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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are bursting with fall flavor! Melt-in-your-mouth, gooey cinnamon rolls are made with real pumpkin and lots of cozy pumpkin spices. They’re filled with classic cinnamon filling and pumpkin butter, baked over extra filling to create caramel bottomed rolls, and slathered in cinnamon cream cheese frosting!
Why you’ll love these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls:
- Pillowy, Gooey Cinnamon Rolls – Using an enriched dough ensures that these rolls are extra pillowy and gooey! An enriched dough is one that uses eggs, sugar, & butter along with your standard dough ingredients like yeast and flour. This is a simpler version of the dough from my beloved Maple Brioche Cinnamon Rolls!
- Pumpkin Butter & Cinnamon Filling – In addition to classic filling, we’re adding pumpkin butter for extra pumpkin flavor!
- Caramel Bottoms – Adding extra filling mixed with heavy cream to the bottom of the pan ensures the rolls bake up with molten caramel bottoms!
- Luscious Cream Cheese Frosting – Swirls of cinnamon cream cheese frosting melt into the hot-from-the-oven rolls.
Ingredient Overview:
As always, the full recipe with measurements & directions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Use the table of contents (back at the top, below the first image, to navigate).
- Yeast – Use instant yeast (also called rapid yeast or quick rise yeast) so there’s no need to bloom the yeast, like with active dry yeast – it just gets mixed right in with the other dough ingredients!
- All-Purpose Flour – Spoon your flour into the measuring cup, then level it with a flat utensil for best results, or use a scale. Scooping the measuring cup directly into your flour will lead to too much flour, and a potentially dry bake. We’re using regular all-purpose flour here – no need to buy a special flour like bread flour!
- Milk – Milk is essential for the dough – I used 2% but you could use any type of milk you like.
- Eggs – Use large eggs, at room temperature.
- Butter – I always use salted buter because in my experience, it lends the best flavor, but feel free to use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
- Cream Cheese – I prefer the block style cream cheese, but since this is just a frosting (vs something like a cheesecake) you could get away with using the kind in a tub.
How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls:
Step 1: Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough & Let Rise. In the bowl of your stand mixer, whisk together all the dough ingredients except the flour. Gently mix in the flour with the paddle attachment.
Then, knead with the dough hook attachment for 7-10 minutes. The dough will still be quite soft but will be smooth and more elastic.
Step 2: Let Dough Rise. Remove dough from the bowl, lightly spray it with cooking spray, and return the dough. Let rise for about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. When you make an indent with your fingertip and it holds, it’s ready!
Step 3: Make Cinnamon Roll Filling. Beat together butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla in a small bowl until creamy and combined. Set aside.
Step 4: Make Caramel Pan Sauce. Repeat the same as above, with the addition of heavy cream. Spread this in the bottom of your 9×13 pan.
Step 5: Assemble Rolls. Once the dough has risen, roll it out on a generously floured surface. Spread on the cinnamon roll filling and then the pumpkin butter. No need to be perfect!
Step 6: Slice & Roll Cinnamon Rolls & Final Rise. Slice the rolls into strips and roll up each one. I find this easier and faster than rolling the whole dough log and slicing it from there. Let rise in the pan for 30-45 minutes.
Step 7: Bake Rolls. Pour room temperature heavy cream over the rolls. Bake according to the directions in the recipe card below.
Step 8: Make Frosting & Top Rolls. Beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Spread over the hot rolls!
Serving + Storing:
Enjoy the rolls as soon as they come out of the oven and have been topped! These are best fresh from the oven, but leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat before enjoying – cold cinnamon rolls are just wrong!
You’ll be craving cinnamon rolls again the minute these are gone – make my Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls or my Incredibly Gooey Cinnamon Rolls!
Expert Baking Tips:
- Oven Thermometer – An oven thermometer will tell you if your oven is actually running at the temperature you set it to. Your oven may not be accurate. Accurate oven temperature is crucial for most bakes, so I leave an oven thermometer in at all times to keep an eye on my oven’s calibration.
- Kitchen Scale – A food scale is the best way to make sure your flour is at the proper weight, since amounts will vary SO widely based on how you measure it, as well as the measuring cup you use, as they are not standardized.
FAQs:
I do not recommend doubling the dough as it would be such a large quantity that it could throw off the rise times and whatnot. You could double the other elements (fillings, crumble, and frosting) and save half of each for a second batch. And, yes you can halve the entire recipe if desired and bake in a smaller pan that will fit 6 rolls snugly.
I haven’t tested the dough as a make-ahead to get the exact timing, but the cinnamon filling and frosting can be made ahead. Make each and store in their own airtight containers in the fridge for 1-2 days ahead of using. Based on my baking knowledge, I believe you can assemble the cinnamon rolls (with the caramel sauce mixture on bottom) and cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight. Let them come to room temperature on the counter for 1-2 hours the next morning before adding the heavy cream and baking. (Look for them to be risen as much in the pan as in the photos above.)
Special Tools:
- Stand Mixer – You can make these cinnamon rolls by hand, but it is a bit easier to do with a stand mixer and the dough hook attachment it comes with!
- Ruler – This probably sounds a little odd but I have a ruler or mini tape measure in my baking drawer at all times! It comes in so handy for measuring dough when rolling it out, and for slicing things evenly! (I won’t link this because you likely have a ruler or tape measure already.)
- Rolling Pin – You’ll need a rolling pin to roll out the dough.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Love:
- Pumpkin Streusel Muffins with Maple Glaze
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles with Rum Caramel
- Pumpkin Cupcakes with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
- Mom’s Best Ever Pumpkin Bread
- Ultimate Pumpkin Cake
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Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted, 115℉, 113 grams
- 3/4 cup warm milk, 115℉, 180 mL
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin, Not pumpkin pie filling! 195 grams
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten and at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar , 105 grams
- 2 and 1/2 tsp instant yeast, 9 grams
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ginger
- 3/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 4 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out, 605 grams
For the Caramel Pan Sauce:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, very softened, 113 grams – feel free to microwave this to quickly soften it – if it's a *tad* melty, that's fine.
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed, 165 grams
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup heavy cream, 60 grams
For the Cinnamon Filling:
- 1/2 cup salted butter, softened, 113 grams
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 165 grams
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- pinch of ground cloves
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup heavy cream, for pouring over the rolls – don't mix into the filling, Gently warm this in the microwave. 80 grams
- 1/2 cup pumpkin butter
For the Frosting:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened, 170 grams
- 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 173 grams, or more to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon, Or more, to taste
- 2-3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
Instructions
- Make the Dough & First Rise: In the bowl of your stand mixer, add the melted butter, warm milk, canned pumpkin, beaten eggs, sugar, yeast, salt, and spices. Whisk together (either with the whisk attachment or with a hand whisk, no need to dirty the whisk attachment if you don't want to). Then, add the paddle attachment and add the flour. Mix on low speed (setting 2-3) just until the flour disappears into the dough. It will be shaggy and wet. Let this rest for 5 minutes before proceeding. Scrape the dough off the paddle attachment and add the dough hook. Knead the dough on setting 1-2 (no higher!) for 7-9 minutes. The dough will begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl and will look smoother and elastic, however it will still seem a bit slack. Gently dump the dough onto a clean countertop and spray the stand mixer bowl with nonstick spray (no need to wipe it out!), then place the dough back in to rise. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise for 1 hour. It should have doubled in size, and an indent should hold when you poke your fingertip into it. Tip: This time will be longer when it's cold out, and about 1 hour in the summer – when I did this, it was 72-73℉ in my home. Go by the look of the dough doubling & the indent holding shape rather than only by the time.1/2 cup salted butter, melted, 115℉, 3/4 cup warm milk, 115℉, 3/4 cup canned pumpkin, 2 large eggs, lightly beaten and at room temperature, 1/2 cup granulated sugar , 2 and 1/2 tsp instant yeast, 3/4 tsp salt, 4 and 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled or weighed out, 2 tsp cinnamon, 3/4 tsp ginger, 3/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- Make the Caramel Pan Sauce: Beat together all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. Spray a ceramic or metal 9×13 pan with nonstick spray, then evenly spread this thick mixture in the bottom.1/2 cup salted butter, very softened, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed, 2 tsp cinnamon , pinch of salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract , 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Make the Cinnamon Filling: Beat together all filling ingredients in a medium bowl on medium high speed until well combined. (You can use the same bowl as you used in the step above – no need to clean it!) You'll have a thick creamy mixture.1/2 cup salted butter, softened, 3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, pinch of ground cloves
- Assemble the Rolls: After the dough has risen for about 1 hour, generously flour your counter. Make sure you have room to roll the dough to 14 inches by 22 or 24 inches. Gently dump the risen dough onto your floured counter and roll to 14×22 (or up to 15×24). Dot the cinnamon filling all over, and use an offset spatula to gently spread it as evenly as you can, getting close to the edges. Evenly spread the pumpkin butter over the cinnamon filling.1/2 cup pumpkin butter
- Assemble Cinnamon Rolls. Slice strips from the long side of the dough that are about 1 and 3/4 inches thick.* Roll each one up into a roll, then place in the prepared pan, on top of the caramel sauce mixture. Use the slightly smaller pieces from each far end of the rectangle to roll into one cinnamon roll (roll one up like normal, then roll the other strip around it). Try to place any smaller rolls in the center as the center ones always take a tad longer to bake, and this will help even things out.Place the pieces in the prepared dish and cover loosely with a kitchen towel. Let rise for about 30 to 40 minutes (the warmer the room, the faster they'll rise). To check if they've risen enough, poke the side of a roll with your finger. If the indent stays and doesn't spring back, they're ready. Preheat your oven to 325℉ while the rolls rise. I place my rolls next to the oven on the counter. *Note: I find this method easier than rolling the dough into a log and slicing them that way!
- Bake: Once the cinnamon rolls have risen, pour the room temperature heavy cream over and between them. Bake for 46 to 58 minutes. The rolls will be golden brown and appear set in the centers, and an instant read thermometer inserted into the center of one of the middle rolls should read 205 to 210 ℉. Check the point of the thermometer for raw dough clinging to it as well – add a few more minutes if needed. Prepare frosting while the rolls bake.1/3 cup heavy cream, for pouring over the rolls – don't mix into the filling
- Make the Frosting: Beat together all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Mix on medium high until everything is combined and creamy. Thin the icing out a bit with milk or heavy cream as desired. Don't beat it for as long if you want it to remain thicker. (Cream cheese will become runnier the longer you mix it.)8 ounces cream cheese, softened, 1 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract , pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2-3 tbsp milk or heavy cream
- Serve + Store: Immediately frost the warm rolls. Enjoy immediately! Store leftovers, in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days, reheating gently as desired. These are best fresh from the oven, naturally, but do re-heat nicely over the next day or two!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Didn’t have the pumpkin butter, so I omitted it. Super moist and tender pumpkin cinnamon rolls that are the most amazing! Will see if it can be adapted for a non-pumpkin recipe…
So glad you enjoyed these, Tony! I do have a classic cinnamon roll recipe – I’d recommend trying those for a non-pumpkin version. If you search “cinnamon rolls” in the search box on my site, you’ll see other flavors as well! Happy Thanksgiving!
Good Lord these are amazingly delicious. Had left over pumpkin and made these for my employees. Even the ones that said they “dont like pumpkin” begrudgingly devoured them 😆. What I love about Blue Bowl recipes is you can measure by weight, which I highly recommend, always! Comes out perfect every time.
So glad to hear everyone loved these! And so glad to hear you bake by weight – I always try to convince people to go that route (and I’m slowly working on updating all my older recipes to include weight too – I didn’t always bake that way, oops!)