Bakery-Style Panera Pumpkin Muffins

Copycat Panera Bread pumpkin muffin with a bite taken out, showing fluffy, moist crumb and sweet streusel topping

5 from 5 votes

Moist, fluffy, and bursting with cozy fall flavor. These pumpkin muffins come together easily with simple ingredients and a crumbly streusel topping. Perfect for mornings, brunch, or coffee breaks.

Prep Time15

Cook Time21

Total Time36

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Chahinez Tabet Aoul

Equipment

Muffin Tin

Ingredients

Dry ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp ground nutmeg

Wet ingredients:

3/4 cup brown sugar packed
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
2 large eggs room temp
1 cup pure pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
¼ cup milk (whole milk or 2%)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping:

Powdered sugar for dusting after baking

Streusel Topping

1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp butter unsalted, cold and cubed

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Cut the butter using a fork or your fingertips until crumbly and sandy in texture. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup all purpose flour, 1/4 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 4 tbsp butter
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners in every other cup (six liners per pan, leaving one empty hole beside each filled one). Lightly spray the top of the pans (around the filled cups) with nonstick spray as needed.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and nutmeg.
2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 2 tsp baking powder, ½ tsp salt, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice, ½ tsp ground nutmeg
In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, granulated sugar, oil, eggs, pumpkin purée, milk, and vanilla. Mix until completely smooth and combined.
3/4 cup brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup neutral oil , 2 large eggs, 1 cup pure pumpkin purée, ¼ cup milk , 1 tsp vanilla extract
Add dry ingredients to wet and fold gently with a spatula just until no dry streaks remain (do not overmix).
Divide the batter evenly among the 12 prepared liners, filling each almost to the top (this helps form tall domes). Sprinkle a generous amount of chilled streusel in the center of each muffin, keeping the topping away from the very edges to prevent over-browning. Put both pans in the oven at the same time. Only have one tin? That's fine, just fill all 12 cups and bake everything in one go.
Bake at 425°F for 5 minutes, then (without opening the oven) reduce temperature to 350°F and continue baking for 14-16 more minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. The initial high heat helps them rise tall and round.
Let muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Once completely cool, sift powdered sugar over the tops for that classic Panera look.
Powdered sugar for dusting

Video

Notes

Helpful tips

Streusel Tip: Try to keep most of the streusel toward the center rather than all the way to the edges, this prevents it from caramelizing too deeply where the muffin top meets the pan.

Bakery-Style Tip: Bake muffins in every other slot of your muffin tin so they have plenty of space to rise into those tall, domed tops

Pan Tip: Use a metal muffin tin for the tallest domes. Stoneware, glass, and silicone heat up more slowly, so the muffins won't rise as high and will need extra baking time. If you use silicone, set it on a baking sheet so it stays steady.

Nutrition