These fall-inspired Five Spice Pumpkins Muffins feature a crunchy streusel topping that contrasts with the plush texture of their crumb. Pair these muffins with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee and enjoy a delicious fall treat!
Our Five Spice Chocolate Budino recipe was the first time we experimented with five spice in a dessert. While it goes swimmingly with dark chocolate, we also wanted to try it with other flavors where you would naturally see warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, etc. Of course, these are flavors you mostly see in the fall and winter so we decided to give it a go with pumpkin.
These Five Spice Pumpkin Muffins are soft, moist, and super easy to make. The five spice powder lends a unique flavor with a touch of licorice and a good amount of cinnamon adds a lot of warmth to the spice mix. The base of the muffins is not too sweet which is good since the crunchy streusel topping already has some sweetness to it.
If you’re like us, and like to have a display of baked goods on the counter, these are perfect for having in the kitchen, ready to grab and enjoy!
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Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Find the full list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions in the recipe card below!
- Chinese Five Spice: This versatile spice is most commonly used in savory dishes, but we love using it in sweet things since it already contains so many cozy spices like cinnamon, cloves, and anise.
- Ground Cinnamon: We like to throw in some extra cinnamon to balance out the punchy licorice flavor from the five spice.
- Canned Pumpkin Purée: Our go-to is Libby’s pure pumpkin purée.
- Neutral Oil: We typically use vegetable oil, but you can also use grapeseed, avocado, or canola oil. Pumpkin can be drying in baked goods, and using oil helps to keep the crumb moist and tender for several days.
- Eggs: Leave them on the counter for at least 2 hours to come to room temperature or let them sit in a bowl of warm water for 5-10 minutes before using.
- Milk: A splash of milk adds extra moisture to the muffin batter. We use whole milk, but you can use 2% or even go for a creamy plant-based one like oat milk. There’s only a few tablespoons in the recipe, so the type of milk shouldn’t drastically affect the results.
Step-by-Step Instructions
This section provides a general overview as well as any pictures to guide you through the recipe. The full detailed recipe instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
1. Make the streusel topping. Mix together the ingredients for the streusel with a fork. Place it in the fridge to harden while you make the muffins.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking, powder, cinnamon, and five spice.
3. Whisk the wet ingredients together. Whisk together the oil, sugar, and pumpkin purée until smooth and well combined then mix in the eggs, milk, and vanilla extract.
4. Fold in the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and use a silicone spatula to fold it all together until just combined.
5. Transfer the batter. Divide the batter into a 12-cup lined muffin tin. Remove the streusel from the fridge and break it up with the fork. Sprinkle the crumbled topping onto the muffins.
6. Bake. Bake the muffins at 425°F for 10 minutes then reduce the temperature to 350°F and bake until the tops are lightly golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Tips for Making Five Spice Pumpkin Muffins
- Use a kitchen scale. To prevent dry muffins, it’s best to use grams since cups tend to be less accurate and make it easy to overpack ingredients like flour.
- Use an oven thermometer. This is recommended to have in general, but since we’re baking the muffins at two different temperatures, you’ll want to make sure your oven is not too hot or cold.
If you made this Five Spice Pumpkin Muffins recipe, please let us know by leaving a star rating and review down below. We’d love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Five Spice Pumpkin Muffins
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale
- 12-Cup Muffin Tin
- Oven Thermometer
Ingredients
Streusel
- 57 g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter melted
- 60 g (½ cup) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 50 g (¼ cup) light brown sugar packed
Five Spice Pumpkin Muffins
- 240 g (2 cups) all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ tsp Chinese five spice
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) neutral oil
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 100 g (½ cup) light brown sugar packed
- 300 g (1 ¼ cup) canned pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 tbsp whole milk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- In a small bowl, mix together the streusel ingredients with a fork. Place it in the fridge to allow it to harden while you make the muffins.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and five spice.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the neutral oil, both sugars, and pumpkin purée until smooth. Add the eggs, milk, and vanilla then whisk until smooth and well combined.
- Fold in half the flour mixture with a silicone spatula until almost combined. Add the remaining half of the flour and fold until just combined.
- Transfer the batter to the muffin liners and gently smooth out the tops. Take the streusel out of the fridge and use the fork to crumble and break it up. Sprinkle it on top of the muffins.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 425°F (220°C). After 10 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 9-12 minutes or until the tops are lightly golden and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then use a butter knife to gently remove them from the pan. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Store the muffins at room temperature, covered, for up to 3-4 days.
- As the muffins cool, the flavor of the spices will come through more.
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