Made with real pumpkin in the dough and so soft and fluffy, these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls will hit the spot on a crisp fall morning.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
If you love the taste of cinnamon rolls and pumpkin, this unique combination will have you starting your day with the best tastes of fall. Topped with a delicious homemade glaze, these sweet cinnamon rolls are perfect for cozy fall mornings.
This recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls is made from-scratch. If you have the time, it is SO worth it!
First we started with a pumpkin-infused yeast dough, then rolled it around sweet pumpkin pie filling, and baked them until golden brown and fluffy. We topped our pumpkin cinnamon rolls with a luscious cream cheese icing to make this an extra decadent fall treat. These are the best pumpkin cinnamon rolls! 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. I also must recommend our family recipe for classic cinnamon rolls too!
Ingredients
For your convenience, I’ve included shop-able ad links to some of the products used to make this recipe; disclosure policy available here.
Dough Ingredients
- ¼ cup honey
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup milk
- 4 – 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 envelope of active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
For the Filling
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Helpful Kitchen Tools
- 9×13″ baking pan or baking dish
- Non-slip mixing bowls
- Stand mixer or electric hand mixer
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.
To Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- In a microwave-safe small bowl, combine the honey, butter, and milk. Melt in the microwave in 30 seconds intervals. Stir the mixture after each interval. You want everything to be warm and melted, but not HOT, boiling or steaming.
- Add dry yeast, salt, and 3 cups of flour to the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in the milk and honey mixture, the eggs, and pumpkin puree. Use the dough hook attachment to mix the ingredients 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 while the stand mixer is working until the dough it’s elastic.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour on the countertop.
- When the dough is done rising, place it onto a floured surface and stretch till forms a large rectangle.
To Make the Cinnamon Rolls:
- Brush melted butter on top of the dough. Sprinkle the surface with brown sugar and pumpkin spice seasoning.
- Roll up the dough tightly into a log and cut it into approximately 10 individual rolls.
- Place the rolls on a baking pan coated with non-stick cooking spray or baking spray. Allow them rise for about 30 minutes.
- Bake rolls for 20 minutes, until golden brown on the outside and soft in the middle.
To Make the Cream Cheese Glaze:
- Beat together cream cheese, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl with a mixer. (You can also do this by hand with a whisk, it will just take a little more elbow grease). Start on low speed.
- Add powder sugar, once cup at a time. Do this part slowly, mixing well after you add each cup.
- Add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.
- Frost the rolls while they are still warm, so the glaze melts to cover the surface.
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
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe (Printable Copy)
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Oblong Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 envelope active dry yeast 2 1/4 teaspoons
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
For the Filling
- ½ cup butter melted
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice or ground cinnamon
For the Frosting
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- 2 Tablespoons butter softened
- 1/2 teaspoon 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
- Preheat the oven to 370°F.
- Place the dough on a floured surface and stretch so it forms a large rectangle.
- Brush melted butter on the dough and sprinkle with brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
- Roll the dough into a log and cut it into 10 rolls. Place the rolls in a greased baking dish and let them rise for about 30 minutes.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin our Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls on Pinterest:
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