Pumpkin cinnamon rolls are the perfect fall treat, and they're so easy to make, meaning you can have a fresh homemade pumpkin cinnamon roll batch in just an hour! With my delectable ooey-gooey vanilla cream cheese frosting and cinnamon sugar pumpkin filling, these pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are a definite must-try!
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If you've never made fresh homemade cinnamon rolls, you are in for a real treat. You might even have just found your family's new favorite recipe! There's just something about the doughy, cinnamony goodness that hits the spot, and with my pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe, I give these classic treats a wonderful seasonal twist.
I must warn you, once you've tried my recipe for pumpkin cinnamon rolls, you'll be hooked! With each bite of these luscious pumpkin cinnamon rolls, expect a delightful burst of spicy-sweet cinnamon sugar flavor. Plus, the addition of pumpkin puree in the dough and filling makes them wonderfully moist and fluffy. So good!
Why You'll Love Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- You can pre-prepare the dough! To make things even easier, you can even prepare the pumpkin cinnamon roll dough the night before, so all you have to do is add the filling and cook. Not only does this save you time, but it also means that you can enjoy fresh cinnamon rolls even on busy mornings.
- They're freezer-friendly. This recipe makes a large batch of 12-15 cinnamon rolls, which is great if you're hosting guests or want to have leftovers. My pumpkin cinnamon rolls freeze beautifully, so feel free to pop any extras in the freezer for a rainy day.
- Perfect for any occasion! Whether you're looking for a fall breakfast treat, an easy dessert recipe, or something to take to a holiday potluck, these pumpkin cinnamon rolls will fit the bill.
Ingredients For Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
For the Dough
- All Purpose Flour
- Salt
- Yeast
- Sugar
- Egg
- Butter
- Pumpkin Puree
- Water
For the Filling
- Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Pumpkin Puree
- Butter
For the Icing
- Cream Cheese
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
Instructions For These Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
You’ll have to make the dough, the filling and the icing all separately (as you’d expect) so here are the easy steps for each.
For your dough:
- Mix flour and other dry ingredients in a bowl and then create a well in the center.
- In that little hole, add the egg, butter, pumpkin puree, and water.
- Mix them well with the dry ingredients, until combined
- Cover the bowl and let it rest for 10 minutes
- Turn it out onto a floured surface and knead the dough until it comes together and is smooth (this should be about 6-8 minutes)
- If you choose to use a stand mixer for this, it should only take about 4 minutes
For your filling/assembly:
- In a bowl, combine your pumpkin, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt
- Roll out your dough until it is a ¼ in thick rectangle
- Spread the pumpkin mixture out on top of the dough
- Roll up your rectangle dough from the long side, so that it becomes a long log
- Cut your log into 12-15 equal-sized pieces. Cutting it into 4 pieces, and then cutting each of those into 3 pieces is a good way to do this.
- Pro Tip: use beading string or unflavored dental floss to wrap around and cut the dough so that it doesn’t flatten like it would with a knife.
- If you want rolls with softer sides, place them ½ in apart on a baking sheet, in a pie plate, or in a cast-iron skillet. This will help them to grow together and taller while giving fluffy sides.
- If you want rolls with tougher sides, place them 1 ½ in apart on a baking sheet so that they won't touch during the cooking process. They may expand sideways during the baking, but the sides will be chewy and delicious.
- Cover your rolls and let them rest for 15 minutes.
- Uncover your rolls and bake them for about 20 minutes. The tops should be barely starting to turn golden brown, and the center will be cooked through if you poke it with a toothpick.
For the icing:
- In a bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter (you can use a fork or whisk, or for a fluffier icing, you can use an electric beater)
- Add in the vanilla and mix well
- Pour in half of the powdered sugar and half of the milk, mix well
- Slowly add in the rest of the powdered sugar until you reach your desired thickness.
- Pour the icing as soon as the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, or give them a minute to cool.
Don't forget to check out this amazingly creamy and delicious Pumpkin Mac and Cheese from Melissa at Bless This Mess!
I like to top mine with a generous amount of my homemade vanilla cream cheese frosting, but if you're not a fan of cream cheese, feel free to use your favorite icing recipe instead. Whichever way you choose to enjoy these tasty cinnamon rolls, I know you'll love them just as much as I do!
You could also swap out the vanilla for something else, such as maple syrup or almond extract, to give them an extra special flavor. You can easily customize this recipe to your liking, so get creative and have fun with it!
Once they're cooked, you can store them unfrosted at room temperature for about 3 days. Or, once frosted, you can keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can also store the cooked rolls (unfrosted) or the dough in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you're ready to use, just let them thaw, cook (the raw dough) as shown in the recipe and add the frosting!
Of course! If you want to add some extra dynamic to your rolls, try mixing in some chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, dried fruit or even chocolate chips into the frosting. Doing this not only gives my pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe additional flavor, but it'll also look super pretty!
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 4 cups flour (all purpose)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons butter (melted)
- 1 ½ cups pumpkin (pureed, see note)
- 1 cup water (see note)
For the Filling
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ cup pumpkin (pureed)
- 4 tablespoons butter
For the Icing
- 2 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 3 tablespoons butter (softened)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ¼ cup milk
Instructions
For the Dough
- Mix 3 cups of the flour with the rest of the dry ingredients together in large bowl and create a well in the center.
- Add the egg, butter, pumpkin, and water to the dry ingredients. Mix until combined.
- Add the remaining cup of flour and mix until combined.
- Cover and let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- On a floured surface, turn out the dough and knead until it comes together and is smooth, about 6-8 minutes by hand or 4 minutes in a stand mixer.
To Assemble the Cinnamon Rolls
- Combine the pumpkin, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Roll out dough into a rectangle, about ¼ inch thick.
- Spread the pumpkin mixture out on top of the dough.
- Roll the rectangle up tightly (you will be rolling the long side) so that you have a long rolled log.
- Cut the log into 12-15 even rolls. This is most easily done by dividing the dough into 4 pieces and then each of the 4 pieces into three pieces (for 12 cinnamon rolls) or dividing the dough into 3 pieces and then each of the 3 pieces into 5 pieces (for 15 cinnamon rolls).
- For rolls with soft sides, place them ½ inch apart on a sheet tray, in a pie plate, or in a cast iron skillet. For rolls that do not touch, place 1 ½ inches apart. Be sure to grease whatever you use to bake them in.
- Cover rolls and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Uncover and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20 minutes, the tops will just barely start to turn golden and the center cinnamon roll will be cooked through.
For the Icing
- Combine cream cheese and butter until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract and mix well.
- Add in half of the powdered sugar and the milk, mix until smooth.
- Add in the rest of the powdered sugar until your desired consistency is reached, I like the icing to be thick but pourable.
- Pour icing over rolls as soon as they are removed from the oven.
Notes
Nutrition
Looking for more great Fall recipes?
- Pumpkin Hot Chocolate
- Prime Rib Recipe
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- Homemade Bread Recipe
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
- Soft Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Banana Bread Recipe
- Layered Pumpkin Spice Cake
- Marinara Sauce
- Creamy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
- Enchilada Recipe
- Pumpkin Muffins
- Potato Soup Recipe
- Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Caramel Syrup
- Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Rebecca
Thanks for the delicious recipe! I made these last night for a breakfast-for-dinner along with egg bake, and the baby and I are splitting a roll for breakfast this morning. 😊 I love how moist and soft this roll is! We all (family of 9 here!) enjoyed how the dough was not too sweet. I may experiment with adding a bit of pumpkin spice to the dough and filling, and I'm wondering if I can add in pumpkin to the icing, to punch up the pumpkin flavor, as I'd like a bit more pumpkin!
Alli
Hi Rebecca! So glad you liked the recipe! I love all your ideas - I think they would taste amazing.
Melissa
Light fluffy and that icing is soooo good!
Alli
So delicious!