Pumpkin cinnamon rolls are pillowy soft, filled with a buttery cinnamon sugar swirl, and topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They’re the perfect cozy fall breakfast or holiday brunch treat.
Cinnamon rolls are one of the most comforting bakes you can make, and adding pumpkin takes these sweet rolls to the next level. The pumpkin puree keeps the dough extra soft and tender, while warm spices enhance the buttery cinnamon sugar flavor.
Once baked, the rolls are frosted with a rich and creamy cinnamon cream cheese topping that melts into every swirl. Whether you’re baking them for a fall breakfast, Thanksgiving brunch, or just because, these pumpkin cinnamon rolls are guaranteed to be a hit with family and friends.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Milk: Using whole milk will give you a dough that’s a little softer and a little richer.
- Yeast: You can use either instant yeast or active dry yeast. Just make sure that if you use active dry yeast that the yeast foams. If the yeast doesn’t foam, start over as the rolls won’t rise if it doesn’t foam.
- Butter: To use salted butter, omit the kosher salt in the recipe.
- Pumpkin pie spice: You can make your own homemade pumpkin spice blend with this recipe.
How to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Step 1: Pour the milk into a microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave in 30-second intervals until it reaches about 105 – 110 degrees F. (If it gets too hot, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to come down in temperature)
Step 2: Add warm milk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Use a fork to lightly stir it all together. Let sit for 5 minutes for yeast to bloom.
Step 3: Add pumpkin, eggs, remaining ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Use the fork again to lightly beat the eggs.
Step 4: Pour in 4 cups flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Use a paddle attachment on your stand mixer to combine the ingredients, then switch to the dough hook. With the dough hook, knead the flour into the liquid ingredients until combined. Continue to knead with the dough hook for another 8 – 10 minutes, or until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough seems too sticky, you can add additional flour in 1/4 cup intervals up to 1 cup more flour.
Step 5: Grease a clean bowl lightly with oil. Remove dough from the mixing bowl and place it in the greased bowl, turning to coat in oil on all sides. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes.
Step 6: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
Step 7: In a medium bowl, add ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice. In a separate bowl, add 6 tablespoons butter. Microwave for about 15 seconds to soften the butter without melting it. Set aside.
Step 8: Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough out into a rectangle until it’s about ½ an inch thick.
Step 9: Spread the softened butter all over the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on top.
Step 10: Working from the longer side of the rectangle, cut 12 2-inch strips out of the dough. Roll each strip tightly into itself to create a spiral roll. A pizza cutter works really well to cut strips of dough.
Step 11: Place the rolls, swirl-side up, in the greased baking dish. Cover with the same clean dish towel and allow to sit in a warm place for another 30 minutes. While waiting for the rolls to rest, clean the bowl of your stand mixer.
Step 12: Beat together cream cheese and ¼ cup butter with the paddle attachment.
Step 13: Add in powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Beat again until smooth and creamy.
Step 14: Bake cinnamon rolls for 40 – 45 minutes, or until baked in the center and golden brown on top. If the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
Step 15: Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Step 16: Spread cinnamon frosting on top of warm rolls. Frosting the warm, not hot, cinnamon rolls will help the frosting to soak in without melting.
Recipe Tips!
- Rising: If your kitchen is cool, your rolls will rise slowly. To create a warm spot for the rolls to rise, preheat oven to 350F for exactly 60 seconds. Press cancel. This creates a nice warm spot for the dough to rise.
- Leaking filling: If your filling has leaked out of the baked rolls, immediately place a lid or platter over the pan and carefully invert. This will help the filling to reincorporate into the cinnamon rolls. Just be careful as the filling will be very hot.
How to freeze pumpkin cinnamon rolls
Place the unbaked cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking pan. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and then with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month.
To bake, remove the cinnamon rolls from the freezer the night before you’d like to bake them and place them in the refrigerator. In the morning, place the pan out at room temperature for about 30-40 minutes before baking.
Uncover, and bake according to the baking directions.
Storage
Store any leftover pumpkin cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The cinnamon rolls will keep for up to 3 days when properly stored.
To rewarm, simply heat up the cinnamon roll in the microwave to 10-15 seconds or until warmed through.
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 9×13 pan
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup whole milk
- ½ cup granulated sugar divided
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 4 ½ – 5 ½ cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Filling
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Cinnamon cream cheese filling
- 8 ounce package cream cheese at room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a microwave-safe measuring cup. Microwave in 30-second intervals until it reaches about 105 – 110 degrees F. (If it gets too hot, let it sit on the counter for a few minutes to come down in temperature)1 cup whole milk
- Add warm milk, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and yeast to the bowl of your stand mixer. Use a fork to lightly stir it all together. Let sit for 5 minutes for yeast to bloom.2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- Add pumpkin, eggs, remaining ¼ cup sugar, ½ cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Use the fork again to lightly beat the eggs.1 cup pumpkin puree, 2 large eggs, ½ cup unsalted butter
- Pour in 4 cups flour and ½ teaspoon salt. Use a paddle attachment on your stand mixer to combine the ingredients, then switch to the dough hook. With the dough hook, knead the flour into the liquid ingredients until combined. Continue to knead with the dough hook for another 8 – 10 minutes, or until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough seems too sticky, you can add additional flour in 1/4 cup intervals up to 1 cup more flour.
- Grease a clean bowl lightly with oil. Remove dough from the mixing bowl and place it in the greased bowl, turning to coat in oil on all sides. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and set in a warm place to rise for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, add ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice.
- In a separate bowl, add 6 tablespoons butter. Microwave for about 15 seconds to soften the butter without melting it. Set aside.
- Lightly flour a clean surface and roll the dough out into a rectangle until it’s about ½ an inch thick.
- Spread the softened butter all over the dough and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly on top.
- Working from the longer side of the rectangle, cut 12 2-inch strips out of the dough. Roll each strip tightly into itself to create a spiral roll.
- Place the rolls, swirl-side up, in the greased baking dish.
- Cover with the same clean dish towel and allow to sit in a warm place for another 30 minutes.
- While waiting for the rolls to rest, clean the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Beat together cream cheese and ¼ cup butter with the paddle attachment.8 ounce package cream cheese
- Add in powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Beat again until smooth and creamy.2 cups powdered sugar
- Bake cinnamon rolls for 40 – 45 minutes, or until baked in the center and golden brown on top. If the tops begin to brown too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
- Spread cinnamon frosting on top of warm rolls.
Notes
- Milk: Using whole milk will give you a dough that’s a little softer and a little richer.
- Yeast: You can use either instant yeast or active dry yeast. Just make sure that if you use active dry yeast that the yeast foams. If the yeast doesn’t foam, start over as the rolls won’t rise if it doesn’t foam.
- Butter: To use salted butter, omit the kosher salt in the recipe.
- Pumpkin pie spice: You can make your own homemade pumpkin spice blend with this recipe.
- Nutrition values are estimates.
Nutrition
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