The details

Hello Hello and welcome to Fall! Can you tell I love Fall? It’s my favorite season, October is my favorite month, and Halloween my favorite holiday. So I’m not kidding when I say I get VERY excited about all my pumpkin spice baking. And this recipe is my favorite to date. Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls are the MOST squishy, gooey, spice-filled, and packed with pumpkin flavor. We’ve got a squishy pumpkin dough, pumpkin spice brown sugar filling, AND pumpkin cream cheese frosting. You will LOVE them. But probably not as much as I do!

About the pumpkin reduction

This recipe begins with making a pumpkin reduction by heating canned pumpkin until it thickens to the consistency of thick paste. I promise this reduction is not fussy and totally worth it. I got the idea from Cloudy Kitchen, who also reduces pumpkin for her pumpkin cinnamon roll dough. Though this recipe is different from hers, I loved the technique when I made her muffins for a Halloween brunch a few years back. Here’s why.

Reducing the pumpkin simply means heating it until some of the water in the puree evaporates. This reduces water content in anything you add the pumpkin to–in the case of this recipe, that’s ALL components–to intensify the flavor but keep the texture from being sticky or runny. It takes 10 minutes, minimal effort, and then you use this pumpkin reduction in every part of this recipe. Too much pumpkin? I say never.

So reduce away my friends and reap the pumpkin-y benefits. See below for exhibit A.

This cinny roll process

Reduce your pumpkin puree. See notes above.
Make dough, kneading by hand or with the dough hook of a stand mixer.
Transfer to a big bowl, cover, and proof at room temp for 1-2 hours. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before rolling out.
Make your cinny roll filling by mixing together butter, pumpkin reduction, spices, and brown sugar.
Roll dough out into a long rectangle. Spread on your filling. Roll into a long log
Using a serrated knife (or my preference, unflavored dental floss (!!)), cut into 9-12 even pieces.
Place cut rolls into your baking pan. Cover and proof at room temperature for 1-2 hours OR overnight in the fridge!
Bake em up.
Make your pumpkin cinnamon roll frosting, frost baked rolls, serve warm.

Once you know all the tips and tricks (e.g., dental floss to cut rolls, how to proof, etc), making any cinnamon roll at home is a breeze, and frankly, a therapeutic process. Just make the dough the night before, assemble, and proof overnight. Bake first thing in the morning! They also freeze & reheat beautifully which is a huge pro in my book! Enjoy friends!

If cinnamon rolls are your thing…

You’ve come to the right place. Some might call me a cinn roll enthusiast! Check out my recipes linked below for more gooey warm goodness.

Super Cinnamon Rolls (classic, gooey cinn rolls)
Overnight Olive Oil Cinnamon Rolls (lighter, offbeat cinny roll cousin)
It’s also worth checking out my Proofing info post for troubleshooting your proofs and baking for this recipe!

Bake to this music

Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Print Recipe

These Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls are like Fall in a bite! Pumpkin flavor sings in the dough, filling, AND cream cheese frosting.

Yield: 9–12 rolls 1x

Ingredients

Units Scale

For the pumpkin reduction:

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

For the dough:

3/4 cup whole milk, warmed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup pumpkin reduction, room temp
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
2 eggs, room temp
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp

For the filling:

1/2 cup salted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/3 c pumpkin reduction

For the frosting:

4 oz cream cheese, room temp
1/4 cup pumpkin reduction, room temp
1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch salt
1 tbsp milk or heavy cream

Instructions

Make your pumpkin reduction. Place pumpkin puree in a medium saucepan and heat on medium, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin begins to bubble. Continue to heat, stirring, until the pumpkin puree has reduced by about half, about 5-10 minutes. At this point, the puree will have the consistency of thick paste. Set aside to cool to room temp or store in the fridge in an airtight container if not using right away.
Make your pumpkin spice dough. In a large mixing bowl, combine warmed milk, sugar, and yeast. Stir with a spoon to combine and cover the mixing bowl with a clean dishtowel. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes until the yeast has activated and the mixture looks foamy. Add bread flour, cinnamon, salt, and pumpkin puree and using the dough hook attachment of a stand mixture, mix on low until a shaggy mass forms. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla, continuing to mix with the dough hook.
Once this mixture comes together into a dough ball, add room temp butter one tbsp at a time, waiting until each chunk has incorporated before adding the next. Once all butter has been incorporated, increase speed to medium and knead for 5 more minutes.
Turn dough out into a well-oiled large mixing bowl. The dough will be sticky and a little wet. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and proof in a warm and non-drafty place for 1-2 hours, until the dough has doubled in size. Once proofed, place your bowl into the fridge for 30 mins-1 hour before using, as this dough tends to be sticky at room temp.
Make your filling. In a medium mixing bowl, mix softened butter, pumpkin puree, spices, and brown sugar with a spatula until completely combined.
Punch down your pumpkin dough and turn it out onto a well-floured area. Using a rolling pin, roll out your dough into a rectangle approximately 10 x 18 inches. For 12 cinnamon rolls, you can roll it a bit longer length wise, for 9 larger rolls it can be a bit more narrow. Spread your filling in an even layer all over the rectangle with an offset spatula.
Gently roll your dough from the long end into a thick log. Trim off the jagged edges and using a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss, cut the log into 9 even pieces (if using a 8 or 9 inch square pan) or 12 even pieces (if using a 9×13 pan for smaller rolls). Gently place each roll, spiral side up, in your pan.
Cover rolls in their pan well with plastic wrap, and proof at warm room temp for 1-2 hours, until noticeably puffed. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25-30 minutes for 12 rolls, 35-40 minutes for 9 rolls huddled together. The rolls will puff up and brown well in the oven.
While rolls cool, make your pumpkin frosting. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and pumpkin reduction on medium-high until fluffy and well-combined. Add sifted powdered sugar and beat on low until combined. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, mixing to combine. Add heavy cream for thicker frosting or milk for thinner frosting and beat on medium-high for a minute or two until homogenous. Set aside.
Frost warm rolls with pumpkin frosting and enjoy! Rolls keep in the fridge for 3-4 days or 1 month individually wrapped in plastic wrap. They reheat excellently in the microwave in 30 secs-1 minute.

Notes

Bread flour results in the squishiest cinnamon rolls, but all purpose flour can also be used in a pinch.
You can make your pumpkin reduction and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Allow to come to room temp before using in this recipe.
Rolls can be made the night before. Once rolled and placed in your pan, cover with plastic wrap and proof in the fridge overnight. Allow to come to room temp for 30 mins-1 hour before baking in the morning. The frosting can also be made the night before and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
If baking rolls individually (AKA spaced out on a sheet pan), reduce baking time to 15-20 minutes.

Author: Caroline Crockett
Category: desserts, breakfast, rolls