Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

The flavors of the season are infused in these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls that are topped with a creamy maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They are so good that you will want to eat them year round!

My love of pumpkin runs deep! Make sure to check out all of my other pumpkin recipes, especially these Pumpkin Scones!

Have you ever made a recipe after not making it for awhile, and then thought to yourself – why don’t I make this more often?

This is what I say every time I make these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.

These are one of my favorite things – cinnamon rolls – made pumpkin style. It really takes every ounce of self control for me to not devour a whole batch of cinnamon rolls.

They do that to me.

In fact they are pretty close up there to donuts. And then to combine them with pumpkin and even more spices? I honestly think I may like these better than regular cinnamon rolls!

Of course – these take a little more time and effort than some other recipes, but I will say that they are 100% worth it. Especially on a cool, fall day. And then invite me over, because I would never turn one of these down!

Ingredients

For the Rolls:

• Water: Your water should be between 105ºF and 115ºF. This is the optimal temperature to activate the yeast.
• Yeast: This recipe calls for active dry yeast, but you could also use instant yeast. You technically don’t have to activate instant yeast, but I still like to take that step to make sure my yeast is good.
• Evaporated Milk: This is a secret ingredient that makes these cinnamon rolls rich and delicious.
• Sugar: You will need granulated sugar for the dough.
• Pumpkin Puree: You can use homemade pumpkin puree, but you’ll want to make sure you drain it well first because it tends to be more wet. I usually stick with canned puree for consistency, though.
• Oil: I usually stick with vegetable oil, but canola or another neutral oil will work.
• Egg: For best results, make sure the egg is at room temperature.
• Pumpkin Pie Spice: I like to use homemade pumpkin pie spice, but if you have a store bought mix you like, you can use that as well.
• Flour: I usually stick with all-purpose flour, but you could also use bread flour.

For the Filling:

• Butter: I like to use melted butter, but you could also use softened butter.
• Sugar: These rolls use a mixture of brown sugar and granulated sugar.
• Cinnamon & Pumpkin Pie Spice: While pumpkin pie spice does have some cinnamon in it, I like to add an extra dose of cinnamon into the filling!

For the Frosting:

• Cream Cheese: I have only tested this recipe using full fat cream cheese.
• Butter: You can use salted butter or unsalted butter. I like a bit of saltiness, so if I’m using unsalted butter, I’ll add a pinch of salt. But this is totally a preference thing.
• Powdered Sugar: No need to sift the powdered sugar – it will all get mixed together.
• Maple Extract: The maple flavor goes so well with pumpkin! If it’s not your thing, you can use vanilla extract instead.
• Cinnamon: I love the combination of cinnamon and maple, but you can even use pumpkin pie spice here, too!

How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

I know that baking with yeast is intimidating for some people, so I’m going to do my best to walk you through this recipe so that you can make these with ease!!

1: First step is to activate your yeast. Combine warm water with the yeast and a pinch of your sugar and let it sit until it bubbles up.

2: Mix in the evaporated milk, the rest of the sugar, the pumpkin, vegetable oil, egg and pumpkin pie spice.

3: Start adding in your flour. You want it to start pulling away from the sides of the bowl, but you still want it a little sticky.

4: Knead the dough for 5-8 minutes.

5: Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover the bowl.

6: Let it rise until it has doubled in size.

7: Once your dough has risen, separate it into 2 equal pieces. You’ll work with one piece at a time, repeating the steps with the second.

8: Roll the dough into a rectangle about 12×16 inches.

9: Brush half of the melted butter over the dough, leaving a small border around the outside.

10: Sprinkle half of the filling mixture over the butter. (I usually mix this filling mixture up while the dough is rising.)

11: Roll the dough as tightly as possible into a long log.

12: Cut the ends off (so that you don’t have uneven pieces) and cut the log into 8 pieces. Repeat with the other half of the ingredients.

13: Place the dough into a baking dish and cover. This photo is a bit deceiving because you will actually need 2 pans – one 9×13-inch pan and one 8-inch square. The recipe makes 18 rolls, so 12 will go in the big pan and the remaining 4 will go in the small pan.

14: Let them rise until doubled.

15: Then bake them until golden brown.

How To Make the Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

As good as the pumpkin cinnamon rolls are on their own, you don’t want to skip this frosting!

1: Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth, then add in powdered sugar, maple extract and cinnamon.

2: Continue to beat it until it is creamy. I like to beat it for several minutes to make it a little lighter and fluffier, but you don’t have to.

3: Right when the rolls come out of the oven, spread about 1/3 of the frosting over the rolls. It will start to melt into the rolls – this makes them extra gooey!

4: Once they have cooled off for a bit, you can frost them with the remaining frosting.

Tips and Tricks

• As with all bread recipes, the amount of flour that you use will depend on the temperature and humidity of the air, as well as the flour. Start on the low end and slowly work up until the dough just comes away from the sides of the bowl. If you are using a mixer, this is easy to tell. The dough will still be sticky, but you don’t want to add too much flour. These rolls are already not quite as fluffy as a typical cinnamon roll because of the pumpkin, and adding too much flour will just make them dense. Just remember, you can always add more flour, but it’s hard to take it away.
• Many people swear by using unflavored dental floss to cut the rolls. I don’t do this, mostly because our dental floss is always mint. I use a serrated knife and gently saw to cut the rolls. If they do get a little bit squished, it is easy to reform them into a circle as you put them in the pan.
• You can make these pumpkin cinnamon rolls ahead of time by covering and refrigerating the pans once the rolls have been cut and put in the pan. Take them out of the refrigerator and let them rise until doubled, then continue on with the recipe as written.
• If you like a gooey cinnamon roll, don’t skip the step where you partially frost them when they come out of the oven. If you like a drier cinnamon roll, skip this and frost when they have cooled off.

More Pumpkin Favorites

Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars
Pumpkin Roll Recipe
Pumpkin Bread Recipe
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

5 from 5 votes

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Inactive Time: 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 3 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 16 rolls

Course: Bread

Cuisine: American

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The flavors of the season are infused in these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls that are topped with a creamy maple cinnamon cream cheese frosting. They are so good that you will want to eat them year round!

1x2x3x

Ingredients

For the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls:

• ▢ 1/4 cup warm water
• ▢ 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• ▢ 3/4 cup evaporated milk
• ▢ 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree (store bought or homemade)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 egg slightly beaten
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• ▢ 5-7 cups all-purpose flour

For the Filling:

• ▢ 1/3 cup butter
• ▢ 3/4 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ▢ 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

For the Maple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting:

• ▢ 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese softened
• ▢ 1/2 cup butter softened
• ▢ 2 cups powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon maple extract
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

MAKE THE DOUGH:

• In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water and the yeast.  Add a pinch of the sugar.  Allow to stand until the yeast starts to bubble, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Stir in the evaporated milk, sugar, pumpkin, vegetable oil, egg and pumpkin pie spice.
• Add in 4 cups of the flour and stir to combine.  Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until the dough comes together and pulls away from the side of the bowl.  Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, 5-8 minutes.
• Form the dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl.  Cover and let rise until about doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.

MAKE AND FILL THE ROLLS:

• In a small, melt the butter.
• In another bowl, combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
• Spray a 9×13” and an 8×8” baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper.
• Punch the dough down, then divide into 2 equal portions.  Working with one portion at a time, roll the dough out on a floured surface to a 12×16” rectangle.
• Spread half of the butter on the dough, and sprinkle half of the sugar mixture over the top.  Starting at the long side, roll the dough into a log.  Cut the uneven edges off, then cut the log into 8 equal slices.
• Transfer the slices to the baking dish, cut side up.  (You will be able to fit 12 rolls in the 9×13” pan and 4 rolls in the 8×8” pan.)  Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
• Lightly press the rolls down, then cover and allow to rise until almost doubled, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

FROST THE ROLLS:

• To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter.  Add in the powdered sugar, maple extract and cinnamon and beat until light and creamy.
• When the rolls first come out of the oven, spread about 1/3 of the frosting over the top of the rolls, allowing it to melt into the rolls.
• Let the rolls cool for 15-20 minutes before frosting with the remaining frosting.

Recipe Notes:

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guideline.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1roll, Calories: 474kcal (24%), Carbohydrates: 70g (23%), Protein: 9g (18%), Fat: 19g (29%), Saturated Fat: 11g (69%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 53mg (18%), Sodium: 73mg (3%), Fiber: 5g (21%), Sugar: 43g (48%)

Keywords: pumpkin cinnamon rolls