Description
Easy pumpkin pie cinnamon rolls with tender pumpkin dough, spiced pumpkin filling, and cream cheese frosting. Make-ahead friendly for weekend brunches and holidays.
Ingredients
For the Dough:
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- 4¼ cups all-purpose flour (plus 3–4 tablespoons extra during kneading)
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- 4½ teaspoons instant yeast
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- 1 teaspoon salt
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- 1 cup milk
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- ½ cup pumpkin purée
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- ½ cup melted unsalted butter
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- ½ cup granulated sugar
For the Filling:
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- 1 cup pumpkin purée (excess moisture squeezed out)
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- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
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- 1¾ cups packed light brown sugar
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- 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
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- 1 teaspoon each ground ginger and nutmeg
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- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
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- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
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- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Frosting:
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- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
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- ½ cup cream cheese, room temperature
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- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
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- ¼ teaspoon salt
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- 1¼ cups powdered sugar
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- ⅓ cup pumpkin purée (squeezed dry)
Instructions
Heat milk, pumpkin, butter, and sugar until warm – like bath water, not coffee hot. Mix flour, yeast, and salt in a big bowl. Add the warm stuff and stir until it looks messy. Knead for 8 minutes by hand or 5 with a mixer. Add flour if it’s too sticky, but don’t go crazy – it should feel slightly tacky. Let it sit while you make filling.
Squeeze that pumpkin like your life depends on it. I use about six paper towels and press hard. Mix with soft butter, brown sugar, and spices. Taste it – it should make you want to eat it with a spoon.
Spread half the filling in your greased pan. This creates a gooey bottom layer that nobody expects. Roll dough into a rectangle – doesn’t need to be perfect, mine never is. Spread remaining filling, roll up tight, cut into 12 pieces. Dental floss works better than a knife if you have it.
Put rolls in pan on top of that filling layer. For same-day baking, stick in warm oven (turned off) for 30 minutes. Refrigerate, covered, for overnight. In the morning, wake them at room temperature, let them rise again.
350°F for 28-30 minutes, rotate halfway through. They’re done when golden and the middle ones spring back. Don’t overbake – they keep cooking in the hot pan.
In a large bowl beat butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Stir in vanilla, salt, squeezed pumpkin and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth. Lick the beaters – it’s the law.
Wait 10 minutes before frosting. I know it’s torture but hot rolls will melt the frosting into soup. Spread generously and serve immediately.
Notes
If the dough seems different than usual cinnamon roll dough, don’t panic. The pumpkin makes it more orange and slightly different texture. That’s normal and what makes them special.
Internal temp should be 190°F if you’re worried, but honestly they’ll look golden and smell incredible when ready. Mine are never perfectly shaped and they still disappear fast.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Breakfast/Brunch
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 large roll
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 42g
- Sodium: 285mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 78g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 45mg