Made with pumpkin in the dough and filled with a gooey pumpkin spice cinnamon swirl, these pumpkin cinnamon rolls hit the spot on chilly fall mornings. They’re topped with maple cinnamon cream cheese icing and you can choose other frosting options if desired! (See right above the recipe for details.) If you’d like to get started ahead of time, use my overnight or freezing instructions below.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos and a few more success tips.
These aren’t just classic homemade cinnamon rolls with pumpkin spice in the filling. Rather, these are pumpkin cinnamon rolls with real pumpkin IN the dough. Unraveling each soft and flaky pumpkin coil and tasting the melty pumpkin spices inside is the definition of fall breakfast bliss! Pumpkin pie lovers, meet your new favorite breakfast.
One reader, Sarah, commented: “I just made these today for the first time and they were DIVINE. So perfect. All my friends were raving about them. I wish I made 2 batches!!! The dough came out perfectly and the flavor was just out of this world. I’ve made Sally’s regular cinnamon rolls several times and they’re always a crowd favorite, but these are on another level!! โ โ โ โ โ “
Another reader, Ariana, commented: “By far the most outstanding cinnamon rolls, they’re perfect EVERY time. โ โ โ โ โ “
Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Soft and fluffy
- Real pumpkin in the yeasted dough
- Filled with warm and cozy fall spices
- Topped with maple cream cheese icing
- Perfect for crisp fall mornings
- Total comfort food
- You can use homemade pumpkin pie spice in the filling
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Dough
This is a rich dough, which means that itโs prepared with fat like milk, butter, and an egg. Rich doughs make soft breads such as monkey bread, homemade cinnamon rolls, and this giant cinnamon roll cake. Lean doughs, on the other hand, are made without much fat and produce crusty bread such as artisan bread, homemade bagels, and pizza dough.
You need 9 ingredients for pumpkin cinnamon roll dough:
- Milk: Liquid activates the yeast. Nondairy or low fat milks are fine, but whole milk produces phenomenal flavor and texture.
- Butter: Butter promises a flavorful dough.
- Pumpkin: Pumpkin puree adds real pumpkin flavor and lots of moisture for incredibly soft rolls. It’s also a very heavy ingredient which weighs down the dough, so we go light on the butter (which can also weigh down dough).
- Sugar: Sugar feeds the yeast, increases its activity, and tenderizes the dough. I used to make these rolls with brown sugar in the dough, but regular white sugar doesn’t weigh down the dough as much. (I find the rolls are a bit fluffier using white granulated sugar.) We still use brown sugar in the filling, though.
- Nutmeg: A pinch of ground nutmeg enhances the pumpkin flavor and adds a little something extra to these pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
- Salt: You canโt make flavorful bread without salt!
- Egg: 1 egg provides structure and flavor.
- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant yeast. I recommend Red Star Platinum Superior Baking Yeast, which is an instant yeast blended with natural dough improvers.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the structure of the dough.
Notice That There is No Cinnamon IN the Dough
Did you know that cinnamon can inhibit yeast activity in dough? This spice can limit dough’s ability to rise, but you’d have to use quite a lot of cinnamon in order for that to happen. Still, with pumpkin being such a heavy ingredient that also weighs down the dough, we skip the cinnamon simply because we don’t want another ingredient holding down the dough’s rise. Nutmeg adds wonderful wonderful flavor to the dough and don’t worry, there’s PLENTY of cinnamon in the filling!
Overview: How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Make & knead the dough. If you’re new to baking with yeasted doughs, or if you want a quick refresher, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial will be helpful with this step. The dough will be very soft. After kneading, place the dough into a greased bowl and turn the dough around in the bowl so all sides of the dough are coated.
- 1st rise. Cover the dough and let it rise.
- Make the pumpkin spice filling. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and spices.
- Add the filling & slice into rolls. Roll the dough out into a 10×14-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter and sprinkle brown sugar filling evenly on top. Roll it up tightly and use a sharp knife to cut into 10-12 pieces. Arrange rolls into your greased pan.
- 2nd rise. Let the shaped rolls rise. This rise is shorter than the 1st.
- Bake. Cover them with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to prevent over-browning.
- Make the icing and spread onto warm cinnamon rolls.
By the way, if you love pumpkin for breakfast, you’ll definitely enjoy sinking your teeth into this pumpkin French toast casserole, a stack of pumpkin spice waffles, or a batch of mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin muffins. And don’t forget homemade pumpkin coffee creamer for your coffee! If you are craving cinnamon rolls right now, and just canโt wait for dough to rise, try these no yeast cinnamon rolls.
Toppings for Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
I love topping these cinnamon rolls with maple cinnamon cream cheese icingโjust 5 ingredients: cream cheese, maple syrup, milk, sifted confectioners’ sugar, and cinnamon. So simple yet so good! Feel free to skip the cinnamon in the icing if desired. You could also try plain cream cheese icing from these regular homemade cinnamon rolls, salted caramel frosting, the maple icing from maple cinnamon rolls, the caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls, or this vanilla icing.
More Cinnamon Roll Varieties:
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple Cinnamon Rolls
- Blueberry Sweet Rolls with Lemon Glaze
- Raspberry Sweet Rolls (my favorite!!)
- Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
- Lemon Sweet Rolls
- Orange Sweet Rolls
- Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours, 25 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 rolls
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft pumpkin cinnamon rollsย filled with a gooey cinnamon swirl and topped with maple cream cheese icing.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Dough
- 1/3 cup (80ml) whole milk*
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup (115g) canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulatedย sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 2ย and 1/4 teaspoons (7g)ย instantย orย active dry yeastย (1 standard packet, see note)
- 2 and 2/3ย cups (335g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for hands and work surface
Filling
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Maple Cream Cheeseย Icing
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons (45ml) pure maple syrup
- 1 Tablespoons (15ml) whole milk
- 2/3 cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- optional: 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the dough: Warm the milk and butter together over the stove or in the microwave. Warm the two together until the butter is *just* melted. You want the mixture lukewarm (105ยฐF (41ยฐC)-115ยฐF (46ยฐC)), not scorching hot. Set aside. Whisk the pumpkin puree, sugar, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer. Whisk in the warmed milk/butter, egg, and yeast until combined. Using the dough hook or paddle attachment on low speed or mixing by hand using a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, mix in 1 cup of flour. Mix for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 1 and 2/3 cups more flour and beat for 1 more minute.
- Knead the dough:ย Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if using the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If youโre new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your fingerโif it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a โwindowpane testโ to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until itโs thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise:ย Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter and it takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer toย Where Should Dough Rise?ย in myย Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Grease the bottom and sides of a 9-inch square baking dish, 9-inch round baking dish, 9×13-inch baking dish, or 11×7-inch baking dish. This recipe yields 10-12 rolls and they can fit into any of those size pans.
- Roll out the dough:ย Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 10ร14-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick. If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what youโre doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
- Add the filling: Spread softened butter evenly on top of the rolled-out dough. Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and spices into a small bowl. Sprinkle all over the top. Roll it up tightly. Using a very sharp knife, cut into 10-12 even rolls. Arrange rolls in the prepared pan.
- 2nd Rise:ย Cover the rolls tightly and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. (Or use the overnight option below.)
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF (177ยฐC).
- Bake rolls for about 22-28 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top. After about 15 minutes, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan to prevent the tops from browning too quickly and baking unevenly. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes as you make the icing.
- Make the icing:ย Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the softened cream cheese in a medium bowl on medium speed until smooth. Add the maple syrup and milk and beat on high until smooth. Add the confectioners’ sugar (and cinnamon, if using) and beat on medium speed until creamy. Spread on warm cinnamon rolls.
- Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Overnight Instructions: Prepare the rolls through step 6. Instead of allowing the cut rolls to rise in a warm environment in step 7, place the pan in the refrigerator and allow the rolls to rest for up to 14 hours before baking. When itโs time to bake the next day, bring the rolls to room temperature and rise for 1 hour on the counter, or until almost doubled in size. Then bake as directed.
- Freezing Instructions: You can freeze cinnamon rolls for up to 3 months, and I recommend a few different methods for freezing cinnamon rolls. The first method is to freeze them after shaping, before theyโve had their 2nd rise (step 6). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let rise for 1.5โ2 hours at room temperature before baking. The second method is to par-bake the risen rolls for 10 minutes, let cool completely, then cover and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Finish baking for 15โ20 minutes. You can also freeze fully baked cinnamon rolls. See How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls for more details about all of these methods.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Whisk |ย 9-inch Square Baking Dish, 9-inch Round Baking Dish, 9×13-inch Baking Dish or 11×7-inch Baking Dish | Rolling Pin | Cooling Rack | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand)
- Milk: For super soft rolls, I recommend whole milk. Nondairy or lower fat milks work too, but the rolls may not taste as rich and fluffy.
- Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast in this recipe. Follow all of the same instructions. If using active dry yeast, the rise times are usually *slightly* longer, but not much. Reference myย Baking with Yeast Guideย for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Spices in Filling: If needed, you can use 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon and 1 and 1/2 teaspoons store-bought or homemade pumpkin pie spice in the filling. The pumpkin pie spice replaces the nutmeg, allspice, ginger, and cloves.
Reader Comments and Reviews
These were amazing!!! Iโve already made them 3 times in the past 2 weeks. I have used a chai frosting which is so delicious. Thanks!
Firstly, I wanted to say these cinnamon rolls are – without a doubt – absolutely THE BEST rolls I have ever tasted! I cannot keep them around for any longer than 2 days (IF they last that long)! Sally, I adore ALL you’re recipes. You never disappoint! You always have the perfect amount of any & every ingredient in them. Nothing ever overpowers anything else. I do like to cut corners when I can & I always pull out my bread machine to make the dough. Such a beautiful dough to work with!
I would however, like to know if I can freeze the dough once it’s made? You say you can freeze after filling and slicing, but why not after just making dough before you fill & slice???? (I have limited freezer space.) Thx for great recipe!!!
Hi Bella, thank you for such a wonderful compliment to my work! I’m so glad that you love and trust my recipes so much. You’ll have a much better cinnamon roll if you freeze the rolls AFTER that first bulk rise, because it gives you more predictable results after thawing. Shaped rolls tend to rise more evenly and youโre not left trying to roll out cold, thawed dough, which can become sticky or tear easily.
My daughter loves to make this recipe. Iโm tho king of getting her you cookbook that contains this recipe. Which cookbook of your collection has the pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe?
Hi Samar, this recipe is exclusive to the website and not in Sally’s cookbooks.
I made these and the rolls turned out great! The problem I found was with the icing. You show 4oz (113 g) of Full fat cream cheese in your icing recipe, which is only 1/2 of a brick, but your video shows you using a full brick. The result was wet, thin icing. I softened and added the other 1/2 brick and more confectioners sugar, and fixed it. A good recipe otherwise.
Hi Sally & Team! Your website is my holy grail for all baking needs! How do I make these into mini cinnamon rolls for an office party?
Hi E Lee! We havenโt tried making these into mini rolls but might start by shaping the dough into two 6ร18 inch rectangles and try rolling them that way. You wonโt get as much of the filling in each roll though!
My sister and I did this with sweet potato! And we put some extra sweet potafo puree into the brown sugar and spice filling
Great recipe. Thanks!!
I have been wanting to make these for sometime and they do not disappoint. Sally knows her instructions…..I kept saying this from one step to the next…..Be patient with the 2 hour first rise; and if the dough continues to spring back when rolling, let it sit for 10. Thank you for another great recipe!!
OMG!!! First time making these though I have wanted to for a long time. A must!!! Sally is spot on with showing patience on the first rise and leaving the dough to sit when rolling if too elastic!!
These were a hit! It was my first time making cinnamon rolls from scratch and the instructions were easy to follow and I had great results. Will definitely be making them again. This blog has been such a valuable resource while I am learning to bake!
Why do you suggest not using rapid rise yeast for this recipe?
Hi Jon, you can use active dry or instant/rapid yeast in this recipe with no other changes.
I double because the 4 of us will demolish theseโฆ and I can freeze some.
Perfect and delicious- brioche style dough, comes together beautifully after the long knead and first rise.
I added some vanilla to my icing as it didnโt taste too mapley with my dark pure maple syrup.
I’m confused…you don’t allow the yeast to activate in the warm milk before adding to the other ingredients? I followed the instructions and it kind of doubled. I have now cut them but don’t think they are going to second rise?
Did I miss the activation part?
Thank you,
Hi Michele, are you using an instant yeast or an active dry yeast? If using an active dry yeast, you can follow the same instructions, but the rise times may be slightly longer. How long have they been rising for the second time?
I made the pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Tried twice! The dough was very wet and impossible to knead and roll out. Should the canned pumpkin purรฉe be drained before using?
Hi Melissa! Was your pumpkin puree particularly watery? If it seems extra wet, you can certainly drain it. Additionally, there are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity in the air. Thereโs nothing wrong with adding just a little more flour to bring the dough into a less sticky and knead-able consistency.
Thank you for replying. I added Over a cup more. I still could not roll it out, unfortunately.
Absolutely love the other recipes I tried.
Great recipe! I made a double batch for a crowd using the overnight method. Rolled the dough into a 10×28 and made 21 rolls. Changed the icing because one of our group is allergic to maple so I made browned butter/vanilla instead. I plan to make more soon and freeze them for Christmas morning. I love that I can always count on recipes from Sally’s Baking Addiction. I’ve made dozens of her recipes at this point and I have never had an issue. That’s important because no one wants to waste time and money. Thanks again, Sally & Team!
When using the overnight option, do you bring to room temperature and then proof for an hour, or does bringing them to room temperature and proofing happen simultaneously?
Hi Cindy, that will happen simultaneouslyโthey will come to room temperature and rise in about an hour.