Name: Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Prep time: 180 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 195 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup warm water; 2 ½ teaspoons yeast; 1 teaspoon sugar; ½ cup milk; 2 eggs; 1 cup canned pumpkin puree; ⅓ cup margarine (melted); ½ cup sugar; ½ teaspoon nutmeg; ¼ teaspoon cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 5-6 cups flour; ½-⅔ cup canned pumpkin puree (to your preference); ½ cup butter (room temperature); 1 cup brown sugar; 2 Tablespoons cinnamon; 4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature); 3 Tablespoons butter; ½ teaspoon vanilla; 2 - 2 ½ cups powdered sugar

Recipe Ingredients

Warm water

Yeast

Sugar

Milk

Eggs

Canned pumpkin puree

Margarine

Nutmeg

Cloves

Salt

Flour

Butter

Cream cheese

Vanilla extract

Powdered sugar

Raisins/chopped walnuts/pecans (choose one, but they are also optional)

Want to use fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned? Take a look at The Pioneer Woman’s Best Pumpkin Puree Recipe and use it in place of the canned pumpkin.

Overhead view of bread dough being mixed in a white stand mixer bowl. The dough is partially covering the metal mixing attachment.

Glass bowl with a dough inside, covered with plastic wrap, on a white marble surface.

How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Combine warm water, yeast, and teaspoon of sugar in small bowl. Stir until yeast is dissolved. Let stand until froth doubles.

In mixer fitted with dough hook, combine milk, eggs, pumpkin, margarine, ½ sugar, nutmeg, salt, and cloves. Mix until smooth (don’t have a mixer? You can still make these. I first used a wooden spoon until it got to be too hard and then I started using my hands. You have to knead it for a while to get that smooth consistency, but it can be done).

Add four cups flour to the mixing bowl. Pour frothed yeast mixture on top of flour. Knead about 5 minutes, adding flour ½ cup at a time until dough barely begins to clean the sides of the mixing bowl. Dough should be smooth and moist, but not sticky.

Spray a bowl with nonstick cooking spray. Place dough in greased bowl. Cover with a wet towel, or plastic wrap sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Allow dough to raise until doubled, or about one hour.

While dough is raising, prepare filling. Place room temperature butter and pumpkin puree in small bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until mixture is smooth. In another small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon, set both bowls aside.

Pour dough out on slightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle 16×21 inches, dough should be about ¼ inch thick. Spread the pumpkin/butter mixture over rectangle. Next, evenly spread the sugar-cinnamon mixture on top, slightly pressing it into the dough.

Roll up long side of the dough, forming a long tube. Cut tube with a sharp knife, about every two inches, making 12 rolls. Place rolls in lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until the dough has nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400℉.

Bake rolls in oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla to make frosting. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Close-up of partially rolled dough covered with a cinnamon and sugar mixture on a white, marbled surface.

A person rolls dough filled with a brown sugar and cinnamon mixture on a floured surface. A rolling pin and baking tray are visible in the background.

A close-up of nine pumpkin baked cinnamon rolls arranged in a 3x3 grid on a baking tray.

Storage Suggestions

Counter & Refrigerator: Place cinnamon rolls in an airtight container or ziplock bag. Store in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Store on the counter for 1-2 days.

Freezer: Wrap each cinnamon roll individually in foils and place in an airtight freezer bag. Store in the freezer for 1 to 2 months.

Reheating: Preheat oven to 350°F. Reheat until warm for best results. Or microwave in 30 second increments for 1 to 2 minutes.

A tray of pumpkin cinnamon rolls partly covered with white frosting is next to an orange bowl containing more frosting and a spoon. A white cloth with gray stripes lies beneath.

A tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls with thick white icing, set on a table adorned with autumn leaves. A partly eaten cinnamon roll is in focus, with a plate and cloth napkin nearby.

A cinnamon roll topped with white icing on a white plate.

Want More Delicious Pumpkin Breakfast Recipes?

We absolutely love pumpkin recipes, especially in the fall and winter. Check out our comprehensive collection of pumpkin recipes here.

A cinnamon roll with white frosting on a white plate, accompanied by a fork, a brown napkin, and a cup of black coffee on a white marble surface.

Join The Discussion

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Questions & Reviews

The Cottage Market {Andrea} ? says:

I am so making these...yum...thanks for sharing...yor recipes rock...holiday hugs
KAT says:

Super - YUM !

- KAT -
ladywiththeredrocker says:

This look so stinking good! Need to try them right now! Pinning! Thanks for sharing!
Barb says:

Finally someone who gives the right amount of cinnamon needed for a good tasting recipe thank you! These look terific.
Bonny D says:

Saw it, made it, ate it. Going for another! I made my dough in the bread maker, since I forgot the pumpkin till after I added the flour, I put it in the corner on top of the flour, so I needed to help the mixing a bit in the beginning. The recipe made a lot of dough, so I split it in half and made two logs, raised the rolls for 45 minutes, and made 20 large delish rolls. Thanks for posting!
Brandi says:

i have found that if i put a boiling pot of water in the oven(oven is off of course) that i can put my dough in the oven un covered it stays nice and moist and it rises wonderfully.
Suzanne says:

I can't wait to make these for Thanksgiving company!! Can these be made ahead and frozen? Would you cook all the way or just slightly before freezing? Or freeze the dough? Thanks :}
Camille says:

I think that you could totally make these ahead of time and freeze them! I would probably go all the way to step 7 and then freeze them before doubling . . . then pull them out and let them rise before you want to cook them. Or you could totally cook them and then freeze them (I just worry about them getting soggy when you thaw them out). I am so sorry- I have never froze them like this, but I think that it will work. Good luck!!! And happy Thanksgiving!
S2K says:

Just made them and they are DELISH! I let the first rise go longer because I had to take my kids roller skating, and I think I should have baked them a tad bit longer (they were a bit doughy in some spots) but they came out fabulously!
Christina says:

I cannot wait to try these! I was wondering, do you think they can be prepped the night before (through step 7) and then refrigerated over night to bake in the morning? I guess I am just concerned about how much they will rise if given the opportunity! :)
Lucy says:

Have just discovered your blog and am loving every post! We are having the garlic, brown sugar chicken tonight. When yeast is mentioned.......what kind are you using? I have some fresh in the fridge and wanted to make sure I had the quantity right. Thanks Lx
Cyd says:

We use all kinds of yeast. Right now I have Red Star active dry yeast in my fridge! :)
Shauna Lindo says:

Recipe says add 4 cups to bowl and yeast mixture on top of that. ... but then says add flour 1/2 cup at a time. Where is the pumpkin part of the rolls? Sorry to be dense here! I don't want to mess up!
Cyd says:

If you go down to #6 in the directions it says: Pour dough out on slightly floured surface. Roll into a rectangle 16x21 inches, dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the pumpkin/butter mixture over rectangle. Next, evenly spread the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top, slightly pressing it into the dough. So the pumpkin part of the recipe is spread over the rolled out dough.
Rose says:

OMG. I tried this recipe, adjusting for the high altitude in which I live, and they are absolutely amazing. I have been looking for a pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe that had a good amount of pumpkin. I chose this one because it also had pumpkin in the filling. This recipe is definitely a keeper. I am in heaven. Seriously.
Randi says:

Wondering about this too. Did anyone ever try it? Do they rise too much in the fridge overnight?
Jenn G says:

Baking right now! I can't wait to try them! They look and smell amazing! Also, they're HUGE! Haha!
Gina Blake says:

I am wondering if it's important to use margarine in the dough, or would butter work too?
Momma Cyd says:

They should be fine with butter too!
Laura M says:

Yuuuuuummmmy!!! Thank you for such a delicious recipe. II halved it to make smaller rolls, worked wonderfully! This recipe is going on my "make again" Pinterest board!!
Georgianne says:

Hi, I fixed your cinnamon rolls for some of my friends and they were a big hit! I used the pan size suggested 9x13. The pan in your picture looks bigger to me. When I used the 9x13 inch pan my cinnamon rolls were crowed and could only rise taller. My question is could I use a 12x17 inch pan instead of the 9x13?? I use the 12x17 pan for my regular cinnamon rolls. I didn’t want to chance it, since it was my first time making the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.