Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect autumn treat to warm up a cold morning! Soft pumpkin yeast rolls with swirls of cinnamon and spices are topped with a gooey, sweet icing, making these cinnamon rolls irresistibly delicious.
If you want to really show your family how much you love them, make them a batch of warm cinnamon rolls for breakfast or brunch! And if it’s pumpkin spice season, make a pan of these easy and delicious Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls instead.
These seasonal sweet rolls are soft, gently spiced with all the right flavors, and topped with a thick, sweet, cream cheese maple glaze.
There is pure pumpkin mixed right into the dough, which makes them extra tender and melt-in-your-mouth amazing!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you’ve never made cinnamon pumpkin rolls or sticky buns before, you’ll be so happy that you found this recipe!
I’ll explain and break down the steps that you need to take to make these pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and show you that it’s not as hard as you might think!
You’ll need to have a little bit of patience to allow the dough to rise properly, and you should definitely follow along with the recipe and pay attention to each step. They’re all important, but none of them are particularly difficult.
Key Ingredients in Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Here’s what you need to make this tasty fall version of cinnamon buns. There are three parts to the recipe: The dough, the filling, and the frosting.
For the Dough
- Whole Milk: Because we’re working with yeast, it’s important to warm the milk so that it’s between 105° and 115°F. This will “bloom” or wake up the yeast so that it’s active and working for us.
- Yeast: I’ve designed this recipe using instant yeast. Using this type of yeast is a bit of a shortcut and makes the process take less time.
- Pumpkin: You’ll need half a can of pure pumpkin puree for the dough. Be sure not to buy pumpkin pie filling. You can also use homemade pumpkin puree if you have it.
- Butter: Melted unsalted butter adds fat and flavor to the cinnamon roll dough.
- Flour, light brown sugar, an egg, and salt
For the Filling
- Butter: First we’ll spread softened butter over the rolled-out dough. Be sure that your butter is very soft, but not melted for this part.
- Brown Sugar: Light brown sugar adds delicious sweetness.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves go perfectly with pumpkin.
For the Icing
- Cream Cheese: There’s something about the tangy richness of cream cheese frosting and pumpkin desserts. They’re made to go together!
- Powdered Sugar
- Optional Sweetness: Add a bit of maple syrup or honey to the glaze if you prefer it to be extra sweet. Otherwise, you can just use a tablespoon of milk.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Mix the Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk, melted butter, pumpkin puree, egg, brown sugar, and salt. Whisk until combined. Then add the instant yeast and flour.
- Knead: Use the dough hook for your mixer and mix on low speed for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed until all of the flour is mixed in. Then mix on medium speed for 3 more minutes (or knead by hand for 5 minutes), until a soft dough forms.
- First Rise: Grease a bowl with oil (you can use the mixing bowl if you like, just remove the dough and clean the bowl out quickly) and place the dough in it. Cover with the bowl with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Make the filling. While the dough is rising, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Roll the Dough and Add the Filling: On a lightly floured surface, roll the pumpkin dough into a rectangle that is about 14×16 inches. Carefully spread the softened butter over the dough, leaving a small border on the farthest short side. Then sprinkle the sugar and spice mixture over the butter. Press down on the spices gently with your hands so that they stick.
- Roll it Up: Start rolling from the short side that is closest to you. Make sure that the roll is tight and that the final seam is at the bottom. Cut off the ends of the roll and throw them away. (or bake them separately if you like)
- Cut the Rolls: Make 12 even pieces that are about 1 inch wide. It’s best to cut them in a gentle sawing motion so that you don’t squish them.
- Second Rise: Place the cut cinnamon rolls in a greased 9×13-inch pan. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and allow to rise for 45 minutes to an hour at room temperature. They should puff up and be touching each other.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) while the rolls are rising, then bake them for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Remove the pumpkin cinnamon rolls from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes while you make the icing.
Tip!
Don’t overbake the cinnamon rolls! If you bake them for too long, they dough will be tough and dry.
Frosting For Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Mix softened cream cheese and maple syrup (or milk) with a hand mixer until smooth. Then mix in the powdered sugar.
- The frosting should be thick, but not too thick. If needed, add a few drops of milk or extra maple syrup to get the right consistency.
- Spread the frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls just before serving.
Cinnamon Roll Recipe Tips
- Plan Ahead. You’ll need about 3 hours to make this recipe, including hands-off time for the dough to rise.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make the dough by hand. Use a whisk and a spatula to mix the ingredients together, then knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface.
- Don’t squish the rolls. You’ll want to be careful when slicing the cinnamon rolls. A good serrated knife works well, as does a sharp kitchen knife used in a sawing motion. You can even use unflavored dental floss to cut the dough!
- Add toppings! Chopped walnuts or pecans are delicious on these cinnamon rolls.
Storing Tips
These cinnamon rolls with pumpkin are going to be the most delicious if they are eaten shortly after they’ve been baked and frosted.
If by some chance there are leftovers, store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Enjoy them cold, or gently reheat them before eating.
To Make Cinnamon Buns with Regular Yeast
If you’d like to use Active Dry Yeast instead of Instant in this recipe, you can! They can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio. There’s just a bit of a change in how you should mix the ingredients.
With active dry yeast, you should first add the yeast to the warm milk in a bowl. Stir gently and allow the mixture to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, or until foamy.
Then, add the rest of the dough ingredients to the yeast and continue on as directed in the recipe.
You may find that the first rise takes a bit longer too, so keep that in mind.
More Sweet Brunch Recipes
These are the best pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and you’re sure to have success with this easy recipe. Don’t forget to pin the recipe, and to pick up some pumpkin on your next shopping trip!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe Video
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
- Stand mixer with a dough hook
Ingredients
For The Rolls:
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk warm between 105° and 115°F (40° and 46°C)
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup (212 g) pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons (25 g) light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast
- 3 ¾ cups (450 g) all purpose flour
For The Filling:
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter softened
For The Icing:
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese softened
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey, or milk
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine milk, melted butter, pumpkin puree, egg, brown sugar, and salt. Whisk until combined.
- Add in the instant yeast and flour. Use the dough hook and mix on low speed for 1 minute. If you see flour on the sides, stop and scrape it down with a spatula. Then mix on medium speed for 3 more minutes. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand for about 5 minutes.
- First Rise: Grease a bowl with oil (vegetable, avocado, or canola oil works). Put the dough in the bowl and cover it with a towel or plastic wrap. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
- Make the Filling: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside. Also, grease a 9×13-inch pan with some of the softened butter (or line it with parchment paper).
- Shape the Rolls: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 14×16 inch rectangle (35×45 cm). Spread the softened butter all over the dough, but leave a small ¼ inch border on the far (and short) sides. Sprinkle your sugar and spice mix over the butter and press it down lightly with your hands.
- Roll up the dough starting from the 14-inch side. Make sure the roll is tight and the seam is at the bottom. Cut off about an inch from both ends and throw them away. Now cut the roll into 12 equal 1-inch pieces.
- Second Rise: Place the cinnamon rolls into the prepared pan, cover with a towel (or plastic wrap) and allow to rise at room temperature for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) or 160°C if using a fan oven, then bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 minutes or until lightly golden. You don’t want to overbake these, as they can become tough and dry. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool for 10 minutes before applying the icing.
- To make the icing, in a bowl, combine cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (or honey, or milk) and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, and slowly beat again until combined, then increase the speed and beat until smooth. Spread the icing on the cinnamon rolls and serve.
Notes:
- Plan ahead. You’ll need about 3 hours to make this recipe, including hands-off time for the dough to rise.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can make the dough by hand. Use a whisk and a spatula to mix the ingredients together, then knead the dough by hand on a lightly floured surface.
- Don’t squish the rolls. You’ll want to be careful when slicing the cinnamon rolls. A good serrated knife works well, as does a sharp kitchen knife used in a sawing motion. You can even use unflavored dental floss to cut the dough!
- Add toppings! Chopped walnuts or pecans are delicious on these cinnamon rolls.
- Store: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Leave a Review!