Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Soft, gooey pumpkin cinnamon rolls with warm spices and a sweet cream cheese frosting that melts into every bite – the perfect fall treat!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
I am obsessed with cinnamon rolls. It was always a special treat when Granny would bake cinnamon rolls for us, and sometimes mom will still make the family recipe.
My husband is actually the main baker in our family now, so I tasked him with making a pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe for fall that would please even the pickiest cinnamon roll connoisseur (aka: ME).
First, we started with a classic yeast bread dough and infused it with real pumpkin. The filling is an aromatic blend of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. After baking, the rolls are slathered with a decadent cream cheese icing that melts into the dough. Every bite is perfection!
After testing and tasting several variations, I can honestly say that these are the BEST pumpkin cinnamon rolls ever! You can actually SEE the pumpkin flavor in the photos!
PS- If you’re looking for an easy cinnamon roll recipe, try our Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls made with canned cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients
For your convenience, I’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products used to make this recipe; read our disclosure policy here.
- Honey – We love to use local honey versus the cheap store-bought stuff, as you can really taste the difference!
- Unsalted butter – You will use butter for the dough, filling, and frosting.
- Milk – You can use whole milk or even plant-based milk.
- Bread flour – While you can use all-purpose flour, we found that bread flour created fluffier cinnamon rolls that rose better.
- Active dry yeast – If you have packets, you’ll need one standard envelope. If you have a big container, that is 2 1/4 teaspoons.
- Salt – Regular salt is fine, but we used kosher salt.
- Large eggs – We use fresh eggs from our own hens, but if we don’t have enough, we will buy pasture raised eggs as there is a huge difference in flavor!
- Canned pumpkin puree – Be sure to use 100% real pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling, which has added sweeteners and spices.
- Brown sugar – Either dark brown sugar or light brown sugar is fine.
- Pumpkin pie spice and ground cinnamon – Both will go in our filling so we have classic cinnamon AND extra pumpkin pie flavor.
- Heavy cream – We mixed cream with vanilla and honey and poured into the spaces between the rolls before baking to keep them moist and make them extra gooey.
- Vanilla paste – You can use regular vanilla extract if that’s what you have on hand, but vanilla paste gives a richer flavor and is a favorite of professional bakers.
- Cream cheese – for the frosting
- Powdered sugar – for the frosting
Full ingredient amounts are listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- 9×13″ baking pan or baking dish
- Non-slip mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
- Rolling pin
Instructions
To Prep: Preheat the oven to 370°F when you’re ready to bake. I recommend waiting until you’re cutting the dough into rolls before turning on the oven, as the dough needs an hour or so to rise first.
First, Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- In a microwave-safe small bowl, melt together the honey, butter, and milk. You want everything to be warm and melted, but not boiling or steaming.
- Then you’re going to use your mixer with the dough hook attachment to make the dough. Add the dry yeast, salt, and 3 cups of bread flour to the mixer bowl. Pour in the milk and honey mixture, the eggs, and pumpkin puree. Mix on medium speed to until a wet semi-liquid orange dough forms. Then add the rest of the flour 1/3 cup at a time, mixing until the dough is elastic.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour on the countertop.
Next, Make The Rolls
- When the dough is done rising, place it onto a floured surface and stretch till forms a large rectangle, then roll out to 1/4 – 1/2 inch thickness and about 12 inches by 18 inches in size.
- Spread the softened butter on top, then generously sprinkle with the brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Roll up the dough tightly into a log and cut it into approximately 12 individual rolls. Place them in a greased pan and allow to rise for 30 minutes.
Now It’s Time To Bake the Cinnamon Rolls!
Bake at 370°F for 20 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and soft in the middle.
TIP: If you like your cinnamon rolls extra gooey like me, try this trick. Whisk together a mixture of cream, honey, and vanilla and pour into the empty spaces between the cinnamon rolls before baking them. You only need about 1/2 cup of liquid at most, so they don’t get too mushy.
Finally, Frost The Cinnamon Rolls
Use your stand mixer to blend together the frosting ingredients until smooth and creamy. If the frosting is too runny, add more powdered sugar. If it is too thick to spread, add another splash of milk, until you have your desired consistency.
Frost the rolls while they are still warm, so the glaze melts to cover the surface.
Prep Tips
- Lactose Free Variation – Since we have people in our family who are lactose intolerant, we tested out this recipe using non-dairy substitutes for the milk, heavy cream, and cream cheese. The end result was absolutely delicious and tasted like the real thing! We did use real butter, as that is not an issue for us, so I haven’t tested with a butter substitute.
- Storage – Keep leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, pop them in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes. Make sure they are in an oven-safe pan or dish when doing so.
Video Demo:
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Cinnamon Rolls Need To Be Refrigerated?
For regular cinnamon rolls made with sugar icing, I store those in an airtight container at room temperature. However, we made a cream cheese icing for this recipe, so these cinnamon rolls will need to be refrigerated once frosted.
If you want to make them ahead of time but NOT put the rolls in the fridge, you can always make and add the icing later.
Why Didn’t My Cinnamon Rolls Rise?
The likely culprits are either the yeast or temperature/humidity.
- If the yeast is old or past its expiration date, it may be less active or not work at all.
- If the melted butter mixture was too hot, it could have harmed the yeast when you mixed them together during the dough-making process.
- If the temperature in your kitchen is too hot or if you live in an especially humid climate, this can affect the rising time.
Can You Freeze The Dough?
If you don’t want to make a whole batch at once, you can freeze the dough and bake one at a time as you like. Here’s how:
- Prepare the dough, roll up into a log, and slice into individual rolls as described in the original recipe above.
- Freeze them on a cookie sheet, and once frozen, remove from the pan and place the frozen rolls into a gallon size freezer bag for long-term storage.
When you want to make a cinnamon roll or two, take them out of the freezer bag, place them on a baking sheet. Allow them to rise, then bake.
More Fall Baking Recipes To Try:
- Pumpkin Cake Mix Cookies
- Iced Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Sheet Cake
- Pumpkin Monkey Bread
- Chocolate Pumpkin Sheet Cake
- Easy Pumpkin Roll
- Churro Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes
- Chocolate Pumpkin Layer Cake
- Caramel Pumpkin Poke Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Kit Kat Poke Cake
Note: This recipe was originally published in 2022, but has since been updated as we’ve re-tested and adjusted some of the ingredients to make them even tastier!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (Printable Copy)
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer with dough hook attachment
- 9×13 inch Baking Pan
- Mixing bowls
- Rolling pin
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour
- 1 envelope active dry yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
For the Filling
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
For the Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 Tablespoons butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1-2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
To Make the Dough
- Combine the honey, butter, and milk in a microwave-safe bowl. Melt in the microwave in 30 seconds intervals, stirring between. You want this to be warm, but not boiling.
- Add dry yeast, salt, and 3 cups of flour to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the milk and honey mixture, the eggs, and pumpkin puree. Mix on medium with the dough hook until a wet semi-liquid orange dough forms.
- Add the rest of the flour 1/3 cup at a time while mixing, until the dough is stretchy.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise at room temp for an hour.
To Make the Rolls
- Place the dough on a floured surface and stretch so it forms a large rectangle. Use rolling pin to roll out to approximately 12 x 18 inches in size and 1/4 – 1/2 inch thickness.
- Spread the softened butter on the sheet of dough and sprinkle with brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
- Roll the dough into a log and cut it into 12 rolls. Place the rolls in a greased baking dish and let them rise for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 370°F.
- Stir together 1/2 cup cream, 1 teaspoon honey, and 1 teaspoon vanilla paste (or extract). Pour this mixture in the spaces between the cinnamon rolls right before baking.
- Bake rolls until golden, about 20 minutes.
For the Frosting
- Use a large bowl to beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla (you can use a hand mixer or a whisk).
- Add 1 cup of powdered sugar at a time, mixing as you add.
- Add 1 Tablespoon of milk at a time until frosting is your desired consistency.
- Frost rolls while still warm.
Video
Notes
- Pumpkin – Be sure to use 100% REAL pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling, which has sugar and spices added to it.
- Cream Mixture – We mixed cream with vanilla and honey and poured into the spaces between the rolls before baking to keep them moist and make them extra gooey. If you prefer drier, cake-style cinnamon rolls, you can skip this step.
- Vanilla paste – Vanilla paste (also called vanilla bean paste) is a thick, syrupy blend made from concentrated vanilla extract and real vanilla bean seeds. It has a texture similar to honey or molasses and delivers the same rich flavor as scraping a whole vanilla bean — tiny black specks and all. However, if all you have at home is vanilla extract, this will absolutely work too!
- Storage – Keep leftovers covered and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
Nutrition
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Do you have a recipe for fried pumpkin bread like the Seminole Indians make it is so delicious and good not greasy at all it’s wonderful
I don’t, but I’ve always wanted to try it!