Fluffy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
These homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls are sweet, soft, and gooey with amazing flavor. There is pumpkin puree in both the dough and the filling and plenty of warming spices.
Bursting with pumpkin flavor, this pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe serves as the perfect weekend breakfast.
The dough for these fluffy pumpkin cinnamon rolls is lightly enriched with egg, milk, and butter for great flavor and texture. It’s a soft dough that’s fairly easy to work with by hand, too if you don’t have a mixer.
Whether you’re a fan of pumpkin sweet rolls or classic cinnamon rolls, this easy pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe is bound to impress.
The dough can be made ahead of time and refrigerated for the first rise. This will increase the flavor and give you some wiggle room when you want to bake the rolls. After the cold rise overnight, the delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls can be shaped and rise for the second time before being baked.
Ingredients
Find the full recipe amounts for this pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post, but here is a run-down of what you will need.
- All-purpose flour. A strong all-purpose flour with a protein level of at least 11%. You can use bread flour too.
- Yeast. Active dry yeast or instant dry yeast. The yeast used in this recipe can be instant yeast or active dried yeast. Instant yeast will rise faster than active dried yeast. Whichever one you use, it needs to be viable. Usually, the instant yeast sachets are pretty foolproof, but sometimes active dried yeast can lose viability.
- Granulated sugar. There is a little sugar in these rolls which complements the spices and the pumpkin flavor.
- Soft brown sugar – For the filling.
- Pumpkin puree – You can use canned or make your own homemade pumpkin puree. This will be used in the cinnamon roll dough and also the filling.
- Spices – ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Or use a ready-made pumpkin pie spice mix.
- A large egg – If you want to make these egg-free you could substitute the egg with around 3 tablespoons of extra milk. However, they won’t be quite as tender.
- Salt.
- Whole milk.
- Butter. Salted or unsalted butter, just enough to bring some richness. It should be softened to room temperature.
- Cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla for the frosting. You could go an extra step and make brown butter cream cheese frosting!
Equipment
You will need a 9×13-inch baking dish for these delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
A stand mixer is helpful, but the dough can be made by hand.
Method
In a small saucepan, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C and pour the warm milk into a bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy; if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.
Add the flour, salt, pumpkin puree, spices, and egg to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix on low speed to form a thick dough.
Add in the softened butter, a few cubes at a time.
Keep mixing on medium speed for around 10-12 minutes until the soft dough is smooth and strong, and it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand for 10-15 minutes. If you need a break, take it. The dough responds well to resting time.
First rise
Once kneaded, form the dough into a smooth ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover.
Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around about 1- 1 1/2 hours. The exact time the dough rises will depend on your room temperature.
If making the dough ahead of time, it can instead be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 16 hours, where it will rise more slowly.
The filling
Add the remaining pumpkin puree to a mixing bowl. Dab a paper towel over it to remove the excess moisture.
Next, add in the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and beat it together into a sticky paste.
Shaping
Punch down the risen dough and pull it from the bowl onto a well-floured work surface. If the dough has come from the fridge, it will be very stiff.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 12×18 inch (30x45cm) large rectangle. Spread the dough with the pumpkin filling, leaving a 1-inch border.
Roll the dough up from the long side into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces using unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife. If the filling is too soft, you can place the log in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing.
Place the rolls in a parchment paper lined pan and let them rise in a warm spot until doubled in size – around 45-60 minutes depending on room temperature.
Baking and frosting
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
Bake the buns for around 25-28 minutes until golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the buns loosely with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl beat the cream cheese in a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the butter and beat again. Next, add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Beat it together until creamy. Spread the frosting over the still-warm rolls.
Serving and storing
Serve the pumpkin rolls while still warm. On the following days, they can be reheated gently in the microwave.
Leftover pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Related recipes
For more cinnamon roll recipes or pumpkin recipes, check out these!
Gooey Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
These homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls are sweet, soft, and gooey with amazing flavor.
Ingredients
Dough
- 180g (¾ cup) whole milk
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 500g (4 cups*) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 170g (¾ cup) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 55g (4 Tablespoons) butter softened to room temperature
Filling
- 113g (1/2 cup) pumpkin puree
- 113g (1/2 cup) butter, softened to room temperature
- 100g (1/2 cup) Soft brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cream cheese frosting
- 113g (4oz) cream cheese, room temperature
- 30g (2 Tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature
- 120g (1 cup) confectioners sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-3 Tablespoons milk as needed
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, warm the milk to around 95-104°F / 35-40°C and pour the warm milk into a bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle yeast and sugar over the milk. If using active dry yeast, let this sit for around 5-10 minutes until it becomes foamy; if using instant yeast, this step can be skipped.
- Add the flour, salt, pumpkin puree, spices, and egg to the yeast mixture. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook attachment and mix to form a thick dough.
- Add in the softened butter a few cubes at a time.
- Keep mixing on medium speed for around 10-12 minutes until the soft dough is smooth and strong and it pulls away cleanly from the sides of the bowl. Alternatively, knead the dough by hand for 10-15 minutes. If you need a break, take it. The dough responds well to resting time.
First rise
- Once kneaded, form the dough into a smooth ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, around 1- 1 1/2 hours. The exact time the dough rises will depend on your room temperature.
- If making the dough ahead of time, it can be covered tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 16 hours, which will rise more slowly.
The filling
- Add the remaining pumpkin puree to a mixing bowl. Dab a paper towel over it to remove the excess moisture.
- Mix the softened butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon into a sticky paste.
Shaping
- Punch down the risen dough and pull it from the bowl onto a well-floured work surface. If the dough has come from the fridge, it will be very stiff.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a 12x18 inch (30x45cm) large rectangle. Spread the dough with the pumpkin filling, leaving a 1-inch border. Roll the dough up from the long side into a log. Cut the log into 12 equal pieces using unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife. If the filling is too soft, place the log in the fridge for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Place the rolls in a parchment paper lined pan and let them rise in a warm spot until doubled in size - around 45-60 minutes, depending on room temperature.
Baking and frosting
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Bake the buns for 25-28 minutes until golden brown. If they are browning too fast, you can cover the top of the buns loosely with aluminum foil.
- In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add in the butter. powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. Beat it together until creamy. Spread the frosting over the still-warm rolls with an offset spatula.
- Serve the pumpkin rolls while still warm. On the following days, they can be reheated gently in the microwave.
Notes
*The cup sizes given are US sized cups. Note thatthese are smaller than metric cups. For best results use grams
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 420Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 288mgCarbohydrates: 59gFiber: 3gSugar: 24gProtein: 7g
This is an informational estimate only. I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist
This was the best recipe I’ve ever had for cinnamon rolls that actually came out right and rised!!! I am so happy with this recipe, thank you so much!!!
So happy that you loved these Ayla!! Thank you 🙂
I just so happen to be making pumpkin cinnamon rolls for a client today and might use this recipe instead of my usually milk bread variation. What is the * for next to your 4cups flour measurement?
Hey Meiko that’s for a note I add usually but forgot to this time to say the recipe the cup sizes mentioned are US sized cups and that these are smaller than metric cups. For best results use grams 🙂