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A pumpkin cinnamon roll on a dessert plate topped with cream cheese icing.
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Soft pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls made with a rich pumpkin dough, filled with buttery cinnamon sugar, and soaked in a pumpkin cream before baking. Finished with a tangy cream cheese frosting for the ultimate fall treat.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rise Time2 hours 30 minutes
Total Time3 hours 25 minutes
Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: pumpkin cinnamon rolls
Servings: 12 Servings
Author: Dahn Boquist

Ingredients

Dough

  • ¾ cup whole milk warmed slightly, 177 grams
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar 67 grams
  • ½ cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling), 120 grams
  • 8 tablespoons butter melted, 113 grams
  • 2 large eggs
  • 4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour 480 to 600 grams
  • 2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

  • 1 cups brown sugar packed, 200 grams
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ cup butter softened, 113 grams; 1 stick

Pumpkin Cream Pour Over

  • ¾ cup heavy cream 180 grams
  • ¼ cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling), 60 grams
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Frosting

  • 8 ounces cream cheese softened
  • 8 tablespoons butter softened
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Make the Dough

  • Add the warm milk, sugar, pumpkin purée, melted butter, and eggs to the bowl of your stand mixer and give it a quick whisk to combine.
    Combining pumpkin puree with eggs, sugar, butter, and milk.
  • Add 4 cups of flour, the yeast, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
    Adding flour to pumpkin puree cinnamon rolls dough.
  • Using the dough hook, mix on low speed until everything comes together, then increase to medium-low and let the mixer knead until the dough starts to pull cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. If it’s still sticky, sprinkle in more flour, a little at a time. The dough should be soft but not sticky.
    Let the mixer knead the dough on medium speed for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
    Pumpkin spice dough in a mixing bowl with a kneading attachment.
  • Cover the bowl and set it in a warm spot until it’s puffy and almost doubled in size, about 1 to 2 hours.

Make the Filling

  • In a medium bowl, stir the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Add the softened butter and blend until it is a smooth, spreadable paste. Set it aside until the dough is rolled out and ready to fill.
    Blending cinnamon with sugar and butter to make a spreadable paste.

Assemble the Rolls

  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle, about 12 by 18 inches.
    Pumpkin yeasted dough rolled out on a counter.
  • Spread the blended cinnamon-sugar filling evenly over the rolled-out dough, going all the way to the edges.
    Spreading a cinnamon butter mixture on homemade pumpkin roll dough.
  • Starting with the long edge, roll the dough into a snug log. Pinch the seam closed.
    Rolling pumpkin spice roll dough into a log.
  • Use a serrated knife or dentil floss to slice the log into 12 even rolls, about 1 ½ inches thick.
    Place the rolls in a grease a 9x13-inch pan. Cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let them rise in a warm spot until almost doubled and puffy, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
    Slices of pumpkin roll dough in a baking dish.

Pumpkin Cream Pour Over

  • In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the heavy cream, pumpkin purée, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.
    Mixing cream with pumpkin puree and spices.
  • Once the rolls have finished rising and are puffy, gently pour the pumpkin cream mixture evenly over the top. It will settle between the rolls and soak into the dough as they bake, giving them extra softness and more pumpkin flavor.
    Pouring a cream mixture over proofed cinnamon rolls.

Bake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. When the oven is finished heating, uncover the pan and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the rolls are golden brown. If you have a thermometer, the center of the cinnamon rolls should read 190°F.
    Freshly baked pumpkin swirl buns in a baking dish.

Make the Frosting

  • Beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
    Mixing cream cheese frosting in a metal mixing bowl.
  • Spread half of the frosting over the hot rolls right out of the oven so it melts into the layers. Let them cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then spread the remaining frosting on top. Serve warm.
    Spreading cream cheese glaze over pumpkin rolls.

Notes

Warm Milk: Keep the milk between 110°F to 120°F for best results. I rarely use a thermometer to gauge the temp. I simply test the temperature with the back of my hand.
Pumpkin Purée: Use canned 100% pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling. Homemade purée works too. Just make sure it’s thick and not watery.
Flour Amount: Start with the lower amount of flour and add more only as needed. The dough should feel soft but not sticky.
Make Ahead: After shaping, refrigerate the rolls overnight. Let them come to room temperature and rise before baking.
Freezing: You can freeze the baked rolls (unfrosted) for up to 2 months. Reheat and frost before serving.
Storage: Store frosted rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat gently before serving.
Reheating: Warm individual rolls in the microwave for 15–20 seconds or cover a pan of rolls with foil and heat in a 300°F oven until warmed through.
Frosting Ahead: The cream cheese frosting can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge. Let it soften at room temp before using.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 728kcal | Carbohydrates: 94g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 513mg | Potassium: 216mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 58g | Vitamin A: 3628IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 3mg
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