These are the most delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls! They are super fluffy and filled with pumpkin and pumpkin spices. And topped with a thick cream cheese frosting. This recipe makes 12 good sized pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
Make sure to read the full how to make section, with detailed step by step photos.

I could eat all the fall themed pumpkin treats. And these pumpkin cinnamon rolls do not disappoint! They are so soft and fluffy and have the perfect amount of pumpkin. You can store them in your fridge and eat cinnamon rolls all week long.
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are loosely based off of my overnight cinnamon rolls recipe, the cinnamon roll dough always comes out so perfect.
It takes a full morning to make these, about 4 hours in total. The dough has to rise one time, get rolled up and rise a second time then baked. There is a lot of sitting around and waiting with this recipe. Low on the effort, high on the waiting.
But entirely worth it when you bite into a big old luscious pumpkin cinnamon roll dripping with cream cheese frosting.
Are you a pumpkin lover? I look forward to pumpkin desserts all year and as soon as September hits I'm ready to bake them all. Like these crumbl pumpkin cake cookies or this recipe for 20 minute pumpkin ravioli (which is a pumpkin cream sauce).
My all time favorite is a basic pumpkin muffin, hot out of the oven and slathered in salted butter. Alternatively you could make pumpkin chocolate chip muffins.
There are just so many amazing pumpkin recipes on my site! And all you have to do is type in pumpkin in the search box to find them all.
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Ingredients
Here is a brief listing of the ingredients you will need to make these pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Make sure to read the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full ingredients, amounts and the directions.
- milk
- active dry yeast
- all purpose flour
- pumpkin pie spice
- cinnamon
- kosher salt
- pumpkin puree
- eggs
- butter
- brown sugar
- cane sugar
- cream cheese
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
How To Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Proofing the yeast.
Heat the milk to 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir in the active dry yeast and sprinkle with a pinch of sugar on top. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Proofing the yeast is one of the most important parts to making cinnamon rolls. The temperature of the milk is critical. If it is too cold it won't active the yeast, if it is too hot it will kill the yeast.
Having a thermometer is the only way to know for sure you have the correct temperature.
Making the dough.
In a stand mixer bowl whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and kosher salt. To this, add the yeast/milk mixture, pumpkin puree, egg, egg yolk and softened butter.
Do not start mixing and adding one ingredient after another. Everything must be added to the bowl at once.
Using a dough hook, knead this on speed 4 for 5-7 minutes. Every few minutes, scrape the sides down.
First rise.
Remove the dough from the bowl, shape with your hands into a smooth ball and place in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
If your kitchen is cold the dough will have a hard time rising.
Let your oven heat up to 175 degrees then turn the heat off. Place the covered dough in the oven and let rise until doubled.
Forming the cinnamon rolls.
Flour your counter top and dump out the dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and use a rolling pin to roll out to a 12” x 18” rectangle.
Stir together the brown sugar, cane sugar, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Spread out the melted butter over the dough and cover with the sugar mixture.
Preheat oven to 350.
Roll up the dough like a typewriter. Use a piece of sewing string or floss to make 12 equal cuts.
Second rise and baking.
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter and place the rolls in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes near a warm place.
Bake for 30 minutes.
You can place foil on the top of the rolls to prevent too much browning. Depending on the oven and pan you use they may need to bake longer, check for doneness. Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. Spread on the frosting.
Storing and Reheating
Because these pumpkin cinnamon rolls have a cream cheese frosting on top they must be store in the fridge.
Cover them tightly with plastic wrap. They are best eaten within 5 days.
You can wrap them and freeze for up to a month for best taste.
To reheat a single cinnamon roll, microwave for 20 seconds.
FAQ
Have a question? Check out this section of frequently asked questions to see if it can be answered.
(1) The milk was too cold and did not activate the yeast.
(2) The milk was too hot and killed the yeast.
(3) The active dry yeast used is expired.
There was too much liquid added or not enough flour. Since the flour in the recipe is measured in cups not by weight, this could fluctuate how much is scooped per the baker. The dough should pull away from the sides. If it is still too sticky, slowly add in more flour a tablespoon or two at a time.
There was not enough liquid added or too much flour added.
Also, the dough may appear dry-ish when it first starts kneading. After a couple minutes the dough should soften up.
More Pumpkin Recipes
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Roll With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Twisted Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin Buns
- Pumpkin Pie Bread
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
These are the most delicious pumpkin cinnamon rolls! They are super fluffy and filled with pumpkin and pumpkin spices. And topped with a thick cream cheese frosting. This recipe makes 12 good sized pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients
- 1 c milk
- 2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast
- 4 ¾ c all purpose flour + 2 tbsp
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ½ c pumpkin puree
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
Filling
- 1 c brown sugar
- ½ c cane sugar
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 4 tbsp butter, melted
Frosting
- 2 tbsp butter, room temp
- 4 ounces cream cheese, room temp
- 1 ½ c powdered sugar
- ⅛ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Heat the milk to 105-110 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir in the active dry yeast and sprinkle with a pinch of sugar on top. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy.
- In a stand mixer bowl whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and kosher salt. To this, add the yeast/milk mixture, pumpkin puree, egg, egg yolk and softened butter. Using a dough hook, knead this on speed 4 for 5-7 minutes. Every few minutes, scrape the sides down.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, shape with your hands into a smooth ball and place in a large greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and rise in a warm spot until doubled in size.
- Flour your counter top and dump out the dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and use a rolling pin to roll out to a 12” x 18” rectangle. Stir together the brown sugar, cane sugar, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Spread out the melted butter over the dough and cover with the sugar mixture.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Roll up the dough like a typewriter. Use a piece of sewing string or floss to make 12 equal cuts. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pan with butter and place the rolls in it. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes near a warm place.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. You can place foil on the top of the rolls to prevent too much browning. Depending on the oven and pan you use they may need to bake longer, check for doneness. Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Using a hand mixer, beat together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Spread on the frosting.
Notes
The dough should pull away from the sides after kneading the 5-7 minutes and when you press your finger in it, it does not stick but bounces back.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 297Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 270mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 1gSugar: 39gProtein: 3g
This information comes from online calculators. Although moderncrumb.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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