Start your fall weekend right with a pan of homemade pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls. Topped with rich cream cheese icing, these fluffy rolls are warmly spiced and best enjoyed fresh from the oven.
Cinnamon rolls are a classic morning treat, and adding pumpkin spice makes them an irresistible fall favorite. A good dose of pumpkin pie spice fills the kitchen with cozy aromas. You can even prepare and shape the rolls the night before and bake them in the morning for a warm, effortless breakfast.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Perfect fall breakfast. Cinnamon rolls already smell amazing; the pumpkin spice elevates them into a seasonal favorite. They pair wonderfully with a warm beverage.
- Make-ahead options. Prepare and shape the rolls the night before, then bake in the morning for a stress-free start to the day.
- Pillowy soft and tender. Pumpkin purée adds moisture and tenderness, producing extra-soft pastry.
- Cozy spices and creamy icing. Homemade pumpkin pie spice layered in the dough and topped with classic cream cheese icing makes every bite comforting and flavorful.
Ingredient Notes
- Yeast: Ensure your yeast is fresh. You can use instant or active dry yeast; active dry should be proofed before use.
- All-purpose flour: Unbleached all-purpose flour yields a soft texture.
- Pumpkin purée: Use 100% pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling, for the best texture and flavor.
- Pumpkin pie spice: Homemade or store-bought both work; adjust to taste.
- Milk: Whole milk gives the most tender result, though lower-fat milk can be substituted if needed.
- Brown sugar: Light brown sugar adds a subtle molasses depth to the filling.
- Cream cheese: Use block-style cream cheese at room temperature for a smooth, rich icing.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Powdered sugar sweetens and thickens the icing to the right consistency.
See the recipe card below for the full ingredient list and exact measurements.
Recipe Variations
Add texture. Mix chopped walnuts or pecans into the brown sugar filling for added crunch (about 1/2 cup). You can also swap in other fruit fillings such as an apple-cinnamon mixture for a different seasonal twist.
Flavored icing. Replace the milk in the cream cheese icing with pure maple syrup for a maple-cream cheese finish, or add a pinch of cinnamon to intensify the spice.
How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
- Whisk warm milk, brown sugar and yeast together. Add pumpkin purée, melted butter and the egg; mix until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add two cups of flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix to combine.
- Switch to a dough hook and add the remaining flour. Knead until the dough is pillowy and slightly sticky. If it sticks excessively, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl, cover tightly, and let rise until doubled, about 90 minutes. Punch down, then on a floured surface roll the dough into a 16×12-inch rectangle.
- Brush melted butter over the dough. Whisk brown sugar, cinnamon and a pinch of salt, then sprinkle evenly across the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the far long edge.
- Roll the dough from the long edge nearest you into a tight log. Cut the log into 12 equal rolls using unflavored dental floss or a sharp knife for clean edges.
- Arrange rolls in a greased 9×13 pan, cover, and let rise for about an hour, until puffy.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the rolls for 25–30 minutes until golden brown.
- To make the icing, beat cream cheese until smooth, then add confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. Stir until combined and spread over warm rolls. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips
Weigh ingredients. A kitchen scale gives the most consistent results. If you must use cups for flour, spoon flour into the cup and level with a knife instead of packing it down.
Adjust flour for humidity. On humid days you may need a bit more flour. The dough should pull away from the bowl and be slightly tacky, not wet and sticky.
Let the dough rest. Resting relaxes the gluten, making the dough easier to roll and shape without snapping back.
Use dental floss to slice the log. Unflavored dental floss slides through the log and keeps the spirals intact for evenly shaped rolls.
Make Ahead & Storage Tips
Make ahead: Prepare the rolls and refrigerate them covered overnight. Let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes to rise before baking.
Par-bake and freeze: Bake the rolls for 10 minutes, cool completely, then wrap and freeze for up to one month. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and finish baking for 15–20 minutes.
Store: Keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days; rolls are best the day they’re baked.
Freeze baked rolls: Freeze without icing for up to 2 months. Reheat at 350°F for 10–15 minutes and add icing before serving.
Recipe FAQ
Yes. Combine ingredients with a wooden spoon, then knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
Homemade purée often contains more water than canned purée and can make the dough too wet. Canned 100% pumpkin purée is recommended.
Yes. Proof active dry yeast by dissolving it with a teaspoon of brown sugar in warm milk (about 110°F). If it becomes frothy within 10 minutes, the yeast is active.
Related Recipes
Looking for more fall baking ideas? Try these next.
Pumpkin Banana Bread (quick & easy)
Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls (with Overnight Option)
Easy Pumpkin Waffles in 15 minutes
Apple Dutch Baby
Did you love this recipe? Please leave a rating in the recipe card below and, if you enjoyed it, consider leaving a comment further down the page.
Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
- ¾ cup cup whole milk, heated warm (about 100° F)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (1/4-ounce package)
- ¾ cup 100% pure pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 4 to 4 ½ cups all purpose flour (500–562 g)
- 2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
- 1 teaspoon salt
Filling
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cream Cheese Icing
- 1 cup cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Cinnamon Rolls
- In a mixer bowl, combine warm milk and brown sugar and sprinkle yeast on top. Add pumpkin purée, melted butter and egg; mix until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, add 2 cups flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Increase speed briefly until combined.
- Switch to a dough hook, add the remaining 2 cups flour and knead on medium for about 8–10 minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is slightly sticky. Add flour by the tablespoon only if necessary.
- Turn dough onto a floured surface, shape into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover and let rise until doubled, about 1½ hours.
Assembly & Filling
- Punch the dough down and roll it into a 16×12-inch rectangle. If it resists, let it rest 10 minutes and continue rolling.
- Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter over the dough. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and salt; sprinkle over the dough leaving a 1/2-inch border.
- Roll the dough tightly from the long edge, seal the edge with a little water, and cut into 12 equal rolls with dental floss or a sharp knife.
- Place rolls in a greased 9×13 pan, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350°F and bake 25–30 minutes until golden.
Cream Cheese Icing
- Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla, and mix until combined.
- After the rolls cool briefly (about 10 minutes), spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve.
Notes
Pumpkin purée: Canned 100% pumpkin purée is recommended over homemade purée, which can contain excess water and affect dough consistency.
Storage: Store cooled rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Reheat gently before serving.
Make ahead: Assemble rolls in the pan, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning let them rest 30 minutes at room temperature, then bake.
, Calories: 387 kcal
, Carbohydrates: 71 g
, Protein: 10 g
, Fat: 8 g