These pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls have real pumpkin in the yeasted dough. They are filled with a pumpkin spice cinnamon swirl, and are topped with a sweet cream cheese frosting. Make these a day ahead and pop them in the oven on a chilly autumn morning for a breakfast the whole family will love!
Jump straight to the recipe!
🍂Cinnamon rolls with a fall twist
I have a few recipes for cinnamon rolls - soft cinnamon rolls, red velvet cinnamon rolls, and funfetti cinnamon rolls. Pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls is my newest addition, and it is perfect for fall!
The pumpkin is in the yeasted dough and the cinnamon swirl is elevated for fall with the tastes of warm pumpkin spice.
You can even make these the day before and bake them the next morning (which is what I prefer to do). Or, if you can't wait, bake them the same day!
🥘Ingredients
- Whole milk
- Unsalted butter
- Pumpkin puree - either canned or homemade.
- Brown sugar - light or dark both work well.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, salt
- Large egg
- Yeast - I used dry active yeast. Use whichever type you normally use for bread making.
- All purpose flour
- Cream cheese
- Confectioner's sugar
🔪Instructions
Make the dough
Melt butter and milk together in the microwave. Pour it into a large mixing bowl with yeast. Add pumpkin puree, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Mix to combine. Mix in the egg, and then 1 cup of flour. After the 1 cup of flour is mixed in, knead in the remaining flour.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, and cover until it has doubled in size. When ready, roll it out on a floured surface.
Make the filling
Combine butter, brown sugar, and the spices in a small bowl. Spread softened butter all over the rolled out dough. Sprinkle the filling all over the butter. Pat it down so it sticks to the butter. Roll the dough from the longest side. Cut 12 slices into the dough to make rolls. Place the rolls in a greased baking dish, leaving spaces so they can rise.
If you would like to make the cinnamon rolls the same day, cover and let the rolls rise until double in size. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Uncover and bake the rolls at 350°F for 22-28 minutes, or until their temperature is 190°F. If they brown too much while baking, cover with aluminum foil.
Overnight Cinnamon rolls
If you would like to finish making the rolls the next day, don't let the rolls rise in the baking dish. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator. The next day, let the rolls warm at room temperature and double. This can take about 2 hours.
What I do, is warm an oven up. Turn on your oven to 350°F and let it start to preheat for a few minutes. Turn the oven off. It will feel warm inside the oven, not hot. Place the cinnamon roll in the oven and close the door. The cinnamon rolls will warm to room temperature and double in size much faster.
When the cinnamon rolls have doubled in size, take the plastic wrap off and bake at 350°F for 22-28 minutes, or until their temperature is 190°F. If they brown too much while baking, cover with aluminum foil.
Make the cream cheese frosting
Beat cream cheese and butter together until combined. Add in confectioner's sugar and mix until combined. If you would like the frosting to seep into the cinnamon rolls, spread the frosting on when they are still warm. Spread the frosting on them when they have cooled to get a thicker frosting on top.
For more step-by-step pictures and instructions, see the web story for pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls!
✔️Expert tips
- Don't overheat your milk and butter. They should be between 105°F - 115°F in temperature. Anything hotter and it will kill the yeast. The milk and melted butter mixture should be warm when you dip a finger in. If it is too hot, let it sit for a few minutes.
- Use softened butter for the filling. I have tried using melted butter, but the filling seeps out of the buns while baking. Not good!
- After you sprinkle the brown sugar and spices all over the rolled out and buttered dough, pat it in so all that goodness stays on the rolls.
- Add some nuts into the filling if you like. Pecans would be amazing!
- The cinnamon rolls have been baked through when they reach 190°F.
- Leftovers can be kept airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days.
💭FAQs
For any leftovers, wrap each roll in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag before putting them in the freezer. To thaw, grab a roll, unwrap it and microwave for 30-60 seconds until it is warm.
You can use a serrated knife or plain unwaxed dental floss.
Yes, the cinnamon rolls can be made up to just before their second rise (when they are ready to rise in the baking pan). Cover and store in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, bring the cinnamon rolls to room temperature and bake.
No, allspice is a spice made from dried berries of an allspice tree.
📋Recipe
📋 Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Pumpkin dough
- ¼ cup milk warm
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 ¼ teaspoons yeast
- ¾ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 ⅔ cups all purpose flour
Filling
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Pumpkin Dough
- Place milk and butter in a small bowl. Warm in the microwave until the milk is warm so that the butter will melt when stirred into the milk. This should be between 105°F -115°F. It should feel warm when you dip your finger in. If it is too hot, let it sit until it has cooled a bit.
- Place the yeast in a large mixing bowl and pour the milk and butter mixture over it. Add pumpkin puree, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir to combine. Mix in egg until combined.
- Mix in 1 cup of flour, and then the remaining flour. Knead until the dough comes together and does not stick to the bottom of the mixing bowl. If you need more flour, pour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is ready.
- Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- When the dough is ready, roll it to a large rectangle on a floured surface, about 15 x 20 inches. Spread butter all over the top of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
- Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice in a small bowl and mix well. Sprinkle evenly over butter. Pat the sugar mixture into the butter so that it won't seep out during baking.
- Roll the dough starting at the long side of the rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 rolls and place them into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
- If you are baking the rolls right away, preheat oven to 350°F. Cover the cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and allow them to double in size, about 30 minutes. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 22-28 minutes, or until they are 190°F in the center. If the tops of the rolls are browning too quickly, lightly cover them with tin foil.
- For overnight cinnamon rolls, cover the baking dish of cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until morning. The next day, let the cinnamon rolls come to room temperature and then double in size. This can take a few hours. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Bake the cinnamon rolls for 22-28 minutes. Remove from the oven onto a wire rack .
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Mix in confectioner's sugar until combined.
- If you would like the frosting to seep into the cinnamon rolls a bit, spread frosting on them when still warm. If you would like a thicker frosting on the cinnamon rolls, wait for them to cool before frosting.
Notes
- Don't overheat your milk and butter. They should be between 105°F - 115°F in temperature. Anything hotter and it will kill the yeast. The milk and melted butter mixture should be warm when you dip a finger in. If it is too hot, let it sit for a few minutes.
- Use softened butter for the filling. I have tried using melted butter, but the filling seeps out of the buns while baking. Not good!
- After you sprinkle the brown sugar and spices all over the rolled out and buttered dough, pat it in so all that goodness stays on the rolls.
- Add some nuts into the filling if you like. Pecans would be amazing!
- The cinnamon rolls have been baked through when they reach 190°F.
- Leftovers can be kept airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Did you try this recipe? Comment below to let me know ☺️