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If you love coffee cake, you’re going to love these Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins. They’re soft, moist, and swirled with cinnamon sugar, then topped with a buttery streusel for the perfect bakery-style finish. They’re easy to make and perfect for breakfast, brunch, or an afternoon coffee break.
Coffee cake has always been one of my favorite bakery treats, so turning it into muffins just made sense. I love that each muffin has its own cinnamon swirl and buttery streusel topping, making every bite taste like a little homemade coffee cake. These are the kind of muffins I like to bake on the weekend so there’s always something ready for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
Recipe Overview
Key Ingredients and Notes
You’ll only need a few pantry staples to make these cinnamon coffee cake muffins. Full measurements are listed further down below in the recipe card.
- Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: Adds a little extra nutrition while keeping the muffins soft and tender.
- All-Purpose Flour: Gives the muffins a light texture and helps create a fluffy crumb.
- Greek Yogurt: Keeps the muffins moist while adding richness to the batter.
- Honey or Maple Syrup: Naturally sweetens the muffins with great flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon: The star ingredient that flavors both the batter and the cinnamon swirl.
- Brown Sugar: Creates a sweet cinnamon filling and helps make the streusel topping crisp.
- Avocado Oil: Keeps the muffins moist without overpowering the flavor.
Tips for the Best Muffins
- Measure the flour using the spoon-and-level method for the most accurate results.
- Don’t overmix the batter or the muffins may become dense.
- Gently press the streusel onto the batter before baking so it sticks.
- Let the muffins cool before adding the glaze.
- Enjoy them slightly warm or at room temperature.
How to Make Coffee Cake Muffins
Step 1: Prepare the Batter
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Whisk together the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients in another. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined.
Step 2: Mix the Cinnamon Sugar and Streusel
In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon for the swirl. In another bowl, mix together the streusel ingredients until crumbly.
Step 3: Fill the Muffin Cups
Fill each muffin liner about one-third full with batter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar mixture, then add more batter. Top with the remaining cinnamon sugar and gently swirl with a toothpick.
Step 4: Add the Streusel
Sprinkle the streusel evenly over each muffin, gently pressing it into the batter so it stays in place while baking.
Step 5: Bake and Glaze
Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before drizzling with the optional vanilla glaze.
Variations
- Add chopped pecans or walnuts to the streusel. Makes it so good!
- Stir mini chocolate chips into the batter for a bit of a chocolate kick.
- Add diced apples for an apple coffee cake muffin recipe instead. I actually love this so much!
- Swap the vanilla glaze with some simple powdered sugar.
Storing and Freezing
- To store: Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Freeze the muffins without the glaze in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
Common Questions
Coffee cake gets its name because it’s traditionally served with coffee, not because it contains coffee.
Definitely! Chopped pecans or walnuts are delicious mixed into the streusel or sprinkled on top.
Absolutely. They’re perfect for meal prep and stay moist for several days.
No. The muffins are delicious without it, but the vanilla glaze gives them a more bakery-style finish.
Yes. You can substitute an equal amount of all-purpose flour if you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour.
Common Mistake
Over-mixing the batter: Mix just until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing develops the gluten and can make the muffins dense instead of soft.
Using cold ingredients: Room-temperature eggs, milk, and Greek yogurt blend together more easily and help the muffins bake evenly.
Skipping the cinnamon swirl: The cinnamon sugar layer is what gives these muffins their classic coffee cake flavor, so don’t skip it.
Overbaking the muffins: Start checking for doneness around 18 minutes. Overbaking can dry them out.
Glazing warm muffins: Wait until the muffins have cooled completely so the glaze sets properly rather than melting into the tops.
More Muffins
- Pumpkin Banana Muffins
- Sweet Potato Muffins
- Oatmeal Protein Muffins
- Pistachio Muffins
- Banana Protein Muffins
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Cinnamon Coffee Cake Muffins
Ingredients
For the Muffins
- 1 cup whole wheat flour, or pastry flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt, room temperature
- ⅓ cup honey , or maple syrup
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk of choice, room temperature
For the Cinnamon Sugar Swirl
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
For the Streusel Topping
- ⅓ cup whole wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil
For the Vanilla Glaze: optional
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 2 large eggs, ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt, ⅓ cup honey , ¼ cup avocado oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and ½ cup milk of choice.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ¼ cup light brown sugar and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon for the swirl.
- Prepare the streusel by mixing the ⅓ cup whole wheat flour, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil until crumbly.
- Fill each muffin cup about one-third full with batter. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon sugar mixture over each muffin. Add another layer of batter and top with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture. Gently swirl with a toothpick or skewer.
- Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the tops of each muffin.
- Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the muffins cool completely.
- Whisk together the ½ cup powdered sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, and ½ teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled muffins before serving.
Notes
- Don’t overmix the batter. Stir just until the dry ingredients are incorporated to keep the muffins light and tender.
- For the best streusel texture, mix just until crumbly rather than into a smooth dough.
- Gently press the streusel onto each muffin before baking, so it stays in place.
- Allow the muffins to cool completely before adding the glaze.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
