) Swerve Sweetener
- 1/4 cup (27 g) unflavoured whey protein powder, (or egg white protein)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice, (Or 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cloves)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 large (2) eggs
- 1/2 cup (122.5 g) pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, melted
- 1/4 cup (62.5 g) water
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cream cheese filling
- Beat the cream cheese with the powdered sweetener, cream and vanilla extract until smooth. Set aside.
Muffins:
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a muffin tin with parchment or silicone liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, protein powder, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Add the eggs, pumpkin puree, melted butter, water, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- Drop a spoonful of batter into the bottom of the prepared muffin tins and use a spoon to make a well in the center of each. Drop a tablespoon of cream cheese filling into the well, then top with more batter to cover.
- Bake 23 to 25 minutes, or until the tops are set and the edges are just browned. Let cool completely in the pan.
Notes
Variations:
Swirled Pumpkin Muffins: Instead of filling the muffins, swirl the cream cheese into the batter top of the batter. Bake as directed.
Plain Pumpkin Muffins: Fill the muffin cups with the batter and bake 15 to 20 minutes. They will bake faster than those with cream cheese. You can also add chocolate chips or chopped nuts.
Storage information:
Store the muffins in a covered container on the counter for up to 3 days or in the fridge for up to 7 days. They can also be frozen for several months.Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
Free Bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
Sign up for your favorite recipes delivered straight to your inbox plus get our FREE bonus: Secrets to Keto Baking!
I’ve now made these muffins twice and they are so delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe! I hope your husband’s recovering is going smoothly!
Thanks, Marianna. He’s doing well!
I’m praying for your husband’s recovery, and for you and your family to be strengthened during this time. Thank you so much for this amazing recipe! I haven’t tried Starbucks’ pumpkin cream cheese muffins, but I’ve discovered Whole Foods’ has a yummy version. Knowing I want my family to enjoy a healthier version, I searched your website and found just what I was looking for. I can’t express the sheer joy I felt when I discovered you had just posted this one. An answer to prayer for sure! Yours is one of my favorite blogs!! Thanks for all you do in creating and sharing your wonderful recipes! You’re a blessing to my family for sure!
Thanks for your kind words, Mia.
Oh wow! I just came for a pumpkin recipe!
So so SO glad your husband is okay.
Thanks, Jennie!
Any idea if substituting a collagen protein instead of whey would work ok?
No, it won’t. It makes things gummy and hard to cook through.
I just made these right now. I used whole milk instead of almond milk, and Splenda instead of the other sweetener. The cream cheese filling is easily the best part, so I’m glad I used a lot in each muffin. The muffins, on their own, tasted like almonds, from the flour, but combined with the filling….awesome. They got a big thumbs up from myself AND my husband. They’re definitely going on the “when I feel like baking I’ll make…” list! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Michelle, glad you like them. What kind of almond flour did you use? Because the really fine, blanched stuff (like Honeyville) typically doesn’t have much almond flavour when baked.
I didn’t, it was Bob’s Red Mill which is what my local store had. Next time I make them I’ll try something else.
Bob’s is pretty good, but a little coarser than Honeyville so that may have been part of it.
Prayers for your husband and you! Glad he’s going to be okay though.
If you need any more suggestions for Makeover Monday, I would love a low carb version of Aussie Bites. Costco got me addicted to these convenient little gems, but lately I’ve been denying myself because of the carbs. There are recipes galore online to make the original version (with oat flour) and I did find one that used a tiny bit of coconut flour but it was still mainly oat flour. You would forever be my hero if you converted this!!
Love your site!
Ummmmm….never heard of them. Can you send a link to a good recipe?
Sure thing. Here actually are 3 links (you’ll see why):
This I think is the original recipe (containing wheat) that usually comes up all over the web when searched: http://bad-girls-kitchen.blogspot.com/2008/06/aussie-bites.html
Then Costco went to using just oat flour so they were gluten free (in theory anyway) – and now for the life of me I can’t find any recipes using just oat flour although I know I’ve seen it before!
This is the one “adapted” recipe where some of the oat flour was replaced with coconut flour: http://www.consciouseatery.com/2012/11/allergy-free-aussie-bites.html
I did just stumble across this one while searching where they use almond flour but there’s still a lot of oats in there: http://www.keyingredient.com/recipes/616033599/aussie-bites/
Hope I haven’t overwhelmed you!!
Okay, I will add that to the To-Make list!
Awesome! Thanks!
OMG I’m so sorry about your husband’s accident. I’m glad he’s alive and getting the care he needs to be 100% again. And you are one admirable woman posting recipes even with all that going on. You have my full respect! xo
Thanks, Ivonne. I had you in mind when I made this recipe!
Oh Carolyn! I spied the link in my email earlier this week and was really excited to check it out – Could my dreams of enjoying a pumpkin cream cheese muffin once again come true? But I only got around to checking out the full post last night and I was blown away. Wow, what a post!! So glad you are all ok – that is, as ok as you can be, considering. I am amazed at your resilience. That and your dedication and creativity will get you through, I have no doubt. Thanks for taking the time to read comments. 🙂 I think it was mine that I left a couple weeks ago about these dreamy muffins, so was thrilled to see them materialize, if not only virtually for the time being. Best wishes. Nancy
PS – Are you connected with Lynn Terry? She is a big low-carb lifestyle blogger: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/ She is a genuine, authentic person like yourself. 🙂
Was it you, Nancy? I couldn’t remember who asked for these! Glad you like them. And now, I don’t know Lynn but I will be sure to check out her blog!
Is there a substitute for the protein powder? I have everything slse
You can skip it but it really gives better consistency and better rise.
Many wishes for a speedy recovery for your husband. I’ve now run into (sorry) three people who had extensive ankle surgery, they all recovered beautifully, AND all were probably twice as old as your husband! One man said that instead of crutches, he used one of those things where you kneel on something like an elevated scooter-type thing to get around, so non-weight-bearing. Also, isn’t it something how an accident like this suddenly slaps everything into perspective?
I love your blog! I’ve made many of the recipes and then have turned around and blabbed and blabbed to family/friends on how they can cut out the sugar in their lives and still be happy/satisfied. AND, I’ve been reading these comments to you and think what a great group of people follow your blog! It’s a win-win all over the place!!!
Thanks, Leslie. Yeah, I saw those scooters and thought they might not be a bad idea. My husband is 6’7″ though, so we need to make sure whatever we can can accommodate his height. He has crutches from a previous leg injury so at least we have those!
I’ll admit I had to google pepitas – didn’t know what they were (in Canada where the 2nd language is french). These look delicious, looking forward to making them.
Sorry to hear about your husband – hope his surgery went well. I am at the 8 week mark from our low-speed motorcycle accident that broke my husband’s right ankle (both bones, has two titanium plates screwed to the bones now) so I know what you will be going through in the weeks ahead. All the best to you and the rest of your family.
First time poster, but I love your recipes and tell everyone willing to listen about your blog.
Hi Louise…as it happens, I am Canadian! But I’ve lived in the US since grad school so I’ve gotten used to hearing a lot of Spanish words. I am sorry about your husband’s accident. Tim broke both bones in his lower leg as well, the lower fibula was shattered so it’s all put back with plates and screws too. I am calling him the bionic man.
Carolyn, so sorry to hear about your husband. Prayers for a full and speedy recovery. Thank goodness it sounds like he will be okay and that you are there for him. Thinking of you. xo
Thanks, Jeanette.
These look fabulous!!! I love pumpkin everything, it must be because I was born around Thanksgiving. You have a fabulous name by the way 😉
Never apologize for putting your attention and efforts into your family. Really sorry to hear the news but glad he’s okay and on the mend. Sometimes things happen in life to remind us what we have. Keep calm and carry on smiling (English motto from an English lady).
Thank you!
So sorry about your husband’s accident, but very glad that he is going to be ok. These muffins look fabulous! 🙂
Thank you SO much for this recipe, especially with what’s going on with your husband and family! Saying a prayer for his speedy recovery and your strength/energy in the interim. I will toast to you with one of these muffins and a cup of coffee when I make them!
Oh god, what a terrifying thing to happen. I’m glad that he wasn’t hurt worse and that you have resources to draw on during this stressful time. Wishing a speedy recovery to Tim, and strength and comfort to you and the kids.
Carolyn,
so glad to hear he is ok, I can’t even imagine such an experience. The fear, the worry and it sounds extremely painful too.
I am thinking pumpkin too but pumpkin bread–just baked a bunch for some customers and you inspired me to take a few pictures.
It was so fun meeting you in Seattle and sharing some laughs and a ride with Janelle!
Karen
Thanks so much, Karen. It was good to meet you too!