About this recipe
These pumpkin muffins are soft, warmly spiced, and finished with a buttery streusel—plus a hidden dulce de leche center that melts into the crumb without disappearing. So good!! They come together in about 30 minutes and make the coziest fall breakfast or treat. Think bakery-style pumpkin muffins, upgraded with a Latin touch.
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Muffins
- Soft, moist pumpkin crumb with warm spices.
- A surprise dulce de leche center that holds its shape.
- Buttery cinnamon streusel for bakery-style texture.
- Ready in about 30 minutes.
- Perfect for breakfast, snacks, or gifting.
Ingredient notes
- Pumpkin purée. Use canned (not pumpkin pie filling) or homemade pumpkin purée; both work well. Just make sure it isn’t very liquidy, if so, strain it.
- Pumpkin spice. Use your blend or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Dulce de leche. Use thick, cold dulce de leche so it doesn’t melt into the batter. Spoonable but dense works best. I use store-bought from La Lechera.
- Streusel. A simple mix of flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter.
How to Make Them
- Make the vegan buttermilk: Mix almond milk with apple cider vinegar and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Whisk the wet ingredients: Add pumpkin purée, maple syrup, and vanilla to the buttermilk, whisking until smooth.
- Mix the dry ingredients: Flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
- Combine: Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir gently until just combined (don’t overmix).
- Add batter + filling: Fill each muffin cup with a spoonful of batter, add a teaspoon of chilled La Lechera dulce de leche, then cover with more batter until ¾ full.
- Top with streusel: Sprinkle generously with the cinnamon-sugar streusel.
- Bake: 18–22 minutes at 350°F, until the tops are set and lightly golden. (Avoid testing through the dulce de leche.)
- Cool: Let the muffins rest at least 15 minutes so the dulce de leche sets back into a thick, gooey center.
Variations
- Cream cheese filling: Swap dulce de leche for lightly sweetened cream cheese.
- Chocolate pumpkin: Add chocolate chips to the batter.
- Nutty topping: Add chopped pecans to the streusel.
Home-Cook Tips
- Keep the dulce de leche cold before scooping—it keeps it from melting fully into the crumb.
- Don’t overmix; pumpkin batter can get tough quickly.
- If your streusel looks too dry, add a tiny extra dab of butter. Mix with your fingers.
Pumpkin Muffins with Streusel & Dulce de Leche Filling
These pumpkin muffins are soft, tender, and full of warm fall spices — but the real magic is inside. Each one hides a thick, gooey spoonful of La Lechera dulce de leche, and the cinnamon streusel on top brings that perfect bakery-style crunch. They come together quickly with simple ingredients, stay naturally dairy-free and egg-free, and taste like the coziest October morning. Perfect for snacks, brunch, or gifting.
Equipment
- 1 Muffin tin 12 muffin tin
- 12 Muffin liners
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup almond milk
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup pumpkin purée
Dry Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin spice
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Dulce de Leche Filling
- ½ cup La Lechera dulce de leche chilled
Streusel Topping
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar white or brown
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons cold vegan butter or regular butter
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a muffin tin with liners or grease lightly.
- Mix the almond milk and apple cider vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add the maple syrup, vanilla, and pumpkin purée to the buttermilk. Whisk until smooth.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pumpkin spice, and salt.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry. Stir gently until just combined — don’t overmix.
- In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Add the cold butter and pinch into coarse crumbs.
- Add 1 tablespoon batter into each muffin cup.
- Add 1 teaspoon of chilled La Lechera dulce de leche in the center.
- Cover with more batter until cups are ¾ full.
- Top each muffin generously with streusel.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, or until the tops are set and lightly golden. (Insert your toothpick toward the edge — not through the dulce de leche.)
- Let muffins cool for at least 15 minutes so the dulce de leche sets into a gooey center.
Notes
How to keep the dulce de leche from melting into the crumb:
- Use La Lechera — it’s thick and stable for baking. Chill the dulce de leche before scooping.
- Keep the filling away from the very bottom of the muffin liner.
- Store in an airtight container for 2–3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the fridge.
- Warm briefly (8–10 seconds) to soften the center again.
- Let muffins cool completely.
- Freeze individually wrapped or in a single layer.
- Reheat at 300°F for 8–10 minutes or microwave lightly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1muffinCalories: 136kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 2gFat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.3gSodium: 170mgPotassium: 78mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 2385IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 1mg
information
Nutritional information of this recipe is only an estimate, the accuracy for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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I am Ale Graf, a Mexican living in Texas and the creator of AleCooks and Piloncillo&Vainilla. I share easy, family-friendly recipes — some Mexican, mostly plant-based — that can be enjoyed all day, every day. My focus is on recipes that bring people together around the table, making mealtime simple, delicious and meaningful. I am also the co-author of Yo Cocino Latino, and my recipes have been featured in numerous online magazines and publications. Follow along on my social accounts for daily inspiration, tips, and delicious recipes! I would love to hear about you! Send me a DM on Instagram, and we can talk all things food 🍽️✨