Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are so soft and fluffy, filled with all the goodness of fall. These are wonderful for all your fall entertaining, and they make such a beautiful gift!
Homemade pumpkin cinnamon rolls have the most delightful gooey filling! With the perfect balance of sweet cinnamon and pumpkin flavors, these are such a crowd pleasing breakfast.
These are a fun fall flavored twist on classic cinnamon rolls. Pumpkin Rolls are blended with pumpkin, filled with Pumpkin Pie Spice and topped with a luxurious cream cheese icing. They’re moist, decadent and delicious!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Rolls
- Milk – Use any milk, skim to Vitamin D. The higher the fat content, the more decadent your rolls will be.
- Butter – Unsalted. If using salted butter, eliminate the added salt in the dough.
- Active Quick Rise Yeast – Learn more about baking with yeast here.
- All-Purpose Flour – Make them gluten free using 1 to 1 gluten free flour.
- White Granulated Sugar
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – Store bought or your own homemade spice blend.
- Salt – Reduce or omit if you use salted butter.
- Canned Pumpkin
- Egg
Filling
- Butter – Unsalted butter is preferable, but you can reduce or omit additional salt if you are using salted butter.
- Brown Sugar – Light or dark brown sugar.
- Cinnamon
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Heavy Cream
Cream Cheese Icing
- Cream Cheese – Softened cream cheese.
- Butter – Softened butter or at room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar – Soft, fine confectioner’s sugar is best for frosting. If you don’t have it, you can make powdered sugar using white granulated sugar.
- Heavy Cream – Heavy whipping cream is delicious in this icing, but you can substitute milk or refer to these heavy whipping cream substitutes.
Icing Alternatives
Want to avoid baking with yeast? Try my cinnamon rolls made with crescent rolls and follow the steps in this recipe for the filling and cream cheese icing.
How to Make
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add milk and butter. Stir until melted and remove from heat.
- In a mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add warm milk mixture, pumpkin and egg. Sprinkle yeast over the top of this mixture.
- Knead while gradually adding more flour until the dough forms.
- While the dough is resting (we like to cover with a clean dish cloth), preheat oven as directed and prepare baking dish.
- Roll dough into a rectangle.
- Spread melted butter on top. Combine filling ingredients and sprinkle over the top. Cut strips. Roll and place in a baking dish or cast iron skillet.
- Place rolls inside warm oven to rise.
- Cover rolls in heavy cream. Bake until slightly golden.
- Combine cream cheese icing ingredients and blend until smooth. Spread or pour over rolls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do you pour cream over pumpkin rolls?
Heavy cream heats as the rolls bake and is absorbed into the rolls. It results in incredibly moist rolls with a tender bite.
Should pumpkin rolls touch before baking?
They should touch, but not crowd in a baking dish. The dough is stretchy and yeasty. As it bakes, it expands. Unless you prefer hard edges, they should touch a little in the pan.
Make Ahead
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls are wonderful to make ahead.
Refrigerate
- Make rolls, cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.
- Preheat oven. Pour cream over rolls, bake and ice.
Freeze
- Make rolls, cover and freeze up to 2 weeks until evening before serving.
- Transfer to refrigerator to thaw overnight.
- The next morning, set the pan out to allow them to rise (until they’ve doubled in volume) and then bake as directed.
Reheat
- Warm a roll in the microwave for 20 seconds or in a baking dish in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.
How to Store
- Room Temperature – Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 2 days.
- Refrigerate – Store refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- Freeze – Freeze cinnamon rolls (after baking) in an airtight container. Cover in plastic wrap to avoid any freezer odor up to 3 months.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls are so soft and fluffy, filled with all the goodness of fall. Perfect for fall entertaining, with the BEST gooey center!
Ingredients
Rolls
- ½ cup milk
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour divided (reserve 1 cup)
- ¼ cup white granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 package active quick rise yeast (approximately 2½ teaspoons) instant rapid rise
- ½ cup canned pumpkin
- 1 egg
Filling
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ cup heavy cream
Icing
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream or milk
Optional
- ⅛ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Instructions
Rolls
- In a saucepan over medium heat, add milk and butter. Stir until melted. Remove from heat.
- In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 2¼ cups flour (holding remaining cup back), sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt on low speed. Pour lukewarm butter and milk mixture over and sprinkle yeast over the top. Stir on low until just combined. Add pumpkin and egg until just incorporated.
- Using the dough hook attachment on a stand mixer (or hands), knead dough while gradually adding in the remaining 1 cup of flour, until the dough forms a ball and pulls away from the edges of the bowl.
- Let dough rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 350℉.
Fill
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a rectangle. Brush melted butter on top. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Sprinkle on top. Roll sheet of dough. Using a knife or pizza cutter, gently cut into 10 equal rolls. Place in a baking dish or cast iron skillet.
- Turn oven off. Cover rolls with a damp towel and place inside warm oven to to rise for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and preheat to 350℉.
- Cover rolls in ¼ cup heavy cream. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until slightly golden.
Icing
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk to combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and heavy cream (and optional pumpkin spice seasoning) until smooth. Spread onto rolls or warm to pour over rolls.
Julie’s Tips
Tips
- Use a stand mixer for ease, or you can also knead by hand. Kneading by hand will take about 10-12 minutes and in a mixer it will take around eight minutes.
- Want a thinner cream cheese glaze? Just add a little more cream.
Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 68g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 34g | Vitamin A: 2568IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3mg
Estimated nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed.
If making ahead, can you assemble the rolls and freeze it before baking (couple weeks before thanksgiving)? Or will that affect the baking once it thaws?
Hi Maegan,
That should work beautifully! I think freezing them when they are unbaked is a great way to make them ahead.
Enjoy,
Julie