Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe – My Family’s Favorite!

An easy pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe with delicious cream cheese frosting. Made with pumpkin puree, these sweet rolls bake up soft and fluffy, and they have the delicious fall flavors of pumpkin spice!

At the beginning of September, I heard someone jokingly say that pumpkin spice season had started. I laughed, but then I thought, they’re not wrong.

Fall is my favorite season, and I have to say, I’ve bought into all the fall cliches.

Pumpkin spice and everything nice? I 100% agree.

It’s fall, y’all? It’s true, and it always makes me smile.

I love fall most of all? That’s me.

Fall breeze and autumn leaves? They’re truly two of my favorite things!

So if you’re looking for someone to roll her eyes when people start talking about boots and sweaters and scarves and flannel and Halloween and pumpkin stencils and apples? That person is not me. When autumn comes around I’m here for all it.

All that to say; an oh so basic love of all things pumpkin spice? The habit of concocting and adjusting recipes to give them that delicious pumpkin flavor? That’s me.

Some of my favorite recipes include pumpkin bread made with cake mix, pumpkin crisp, a healthy pumpkin smoothie, pumpkin pie rice krispie treats and these pumpkin scones.

I also love cinnamon! You’ll love this recipe for no roll cinnamon rolls (made on a sheet pan without yeast!) and this crock pot cinnamon roll casserole.

Why you’ll love these pumpkin cinnamon rolls

If you’re wondering if you’ll even like this pumpkin spice cinnamon roll recipe, I have a few questions for you:

Do you like cinnamon rolls?

Do you like pumpkin pie spices? OR Do you like the flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove?

Do you like cream cheese frosting?

You answered yes to all three of those things, right? Because those three things are what makes this recipe so delicious, and they’re why I make it at least once every fall!

Because this recipe is just everything that everyone loves about cinnamon rolls with added pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin puree, giving it the classic pumpkin flavor. After baking, they’re topped with a fluffy cream cheese icing.

They melt in your mouth if you eat them while they’re warm, but they’re just as delicious if you have them at room temperature.

Another thing I love about this recipe is that it only takes a few swaps to make it friendly for special diets.

The recipe card below has the changes to make:

Vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls

and

Dairy-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls

Important ingredients in this pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe

These are notes on the key ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. You’ll find exact measurements and instructions in a printable card at the bottom of this post.

Flour – I used all-purpose flour for this recipe, but you can also use the same amount of bread flour.

Yeast – Use quick rise or instant yeast for the best, fastest results. You can use regular, active dry yeast but the rise will take longer. Regardless of the yeast type, just make sure you let the dough double in size when rising.

The recipe calls for 4 1/2 teaspoons of yeast. That’s the same as two packets of yeast.

Water – Make sure your water is warm. If it’s too cold, the yeast will take a lot longer to activate and rise. If it’s too hot, you’ll kill the yeast. The optimal water temperature for yeast breads is 95 to 105 degrees. But you don’t need a thermometer for this. Just put a drop of the water on the back of your hand. It should feel warm but not at all hot.

Butter – Use unsalted butter if you can. Salted butter won’t ruin your pumpkin cinnamon rolls, it just adds extra salt that’s not in the original recipe. Also, the only appropriate substitute for butter in this recipe is vegan butter, and you should only use that if your goal is to make vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Sugar – My pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe calls for white, granulated sugar, but I plan on using brown sugar next time I make them. Because I love brown sugar combined with pumpkin pie spice.

Pumpkin puree – Most pumpkin recipes very firmly tell you to make sure you use pure canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.

Sorry, but I’m going to do the same! Pie filling has sugar and spices already added in. It’s basically a can you open up and scoop into a pie crust.

I’m going to tell you one more time: don’t use pie filling for this recipe. Use pure canned pumpkin or pure pumpkin puree.

Pumpkin pie spice – There really is no substitute for pumpkin pie spice in baking, but you can make your own if you have the spices ingredients in your kitchen.

Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon is inexpensive and easy to find in the grocery store. Without it, you won’t have homemade cinnamon rolls.

How to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls

Note: specific step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. This section includes recipe notes and tips for making the best pumpkin cinnamon rolls you can!

Tips for making pumpkin cinnamon rolls

1. This is not a difficult recipe, I promise! If you’ve made traditional cinnamon rolls before these pumpkin cinnamon rolls will be a breeze to make.

If you don’t have any experience making a cinnamon roll recipe, don’t worry. This is still a super easy recipe.

The thing about cinnamon rolls is that, if you follow the instructions and the yeast works, they’ll always be delicious.

The biggest thing that changes when you make them more than once is the appearance. As you gain more experience making these sweet rolls, you’ll find that they’ll be neater, cleaner and more uniform.

All that to say, if this is your first time making a rolled dough, it might not be perfect. That’s ok. They’ll still be tasty!

2. Don’t use hot water, it will kill the yeast. It’s better for your water to be too cool rather than too warm. Cool water means the dough won’t rise as quickly, but it will still rise. That’s the most important thing.

3. Use your dough ingredients at room temperature: Adding your egg and butter when they’re at room temperature provides a more optimal environment for the yeast.

4. Knead the dough until it springs back when you press 2 fingers lightly into it. This means you’ve kneaded it into an elastic consistency.

5. Use plenty of flour on your work surface, your rolling pin, and what you’re using to cut the dough. This prevents your dough from sticking to everything.

About using a stand mixer in this pumpkin dough recipe

While these instructions direct you to use a stand mixer for mixing, I do the kneading by hand, on a floured surface. You can use a stand mixer to knead instead. Just use the with a dough hook and set the mixer at a low speed.

You can also:

Mix everything by hand with a wooden spoon OR you can follow the instructions while using a hand mixer instead of a stand mixer.

Ingredient notes for the cream cheese frosting

Powdered sugar – this is also called confectioner’s sugar, and there’s not a good substitute for it.

Cream cheese – For the fluffiest frosting, don’t use light or low fat cream cheese in this icing recipe. Take your cream cheese out of the refrigerator when you set your dough aside to rise, and it will be perfectly soft when you’re ready to make this frosting.

Butter – Just like in the dough recipe, unsalted butter is recommended. You should also let the butter soften before starting the cream cheese icing recipe.

Milk – I recommend using whole milk for your cream cheese icing. You can easily use the same amount of half and half or heavy cream for a richer flavor. If you use skim milk, I recommend also mixing in 1/2 – 1 teaspoon of melted butter.

Vanilla extract – I’ve said it before: I’m no longer a vanilla snob, and I think you should just always use your favorite brand. This is my favorite variety of imitation vanilla, and this is just about everyone’s favorite pure vanilla extract.

Tips for making the cream cheese frosting

Making the cream cheese icing for the cinnamon rolls is really easy. Here are a few tips to make the best frosting possible:

1. Use softened butter, but not melted butter. Melting the butter will make the frosting appear thinner than it should.

2. Sift your powdered sugar if it’s lumpy or clumpy. I’ve found that some brands of confectioners sugar tend to be clumpier than others. Surprisingly, Aldi’s brand of powdered sugar has always been great without sifting.

3. Soften your cream cheese. Let it sit outside of the refrigerator for 60-90 minutes before you need it to get it just right.

Pumpkin cinnamon roll variations

It’s super easy to make a few different changes depending on your tastes or dietary preferences.

Here are just a few ideas:

Vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls

Follow the recipe for the cinnamon roll dough, but make the following substitutions:

• Eliminate the egg, and add 3 tablespoons of pumpkin puree in the dough.
• Use vegan butter or vegetable shortening instead of traditional butter.
• Use full fat soy, almond or cashew milk instead of cow’s milk.

Then you’ll also need to make a few changes to the frosting to make a vegan cream cheese icing:

• Use vegan butter instead of regular butter.
• Use vegan cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese.
• Use plant-based milk instead of cow’s milk.

Dairy-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls

Like the vegan pumpkin cinnamon roll directions, it’s also easy to make this into a dairy-free pumpkin cinnamon rolls recipe.

Here’s what you need to do:

Make the pumpkin cinnamon roll dough with the following substitutions:

• Use vegan butter or vegetable shortening instead of traditional butter.
• Use full fat soy, almond or cashew milk instead of cow’s milk.

Follow the dough recipe as directed.

For a dairy-free pumpkin cinnamon roll icing, make these changes:

• Use vegan butter or vegetable shortening instead of traditional butter.
• Use vegan cream cheese instead of regular cream cheese.
• Use full fat plant-based milk instead of cow’s milk.
  OR
• Use maple syrup instead of milk for maple icing.
  
  

Pumpkin cinnamon rolls with maple cream cheese frosting

I’m not a huge fan of maple flavoring, so I didn’t top my pumpkin cinnamon rolls with a maple glaze.

My husband, however, is crazy about maple, and I’m sure I’ll end up making these cinnamon rolls with a maple frosting next time around. Here’s how to do it.

Make the pumpkin spice cinnamon roll recipe as instructed, then make the following substitution in the cream cheese frosting recipe:

Eliminate the milk from the recipe and add 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup. If the icing is too thick, add another tablespoon of maple syrup.

Overnight pumpkin cinnamon rolls

Make the pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe as directed until you get to the part where you put the sliced dough rolls into the prepared baking dish.

Instead of putting the dish in a warm spot to rise, cover the baking dish with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight. You’ll bake them the next day. Here’s how:

In short, I like to let the rolls sit out on the counter for about 45 minutes before they go in the oven. This is how I bake my overnight pumpkin cinnamon rolls:

1. Take the chilled, unbaked cinnamon rolls out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before you want to get them in the oven.
2. Turn your oven on to preheat after letting them sit for 30-35 minutes, then bake when your oven is at the right temperature.