Bakery-Style Sweet Potato Streusel Muffins

Hey friend!

I’ve got a recipe that I think you’re really going to love: Bakery-Style Sweet Potato Muffins with Streusel. 

Seriously, these muffins are everything—delicious, tender, earthy, and topped with a buttery, crunchy streusel that’ll make your kitchen smell amazing. 

You can use roasted sweet potato or pumpkin puree (if you prefer). Either way, they come out perfectly moist and packed with fall flavors like cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. I promise, they’re easy to make (no mixer required!) and even easier to devour. 

Let’s get baking, shall we?

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Shopping List- Bakery-Style Sweet Potato Streusel Muffins

Produce:

• Sweet potatoes (or canned pumpkin puree)

Baking Staples:

• All-purpose flour

• Baking soda

• Baking powder

• White granulated sugar (organic or vegan-friendly)

• Dark brown sugar (organic or vegan-friendly)

• Powdered sugar (organic or vegan-friendly)

• Cinnamon

• Pumpkin pie spice

• Kosher salt (or table salt)

• Pure vanilla extract

Pantry:

• Neutral oil (e.g., avocado, grapeseed, or vegetable oil)

Refrigerated Items:

• Unsalted vegan butter

• Plant milk (plain, unsweetened)

Equipment Needed

• Mixing bowls (at least 2)

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Digital kitchen scale (optional, but recommended)

• Whisk

• Rubber spatula

• Muffin tin(s)

• Muffin liners or non-stick spray

• Ice cream scoop or large spoon

• Wire cooling rack

• Parchment-lined baking sheet (for sweet potatoes)

• Microwave or small pot

• Piping bag or spoon (optional, for icing)

Streusel Topping

Using melted vegan butter in the streusel makes it easy to form large clumps, ensuring you get that crumbly, sweet topping on every bite.

Key Tips for Making the Best Bakery-Style Sweet Potato Streusel Muffins

Roasted Sweet Potato Adds Natural Sweetness and Moisture

• Roasting the sweet potatoes enhances their natural sweetness, making these muffins moist and flavorful. For those who love a subtle, earthy sweetness, these muffins are a perfect match!

1. Versatile Recipe: Use Sweet Potato or Pumpkin Puree

• If you don’t have sweet potatoes on hand, pumpkin puree is an excellent substitute, offering a similar texture and fall-inspired flavor. I highly recommend using Libby’s pumpkin puree for the best taste—its rich, consistent flavor sets it apart from other brands.

2. Streusel Topping Tips for Extra Crunch

• For a bakery-style streusel topping, let the crumb mixture sit out for a few minutes before adding it to the muffin batter. This allows it to dry slightly, resulting in a crispier, more pronounced crumb when baked.

3. The Perfect Bake: Start High, Then Go Low

• To achieve those classic bakery-style domed muffin tops, start by baking at a high temperature (425°F/220°C) for the first 5 minutes. Then lower the heat to 350°F (175°C) for the remainder of the baking time. This trick helps the muffins rise quickly and creates a crisp top with a tender inside.

4. Ensure Your Brown Sugar is Soft

• Soft brown sugar is essential for fully incorporating into the wet ingredients and dissolving properly in the muffin batter. This ensures even sweetness and a consistent texture throughout the muffins. If the brown sugar is too hard, it won’t mix well, leading to lumps and uneven sweetness. If you find that your brown sugar has hardened, you can soften it quickly by microwaving it. Place the brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl, cover it with a damp paper towel, and microwave in 10-second intervals until it’s soft. Alternatively, you can seal it in a plastic bag with a slice of bread or an apple slice for a few hours to help it absorb moisture and soften.

5. Make It Gluten-Free

• These sweet potato muffins can easily be made gluten-free by substituting the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour blend. Ensure the blend includes xanthan gum for the best texture.

6. Adjust the Sweetness to Your Taste

• If your sweet potato is extra sweet and you’d like a less sweet muffin, you can reduce the granulated sugar to 100-125g (½ cup). This won’t compromise the muffin’s structure, and the natural sweetness of the sweet potato will still shine through. Just a heads up—it may be slightly less moist, as sugar does contribute to moisture in baked goods, but since the recipe still has a little bit of brown sugar, it should be fine.

7. Use Melted Butter in Streusel for Easy Clumps

• Using melted vegan butter in the streusel makes it easy to form large clumps, ensuring you get that crumbly, sweet topping on every bite.

8. Why Salt is Important in Sweet Recipes

• People often wonder why salt is needed in sweet recipes. Salt plays a crucial role in enhancing sweetness, balancing flavors, and strengthening the gluten structure in bread for a better texture. It brings out the natural flavors of ingredients, making these muffins more complex and delicious. If you’re using table salt instead of kosher salt, consider reducing the amount by ¼ to ½, as table salt is typically saltier than kosher salt. If you want to reduce your salt intake, you can also cut the amount by half, but know that you may compromise some of the flavor.

9. Ideal for Breakfast, Brunch, or a Sweet Snack

• These bakery-style sweet potato muffins are versatile and work well for breakfast, brunch gatherings, or a cozy afternoon snack. Pair them with coffee, chai, or a tall glass of plant-based milk for a delightful treat!

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Bakery-Style Muffin Tops

To achieve those classic bakery-style domed muffin tops, start by baking at a high temperature (425°F/220°C) for the first 5 minutes. Then lower the heat to 350°F (175°C) for the remainder of the baking time. This trick helps the muffins rise quickly and creates a crisp top with a tender inside.

INGREDIENTS:

Muffins:

• 313g (1 ¼ cup) roasted sweet potato (about 2 medium-sized) or pumpkin puree

• 255g (2 cups + 2 tbsp) all-purpose flour

• ½ tsp baking soda

• 1 ½ tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

• 1 tsp fine kosher salt

• 150g (¾ cup) white sugar (organic or vegan-friendly)

• 50g (¼ cup) brown sugar (preferably dark, organic or vegan-friendly)

• 75ml (5 tbsp) neutral oil

• 120ml (½ cup) plant milk (plain, unsweetened)

• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Streusel Topping:

• 150g (1 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour

• 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar

• ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice

• pinch fine kosher salt

• 85g (6 tbsp) unsalted vegan butter, melted

Icing:

• 45g (6 tbsp) powdered sugar

• 2 tsp plant milk

• 1 ½ tsp. unsalted vegan butter, melted

• ⅛ tsp vanilla extract

• pinch kosher salt

DIRECTIONS:

1.Prep:

Roast the Sweet Potatoes:

• Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Poke the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast for 45-60 minutes or until soft. Let them cool completely, then scoop out the flesh and lightly mash with a fork.

Prepare Ingredients:

• Bring your plant milk to room temperature. Spray your muffin tin with oil (or line with muffin cups).

2.Make the Streusel:

Combine Streusel Ingredients:

• In a medium bowl, combine the 150g (1 ¼ cups) flour, 100g (½ cup) granulated sugar, ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice, and ⅛ tsp salt.

Add Melted Vegan Butter:

• Pour 85g (6 tbsp) of melted vegan butter over the dry ingredients and mix until large clumps form.

Set Aside:

• Allow the streusel to sit at room temperature while you make the muffin batter to dry out a bit, enhancing the crunchy topping.

3.Make the Muffins:

Preheat the Oven:

• Preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C).

Combine Wet Ingredients:

• In a medium-size mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients-flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and kosher salt. Stir until combined and set aside.

• In a large mixing bowl, add the roasted sweet potato (or pumpkin), white sugar, brown sugar, neutral oil, plant milk, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth and well combined.

Add Dry Ingredients:

• Add the dry ingredients to the wet in thirds and gently stir with a spatula until the ingredients are just combined and there are no dry spots. Be careful not to overmix.

4.Assemble and Bake:

Fill Muffin Tins:

• Evenly divide the batter between the 12 muffin cups (or 6 jumbo cups) in the prepared tin.

Add Streusel Topping:

• Break up the streusel mixture slightly and sprinkle evenly over the tops of each muffin, covering well.

Bake the Muffins:

• Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 5 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F (175°C) and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes for regular-sized muffins, or 18-22 minutes for jumbo muffins, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool:

• Let the muffins cool in the tin for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes.

5.Make the Icing:

Combine Icing Ingredients:

• While the muffins cool, whisk together the powdered sugar, plant milk, melted butter, vanilla extract, and kosher salt until smooth. Adjust the thickness by adding more powdered sugar or plant milk as needed.

Drizzle Icing:

• Once the muffins have cooled, drizzle the icing over the tops with a spoon or a small piping bag.

Enjoy:

• Let the icing set for a few minutes, then enjoy your sweet potato or pumpkin muffins!