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These fluffy and flavorful Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes are the perfect warm fall treat with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and ginger baked in.

Why You’ll Love It
- If pumpkin spice is one of your favorite flavors (who doesn’t love a pumpkin spice latte, you’ll get all those warming, cozy flavors in these cupcakes.
- These pumpkin spice cupcakes will make you feel like fall in the best possible way. Warm one of these up, grab and a blanket and cozy up by the fire.
Jovita says: These are perfect cupcakes for the upcoming pumpkin season. I’ve made them twice and can’t get enough.
If you’re in the pumpkin mood, you should also check out these pumpkin cream cheese cookies (they’re even keto-friendly!), and our favorite pumpkin cheesecake mousse that makes a wonderful Thanksgiving dessert.
» You might also like these Delicious Mini Pumpkin Pies and Pumpkin Shaped Cinnamon Rolls.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter – I use salted butter to give a small flavor boost, but you can use unsalted.
- Granulated sugar – If you want to keep them sugar free, use a sugar substitute like allulose.
- Eggs – When using eggs, make sure they are at room temperature.
- Pumpkin puree – Pumpkin puree is also easily available in canned form from the grocery store. Pumpkin puree has a slightly sweet and earthy flavor. It has a smooth texture and is just like baby food. If you are buying canned pumpkin puree, make sure you don’t buy pumpkin pie filling. It is an entirely different ingredient.
- Dry Ingredients – All-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
- Spices – Pumpkin pie spice, ground cinnamon, and ground ginger
- Buttermilk – You can buy buttermilk in the dairy section at the grocery store or you can make it at home by adding lemon juice or white vinegar to regular milk.
- Frosting ingredients – Cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon.
Equipment Information
- Cupcake tray – You’ll need 2x 12-cupcake trays to make these 24-cupcakes
- Cupcake wrappers – An attractive wrapper will really dress up your cupcakes, but you can go with white if all else fails.
- Stand mixer or hand mixer with large mixing bowl.
- Piping bag and tip – I use a large round tip to ice these cupcakes. You can make any design you like.
Top Tips for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
- You can buy pumpkin spice at the store, or you can also easily make it yourself with some cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice.
- It’s best to use canned pumpkin puree for this, but you can get somewhat similar results from fresh pumpkin puree that you make yourself, if needed.
- If you’d rather only make 12 cupcakes, you can half the recipe.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Start by preheating your oven to 350° F and lining a cupcake tray with cupcake wrappers. This recipe makes 24 cupcakes, so it’ll fill two standard cupcake tins. If you’d rather just make 12, you can easily half the recipe, but you might find that 12 get eaten way too quickly.
In a large bowl add the sugar and butter. Cream with a stand or electric mixer until fluffy. Add eggs in one by one, mixing well between each addition. Then stir in the pumpkin puree and set the mixture aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda, and ginger. Stir to combine.
Start adding the dry ingredients into the wet, making sure to continuously mix while adding. Once that’s done, add the buttermilk and stir until combined.
You want to fill cupcake wells 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Remove them from the oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

The frosting we use for these cupcakes is one of my favorites. It’s a cream cheese frosting that we use for lots of other purposes, including this delicious carrot cake. To mix it up, put the cream cheese and butter in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla and beat until smooth.
Once the cupcakes are cool, pipe on the frosting and decorate as desired.
Optional Toppings and Add-ins
These cupcakes can easily be changed up by different toppings and add-ins. Here are a few ideas for you to mix and match.
Add-ins
- Chocolate, white chocolate, or cinnamon chips
- Chopped walnuts or pecans
- Shredded coconut
Toppings
- Pepitas
- Candied nuts
- Sprinkles
- Cinnamon sprinkled on top
How to Store Cupcakes
Any extra cupcakes will keep covered, at room temp, for a day or two. We recommend storing them in the fridge if you want to keep them for longer, where they will last up to a week.
Can I Freeze Cupcakes?
If you’re going to all the work to make these cupcakes, it’s always nice to put a few away for another occasion. It’s perfectly fine to freeze cupcakes. I think it’s best to do it before you frost them.
Place individually wrapped cupcakes in a sturdy, airtight container and store in the freezer for up to three months. This is also a great way to always have a delicious snack to serve to guests when they pop over.

Questions About This Recipe
Can I substitute the canned pumpkin puree with fresh pumpkin?
Absolutely. If you’d like to use fresh pumpkin, you’ll need to roast and puree it first. Keep in mind that fresh pumpkin can have more water content than canned pumpkin puree. To address this, you might want to drain the fresh puree in a cheesecloth to remove excess moisture before using it in the recipe.
Do I have to use pumpkin spice mix, or can I use individual spices?
You can definitely use individual spices if you prefer. A typical pumpkin spice mix contains cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and allspice. Feel free to customize the ratio of these spices to better suit your palate. Just make sure the total amount of spices used matches what the recipe calls for in terms of pumpkin spice mix.
Why are my cupcakes sinking in the middle?
A sunken middle can occur for several reasons, such as overmixing the batter, or inaccurate oven temperature. To avoid this, make sure you’re mixing just until the ingredients are combined and no more. Also, using an oven thermometer can help you ensure that your oven is at the correct temperature before you start baking.
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Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (170.25 g) butter softened
- 2 1/2 cups (500 g) sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 can 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 2 1/3 cups (292 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (6 g) pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon (4.5 g) salt
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon (1 g) ground ginger
- 1 cup (237 ml) buttermilk
For the frosting
- 8 ounces (227 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup (114 g) salted butter, softened
- 3 cups (360 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line muffin tray with paper liners (24 total).
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add pumpkin and stir.
- In another bowl, combine flour, pie spice, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and ginger. Stir to combine.
- Slowly add the dry mixture to the batter while beating. Then add the buttermilk and stir until well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the muffin cups until 3/4 full. Bake for 20-25 minutes. They’re done when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes to a wire cooling rack.
- Meanwhile, add the cream cheese and butter to a bowl. Beat until fluffy. Add confectioners’ sugar, vanila, and cinnamon and beat until smooth.
- Once cupcakes are completely cooled, decorate with the frosting.
Notes
- You can buy pumpkin spice at the store, or you can also easily make it yourself with some cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice.
- It’s best to use canned pumpkin puree for this, but you can get somewhat similar results from fresh pumpkin puree that you make yourself, if needed.
- If you’d rather only make 12 cupcakes, you can half the recipe.
Nutrition
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Jillian Morris is the resident baker for A Food Lover’s Kitchen. She started baking when she was very little and found she had a great passion for it. She is a high-schooler in a small town in Oregon, where she enjoys music, writing, and baking in her spare time.
ohh give me pumpkin spice cupcakes any day! these are delicious
These were so delicious! So soft and fluffy as well.
These are perfect cupcakes for the upcoming pumpkin season. I’ve made them twice and can’t get enough.
Oh yum!! I made these for my grandparents who love all things pumpkin! They approve. 🙂
They don’t just look pretty, they’re very tasty and moist too. I added more cinnamon because I didn’t think there’d be enough.
These are soooo good! hopefully the office will love them as much as i do!