The Best Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls You’ll Ever Eat
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4.8
213 reviews
Excellent
The Best Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls You’ll Ever Eat
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The Best Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls combine a soft, enriched bread dough made with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice, filled with a cinnamon-sugar butter layer, then topped with a creamy maple-cream cheese glaze. The dough’s subtle pumpkin flavor and warming spices infuse the rolls, offering a moist and tender texture. These rolls rise twice to develop fluffiness before baking to a golden brown. The maple syrup in the glaze adds sweetness and balances the spiced filling.
Description
This recipe starts with warming milk and activating yeast, then blending in pumpkin puree, melted butter, and egg to make a rich, moist dough spiced with pumpkin pie spice. After kneading to a slightly sticky ball, the dough rises until doubled in size. The filling consists of dark brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter spread over the rolled dough sheet before being cut into individual rolls.
The rolls undergo a second rise before baking, yielding a soft crumb and tender bite. A cream cheese glaze made by mixing cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt adds a rich, sweet finish once the rolls are baked and slightly cooled. A sprinkle of cinnamon garnish enhances aroma and presentation.
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls make a flavorful seasonal treat, ideal for breakfast or brunch. They can be prepared ahead, with an option to refrigerate after rolling for an overnight rise and baking in the morning, preserving fresh texture and ease.
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Ingredients
- For the cinnamon roll dough:
- ¾ cup milk whole, 2%, or almond milk alternatives, 180g
- ¼ cup granulated sugar 50g
- 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast quick rise, 1/4-ounce package
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree 183g
- ¼ cup butter melted, 57g
- 1 egg at room temperature
- 4 cups bread flour 480g
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- For the filling:
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar 142g
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter at room temperature, 57g
- For the cream cheese glaze:
- 4 ounces cream cheese at room temperature, 112g
- 3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup powdered sugar 28g
- 4 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- Pinch salt
- For garnish:
- ground cinnamon sprinkle
Instructions
- Warm milk to around 110 degrees F. I like to do this by placing milk in a microwave safe bowl and microwaving it for 45 seconds. It should be like warm bath water. Transfer warm milk and sugar to the bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle yeast on top. Stir pumpkin puree, room temperature egg and melted butter, mixing until smooth and well combined and creamy. Next stir in bread flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
- Place dough hook on mixer and knead dough on low speed for 8-10 minutes. Dough should form into a nice ball and be slightly sticky. (If you don’t want to use an electric mixer, you can use your hands to knead the dough for 8-10 minutes on a well-floured surface.)
- Transfer dough ball to a large bowl greased with olive oil or nonstick cooking spray, then cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel. Allow dough to rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size. This may more or less time depending the humidity and temperature in your home.
- After dough has doubled in size, transfer dough to a well-floured surface and roll out into a 14x16 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over dough, leaving a ¼ inch margin at the far side of the dough.
- In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Use your hands to sprinkle mixture over the buttered dough, then rub the sugar into the butter.
- Tightly roll dough up the dough, starting from the 14-inch side (the smaller side) and place seam side down making sure to seal the edges of the dough as best you can. You will probably need to cut off about an inch off the ends of the dough as the ends won’t be as full of cinnamon sugar as we’d want it to be. Then cut into 1 inch sections with a serrated knife. You should get 12 rolls. I like to make dents in the dough before cutting as demonstrated in the photos, to make 12 even rolls.
- Place cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. I highly recommend lining the pan with parchment paper as well, in case any of the filling ends up leaking out. Cover with plastic wrap and a warm towel and let the cinnamon rolls rise again for about 30 minutes, then preheat your oven.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove plastic wrap and towel and bake the cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. You want to under bake them a little so they stay soft in the middle, that’s why we want them just slightly golden brown. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes before frosting. Makes 12 cinnamon rolls
- To make the frosting: In the bowl of an electric mixer or in a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, maple syrup and salt. Beat until smooth. Spread over the pumpkin cinnamon rolls and serve! Sprinkle cinnamon rolls with a little cinnamon for a pretty look. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can make the rolls ahead by refrigerating them overnight after shaping; bake them the next morning after a short counter rise.
- For a vegan version, omit the egg and increase pumpkin puree; use plant-based milk, butter, and cream cheese substitutes.
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User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.8
213 reviews
Excellent
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