These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are the ultimate fall treat. This recipe is a variation on our Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls, which many of you have deemed the best cinnamon rolls you’ve ever had!
(Check out the comments to see how many folks who have long hunted for the perfect soft cinnamon roll love this recipe!)
These are just as soft and fluffy, with pumpkin puree and a few extra spices to add the cozy taste of fall. Share these with friends and family, and enjoy one yourself with a cup of coffee!
It’s Pumpkin Season
I love fall! Perhaps it’s because I’m a fall baby, but I can’t wait to get an excess of knobby heritage gourds, put out my silly little velvet pumpkins, crunch in the leaves, relish in the chilly air, bask in the jewel-colored mums, and of course—dust myself in cinnamon sugar and pumpkin spice.
Luckily, last year my parents anticipated my gourd habit, and saved seeds from the heritage pumpkins I bought from a local farm and now we have our own charming collection of gourds straight from our own garden—and ahead of schedule!
Our Secret to the Fluffiest Cinnamon Rolls
What else? It’s my mom’s milk bread recipe (which she originally got from her cousin, who unknowingly gifted us with one of the most beloved recipes on The Woks of Life).
It has spawned recipes for everything from BBQ Pork Buns to Ham and Cheese Croissants, to cracking the code on those delicious Chinese buffet sugar donuts (you’ll have to grab a copy of our cookbook for that one)!
A few years ago, I was lamenting the fact that every cinnamon roll recipe I tried yielded tough dough (I believe my exact words were, “…like you’re eating the stale end of a loaf of bread that’s been drowned in sugary frosting and dropped in sand”), when I decided to see if my mom’s almighty milk bread was the cure I needed for my cinnamon-sugar-dusted ennui.
Of course, that recipe came through again. It yielded tender, fluffy rolls that remain soft days later. A quick zip through the microwave, and they taste like they just came out of the oven.
This pumpkin version is actually an adaptation of my mom’s pumpkin dinner rolls, a Thanksgiving recipe all the way back from 2017.
I added some nutmeg to the dough (not cinnamon, because it can actually prevent the yeast from doing its job—we learned this the hard way) and used all-purpose flour instead of the mix of bread and cake flour (after extensive testing, we’ve found you can get good results with either, and AP flour is just easier).
What you’ll get for your efforts is a pumpkin cinnamon roll that’s worth the work!
The Order of Operations
To make cinnamon rolls, you make three components:
- The dough: assemble the dough, proof until doubled in size, and then knead again for 5 minutes.
- The filling: mix all the filling ingredients together, and spread it onto the rolled dough. Then roll and cut the cinnamon rolls. They will proof one more time for 30-40 minutes before baking.
- The icing: Make the icing in the 20 minutes it takes for the cinnamon rolls to bake. When they’re out of the oven, top with the icing, and enjoy!
Can I make these Pumpkin cinnamon rolls ahead and bake in the morning?
If your aim is fresh cinnamon rolls in the morning, yes. You can make the dough the night before through the first proofing step, and rather than proofing in a warm place for 1-2 hours, just cover tightly and transfer to the fridge to proof overnight.
The next morning, let the dough come up to room temperature while you make the filling and icing. Then start at the step where you put the dough back in the mixer for 5 minutes to eliminate air bubbles. Assemble the cinnamon rolls, allow to rise for a final 30-40 minutes, and bake.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe Instructions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add these ingredients in the following order: pumpkin puree, heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, flour, yeast, salt, and nutmeg.
There is no need to activate the yeast beforehand.
Turn on the mixer to the lowest setting, and let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together. If you’re in a humid climate and the dough is too sticky, feel free to add a little more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together. It should be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, but not the sides. If you don’t have a mixer and would like to knead by hand, extend the kneading time by 5-10 minutes.
Cover the bowl with a damp towel. Place in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. (We proof our dough in a closed microwave with a mug of just boiled water next to it.)
In the meantime, grease two baking vessels on all sides with butter. We fit 12 rolls in a large casserole dish, and 4 into a smaller overflow casserole dish. You can also use two 9-inch cake pans. Keep in mind that these expand quite a bit. You want to ensure they have enough room to expand, but not so much room that they won’t end up hugging each other in the pan once baked.
Next, mix the cinnamon sugar filling. In a medium bowl, combine the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, allspice, salt, and butter until it’s a brown paste. If you need to, microwave the butter for 15-20 seconds to make it easier to stir.
After the dough has doubled in size, put it back in the mixer. Knead for another 5 minutes to get rid of any air bubbles.
Roll the dough out into a 12×24 inch (30x60cm) rectangle, at about ¼-inch (6mm) thickness.
Using a butter knife, spread the brown sugar filling evenly over the dough. Leave about a ½-inch (1.25cm) of border on the sides.
Roll it tightly into a big cigar…
And cut it into 16 equal pieces. (It helps to score it first in half, then in fourths, and so on).
We have found that the best method for cutting cinnamon rolls is using unwaxed dental floss!
Arrange the buns in the buttered baking pans with about ¾-inch (2cm) between each bun. (When it comes to the end pieces, place them cut side up.) Proof for another 30-40 minutes.
15 minutes into the last round of proofing, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat it to 350°F/175°C. After proofing the buns, bake for 20-25 minutes. Ours baked in 25 minutes. If you know your oven runs hot, proceed accordingly.
The center buns will look a little pale relative to the ones on the edges. Don’t be tempted to bake them longer!
While the buns are baking, make the cream cheese icing. Whip the cream cheese and butter until fluffy and pale yellow using your paddle attachment. (Or you can do this by hand with a whisk. Have a butter knife at the ready to assist in dislodging the cream cheese and butter.)
Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. For super thick icing, omit the milk. For a thinner, pourable consistency, add the milk.
(This makes 2 cups of icing. We used 1 cup because we prefer ours less sweet. That is what is shown in the image—i.e., you’ll get a nice single layer of icing on the tops of the rolls. Those who like their cinnamon rolls drowning should make the full recipe! If you only want a half recipe, you can use the serving size slider in the recipe card to cut it in half.)
When the cinnamon buns are done baking, remove from the oven. Drizzle icing evenly over the top as desired.
Serve these pumpkin cinnamon rolls warm!
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Recipe
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the rolls:
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ⅔ cup heavy cream (at room temperature)
- ⅓ cup milk (at room temperature)
- 1 large egg (at room temperature)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- Butter (at room temperature, for greasing the baking dishes)
For the filling:
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar (or light brown sugar, lightly packed)
- 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 pinch allspice powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature)
For the icing:
- 5 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
- 3 tablespoons salted butter (at room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar (AKA icing sugar)
- 3½ tablespoons whole milk (optional)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, add these ingredients in the following order: pumpkin puree, heavy cream, milk, egg, sugar, flour, yeast, salt, and nutmeg. There is no need to activate the yeast beforehand.
- Turn on the mixer to the lowest setting, and let it go for 15 minutes, occasionally stopping the mixer to push the dough together. If you’re in a humid climate and the dough is too sticky, feel free to add a little more flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it comes together. It should be sticking to the bottom of the bowl, but not the sides. If you don’t have a mixer and would like to knead by hand, extend the kneading time by 5-10 minutes.
- Cover the bowl with a damp towel and place in a warm spot for 1-2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. (We proof our dough in a closed microwave with a mug of just boiled water next to it.)
- In the meantime, grease two baking vessels on all sides with butter. We fit 12 rolls in a large casserole dish, and 4 into a smaller overflow casserole dish. You can also use two 9-inch cake pans. Keep in mind that these expand quite a bit. You want to ensure they have enough room to expand, but not so much room that they won’t end up hugging each other in the pan once baked.
- Next, mix the cinnamon sugar filling. In a medium bowl, combine the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ground ginger, allspice, salt, and butter until it’s a brown paste. If you need to, microwave the butter for 15-20 seconds to make it easier to stir.
- After the dough has doubled in size, put it back in the mixer, and stir for another 5 minutes to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Roll the dough out into a 12×24 inch (30x60cm) rectangle, at about ¼-inch (6mm) thickness. Using a butter knife, spread the brown sugar filling evenly over the dough leaving about a ½-inch (1.25cm) of border on the sides. Roll it tightly into a big cigar, and cut it into 16 equal pieces. (It helps to score it first in half, then in fourths, and so on).
- Arrange the buns in the buttered baking pans (when it comes to the end pieces, place them cut side up) with about ¾-inch (2cm) between each bun. Proof for another 30-40 minutes.
- 15 minutes into the last round of proofing, arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350°F/175°C. After proofing the buns, bake for 20-25 minutes. Ours baked in 25 minutes. If you know your oven runs hot, proceed accordingly. The center buns will look a little pale relative to the ones on the edges, but don’t be tempted to bake them longer!
- While the buns are baking, make the cream cheese icing. Whip the cream cheese and butter until fluffy and pale yellow using your paddle attachment (or you can do this by hand with a whisk). Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar. For super thick icing, omit the milk. For a thinner, pourable consistency, add the milk.
- When the buns are done baking, remove from the oven. Drizzle icing evenly over the buns as desired. Serve warm!
