These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are SO soft and delicious. No crispy edges here, just fluffy cinnamon rolls with a smooth cream cheese icing. With pumpkin in the dough and filling, these easy cinnamon rolls are bursting with pumpkin spice flavor.
Why I love this recipe
What I love most about these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls is how they’re so soft and fluffy. I honestly could not stop eating them because they’re just so so good! The best part about a cinnamon roll is the ooey gooey center, but why only leave that for one bite?
These cinnamon rolls are soft all throughout with no crispy edges. You can dig your fork in like you would a slice of cake and it cuts so nicely. That’s how you know it’s a good cinnamon roll recipe!
Adding the pumpkin is what creates that ooey gooey texture. I honestly wish there was an ingredient that mimicked pumpkin just without the flavor… I’d add it to everything!
Tips and tricks
Making homemade cinnamon rolls can seem like such a daunting task… mainly because yeast is involved. But if you follow these tips, you should get perfect rolls every time!
- Make sure your milk is at the right temperature. When you add the yeast to your milk, it must be warm to the touch but not hot. If it’s too hot or too cold, your yeast won’t activate and your pumpkin cinnamon rolls will be more like pumpkin pancakes!
- If you have an electric mixer, use your dough hook to kneed the dough. It saves you time and energy! Let it do all the work for you by running it on medium for a few minutes to strengthen the gluten and bring your dough together.
- Use flavorless floss to cut your rolls. Just slide it under where you plan on cutting and pull the two ends up and over the roll, cross them over, and pull. You’ll get perfectly round rolls that would typically get squished with a knife.
- When you’ve placed your rolls in your baking dish, proof them in the oven on the lowest temperature possible. They’re rise beautifully in a nice warm oven before you bake them off.
Should I be using a cast iron skillet?
For this recipe, I baked my Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls in a large cast iron skillet. This is my favorite way to bake cinnamon rolls because it heats evenly and leaves you with soft rolls both in the center AND on the edges of the dish.
If you use a cast iron, make sure you butter the entire inside before placing your rolls.
Baking dish alternatives
I used a large 12″ cast iron skillet for this recipe. If you don’t have one that size, you can easily bake these rolls in a 9×13″ baking dish. Instead of 14 rolls, cut the log into 12 rolls space them out evenly in the pan. Baking time will remain the same.
How to make the best cream cheese icing
Arguably, a cinnamon roll isn’t a cinnamon roll without cream cheese icing. It’s such a simple recipe but can be made so many different ways. Luckily, it’s easy to adjust it to your liking. But number one rule is to use ROOM TEMPERATURE CREAM CHEESE so you get a nice and smooth icing. I also always use Philadelphia cream cheese as off brand cream cheese tends to turn a little lumpy when beaten.
For this Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll recipe, I went with a cream cheese frosting that isn’t too thick or too thin. I did this by adding the perfect balance of milk and sugar to the recipe. To make it your own, you can reduce the amount of sugar to make it thinner or add more to make it thicker.
You can also adjust the milk to do the same. Obviously, adjusting the sugar will affect the sweetness of your icing. But for me, any cream cheese icing is GOOD cream cheese icing, no matter the recipe!
FAQs
The first 45 minute proof cannot be refrigerated overnight BUT you can place them in the fridge after they’ve been rolled out and placed in the baking dish. Once rolled and sliced, place the pan in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to bake, let the cinnamon rolls sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then bake.
If you find you’re losing a lot of filling try using room temperature butter instead.
If you’re craving even more pumpkin dessert recipes:
- Easy Pumpkin Cheesecake with Philadelphia
- Cheesecake Stuffed Pumpkin Cookies
- Maple Glazed Pumpkin Bread
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Muffin with Cinnamon Sugar
- Giant Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie
Make sure to tag me @butternutbakery on Instagram if you make these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. I love seeing these recipes come to life in YOUR kitchen! To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card, the buttons above or below this post, or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 rolls
Description
These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are so soft and fluffy. They’re smothered in silky cream cheese icing and have pumpkin in the dough AND the filling!
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup (236ml) warm milk
- 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 1/4 tsp instant dry yeast
- 1/2 cup (115g) canned pumpkin puree
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 4 1/2 cups (593g) all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 1/4 cup (58g) canned pumpkin
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsp ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 1/4 cup (55g) unsalted butter, room temp
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temp
- 1 1/2 cups (165g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1–2 tbsp milk
Instructions
Dough
- In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter on medium-low heat until melted and combined. Remove from heat and let it cool down – just until it’s warm to the touch but not too hot.
- While it cools down, mix the pumpkin, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and sugar using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Now add the yeast to the milk and butter then slowly mix it into the pumpkin mixture.
- Once combined, mix in the egg. Add in the flour and mix on low until fully incorporated.
- Remove the paddle attachment and replace it with the dough hook. Let the dough rest for about 3 minutes for the flour to fully absorb.
- When ready, let it run on medium speed for about 5 minutes or until it becomes smooth and stretchy.
- Coat a large bowl with a flavorless oil and place the dough inside. Cover it with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 minutes at room temperature.
FillingÂ
- Preheat the oven to the lowest temperature possible.
- Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface, making a 12×15″ rectangle.
- Mix together the butter and pumpkin in a small dish. Spread the mixture in an even layer on the cinnamon roll dough, leaving about 1/2 inch bare around the edges.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar on top followed by the cinnamon. Use your hands to evenly spread the cinnamon sugar. Then roll up the dough into a log, rolling from the longest side.
- Slide some flavorless floss underneath the log to make your cuts, starting by cutting off and discarding the two uneven ends. Lift the two sides of the floss up and over the log and pull through. Then move to the very center to cut the log into two equal pieces, then cut those two pieces in half to create four equal pieces, then cut the four pieces into three slices to create 12 rolls in total.
- Place your rolls in a well buttered 9×13 baking dish. Once the oven has preheated, turn it off and place the rolls inside to proof again. Let the rolls sit in there for about 30 minutes or until they’ve doubled in size.
- Then take the rolls out of the oven and turn the temperature up to 350F. Once preheated, bake them for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are a nice golden color.
Cream Cheese Icing
- While the rolls bake, make the icing. Mix together the butter and cream cheese with a whisk or electric mixer. Mix in the powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time and then the vanilla and milk.Â
- When the pumpkin cinnamon rolls are still warm, spread an even layer of the icing on top. This recipe makes a healthy amount so use as much or as little as you like.
- Serve while they’re fresh and warm. Enjoy!
Notes
If you find you’re losing a lot of filling when you’re rolling and cutting your rolls try using room temperature butter instead.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Brunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pumpkin cinnamon rolls, cinnamon rolls, pumpkin spice
Can this be proofed overnight in frig?
The first 45 minute proof cannot be refrigerated overnight BUT you can place them in the fridge after they’ve been rolled out and placed in the baking dish. Once rolled and sliced, place the pan in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to bake, let the cinnamon rolls sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then bake. I hope that helps!
Best recipe EVER for cinnamon rolls. Made them today. All eaten before I got one but heard from everyone how wonderful they were!, fortunately I have 2 left over I couldnt fit in the pan so I’ll bake them later to try.
Aw bummer I wish you could have had one! But I’m happy to hear they were well loved 🙂
Delicious! So soft and tasty. As I rolled it after spreading the filling all of the filling just got pressed out of the cinnamon roll and I was left with a giant puddle of filling on my counter and a little bit of cinnamon lining the rolls. Any advice on how to keep the filling in the rolls as your rolling them?
★★★★
I’m not sure why that happened but you could try using room temperature butter instead. Make sure to leave space around the edges of the dough as well!
These are so delicious and pretty. I had the same problem with the filling getting pushed out while I was rolling. I’ll leave a bigger space at the end and try to thicken up the filling. I made your regular cinnamon buns last week. They were also a big hit!
★★★★★
Hi, I grew pumpkins this year (rookie mistake – grew too many!) Happily looking for ways to use my pumpkins up. How to use fresh pumpkins – in grams/cups, and is it better roasted or boiled to get the same consistency as canned pumpkin?
I recommend roasting them and then blending in a food processor for the best consistency. If there’s too much liquid once pureed, let the pumpkin soak in a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb that excess water.
this pumpkin spice roll is sickkkkk!!!
the filling inside definitely got a little messy when i tried to roll it up and slice it (i think my filling is not thick enough, even i tried with room temperature butter instead melted butter.)
but i really love the color from the pumpkin purée, and the flavors is beyond amazing. (this will probably be the permanent brunch item for my family on Thanksgiving say from now on)
★★★★★
Oh yay! Thanks for sharing!
Mine didn’t rise, not even a little. I’m sure it’s probably on my end, I also had the same trouble with the filling getting pushed out I probably should’ve just used room temperature butter.
Oh no!! To be honest this is a pretty old recipe on my site and I’ve been meaning to update it this coming season. Otherwise, it could have been the temperature in which the heat was activated OR the dough might have been overworked. Those are the top reasons why cinnamon rolls don’t rise.