Panera Bread Pumpkin Muffin Recipe

It’s the time of year when I want to get into the kitchen and make everything pumpkin. And this includes my Panera Bread Pumpkin Muffin Recipe. It’s what they call a “copycat” recipe. This means I’m doing my best to make a muffin that’s as close as possible to what they make at Panera. It took me a little while to figure out some of the flavors – that’s why I’ve included some special ingredients like the butter flavor and the ground cloves and cardamom, which gives the muffin just the slightest hint of citrus.

This pumpkin muffin texture is dense but moist and has a beautiful crown that supports the crunchy streusel topping. The flavor profile is a perfect balance of Fall flavors without being overpowering. My Panera Bread Pumpkin Muffin Recipe is sure to become one of your favorite fall breakfast treats.

However, if you’re not in the mood for a jumbo pumpkin muffin, scroll to the variations section for tips on making these into regular-sized muffins.

Additionally, my girls are HUGE fans of the Panera Pumpkin Muffie recipe. If you’re unfamiliar with what a muffie is, it’s just the muffin tops. You don’t need a special muffin top pan or any other specialty equipment. That’s one of the things that makes an easy copycat recipe.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Bakery-Style, but at home! With this recipe, you’ll be able to make Panera pumpkin muffins, or at least something VERY close, from the comfort of your kitchen!

No mixer is needed! Just use a spatula or a large spoon to combine all the ingredients. Over-mixing can cause the muffin to be tough.

Custom Pumpkin Spice Recipe! After reviewing the list of ingredients for the pumpkin muffins on Panera Bread’s website, I came up with a spice mix that best mimicked the flavor profile of their jumbo pumpkin muffins.

Equipment Needed

• Large mixing bowl
• Medium mixing bowl
• Spatula or spoon for stirring
• Whisk
• Cookie Scoop – I like this one
• Jumbo muffin tin – I used this one
• regular muffin tin – I used this one
• Paper liners (optional) or baking spray – I used these liners
• Wire rack for cooling

Ingredient Notes

• Vegetable Oil
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Honey – This helps to create a crunchy topping that is characteristically part of the Panera Pumpkin Muffin recipe.
• Eggs
• Pumpkin puree – Make sure to use plain pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie mix that includes all the spices.
• Vanilla extract
• Butter flavoring – Since we’ve used oil in this recipe, we added a little butter flavoring to add something special.
• All-purpose flour
• Kosher salt
• Baking soda
• Baking powder
• Ground cinnamon
• Pumpkin pie spice
• Cloves
• Cardamom
• Butter
• Powdered Sugar

*Please scroll down to the recipe card for specific ingredient amounts.

Instructions

Step 1. Preheat oven to 375℉. Line a jumbo muffin tin with paper liners, or spray a pan with baking spray.

Step 2. In a large mixing bowl, add oil, sugars, honey, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, and butter flavoring. Stir well by hand to combine. Set aside.

Step 3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cardamom, and cloves.

Step 4. Add flour mixture to the wet ingredients, just until there are no streaks of the dry ingredients. Set aside so the muffin batter can hydrate for a few minutes while you make the streusel.

Step 5. In a small bowl, mix the butter, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, honey, and salt. You may use a large fork or pastry blender until the pumpkin mixture is evenly mixed. Set aside.

Step 6. Using a large 3-Tablespoon cookie scoop or spoon, fill each well of the prepared muffin pan about ⅔ full.

Step 7. Sprinkle the streusel mixture on the top of the muffins, dividing it evenly. Each muffin should be topped with about 2 Tablespoons of streusel. 

Step 8. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center, comes out with moist crumbs clinging to it. If the toothpick comes out with batter sticking to it, they may need another minute or two.

Step 9. Cool cupcakes in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Step 10. When completely cool, sift powdered sugar over the tops to serve.

Pro Tip

If you don’t have any jumbo muffin liners, you can either spray your muffin tin with baking spray and skip the liner or make your own! It’s super easy. Cut a 6″x6″ square of parchment paper. Find a large drinking glass or jar similar in size to the wells in your muffin tin. Turn the glass upside down and place the parchment on top of the glass. Using both hands, smooth the parchment down, so it molds to the sides of the glass. You’ve created your jumbo muffin liner!

Storage and Freezing

These muffins are lovely eaten the first day because of the crunchy top and moist interior, but they will keep in an airtight container lined with a paper towel for 2-3 days. 

Freeze the muffins in an airtight container or individually wrapped in plastic and placed in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. The tops will not be as crunchy, but they will still be delicious.

NOTES/FAQs

• Any canned pumpkin will do, but Libby’s is firm in texture. If your canned pumpkin is more loose or watery, you may need to add a little extra flour.
• I like to whisk the dry ingredients separately to ensure the spices are evenly dispersed. You COULD make this recipe using just one mixing bowl and add the dry ingredients to the bowl after the wet ingredients are mixed. I tested this method, and it made no difference in muffins. It is easier to overmix if it’s made in one bowl.
• For scooping out the muffin batter, I used a large 3 Tablespoon scoop for jumbo muffins. When dividing the batter, it was about 1 ½ – 2 scoops per well. 
• I used the 3 Tablespoon scoop for regular-size muffins, and it took only one scoop to fill a regular muffin pan. Bake for 18-21 minutes. DOUBLE the streusel recipe. The yield will be 12 muffins.
• For garnishing, make sure the muffins are completely cooled. Otherwise, the powdered sugar will be absorbed. These would also be delicious with powdered sugar or maple glaze.
• The recipe may be doubled. However, it works perfectly using only three large eggs.
• The spices in pumpkin pie spice vary somewhat from brand to brand. You can omit the additional amounts if you use a pumpkin pie spice mix with cardamom and cloves. However, the only one I found with these spices is the one from Trader Joe’s.

Substitutions

• The vegetable oil can be replaced by canola oil

• Pumpkin Pie Spice – If you don’t have any on hand or have run out due to all your fall baking, you can combine the following spices to make your own – 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom. After combining, add the amount listed in the ingredients (2 teaspoons in the muffin batter and 1 teaspoon for the streusel). Omit the additional cloves and cardamom listed in the ingredients. Store the remaining mix in an airtight container.

Variations

Regular-sized muffins – I lined the wells of a regular muffin tin and filled each well using a 3 Tablespoon cookie scoop. Bake for 18-21 minutes. DOUBLE the streusel recipe. The yield will be 12 muffins.