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–+ servings
a wooden spoon lifts a pumpkin cinnamon roll from the pan
Prep: 2 hours 25 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 3 hours

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Soft, fluffy, autumn-scented cinnamon rolls with pumpkin and spices, stuffed with pumpkin spice brown sugar filling, and topped with a generous smear of cream cheese frosting.
Yield: 12 rolls

Ingredients

For the pumpkin cinnamon roll dough:

  • 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast 1 packet, 8 g
  • 3/4 cup milk 2% or whole; warmed to between 95-105°F, 187 g
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 g
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled; 1/2 stick; 57 g
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree 120 g
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt 3 g
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 5 g
  • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice 2 g
  • 3.5-4.5 cups all-purpose flour 460 g, or about 3 3/4 cups, is the sweet spot for me

For the filling:

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter softened/room temp; 57 g
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar packed; 104 g
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt 3 g
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 4 g
  • 2 tablepsoons pumpkin puree 31 g

For the frosting:

  • 1/2 cup cream cheese softened/room temp; 60 g
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temp; 58 g
  • 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 280 g
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 g
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons 2% or whole milk or more; as need to thin out the icing

Equipment

  • stand mixer with dough hook
  • 1 9x13 baking dish

Instructions

For the dough:

  • To the bowl of your stand mixer add the dry active yeast, warmed milk, and sugar. With the dough hook attached (or even with a spoon), stir to combine. Allow the mixture to sit for about 5 minutes. You’ll notice bubbles start to form.
  • Add the melted cooled butter, pumpkin salt, and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Note: Leave the other half stick of butter out on your counter so that it's softened perfectly when it's time to mix together your filling.
  • Add 2 cups of flour and the pumpkin pie spice. Stir with the dough hook until combined, scraping down the sides with a spatula if needed
  • Slowly add the remaining flour by adding about 1/2 cup of flour at a time, incorporating the flour fully between each addition. You'll know you have enough added when the dough is still slightly sticky and pulling away from the sides of the bowl. For me, 3 3/4 cups, or 460 grams, is the sweet spot.
  • Set the stand mixer to medium and allow to knead for 5 minutes. The dough will becoming soft and just a little shiny.
  • Cover and allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, 60-90 minutes.

Make the filling & prep pan:

  • Add the filling ingredients to a small bowl. Use a spatula to mash the ingredient together, stirring until well-combined. It should be a nice thick paste; you don't want it too runny or it will squeeze out of the cinnamon rolls when you slice them. Set aside.
  • Line a 9x13 baking dish with a piece of parchment paper and lightly spray with some baking spray.

Assemble the cinnamon rolls:

  • Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into a thin rectangle that's about 12 inches by 18 inches by 1/2 inch thick.
  • Turn the filling onto the rolled rectangle of dough then gently spread it in a thin layer with a butter knife or offset spatula so that it covers the entire rectangle of dough.
  • Starting from the bottom, roll the dough up into a log. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces and arrange in your baking dish.
  • Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let the cinnamon rolls rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Bake pumpkin cinnamon rolls:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Once heated, uncover the cinnamon rolls and place in the oven. Bake until the edges are just golden brown but the centers still look soft, 35-40 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes before frosting.

Make the frosting:

  • In the clean bowl of the stand mixer, place the butter and cream cheese. With the whisk attachment, blend together until well-combined. Add the powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Mix on low speed (so that the powdered sugar doesn't spray all over), gradually increasing the speed until well-combined. While mixing, add the milk 1 tablespoon at a time until the frosting is spreadable consistency.
  • Spread the cream cheese frosting over the tops of the cinnamon rolls.

Notes

Recipe time includes rise time.

Storage:

Keep cooled rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If the rolls haven't been topped with frosting you can leave them out at room temperature covered for up to 4 days.

Reheating:

Warm individual rolls in the microwave for 15–20 seconds or in a 300 degrees F oven for 8–10 minutes.

Freezing (Baked Rolls):

Cool completely, wrap individually in plastic wrap, and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat before serving.

Freezing (Unbaked Rolls):

Assemble and slice rolls, place in a greased pan, and freeze before the second rise. Once frozen, wrap well. When ready to bake, thaw overnight in the fridge, let rise until puffy, and bake as directed.

Make-ahead:

Instead of the second rise, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Let them sit at room temperature for about an hour before baking.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1roll, Calories: 423kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 260mg, Potassium: 121mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 36g, Vitamin A: 2126IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 52mg, Iron: 2mg