Spiced Pumpkin Chai Cheesecake Muffins
By Jessie
Updated: September 28, 2026
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By: Jessie
Updated: September 28, 2026
Rate This Recipe:
These Spiced Pumpkin Chai Cheesecake Crumble Muffins are the perfect way to kick off autumn baking! They’re soft, fluffy and packed with pumpkin flavour and warming chai spices. Each muffin has a secret cheesecake filling and they’re topped with a crunchy pumpkin seed crumble – all the cosy flavours of autumn in one bite!
This recipe is kindly sponsored by Whittard of Chelsea. I only recommend products I personally love, use and trust!
Your Ingredients List
- Whittard Spiced Pumpkin Chai loose leaf tea – The star ingredient of this recipe! It brings the gorgeous, warming flavour of mellow pumpkin and chai spice to the muffins. Basically a hug in a mug, or in this case… muffins!
- Milk – Used to soak the tea leaves and make the glaze that’s drizzled on top.
- Flour – This recipe uses self-raising flour for the muffin mixture and plain flour to make the crumble topping. Self-raising flour contains baking powder that helps your muffins rise tall, with a light and fluffy texture.
- Light brown sugar – Adds sweetness and a lovely caramel-y flavour.
- Baking powder – Gives the muffins an extra little lift.
- Ground cinnamon – Brings even more cosy autumn spice.
- Vegetable oil – Keeps the muffins lovely and soft.
- Eggs – Help bind everything together and give the muffins structure.
- Pumpkin puree – Adds sweet pumpkin flavour and keeps the muffins nice and moist.
- Vanilla extract – A little vanilla makes all those warm spices taste even better.
- Full-fat cream cheese – The base ingredient of the cheesecake filling.
- Caster sugar – Sweetens the cheesecake mixture.
- Unsalted butter – Used to make the crumble topping.
- Pumpkin seeds – Add a lovely little crunch and extra pumpkin flavour to the crumble topping.
- Icing sugar – Whisked with the chai milk to make the simple glaze that’s drizzled on top.
RECIPE NOTES
TASTE
Warm and cosy, with sweet pumpkin, cinnamon and chai spices, creamy vanilla cheesecake and a buttery brown sugar topping.
TEXTURE
Soft, fluffy, moist muffins with a creamy cheesecake centre and crunchy, crumbly pumpkin seed topping. The perfect blend of textures!
SKILL
This recipe is nice and easy. There are a few different elements to make, but none are complicated.
SERVE
10 large muffins with bakery-style domed tops.
How To Make Pumpkin Chai Cheesecake Muffins
Step 1: Make the pumpkin chai muffin mixture
First up, let’s get that gorgeous pumpkin chai flavour going. Warm the milk, add the Spiced Pumpkin Chai Loose Leaf Tea and leave it to infuse for 10-15 minutes. Give it a good strain afterwards and remember to set a little aside to make the glaze later on.
While that’s doing its thing, start the muffin mixture by whisking the dry ingredients together until combined. Whisk the wet ingredients separately, then add to the dry along with the pumpkin chai milk. Gently whisk to bring the mixture together, taking care not to over-mix (a few lumps are absolutely fine). Now cover the bowl with clingfilm and let it rest while you get everything else ready. Resting the mixture gives the flour and raising agent time to hydrate which means taller fluffier muffins!
Step 2: Make the cheesecake and crumble
While the mixture rests, you’ve got two quick jobs: prepare the cheesecake filling and crumble topping.
- For the cheesecake filling: simply whisk the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
- For the crumble topping: rub the cold butter into the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt until it looks like wet sand, before stirring through the pumpkin seeds. And yes, a little taste test is encouraged!
Step 3: Layer the mixtures
Fill your muffin cases just over halfway with the mixture, spoon or pipe a little cheesecake filling into the middle, then cover with more mixture, filling the cases to the top. Finish each one with a generous sprinkle of the pumpkin seed crumble.
Step 4: Bake, drizzle & enjoy!
Now it’s time to bake the muffins! First they go into a hot oven for 8 minutes to help the muffins rise tall, then the temperature is lowered so they can finish baking for 14 minutes. You’re looking for lovely golden tops and muffins that feel lightly springy when gently pressed.
Let the muffins cool on a wire rack while you mix together the icing sugar and reserved chai milk. Give each muffin a generous drizzle, then they’re ready to enjoy! Soft pumpkin muffin, creamy cheesecake centre, crunchy crumble and a little chai glaze on top… autumn baking really doesn’t get much cosier than this!
Recipe FAQ’s
Of course! They’ll still be delicious without it. You could simply leave the cheesecake filling out and continue with the crumble and chai glaze as normal.
The trick is letting the muffin batter rest before baking, then starting the muffins in a nice hot oven. Also, don’t over mix the batter, this is key for keeping them light and fluffy!
Absolutely! Homemade pumpkin purée works really well in these muffins. Just make sure it isn’t too watery, as this can affect the texture of the batter.
Chopped pecans or walnuts would be lovely in the crumble if you don’t have pumpkin seeds to hand.
Store the muffins in an airtight container in the fridge because of the cream cheese filling. They will last for 3-4 days. Let them come towards room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavour.
Spiced Pumpkin Chai Cheesecake Muffins
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Print Pin Rate this RecipeIngredients
Spiced Pumpkin Chai Milk
- 150 milliliters Milk
- 2 tablespoons Whittard Spiced Pumpkin Chai Loose-leaf Tea
Pumpkin Muffins
- 325 grams Self-raising flour
- 180 grams Light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
- 150 milliliters Vegetable oil
- 2 Medium eggs room temperature
- Spiced Pumpkin Chai Milk recipe above
- 150 grams Pumpkin purée
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
Cheesecake Filling
- 150 grams Full-fat cream cheese
- 50 grams Caster sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
Pumpkin Seed Brown Sugar Crumble
- 30 grams Plain flour
- 30 grams Light brown sugar
- 20 grams Cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
- 30 grams Pumpkin seeds roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- Pinch Salt
Spiced Pumpkin Chai Glaze:
- 4 tablespoons Icing sugar
- 2 teaspoons Spiced Pumpkin Chai-steeped milk
Instructions
Start by making the spiced pumpkin chai milk:
- Warm the milk in a small saucepan until steaming but not boiling.150 milliliters Milk
- Remove from the heat, add 2 tbsp Spiced Pumpkin Chai loose leaf tea, cover and steep for 10–15 minutes.2 tablespoons Whittard Spiced Pumpkin Chai Loose-leaf Tea
- Strain well and set aside.
Now move on to the pumpkin muffin mixture:
- Mix the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a large bowl.325 grams Self-raising flour, 180 grams Light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon Baking powder, 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon
- In a separate bowl or jug, whisk together the oil, eggs, spiced pumpkin chai milk (SET ASIDE TWO TEASPOONS FOR THE GLAZE), pumpkin purée and vanilla.150 milliliters Vegetable oil, 2 Medium eggs, Spiced Pumpkin Chai Milk, 150 grams Pumpkin purée, 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently whisk until just combined. Take care not to overmix. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave the mixture to rest at room temperature.
- Meanwhile preheat the oven to 220°C fan and line every other hole of a muffin tin with large muffin cases.
Whilst the mixture rests, make the cheesecake and crumble mixture:
- For the cheesecake mixture: whisk the cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla until completely smooth.150 grams Full-fat cream cheese, 50 grams Caster sugar, ½ teaspoon Vanilla extract
- For the crumble mixture: whisk the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together. Rub in the cold butter until the mixture resembles wet sand, then stir through the pumpkin seeds. Set aside.30 grams Plain flour, 30 grams Light brown sugar, 20 grams Cold unsalted butter, 30 grams Pumpkin seeds, ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon, Pinch Salt
Layer the mixtures:
- Divide the mixture between the cases, filling each just over halfway.
- Pipe or spoon the cheesecake filling into the middle of each muffin, then cover with more mixture filling each muffin case to the top.
- Generously sprinkle the crumble over each muffin.
Bake and drizzle:
- Bake at 220°C fan for 8 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C fan and bake for a further 14 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the muffins to a wire rack to cool.
- Mix 2 tbsp icing sugar with the reserved 2 teaspoons of steeped milk until smooth. If the glaze is too thin, add more icing sugar. If it’s too thick, add a splash of milk.4 tablespoons Icing sugar, 2 teaspoons Spiced Pumpkin Chai-steeped milk
- Drizzle the glaze of the muffins, serve and enjoy!
