Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with caramel frosting are soft and tender pumpkin spiced cinnamon rolls with a sweet caramel icing. Breakfast or dessert? These are a decadent fall treat.
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(originally posted 2010)
PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS
OTHER PUMPKIN RECIPES:
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal
- Pumpkin Waffles
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
- Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 (1/4 ounce ) package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 cups bread flour, (you can use regular all purpose flour but bread flour makes them lighter)
FILLING:
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
CARAMEL FROSTING:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 dash salt
Instructions
- In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the milk for 30-45 seconds until warm (105-115 degrees). Stir in the sugar and yeast. Cover with a dish towel and let the yeast proof (bubble and foam) for about 5 minutes. If it doesn't bubble your yeast is dead or your milk was too hot or too cold and you need to start over.
- In large mixer bowl, combine pumpkin, butter, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and nutmeg. Beat in egg and yeast mixture.
- Add half of the flour to pumpkin mixture. Beat mixture on low speed 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Add remaining flour and mix thoroughly (dough will be very soft). Turn into lightly greased bowl.
- Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Spray a surface with cooking spray or turn onto floured surface. Knead a few turns to form a smooth dough, sprinkling with enough additional flour to make dough easy enough to handle. Roll dough into 14x10 inch rectangle.
- Brush surface of dough with melted butter. In small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Beginning with long side of dough, roll up jellyroll style. Pinch seam to seal. With sharp knife, cut roll into twelve 1- inch slices. Place rolls, cut side up, in greased 11X17 inch baking pan or 9x13 baking dish if you want them touching. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.
- Bake rolls at 350 degrees about 15-20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan to waxed paper-lined wire rack. Cool 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with Caramel frosting. Makes 12 rolls.
- For the Caramel Frosting: In small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk.
- Stir in brown sugar and milk. Cook over medium low heat 1 minute. Mixture will foam and bubble.
- Transfer to small mixer bowl and cool mixture. Stir in vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, powdered sugar and salt. Beat with electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add more milk to thin it out or more powdered sugar to make it thicker to desired consistency.
I am going to try this recipe for the first time after it being recommended to me. Can’t wait. I am planning to make two batches. Normal and then one for the celiac in the family. Has anyone tried this recipe using Bob’s Red Mill One to one gluten free flour? Does it work?
This looks so good, I’m goong to make these.
Looks so good, goong to try this.
My yeast didn’t proof and the dough came out hard; what did I do wrong? These look so good!
Your water was either too hot or cold. Also make sure your yeast is not expired.
can you use active dry yeast for this recipe and do you use tge same amount
YEs! Just use the same amount. It will take longer to rise!
I made these awhile ago and they were delicious! The pumpkin was mild for me, but that was okay because you could still taste it well. I love any type of roll like this! A sweet yeast dough is my weakness!
So glad you liked it!
I have been making this recipe for the past 5ish years…delish! As soon as Labor day is over I start getting requests for them. I’m going rogue this time and adding pecans to them. I can’t wait for them to come out of the oven!
Haha. Pecans can only be good!
I’m making these ones for my thanksgiving dinner 🙂
Good luck!
I don’t care that it’s almost springtime. I still have lots of leftover pumpkin, and I’m going to use it! These look amazing. Can’t wait to try them!
This looks like such a delicious recipe! With thanksgiving coming up, I’m trying to find new recipes to make for my family. I love to cook (even though I’m not the best at it) and I love anything with pumpkin. I feel like plain ol’ pumpkin pie is good, but kind of boring so finding new recipes to make that includes pumpkin is right up my alley! This recipe looks perfect for breakfast or even just a snack or dessert. I’m definitely going to try this for the holiday season! Might have to make it before as a tester just to see how good it is 😉
I prepared the dough last night. I was initially worried because I thought it was odd that you don’t add the yeast right away to the warm milk, but I went with the recipe’s instructions anyway and had no issues. I honestly didn’t find the dough to be overly sticky; it was just soft like play-doh. This morning I took them out and they didn’t rise, but I didn’t panic lol….I just put the oven on 200 and shut it off. Popped them in and viola they rose! I did notice that when they were rising the filling was oozing out. Not sure if that is supposed to happen? I brushed them with butter and popped them into the oven. They house gave off an autumn aroma! I skipped the caramel frosting only because not everyone in my clan is a caramel fan so I made a glaze with cream cheese, mascarpone, pumpkin spice, powdered sugar, and Mexican vanilla! We all liked the texture of the rolls. They weren’t gooey and undercooked like Cinnabon. They were fluffy and tender. Absolutely delicious! Everybody really loved them!
Sounds delicious! Now I want some.
These are currently baking in my oven….::the senuous scent slowly wafting through the air and gradually up the stairs to my bedroom::….drool.
Can I refrigerate the dough over night if I want to make them quickly in the morning?
I’ve never done that with this recipe but I do that with my other cinnamon roll recipes so I’m sure it would work.
I am dairy free right now. Do you think Almond milk will work with this recipe? I can’t wait to eat these.
Yes, I don’t see why it wouldn’t…
Its a Sunday morning and I have come across your blog. I love pumpkin but one thing I refuse to open a can. I rather have the fresh stuff, so in the fall I whip up pumpkin filling and freeze 2 cup bags and I have it till I run out. I look forward to this years harvest so I can make up my pumpkin bags and add your buns to my list of pumpkin making treats…
I’m sure fresh pumpkin would make these even better.
Hi there! I wanted to let you know I featured you on Sugar Blossoms today. Stop by and check it out! http://sweetsugarblossoms.blogspot.com/2013/09/i-freakin-love-pumpkin.html
I BAKE pretty much every day all winter! Summer when it isnt too hot…
i love anything PUMPKIN! Thank you for making my day. Craving punkin coffee
but this will work.
I have these rolls rising at the moment, however I am wondering if anyone else has dealt with the dough being too sticky? I used the 2 cups of bread flour as listed in the recipe, then added at least 3/4 cup extra and still ended up with a sticky mess. Is this normal? I am worried about how they will bake up now.
Hi, if I wanted to add the cream cheese to the frosting how would I go about doing that?
Alex,
I don’t have the recipe for cream cheese frosting from her because I chose not to add it. I usually add equal parts butter and cream cheese and then add some powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla. Add some milk to desired consistency. Since it’s a glaze you probably want a thinner consistency.
@SewSweetStitches,
I’ve never had success with rolls rising in the fridge. After they’ve been made into rolls you can let them rise and then put them in the fridge overnight. That’s what I would do…
Looks great! Do you think these could be prepared the night before and left to rise in the fridge? I’ve tried comparing this recipe to “overnight” cinnamon roll recipes, but I really don’t know what I’m doing here. Help? Thanks!
Lindy in Brisbane,
Canned pumpkin has the consistency of mashed and pureed pumpkin. Pumpkin pie spice has cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice.
Here’s a recipe that yields 2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice:
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Made these this morning and they were BEYOND amazing!!! Love them! I doubled the dough and froze one batch for Halloween! Cannot wait until I serve them at our family get-together on the 31st! The perfect thing to fill little ones tummies before trick-or-treating! They are just soooooo delicious! Thank you SO VERY MUCH for this recipe! I.AM.IN.LOVE.
These sound great, and i would love to try them, but I have a couple of problems. I live I Australia, and we don’t have canned pumpkin or pumpkin pie spice. Could you tell me what is in the spice, and is the pumpkin just mashed, and what consistency is it?
I made these this morning for breakfast and my super picky 3 year old loved them and my husband ate 3 in a row…obviously a hit all around in this house!
I just made these! I’m on a pumpkin kick already & it’s only August. I’m just saying it’s practice for Fall. 🙂
These turned out great & the frosting is to die for.
Thank you for a great recipe!
I made these a while ago and they were fabulous. I put them on my blog too. Thanks for the great recipe.
http://thefoodcharlatan.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls-with-caramel-frosting/
These turn out just as delicious as they look! They seemed to need a little more flour than the recipe calls for (maybe it was dry on the day I made them). I have made homemade cinnamon rolls before and they have always turned out tough and dry. These though were fluffy and soft. If you really like pumpkin, I recommend serving them with a little pumpkin butter on top. Overall this recipe is great – if you are considering making it, do your self a favor and DO.
ok, so my dough is rising right now! Can’t wait to eat these. my hubby said he would rub myy feet for making these!! So thank you! 🙂
ok, so my dough is rising right now! Can’t wait to eat these. my hubby said he would rub myy feet for making these!! So thank you! 🙂
I am making these for my daughter’s 8th birthday for Breakfast….I have to split the dough in half I am freezing the other half for Halloween morning.
@Mary Ellen,
HAhahahahaha! Point taken!!
If the pan is 11×17, how can it be a square? 😉
Just playing. These look fantastic. I think I’ll throw them in my bread machine on the dough cycle. LOVE!
DROOLING!! lol
Just found you!! so glad I did!
Love your blog!
These look delish! Can’t wait to try them!
Oh my God. Divine? Orgasmic? To die for? All of the above?
You know how Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes are Christmas in a cup? Well these are the same thing in baked deliciousness form. I can’t sing high enough praises.
Just a note, I drizzled some extra melted butter on top before baking. Also I doubled the recipe and found myself with a lot of cinnamon rolls. Delivered six to neighbors and a few to gym staff. This is how I make friends.
This is something really new to me. I have never tried using pumpkins and cinnamon together.
@Anonymous,
Yes, the 11X17 is what the original recipe stated but really you could use any sized dish you want. Glad they turned out!
Christy
I made these yesterday, and they turned out beautiful! The family loved them. One question though, it says place them in an 11×17 square baking dish? Is that right? Should I have baked them in a 9×13?
Absolutely delicious! Thanks! 🙂
I think this would be the perfect breakfast for Halloween morning this year.
SO GOOD!!!!! I absolutely loved the frosting, and seriously the flavor of the roles were out of this world. I am falling in love with your blog. Haven’t tried any of your recipes yet that I haven’t LOVED.
delicious I make similar
Mmm…I am SO making these today!!!! You think there is any way to add chocolate into the mix?? 😉
@scmom,
Haha! Sorry. There used to be one cup bread flour and one cup all purpose but I just used all bread flour. I will fix it.
Christy
“Combine the flours?” Am I missing something or is there just one measure of flour?
I may have used too much sugar. I think it’s the brown sugar b/c when I made PW’s chocolate chip cookie rolls the same thing happened. The white sugar doesn’t do that to me. Still I loved the pumpkin rolls and the caramel on the bottom is so sweet I hardly need the icing!! Thanks!
@Liz,
Really? I didn’t have anything oozing out of the rolls onto the bottom. Hmm. I’m not sure what happened there.
I just made these and love them! The only complaint I have is the sugar and butter formed a hard caramel in the bottom of the pan as the rolls baked. How can I avoid that? Love the caramel icing as well!!!
I made pumpkin rolls last year and they were SO good. These look awesome too.
Did you get a new camera?
Wow…yeah, my mouth is watering! This sounds so ridiculously good!!!! 🙂
Hey! Just stopping by to let you know we’re giving away a signed Sandra Lee cookbook with 1,001 recipes over at Chew on That! We’d love for you to enter! The giveaway ends on Halloween, so hurry over! 🙂
I kid you not, I was asking my friends on facebook for a pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe! Noone had one! and voila, here is one! yay! I’ll be trying them tomorrow. thanks!
Oh my, I’m pretty sure most of us women can relate!!! Yum, chocolate fondue!
Here’s to a greater days….
I know what I am making this Saturday morning!! These look amazing! 🙂
@Taylor,
Oh my gosh! Peanut butter M&Ms are my ultimate weakness. Are you talking a little bag because that’s nothing. The family size…now we’re talking…
Well that makes 2 of us going PMS-crazy…I have almost eaten an entire bag of peanut butter M&M’s in the past 2 days. Not good. I need to make these cinnamon rolls ASAP!
OMGoodness!!!!! Gotta make these now!!! Forget the diet right;) lol
These look great!
I am SO making these, and I can SO relate to the PMS thing. It sucks, but the pumpkin cinnamon rolls will definitely make things better!
These look amazing! I made a similar recipe last weekend but it didn’t have the pumpkin pie spice… I’ll have to try this one too!
http://blogfoodbetter.blogspot.com/
oh my gosh I’m drooling at the sight of this! Unbelievable!
Ohh!!! I LOVE anything with pumpkin and will have to make these. Thanks for sharing and I am with you on the PMS thing, I always warn my husband and pretty much everybody around me when I am having one of those days. Good luck!!
Oh my goodness! These look awesome….I will be making these for my hubby who has been out of town and will need a treat when he gets back. Thanks for sharing them. Denise
i am so glad that i am not the only one feeling this way.. makes me feel better to know that i am not the only crazy one in the world at this time..
I dont blame you for being impatient, I am licking my screen as I type!
Yumm these look amazing! I’ve been wanting to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls forever.
oh my! i need to try these babies!! my “i don’t like pumpkin” hubs might even like them!
Oh my. I think breakfast this weekend…yum!