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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls – Fluffy cinnamon rolls are made with pumpkin dough filled with brown sugar and cinnamon and then topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting

Pan of iced Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

My fall baking is in full swing, y’all! I made these sweet potato biscuits last week, butterscotch pear turnovers a couple weeks ago, and recently perfected my favorite fall pie of all time (not on the blog yet, but coming soon!). I just can’t get enough of fall treats!

The latest fall baking dish was a treat I developed on a whim. I really had no intention of making these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls but I felt a little creative block a few weekends ago and really racked my brain for something new I could make that tasted, looked, and smelled like fall.

And voila! These pumpkin cinnamon rolls were the end result. With lots of pumpkin and spices throughout these rolls, I think you’ll agree that they are just what you need to get you into the fall spirit!

Spatula scooping up a Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Closeup on a pan of iced Pumpkin Cinnamon RollsEating a Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll with a fork

My best cinnamon rolls, yet!

Cinnamon rolls have always been super popular on my blog. It all started with these apple pie cinnamon rolls. They became my family’s favorite (and yours too) so I make them constantly. But sometimes, peeling, dicing, and cooking apples seems like too much so I’ve been making them less frequently.

I’ve made these banana nut cinnamon rolls and they were also a hit, but nothing could replace the apple pie cinnamon rolls. Until now. I made these pumpkin cinnamon rolls and from the first bite, my husband was hooked.

They’re fluffier than any of my previous version and loaded with flavor because of the pumpkin and spices. And the cream cheese icing on top really brings these babies on home (and into my tummy!).

So how did I make them?

pan of Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with one missing

How to make these cinnamon rolls

The dough

For this recipe, I used a new sweet dough recipe. It is similar to the dough I use for yeast doughnuts but I changed a few things.

First, I replaced some milk with pumpkin puree. I can’t simply add the pumpkin puree to my recipe because the dough will be too wet. So when adding pumpkin puree, I had to remove some milk. I also removed one egg because I don’t need as much fluffiness in cinnamon rolls.

Lastly, I added in pumpkin pie spice, which consists of a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Now the dough is ready for mixing and kneading. After that’s done, set it aside to rise for an hour and a half.

The filling

Once the dough has risen, it’s time for rolling. Roll the dough out to a large rectangle. Then, spread the softened butter over it and sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg evenly over the top.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll dough before rolling into rolls

Next, it’s time to roll up the dough and form the rolls. If you’re mouth isn’t watering by now, it’s gonna start once you form these little babies.

Pan of uncooked Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll dough Closeup of Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll dough

The rolls need to bake for another 30 minutes to make them nice and fluffy and then they finally get to bake in the oven until golden brown on top.

The icing

For the icing, I requested the opinion from the icing expert – my husband. I asked him what kind of icing he thought would go great on these cinnamon rolls. Without hesitation he says “Cream cheese!” So cream cheese icing it was! I used my cream cheese icing recipe from the apple pie cinnamon rolls and added a little ground cinnamon to ensure the icing paired perfectly with the pumpkin.

I like to add icing to the cinnamon rolls after they’ve come out of the oven so that the icing melts into all nooks and crannies of the cinnamon rolls. If you like it to stay on top, make sure the cinnamon rolls cool for at least 20 minutes before icing them.

Whisk dripping cream cheese icing back into the bowl Icing the pan of Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Closeup of a Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll on a plate

Tips & Tricks

  1. I used a glass baking dish to bake these cinnamon rolls. This ensures even baking and no browning on the bottoms before the rolls finish baking. If you only have a metal pan available, reduce the temperature of the oven by 25 degrees.
  2. To ensure the cinnamon rolls are their fluffiest, knead the dough for the full time and let it rise for the full time. I know how hard it is to be patient and you’ll want to cut corners to get these done faster. But don’t! I promise you all the time and effort will be worth it in the end.
  3. For evenly sized cinnamon rolls, make sure you spread the filling evenly over the rolled dough.
  4. For the icing, it’s so important to have room temperature cream cheese and butter to make them easier to whisk together. Also, using room temperature cream cheese ensures you won’t have lumps in the icing.
Print Recipe

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Fluffy cinnamon rolls are made with pumpkin dough filled with brown sugar and cinnamon and then topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Resting time2 hours
Total Time2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 15 cinnamon rolls

Ingredients

For the dough:
  • ½ cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 package active dry yeast
  • 2 tablespoons warm water
  • ⅔ cup canned pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting
  • 2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
For the filling:
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter softened
  • 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
For the icing:
  • 4 tablespoon butter unsalted, softened
  • ¼ cup cream cheese softened
  • 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

For the dough:
  • First we will begin making the dough. Heat up milk in a small sauce pan until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat and add salt and stir. Let it cool down to lukewarm to the touch. While milk is cooling, proof the yeast by adding the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a small bowl and stirring together. Let it activate by setting it aside for 10 minutes.
  • Once milk is cool, add to a large bowl, along with 3 ½ cups of flour, 2 tablespoons of oil, eggs, pumpkin puree, spices, and yeast mixture. Stir together with a wooden spoon until combined. The dough will be very thick.
  • Place dough on clean counter surface and begin kneading the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. If it starts to stick to the counter, add a little flour. Once you finish kneading, shape into a ball. Lightly grease another large bowl and place the ball of dough into bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 1 ½ hours, where it will be double the size. I like to place mine in the microwave to keep it away from any cool draft from the A/C.
  • When dough has finished rising, remove cover and, using your fist, punch the dough down and remove from the bowl. Roll out on a well-floured surface into a 18x24 inch rectangle and spread 3 tablespoons of softened butter to the edges. Mix the brown sugar with the remaining cinnamon and nutmeg and sprinkle evenly across the butter.
  • Roll the dough into a log, starting from one end to the other, lengthwise, so the log is 24 inches. Using a serrated knife, gently cut 15 slices with a sawing motion (try not to push too hard to pinch the dough), this will give you 15 cinnamon rolls. Quick tip: to make sure the slices are even, cut the log in three even sections, then cut each section into 5 even slices.
  • Grease a 9x13 baking pan. Add the cinnamon rolls to the greased pan in three rows of five. The cinnamon rolls will be slightly touching. Cover with a towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Once the cinnamon rolls have risen, bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes or until the tops have turned golden brown. Remove from oven and let them cool while you make the icing.
For the icing:
  • Whip butter and cream cheese together with a whisk until smooth. Add powdered sugar, cinnamon, salt, and milk and whisk together until smooth. Pour over warm cinnamon rolls and spread with a spatula. Serve immediately,

Pin for later:

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls photo collage

More recipes that you’ll love:

Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bread Pudding

Bowl of Pumpkin Snickerdoodle Bread Pudding in front of the casserole dish of it

Iced Pumpkin Scones

Iced Pumpkin Scones on a cooling rack

Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Closeup on apple pie cinnamon rolls with bits of apple

Comments

  1. Jason Chen says

    These pumpkin cinnamon rolls look like the ultimate fall breakfast! I love that you swapped some of the milk for pumpkin puree and adjusted the egg to keep the dough fluffy without making it too wet — that’s a smart way to build flavor into the dough itself. The cream cheese icing with a hint of cinnamon sounds like the perfect pairing, and the tip about icing them right out of the oven so it melts into every nook is making my mouth water. Definitely bookmarking these for cooler weekends!

    Reply

  2. Marcus Rivera says

    These pumpkin cinnamon rolls look absolutely divine! The combination of pumpkin in the dough with that cinnamon cream cheese frosting is genius. I recently started experimenting with AI image generation for food photography and would love to create some stunning visuals of a recipe like this. Your tip about adding the icing while the rolls are still warm so it melts into the nooks and crannies is something I need to remember. Love that you swapped out one egg to accommodate the moisture from the pumpkin puree — that kind of baking science is what separates good rolls from great ones.

    Reply

  3. Aaliyah Morris says

    These pumpkin cinnamon rolls look absolutely perfect for crisp autumn mornings. I’ve been making a similar recipe for years but never thought to add cream cheese frosting – definite upgrade from the usual glaze. My kids devour these every Halloween weekend. Pro tip: let the dough rise overnight in the fridge for even fluffier results. After rolling out the dough, I like to play a quick round of ToonTone while waiting for the second rise – it’s the perfect low-stress way to unwind without abandoning the kitchen (ToonTone). The pumpkin spice blend here is spot on, not too overwhelming.

    Reply

  8. Tammy says

    I’ve been a cinnamon roll kick lately…I think there is something so comforting about a cinnamon role with coffee in the mornings when it’s still a little dark and chilly. Love this pumpkin version…sounds so good and they look so soft 😀

    Reply

  10. Aleta says

    *drooling* Cinnamon buns are one of my weaknesses and to not only add pumpkin but also cinnamon cream cheese? I know what I’m making this weekend!

    Reply

  11. Amanda says

    Yum — I’m practically drooling over here! That gooey icing looks incredible. These cinnamon rolls will be perfect for Thanksgiving morning. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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