The coziest baked good of all: Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins! Tender, flavorful, buttery, perfectly sweet. Filled with cream cheese, studded with strawberries, swirled with strawberry jam and topped with the most delicious lemon crumble. They’re easy to make and are perfect for breakfast, brunch, a snack, or dessert!

ABOUT THESE STRAWBERRY MUFFINS
Muffins are my favorite coffee shop treat. The only thing I love more is making muffins at home because they are amazing when fresh and warm from the oven! I used my Lemon Blueberry Muffin recipe as the basis for this recipe.
I thought I nailed this Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffin recipe on the first try. They were really good, but my husband (and main taste tester) and I decided they needed a little something extra. This final version is incredible!
WHAT MAKES THEM SPECIAL?
These muffins are delicious from top to bottom. They feature a delicious strawberry batter, a creamy cheesecake filling and the most delicious lemon crumble on top!
DELICIOUS STRAWBERRY BATTER
The egg, melted butter and buttermilk give these muffins their soft texture. The batter is flavored with lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract and cinnamon. As for the strawberry flavor? We stir in both chopped strawberries and strawberry jam!
I can’t talk about strawberry desserts without mention these Strawberry Filled Cupcakes with Fresh Strawberry Buttercream. Each cupcake has a whole strawberry baked inside! These Roasted Strawberry Crumb Bars are also a delicious treat for anyone who loves strawberries and lemon together!

CREAMY CHEESECAKE FILLING
Each muffin is baked with a heaping spoonful of cheesecake filling inside. It’s made with cream cheese, an egg yolk and vanilla and adds so much creaminess the these muffins! For another treat with a delicious cheesecake filling, you’ll love these Red Velvet Oreo Brownies. My Butterscotch Cream Cheese Cupcakes are topped with a similar rich, cream cheese mixture!
CRISPY LEMON CRUMBLE
These strawberry cheesecake muffins are baked at 400 which gives them a perfect rise and perfect muffin tops! Each muffin to is coated with a delicious, buttery lemon streusel. The tops have the perfect crunch and are amazing in contrast with the softness of the muffins.

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTES
Writing this recipe during social distancing days, I want to offer some substitutes and variations so that you wouldn’t need to make a trip to the store for something. I’ve made several variations of these muffins and each batch was delicious! Below are some options. Feel free to use what you have/like:
- SUGAR: Use white or light or brown sugar or a combination.
- STRAWBERRIES: This recipe calls for one cup of fresh chopped strawberries. You can also use frozen blueberries. Don’t thaw them beforehand and keep in mind you might need to bake the muffins for a few extra minutes if using frozen strawberries.
- BUTTERMILK: Buttermilk adds a delicious, slightly tangy flavor, and a moist, tender texture to muffins. No need to make a trip to the store for buttermilk! Just substitute the buttermilk for the same amount of plain, full fat yogurt or whole milk and the muffins will still turn out great!
- BUTTER: I prefer unsalted but salted can be used.
- MUFFIN LINERS: If you’re like me and are out of paper cupcake liners, just grease the muffin tin really well.


HOW TO MAKE THE CRUMBLE TOPPING
It’s a good idea to mix the topping up first and put it in the fridge while you make the batter. To make it, just mix together the flour, melted butter, sugar, and lemon zest. Use a spoon or your hands to mix it all up. I like to leave some bits smaller and some a little chunkier as in the picture above.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
No, they will form the most delicious muffin tops! Fill the liners with the batter.
You’ll most likely need to use your hands to “stick” it on or make sure you get the crumble evenly distributed to all sides of the muffins.
One way to check is to stick a toothpick into the center of one. If it comes out clean (i.e. without any wet crumbs), then they’re done.
Another way to check is to press a muffin lightly with your finger. If it springs back, they’re done.

MORE DELICIOUS MUFFINS TO TRY
There are so many other delicious strawberry cheesecake muffin recipes out there I can’t way to try! I can’t wait to try the brown sugar streusel on these Strawberry Cheesecake Muffins by Sally’s Baking Blog! These Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins from Savory Experiments are also on my must bake list!



Hope these Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins add some warmth and love to your homes and your day! Enjoy them warm, at room temperature and at any time of the day or year!
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Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 27 minutes
- Total Time: 52 minutes
- Yield: 10 muffins 1x
- Category: Muffins
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins are an easy, delicious treat! They’re tender, flavorful, buttery, and perfectly sweet.
Ingredients
THE STREUSEL
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- zest of half a lemon
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE
- 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 egg yok, room temperature
- 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
FOR THE MUFFINS
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (plain yogurt or whole milk can be used instead)
- 1 cups fresh strawberries, chopped, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon strawberry jam, divided
Instructions
FOR THE STREUSEL
- Combine the melted butter, flour, sugar, and the lemon zest in a bowl butter in a small bowl. Set aside in the fridge to chill while you prepare the batter.
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE MIXTURE
- Using an electric mixer on medium speed, blend the cream cheese, egg yok, and sugar 1 minutes or until combined and fluffy. Set mixture aside while you prepare the muffin batter.
FOR THE STRAWBERRY MUFFINS
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together until just combined. Set bowl aside.
- To a medium sized bowl, add the melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, eggs, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Stir in 3/4 plus 2 tablespoons of the strawberries and 1/4 cup of the strawberry jam until just combined (be careful not to overmix).
- Scoop a tablespoon of the batter into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Spread the batter so that it covers the bottom of the liner. Spread a rounded tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on top of the cupcake batter. Fill the rest of the cupcake liner with more of the muffin batter until the liners are full. Evenly distribute the streusel on top of each muffin. Gently press the streusel into the batter so it sticks. Stick a few bits of strawberries and a drizzle a little bit of the reserved tablespoon of jam on top of each cupcake. Bake 23-27 minutes or until a toothpick comes out without wet crumbs when inserted in the middle of a muffin.
- Let cool in tin for 10 minutes then transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool completely.
Keywords: muffin, streusel, lemon, breakfast, dessert, strawberry, strawberries, cream cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, muffins
These muffins look so good! My kids would adore these!
Thank you so much Amanda! I hope you and your kids get to enjoy them 🙂
These were crazy delicious!!! Although made mine with raspberries- the texture was perfect. Good the next day!
★★★★★
Hey Devon, Thank you so much for making these muffins! I’m so happy you enjoyed them! 🙂 Natalie