Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

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By: Diana Posted: 11/1/23

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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.

swirled pumpkin flavored cinnamon rolls with icing.

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!

a 9x13 glass baking dish with 12 pumpkin cinnamon rolls, covered in icing.

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.

The ingredients needed to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls from scratch

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

wet ingredients for pumpkin cinnamon rolls in the bowl of a stand mixer.

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.

oiled pumpkin yeast dough in a mixing bowl, before the first rise.

dough for pumpkin cinnamon rolls after the first rise.

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.

cinnamon dough rolled out into a rectangle. Butter is spread over it.

Cinnamon topping added to pumpkin cinnamon roll dough

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.

pumpkin cinnamon rolls, after second rise

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.

baked pumpkin cinnamon rolls, before 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

icing for cinnamon rolls in a bowl with a mixer.

thin, drizzling weight icing for 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.

a homemade pumpkin cinnamon roll on a small dessert plate.

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.