Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Fluffy pumpkin cinnamon rolls are a perfect fall version of your favorite homemade cinnamon rolls. Made with real pumpkin in the dough, filled with a gooey pumpkin spice cinnamon filling, and topped with a maple cream cheese frosting, these definitely hit the spot on a chilly fall day.

Ingredients

The ingredients for these rolls are pretty straightforward and simple. However, I do have a few notes that will help you to make these the best cinnamon rolls ever, so it’s worth reading!

• Whole Milk – When mixed with yeast, warmed milk helps the yeast to bloom. It also makes for extra moist cinnamon rolls.
• Granulated sugar – This is needed to add the element of sweetness to our pumpkin cinnamon roll dough.
• Yeast – Yeast is what gives these cinnamon rolls the perfect rise. Use active dry yeast or instant yeast.
• Pumpkin puree – Without the pumpkin, these would just be regular cinnamon rolls. Make sure you’re using homemade pumpkin puree (and not pumpkin pie filling!)
• Unsalted butter – I always use unsalted butter when baking because I like to control exactly how much salt goes into my recipes.
• Egg – We need one egg to help bind everything together.
• Bread flour – You can use all-purpose flour, but bread flour has a higher protein content, which helps to develop more gluten in the dough. This lightens the cinnamon roll texture and results in soft and fluffy rolls. It’s worth it — trust me!
• Salt – Just a pinch of salt helps to make all of the flavors stand out.
• Dark brown sugar – I like the robust molasses flavor of dark brown sugar, but if all you have is light, that will work too.
• Pumpkin pie spice – This adds just a little more pumpkin flavor to our cinnamon rolls. It blends well with the brown sugar to make the best filling ever!
• Cream cheese – I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for a cream cheese frosting, especially when it comes to cinnamon rolls.
• Powdered sugar – Mixed with cream cheese, powdered sugar gives the perfect balance of sweetness to our frosting and makes it silky smooth.
• Maple syrup – This is optional, but if you love warm fall flavors as much as I do, try adding a bit of maple syrup to your frosting. It makes all the difference!

Variations

I love these rolls just as they are, but there are a few ways to switch up their flavor profile.

• Extract – If you want a really pronounced maple flavor in your frosting, add ¼ teaspoon of maple extract in addition. Or use almond extract for a nutty flavor.
• Topping – Swap out the cream cheese frosting for a powdered sugar glaze. Or, drizzle the rolls with a bit of melted chocolate or caramel or sprinkle some nutmeg over top.

How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These perfect cinnamon rolls are no different to make than regular homemade cinnamon rolls, except for the addition of the pumpkin puree. For the full set of directions, make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below:

Make the Dough

1. Warm the milk. Start by heating the milk until it reaches about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature is important because you don’t want it to be too hot or it could kill the yeast. It is similar to scalded milk.
2. Bloom the yeast. Combine the warm milk, white sugar, and yeast in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Allow it to bloom for 5 minutes or until frothy. You should be able to smell the yeast.
3. Add wet ingredients. Stir in the pumpkin puree, egg, and melted butter until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.
4. Add dry ingredients. Next, stir in the bread flour and salt until a rough dough begins to form.
5. Mix or knead. Mix on low speed in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook until a ball of dough forms. It should be slightly tacky to the touch but not really stick to your fingers. Don’t overmix or your rolls will turn out tough. You can also knead by hand, but this takes some muscle.
6. Allow dough to rise. Move the dough to a large greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel, and allow it to sit in a draft-free warm place for 1 hour. Let the dough rise until it has doubled.

Mix the Filling

1. Combine. Simply whisk together the brown sugar and the spices in a small bowl until combined and set aside for later.

Assemble the Rolls

1. Roll out dough. Once your dough has doubled, transfer it to a well-floured counter and roll out to a large rectangle using a rolling pin. If it starts to stick, add a little bit more flour.
2. Spread butter. Use your hands to gently spread the softened butter over the dough.
3. Add filling. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the softened butter, and use your hands to gently press/rub the spice mixture into the butter. 
4. Roll and seal. Roll the dough up into a tight spiral, also known as jelly roll style, starting with the longest edge and continuing until the entire dough is rolled up in a tube. Press the seam gently to help seal it, and then place it seam side down.
5. Slice. Gently cut off the very ends of the roll on either side (where there might not be as much filling and the dough is uneven). Then cut rolls into 12 equal pieces. Some folks like to use a pastry cutter, others dental floss, but I use a sharp knife. You can gently reform into perfect circles after cutting so they don’t look smooshed.
6. Cover and let it rise. Place each roll onto the prepared baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow it to rise for 30 minutes in a warm spot on the counter.

Baking

1. Bake. Remove the towel and plastic wrap from the baking dish and place it in the preheated oven. Bake until the rolls are cooked through and golden brown on top.
2. Cool. Allow the rolls to cool before frosting.

Cream Cheese Icing

1. Combine. Blend together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and salt until it is smooth and blended.
2. Frost. When the rolls are mostly cool, evenly coat them with the frosting.
3. Serve. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Common Questions About Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Storage

If you have some leftovers and need to reheat them, you can reheat them in the microwave for about 5 to 10 seconds to reheat and soften as desired.

Make Ahead

You can place the pumpkin cinnamon rolls in the fridge overnight to bake the next day instead of doing the second rise. Place the rolls in the prepared dish, cover with plastic wrap, and immediately place in the fridge. The next day, allow the rolls to come to room temperature for about 30 minutes while you preheat the oven.

Refrigerator

Store the pumpkin cinnamon rolls in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.

Freezer

Wrap the rolls tightly with saran wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are pillowly made with real pumpkin and gooey filling, and topped with a maple cream cheese frosting!

Prep Time: 12 hours hrs

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings: 12

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Equipment

• Heat Resistant Rubber Spatula
• Electric Hand Mixer
• Serrated Knife
• 9×13 Baking Dish

Ingredients

Dough

• ¾ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 ¼ teaspoon active yeast
• ¾ cup pumpkin puree
• ¼ cup unsalted butter , melted and cooled
• 1 egg
• 4 cups bread flour
• ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

Filling

• ⅔ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 ½ tablespoons pumpkin pie spice mix
• ¼ cup unsalted butter , room temperature

Frosting

• 4 ounces cream cheese , room temperature
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter , room temperature
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

Make the dough

• In a microwave safe bowl, heat the milk for 45 seconds, until about 110°F.
• Add the warmed milk, sugar, and yeast to the bowl of the electric mixer and stir gently to combine. Allow to sit for 5 minutes or until frothy and you can smell the yeast.
• Add in the pumpkin puree, egg, and melted butter to the yeast mixture and stir until it is smooth and creamy.
• Using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the bread flour and salt until a rough dough begins to form.
• Place the dough hook on the electric mixer and mix on low speed for 8-10 minutes, or until the dough forms a ball around the hook. It should be slightly tacky to the touch but not really stick to your fingers.
• Transfer the dough to a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow to sit in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Mix the filling

• In a small mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar and the spices until combined. Set aside.

Assemble the rolls

• Grease a 9×13 sized baking pan and set aside.
• Transfer the dough to a well floured counter and roll out to a rectangle about 14”x 16”, with the longest section running parallel to the counter.
• Use your hands to gently spread the softened butter over the dough, leaving about ¼” of the edge. You want the dough evenly coated, but be gentle not to smash the dough.
• Sprinkle the filling mixture evenly over the softened butter, and use your hands to gently press/rub the spice mixture into the butter.
• Tightly roll the dough up into a spiral, starting with the longest edge closest to you and continuing until the entire dough is rolled up in a tube.
• Gently press the seam to help seal it, and then place it seam side down on the counter.
• Use a serrated knife to gently cut off the very ends of the roll on either side (where there might not be as much filling and the dough is uneven). You don’t need to cut off much, just to even the roll up.
• Use a serrated knife to cleanly cut each piece. Use a sharp, serrated knife and gently slice each piece in one fluid motion so you don’t squash your rolls. I like to pre-measure by making indents before I actually slice.
• Place each roll into the prepared baking dish.
• Cover the dish with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and allow it to rise for 30 minutes in a warm spot on the counter.

Baking

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Remove the towel and plastic wrap from the baking dish.
• Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the rolls are cooked through and golden brown on top.
• Cool for 10 to 15 minutes before frosting.

Frosting

• In a medium mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to blend together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup and salt until it is smooth and blended.
• When the rolls are mostly cool, evenly coat with the frosting.
• If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings!

Nutrition

Calories: 396 kcal, Carbohydrates: 57 g, Protein: 8 g, Fat: 16 g, Saturated Fat: 9 g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g, Trans Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 53 mg, Sodium: 196 mg, Potassium: 172 mg, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 24 g, Vitamin A: 2881 IU, Vitamin C: 1 mg, Calcium: 65 mg, Iron: 1 mg

Author: Jenni Ward

Calories: 396

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: homemade cinnamon rolls, pumpkin cinnamon rolls

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