These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are made with soft and tender pumpkin dough, gooey cinnamon sugar swirl and velvety cream cheese frosting. Serve with a mug of hot coffee for the coziest fall breakfast.
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Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Try and name a better smell than coffee and freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning - we’ll wait. This recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls is the ultimate fall comfort food for a chilly fall breakfast. They are rich in pumpkin flavor, thanks to real pumpkin puree mixed right into the dough. It’s paired up with a classic cinnamon sugar swirl and topped with our favorite cream cheese frosting.
If you want to go crazy, swap out the cinnamon in the filling for pumpkin pie spice. You can also make a seasonal cream cheese frosting by replacing some of the powdered sugar with maple syrup.
Something else that we love about these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls is that they are perfect for making ahead of time. See below for instructions on how to make them the day before or even up to a month in advance. Enjoy!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Ingredients
Dough
- Water - you want this to be lukewarm to help activate the yeast. You can also substitute milk, warming it to no more than 115 degrees F.
- Sugar - we use white granulated sugar for the dough, or you could certainly use the same amount of honey instead.
- Yeast - this recipe calls for active dry yeast which must be activated, or “proofed.” It comes in a few different sized packages - a small envelope, a small jar or a large 1 pound air-sealed package.
- Butter - you want the butter to be either melted, or incredibly soft. You could also use avocado oil if you’d like.
- Pumpkin Puree - canned pumpkin puree works great. It’s quick, easy and available at the grocery store. If you have the time and desire, you can also make your own Homemade Pumpkin Puree using our easy recipe.
- Eggs - any kind of large eggs will do. It helps if they have come to room temperature, but don’t worry if you forget. You can also run them under warm water while they are still in the shells. The eggs help with rising and the fats in the yolk help keep the dough tender and light.
- Salt - you can use regular sea salt or table salt, but I like to use pink Himalayan sea salt in my baking. It has extra vitamins and minerals in it that regular table salt doesn’t have.
- Flour - we like to use all-purpose flour, but you can also substitute bread flour if you would like.
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- Butter - this should be melted or incredibly soft.
- Brown Sugar - you can use either dark or light brown sugar, keeping in mind that dark brown sugar has a more intense molasses flavor.
- Cinnamon - any kind of ground cinnamon.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Butter - make sure your butter is at room temperature so that it will mix well with the other ingredients.
- Cream Cheese - you’ll want your cream cheese to be at room temperature, too!
- Powdered Sugar - any type will work.
- Vanilla Extract - pure vanilla extract tastes best.
- Milk - this can be room temperature or cool.
How to Make This Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Step 1 - Mix The Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir well. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it gets bubbly and activates the yeast.
- Add the melted butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, salt and 3 cups of flour into the yeast mixture, then mix on low using the dough hook for 2 minutes, or until everything is well-mixed.
- Add an additional 2.5 cups of flour, then stir on low to combine. Add up to 1 cup more flour slowly, only until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl. Once all of the flour has been added, continue to knead on low for 3 minutes more.
Step 2 - Let The Dough Rise
- Turn off the mixer and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Step 2 - Roll And Cut The Cinnamon Rolls
- Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface and gently roll the dough into a rectangle that is ½" thick and approximately 24" x 18."
- Using an offset spatula, or knife, carefully spread the butter evenly onto the rolled dough, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the top and pat down gently.
- Starting at either 24" side, roll the dough up evenly making sure to get a nice tight tube, then cut into 1" slices using a very sharp knife or floss.
- Lay the slices ½"-1" apart in a greased 9 x 13" baking pan and cover loosely with a kitchen towel. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for another 30 minutes, or until doubled and touching in the pan.
Step 3 - Make The Cream Cheese Icing
- In an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter and room temperature cream cheese until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer down very low and add 3 cups of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and the vanilla. Mix on low until all the ingredients are combined, then turn the mixer on high again and beat until fluffy.
- Add more powdered sugar and/or milk until you reach your desired consistency.
Step 4 - Bake
- Bake in a preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until the bottom and the top are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and spread the cinnamon roll icing over the tops while they are still warm. Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then serve warm. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
You sure can! You have a few options, actually:
-After you have shaped and cut the cinnamon rolls, wrap the pan in plastic wrap and immediately refrigerate overnight. The next morning, pull the pan out, preheat the oven and bake as directed.
-Make the dough, cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in the fridge overnight. The next day, remove the bowl from the fridge. Let it come up to room temperature, then shape, cut and bake as directed.
-In order to prep these up to 1 month in advance, you can freeze the shaped and cut cinnamon rolls right in the baking dish. Wrap well with 2 layers of plastic, then store for up to 1 month. The night before baking them, transfer the pan to the fridge then pull out as you preheat the oven the morning of.
We like to bake the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls at 350 degrees F. You don’t want to go much higher because you also want to allow them time to rise a bit further during the baking process. If you bake much lower, they will take too long to cook and the filling has a tendency to drip out from inside.
Absolutely! The main thing to keep in mind is that your kneading time will be about double the time it would take if you used an electric mixer. Just be sure that the dough is smooth and elastic and you can make the rest of the way as directed.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: wrap leftover Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: wrap leftover cinnamon rolls in plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 1 month. To thaw, transfer to the fridge overnight.
- To Reheat: for a single portion, you can reheat in the microwave until warm. Otherwise, add the entire pan of rolls back into the oven at 300 degrees for about 10-15 minutes, or until warmed through. Adding an extra dollop of frosting to the cinnamon rolls when reheating makes them even more delicious!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 2 cups Water lukewarm
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
- ½ cup Pumpkin Puree
- 2 Tablespoons Butter melted
- 2 large Eggs
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 5.5-6 cups All-Purpose Flour
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 6 Tablespoons Butter melted
- 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup Butter room temperature
- 4 oz Cream Cheese room temperature
- 3-4 cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the warm water, sugar and yeast and stir well. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it gets bubbly and activates the yeast.
- Add the melted butter, pumpkin puree, eggs, salt and 3 cups of flour into the yeast mixture, then mix on low using the bread hook for 2 minutes, or until everything is well-mixed.
- Add an additional 2.5 cups of flour, then stir on low to combine. Add up to 1 cup more flour slowly, only until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl. Once all of the flour has been added, continue to knead on low for 3 minutes more.
- Turn off the mixer and cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Let the dough rest in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Rolling and Cutting Cinnamon Rolls
- Once the dough has doubled, turn it out onto a floured surface. Form the dough into a small rectangle with your hands. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the dough into a rectangle that is ½" thick and approximately 24" x 18." (Note: depending on the size of your work surface, you may need to divide the dough into 2 portions. If so, you can roll each to about 12" x 18" and still ½" thick.)
- Using an offset spatula, or knife, carefully spread the soft or melted butter evenly onto the rolled dough. Evenly sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the top, then pat down gently.
- Starting at either 24" side, roll the dough up evenly making sure to get a nice tight tube, then cut into 1" slices using a very sharp knife or floss. (Note: we recommend using a ruler and pre-marking before you actually make any cuts.)
- Lay the slices ½"-1" apart in a greased 9 x 13" baking pan and cover loosely with a kitchen towel. Let the cinnamon rolls rise for another 30 minutes, or until doubled and touching in the pan.
- While your dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Once risen, bake in a preheated oven for 18-22 minutes, or until the bottom and the top are golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and spread the cinnamon roll icing over the tops while they are still warm. Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then serve warm. Enjoy!
Cinnamon Roll Icing
- In an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter and room temperature cream cheese until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer down very low and add powdered sugar, and vanilla. Mix on low until all the ingredients are combined, then turn the mixer on high again and beat until fluffy.
- Add more powdered sugar and/or a splash of milk until you reach your desired consistency, then spread a thick layer of frosting over the warm cinnamon rolls, paying close attention to evenly coat the edges.
Nutrition
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These homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are the ultimate fall breakfast comfort food. They're rich and tender, full of pumpkin flavor and topped with silky sweet cream cheese frosting.
Virginia Tyler
Thank you soooooo much for sending me this I want to make these for my Family I’ve just had surgery 1 week ago and haven’t cooked yet but as soon as I can I’m going to make these. I truly LOVE all you do what a great help you are to Homemakers God Uses YOU. ??????????????