These pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are absolutely delicious and full of pumpkin flavor. Super soft rolls made with pumpkin puree in the dough and in the pumpkin cinnamon sugar butter filling, then topped with cinnamon cream cheese icing.
This pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe is perfect for any fall morning. Served warm with some coffee on the side! Yes, please!
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are perfect for any time of year, but especially delicious in the fall. The warm spices of pumpkin pie spice such as cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves are calling my name before the fall season even approaches!
This pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe was inspired by my super soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls recipe. Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite desserts to eat and make. I like to enjoy them during the holiday season the most and I often roast my own pumpkins for homemade pumpkin puree. I always make my soft cinnamon rolls recipe on Christmas morning.
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Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
These pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls use basic cinnamon roll ingredients with the addition of pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice.
- Bread Flour or All Purpose Flour
- Rapid Rise Active Dry Yeast: Be sure it is fast acting or rapid rise.
- Unsalted Butter
- Pumpkin Puree: use plain pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling. You can also make your own pumpkin puree.
- Eggs, room temperature
- Brown Sugar
- Granulated Sugar
- Ground Cinnamon
- Pumpkin Pie Spice
- Salt
If you are interested in making your own pumpkin puree, check out this post for instructions on how to make easy pumpkin puree at home.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are easy to make but they do require a little bit of extra patience and extra steps. Cinnamon rolls are always worth the extra time, trust me! Homemade cinnamon rolls are far superior than any store bought roll in my opinion.
Start by gently warming the milk and adding in the active dry yeast with 1 tablespoon of sugar and let it sit for 5 minutes to bloom the yeast.
Add in the room temperature eggs, pumpkin, remaining sugar, and melted butter.
Whisk well to combine until a uniform mixture forms.
Add in 2 cups of flour and the all of the spices.
Knead for a minute on low speed until the ingredients combine. The dough will still be wet here.
Add in the remaining flour slowly while the dough is being kneaded on low speed. Dough will be stretchy.
Knead for 5 minutes on the lowest speed or until the dough pulls from the sides of the bowl. It's okay if it is stuck to the bottom a bit. Dough should be moist but no longer be tacky.
Use a dough scraper if needed to turn the pumpkin cinnamon roll dough out on a floured surface.
Knead the cinnamon roll dough by hand for one minute until you can form a smooth round dough ball. Dough should not be sticky. Dust with a bit of flour of needed as you go.
Place smooth cinnamon roll dough into a dish covered with plastic wrap or a towel in a warm place for one hour to rise.
Dough should double in size. If it is hasn't it may need more time to rise or it needs to be in a warmer more humid location.
While the dough is rising, make the pumpkin cinnamon brown sugar butter filling with an electric mixer.
How to Assemble Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Turn the risen pumpkin dough out on a floured surface.
Roll the pumpkin cinnamon roll dough out into a rough 12 x 18 inch rectangle.
Spread the pumpkin cinnamon sugar butter filling evenly across the dough.
Carefully roll the longer end of the pumpkin cinnamon roll dough into the filling, forming a classic cinnamon roll swirl.
The pumpkin cinnamon roll log will be around 18 inches long. Tuck or pat in the ends as needed.
With unscented clean dental floss, slice the soft pumpkin cinnamon roll dough log evenly.
How to Easily Slice Through Soft Cinnamon Roll Dough
You should get 12 pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls. Do not worry if they are super even in size. The dough will be really soft so handle it gently to ensure the filling stays within the rolls. Using dental floss is the cleanest and easiest way to cut the rolls without smooshing the soft cinnamon roll dough log down or making a mess.
Simply slide a long piece of unscented dental floss underneath the cinnamon roll dough log and wherever you want to cut, cross over the floss on top and pull with opposite hands. The floss will come together and cut the dough in a nice smooth roll. I like to measure and mark the dough with an indent from a bench scraper as a guideline for wherever I want to use the floss to cut.
Gently transfer rolls into a 9x13 baking dish with deep sides.
Cover with plastic wrap or towel and let rise again in a warm location for 30-45 minutes.
Cinnamon rolls should rise and puff up filling the entirety of the pan.
Once the pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls have finished their second rise and filled the baking dish, they are ready to bake. Be sure to bake uncovered and in the middle rack of the oven for best results. Cover the rolls in heavy whipping cream like I do in my soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls recipe. Follow instructions as described in the next step for the best cinnamon rolls you've ever had!
How to Bake Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Right before baking, simply pour over heavy whipping cream to all around the rolls. This helps create the most perfect soft and gooey delicious cinnamon rolls ever. Once I started doing this method, I couldn't ever make cinnamon rolls any other way. I swear by it!
Bake on the oven's middle rack for 25 minutes or until the pumpkin spice cinnamon roll dough reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees Fahrenheit and browned on top.
Speaking of icing, while the pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are baking, make the cream cheese icing with an electric mixer.
Don't worry if some of the rolls went a bit wonky, you are going to lather them in delicious icing anyways!
Spread the cream cheese icing all over the tops of the cinnamon rolls. I like to do this when the cinnamon rolls have cooled for about ten minutes but are still a bit warm. I also prefer to serve the cinnamon rolls while still warm and freshly baked. This allows the icing to melt just a bit and spread really nicely over the tops.
If you prefer to keep the icing thicker, then wait for the cinnamon rolls to cool completely before icing because it will melt if spread on top of the warm rolls.
Equipment Needed for Cinnamon Rolls
Cinnamon rolls require kneading the dough. Although it can be done entirely by hand, I highly recommend using a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. This takes all of the kneading work off of your hands and you can multitask while the mixer does it's thing. It will cut the time down over half as well by using an electric stand mixer.
You will also use a mixer to make the pumpkin cinnamon sugar butter filling and the cinnamon cream cheese icing. Except you will use the beater attachment instead of the dough hook. The filling and icing can also both be done with an electric hand mixer. But, I would highly recommend a stand mixer with a dough hook for the actual cinnamon roll dough making.
You will also need a 9x13 baking dish with deep sides to bake the rolls in. Keep in mind that the type of baking dish you use will affect the baking time. A metal baking dish will heat up quicker and will need the amount of time identified in the recipe. If baking in a ceramic dish, you'll need to account for extra time for the baking dish to heat up. It will take longer to heat and to cool down but ceramic dishes are beautiful to display cinnamon rolls in and they are great if you want them to stay warm for a bit to serve.
It's also essential to also have something to cover the dough with while it is rising so that the cinnamon roll dough does not dry out. Plastic saran wrap or a towel will do the trick. Other than the obvious oven, that is really all you need to make the perfect pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
How to Store Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Store baked pumpkin cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. Serve warm. Keep the icing separate and top right before serving if desired.
You can also freeze the cream cheese icing itself and the baked cinnamon rolls separately for up to a month. If freezing the baked cinnamon rolls, ensure they are wrapped well in plastic wrap and then placed in an airtight freezer bag. When ready to serve, thaw in the refrigerator or warm in the microwave then top with icing.
If you are interested in other types of rolls to make, checkout my other roll recipes.
Can I Make the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls ahead of time?
Yes, you can! You can make the cinnamon rolls all the way up to the second rise step. Place your prepared unbaked cinnamon rolls covered with airtight plastic wrap in the refrigerator overnight. The cinnamon rolls will rise in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, simply set the pumpkin cinnamon rolls out on the counter at room temperature while the oven preheats. Once the oven is preheated, take the plastic wrap off and then bake the cinnamon rolls per recipe instructions.
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Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
Equipment
- electric stand mixer
- dough hook
- paddle attachment
- 9x13 baking dish
- plastic wrap or towel
- measuring dry and liquid cups, plus measuring spoons
Ingredients
Pumpkin Dough
- 4 cups bread flour or all purpose flour (plus up to an additional ½ cup if needed for recipe and some for dusting the counter when rolling out the dough)
- 2 ¼ teaspoons rapid rise active dry yeast (1 packet)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk (warmed to 105 - 110 degrees Fahrenheit)
- ½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick, melted)
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Pumpkin Cinnamon Sugar Butter Filling
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ⅓ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 8 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional Ingredients
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream (this is poured over the cinnamon rolls before baking)
Instructions
Pumpkin Dough
- To make the dough, start by warming the milk to 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the milk to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Then add 1 tablespoon of sugar, and the active dry yeast. Then mix together and set for 5 minutes to allow the yeast to bloom. It should start to form a thick bubbly layer on top and this lets you know the yeast is active.
- Now add in the pumpkin puree, the rest of the sugar, melted unsalted butter, and 1 cup of flour. Mix together until combined. Add in eggs one at a time and mix until combined on low speed. Add the remaining 3 cups of flour in slowly while the mixer remains on low speed and allow the dough to form. Once all of the flour has been added in, allow the mixer to knead the dough on low speed for 3 minutes. Dough should be soft and not tacky. If the dough is too wet, add in 1 tablespoon of flour at a time up to an additional ¼ cup of flour if needed. Once the dough forms a smooth non tacky ball without sticking to the sides of the bowl, the dough is done.
- Form the dough ball into a smooth ball and place back in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or towel and place in a warm place to rise for one hour.
- While the dough is rising, make the pumpkin cinnamon sugar butter filling. With an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the pumpkin puree, room temperature butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar for a few minutes until a whipped butter paste like texture forms.
- Once the dough doubles in size, it is ready to roll out.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough in a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. Spread the pumpkin cinnamon sugar butter filling evenly on the dough rectangle. Then starting with the long side of the rectangle, roll up the dough into a tight log.
- Slice the log into 12 equal cinnamon rolls. Place the rolls into a 9x13 baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray or buttered.
- Cover the rolls in the pan with plastic wrap or a towel and let rise for an additional 30 minutes. The rolls will double in size.
- While the rolls are rising, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- When the rolls are doubled in size and ready to bake, pour the ½ cup of heavy whipping cream over the rolls. Don't worry about being too precise here, just pour the cream all over the rolls.
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until fully baked through and golden brown on top.
- While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese icing. With an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the room temperature butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the powdered sugar until an icing consistency forms. Then mix in the vanilla extract. Once frosting is complete set aside until cinnamon rolls are baked.
- When the cinnamon rolls are ready to be iced, ice them warm and the icing will spread really smooth and melt evenly over the rolls. Enjoy!
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