The Best Homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
If you’re looking for the best pumpkin cinnamon rolls to bake this season, you’re in the right place. These fluffy pumpkin cinnamon rolls use simple ingredients, bring big pumpkin spice flavor, and—best of all—help you use up leftovers in a frugal way.
Why I Love Making Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin season always leaves me with a little bit of leftover pumpkin purée in the fridge. Sometimes it’s from my pumpkin s’mores cookie recipe, or maybe from a vintage pumpkin loaf or pumpkin banana bread. Instead of letting that small bowl of purée go to waste, I use it in this pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe.
It’s the same trick I use when I make Biscoff pumpkin crisp or pumpkin biscotti—stretching ingredients across multiple pumpkin recipes to save money and reduce food waste.
That’s one of the best parts of cooking this way. Not only do you end up with warm rolls for breakfast or dessert, but you also use every last bit of what you bought.
And by the way, if you’re looking for other cinnamon roll recipes for Thanksgiving brunches, or even Christmas brunches, I have two for you to try. First, my always-popular sourdough cinnamon rolls.
Second, here’s a fast fix for busy moms who love cinnamon rolls. You can make butter pecan cinnamon rolls with just five ingredients.
How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Making these homemade cinnamon rolls is easier than you might think. With a little patience for the dough to rise and a warm environment, you’ll have golden brown, fluffy rolls on the table.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need. Most of these items are regular pantry staples.
For the dough:
- 1 cup warm milk (whole milk or almond milk)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast or active dry yeast
- ⅔ cup pumpkin purée (homemade or canned, not pie filling)
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 3 ¾ cups purpose flour or bread flour
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
For the filling:
- 1 ½ cups dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ cup melted butter
For the frosting:
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream or almond milk
What if You Don’t Have Pumpkin Pie Spice?
Don’t worry if your spice rack doesn’t have pumpkin pie spice. Mix your own.
You’ll need ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ginger, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon allspice or cloves. That little bit of extra measuring gives you the same pumpkin spice flavor and saves a trip to the store.
Directions
Start by whisking warm milk, brown sugar, sugar, and yeast together in a medium bowl. Let the yeast mixture rest for a couple of minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the pumpkin purée, egg, and yeast mixture. Mix on low speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go.
Add the dry ingredients—flour, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium speed until a soft dough forms. Drop in the butter and keep mixing until the dough smooths out.
Transfer the dough to a greased bowl, cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap, and set it in a warm place for the first rise. The dough should double in size, usually in about an hour depending on your kitchen.
Punch down the dough and roll it into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Brush the top of the dough with melted butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling evenly, leaving a one-inch strip bare along one long edge.
Roll the dough tightly, seam-side down, then slice it into equal pieces with unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife. Place the rolls in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Cover and let them puff up during the second rise until they reach the top of the dish.
Bake at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. While the rolls bake, whip up the frosting in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
Beat softened cream cheese, butter, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and heavy cream on medium speed until fluffy. Spread the maple cream cheese frosting (or keep it classic with plain cream cheese icing) over the warm rolls.
Cinnamon Rolls Storage & Reheating Tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat rolls in the microwave for 20 seconds or pop them into a warm oven for 5 to 7 minutes.
If you want to freeze them, bake the rolls, cool them completely, and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap before sliding them into a freezer bag. Next time you want warm rolls, thaw overnight in the fridge and frost before serving.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Recipe FAQs
If you still have questions, you’re not alone. Here are the most common ones, and if you don’t see yours here, drop it in the comments below.
Can I make the dough ahead of time?
Yes. After the first rise, cover the greased bowl with plastic wrap and tuck it into the fridge overnight. The next day, set it in a warm environment to finish rising before rolling and baking.
What’s the best way to cut cinnamon rolls?
I like to use unflavored dental floss. Slide it under the log of dough, cross the ends over the top, and pull. It slices cleanly into equal pieces without squishing the rolls.
Can I freeze pumpkin cinnamon rolls?
Yes. Bake them as directed, cool completely, and freeze in an airtight container. Reheat at medium heat in the oven and add frosting right before serving for the best cinnamon rolls experience.
The Best Pumpkin Brunch Recipe
This pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe makes the best pumpkin cinnamon rolls I’ve baked yet. It’s a frugal way to use leftovers and a wonderful recipe for fall mornings and fall brunches.
Next time you have a little bit of pumpkin purée hanging around from making pumpkin biscotti or pumpkin banana bread, save it for these rolls. I think you’ll agree they deserve a star rating right alongside your other favorite pumpkin recipes.
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Easy Homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Equipment
- baking dish 8 x 10
Ingredients
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 c warm milk
- ¼ c brown sugar packed
- ¼ c granulated sugar
- 1 T active dry yeast or instant yeast
- ⅔ c pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 egg
- 3 ¾ c all-purpose flour
- 2 t pumpkin pie spice
- 1 t salt
- 5 T unsalted butter softened
Filling
- 1 ½ c brown sugar
- 1 T cinnamon
- 2 t pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ c butter melted
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- ½ c unsalted butter softened
- 1 c brown sugar
- 1 t vanilla
- ½ t salt
- 3 T heavy cream
Instructions
Directions
- For the dough – in a medium bowl, whisk together the warm milk (less than 110 degrees), brown sugar, sugar and yeast. Allow to rest for at least 2 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the pumpkin puree, egg and yeast mixture. Mix well, scraping the sides often.
- Add in the flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix for about 2-4 minutes or until combined.
- Add in the softened butter and mix for about 10 minutes or until thoroughly combined and worked.
- Allow to set and rise until doubled in size (about an hour depending on the temperature of your kitchen).
- For the filling – in a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. In another small bowl, melt the butter. Set aside.
- Once the dough has risen, lightly flour your work surface. Punch down the dough and roll out into an 18×24 inch rectangle.
- Brush the top of the dough with the melted butter, edge to edge across the entire thing.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar mixture over almost the entire surface, leaving a one inch strip along one of the longer edges free of the mixture.
- Starting on the opposite long edge, tightly roll the cinnamon rolls and seal with seam on the bottom of the log.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the log into 1 – 1 ½ inch size rolls.
- Spray an 8×10 or similar sized baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Place the cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking dish, cut side up. Allow to rest and rise again until gaps are filled and even with the top of the baking dish.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the centers are set. Allow to cool slightly before frosting.
- While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened cream cheese, softened butter, brown sugar, salt, vanilla and heavy cream.
- Mix on low until combined, scraping the sides often. Bump up the speed to medium and whip until smooth and fluffy.
- Once the cinnamon rolls have come out of the oven, spread an even layer of frosting over the cinnamon rolls.
