Start your fall weekend off right with a batch of homemade pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls. Topped with rich cream cheese icing, these fluffy rolls are perfectly spiced. They taste delicious warm out of the oven!

13x9 baking dish with pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls being frosted with cream cheese icing.


 

The only thing better than cinnamon rolls on a fall morning are pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls! They have a generous dose of homemade pumpkin pie spice, which fills the home with the most delightful cozy scent. The best part is that you can make and shape the rolls the night before, then bake them in the morning!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Perfect fall breakfast. Cinnamon rolls already smell delicious on their own, but add pumpkin spice and it’s a heavenly fall scent!
  • Make ahead options. You can do all the prep the night before and bake the rolls in the morning.
  • Pillowy soft and tender. Pumpkin puree makes every baked good extra soft. This pastry is no exception!
  • Cozy spices and delicious icing. Make your own pumpkin pie spice for the ultimate fall flavor, then top each roll with a classic cream cheese icing.

Ingredient Notes

tabletop with bowls of ingredients to make pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls.
  • Yeast: Check that your yeast is fresh and not expired. You can use instant or active dry yeast.
  • All purpose flour: For a soft texture, use unbleached all purpose flour. I prefer King Arthur Flour.
  • Pumpkin purรฉe: Choose 100% pure pumpkin purรฉe (not pumpkin pie filling). I prefer Libby’s.
  • Pumpkin pie spice: You can make your own pumpkin pie spice or use store bought.
  • Milk: Whole milk makes the most tender and flavorful cinnamon rolls, but you can also use low-fat in a pinch.
  • Brown sugar: To complement the spices, light brown sugar is used to add a subtle molasses flavor.
  • Cream cheese: Use block-style cream cheese for the best texture and flavor. Make sure it’s room temperature for easy mixing.
  • Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, this is used to sweeten the icing.

Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements.

Recipe Variations

Add some more filling. When adding the brown sugar cinnamon filling, sprinkle on some chopped nuts for adding texture. I suggest 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans. You could even use my apple cinnamon roll filling.

Make a flavored icing. Classic cream cheese icing is delicious, but you can also make maple cream cheese icing by replacing the milk with pure maple syrup.

How to Make Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

photo collage demonstrating how to make dough for pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls in the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook.
  1. Whisk together the warm milk, brown sugar and yeast. Add pumpkin puree, melted butter and egg. Mix until combined.
  2. With the mixer on low, add 2 cups flour, spices and salt. Mix until combined.
  3. Switch to a dough hook and add remaining 2 cups flour. Knead dough until pillowy, but still slightly sticky to the touch. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
  4. Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise until doubled in size, about 90 minutes. Once dough has risen, punch it down and transfer it to a lightly floured work surface. Shape it into a 16×12 rectangle.
photo collage demonstrating how to shape and roll dough for pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls and make cream cheese icing.
  1. Brush melted butter over the dough. Whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon and salt, and sprinkle it over the dough, leaving 1/2-inch clear on the long edge at the far side of the dough.
  2. Starting with the long edge closest to you, roll the dough into a log. Use tooth floss to cut the dough in half, then each half into quarter. Cut each quarter into three rolls.
  3. Place rolls in a greased 9×13 pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rolls rise for an hour.
  4. Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Uncover rolls and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
  5. For the icing, mix cream cheese until smooth. Add confectioners’ sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix until combined, then spread over cinnamon rolls. Serve warm.

Expert Tips

Weigh your ingredients. Using a kitchen scale is more accurate than using measuring cups. If you don’t have a scale, spoon the flour into a measuring cup and level with a knife (don’t pack it down).

Adjust flour as necessary. If it’s a rainy or humid, the dough may need more flour. After 7 or 8 minutes of kneading, check if the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl. If it is, add more flour, one tablespoon at a time, until it no longer sticks. The dough should be pillowy and just slightly sticky when touched.

Let the dough rest. This is crucial for rising, but also important when shaping the dough. This gives the gluten time to rest, which makes the dough easier to work with.

Use unflavored dental floss to slice the log of dough. It might seem unusual, but it works like a charm! This method keeps each roll perfectly round and preserves the swirl. Using a knife could flatten the rolls.

offset spatula spreading cream cheese icing on pumpkin cinnamon rolls in glass baking dish.

Make Ahead & Storage Tips

Make ahead the rolls and keep them covered in the refrigerator overnight. Let them rest at room temperature to rise before baking (about 30 minutes).

Par-bake and freeze the rolls. Prepare the recipe as directed and bake for only 10 minutes. Cool completely, then wrap the pan in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to bake, defrost the rolls in the refrigerator overnight. Uncover and finishing baking for 15 to 20 minutes.

Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Cinnamon rolls are best when eaten the day they are baked.

Freeze baked rolls (without icing) for up to 2 months. Reheat in the oven at 350ยฐF for 10 to 15 minutes or until heated through. Add icing before serving.

Recipe FAQ

Can I make this recipe without a stand mixer?

Yes, absolutely. Use a wooden spatula to combine the ingredients, then when the recipe switches to a dough hook, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough with your hands for about 8 to 10 minutes.

Can I use homemade pumpkin purรฉe?

I don’t recommend it because it has more liquid than canned pumpkin purรฉe. This will make the dough too wet.

Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?

Yes, but be sure to test that it is alive first. Dissolve a teaspoon of brown sugar in the warm milk (around 110ยฐF) and add the yeast. If the mixture becomes bubbly and frothy within 10 minutes, the yeast is active and alive.

pumpkin cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing on a small round plate on a tabletop.

Did you love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ๐ŸŒŸ rating in the recipe card below and if you REALLY loved it, consider leaving a comment further down the page.

13x9 baking dish with pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls being frosted with cream cheese icing.

Get the Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Topped with rich cream cheese icing, these fluffy pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls taste delicious on a crisp fall morning!
No ratings yet

Ingredients

Cinnamon Rolls

  • ยพ cup (180 ml) whole milk, heated warm (about 100ยฐ F)
  • ยผ cup (50 g) light brown sugar
  • 2 ยผ teaspoons instant yeast, 1/4-ounce package yeast
  • ยพ cup (188 g) 100% pure pumpkin puree
  • ยผ cup (56 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 4 to 4 ยฝ cups (500 g to 562 g) all purpose flour
  • 2 Tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Filling

  • ยพ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Cream Cheese Icing

  • 1 cup (225 g) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 cup (120 g) confectionersโ€™ sugar
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions 

Cinnamon Rolls

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, add the warm milk and brown sugar. Sprinkle the yeast over the top. Add the pumpkin, melted butter and egg. Mix on medium-low speed until smooth and combined.
  • With the mixer running on low, add 2 cups of flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Increase speed to medium and mix for 1 minute until well combined.
  • Switch to a dough hook. Add 2 more cups of flour and allow the hook to knead on medium speed for 10 minutes (you can also do this step by hand, but it will be quick the arm workout). The dough will start to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it will be slightly sticky. If after 8 minutes the dough is too sticky and getting stuck to the sides (as opposed to pulling away), then add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time. You want the dough to be a little sticky to the touch, but still soft enough to handle easily.
  • Transfer dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow dough to rise in a warm, draft-free spot for about 1 ยฝ hours or until doubled in size.

Assembly & Filling

  • Once the dough has risen, gently punch it down and transfer it to a floured surface. Use a rolling pin to shape the dough into a 16-inch by 12-inch rectangle. If it keeps springing back, let the dough rest for 10 minutes for the gluten to relax, then continue rolling into the rectangle.
  • Whisk the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. Brush 2 tablespoons melted butter evenly across the dough rectangle. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch clear at the far, long side of the rectangle.
  • Roll the dough beginning with the long edge closest to you. Use your fingertips to pinch the dough as you roll. Dap the top 1/2-inch with water to seal the roll. Press on the ends of the cylinder if necessary to make a uniform roll.
  • Grease a 9-inch by 13-inch baking pan (or two 9-inch round cake pans) with butter. Use dental floss (or a sharp knife) to cut the roll in half and then into quarters. Cut each quarter into 3 equal pieces (you will have 12 rolls total about 1 ยฝ inches thick).
  • Place rolls in prepared pan. Cover it with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and allow them to rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour).
  • Preheat oven to 350ยฐ F and adjust an oven rack to the middle position. Remove plastic wrap from the cinnamon roll dish. Bake cinnamon rolls for 25 to 30 minutes or until the tops are golden brown. While they baked, prepare the icing.

Cream Cheese Icing

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until light, fluffy and no clumps remain (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add confectionersโ€™ sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix again until combined, about 1 minute.
  • After rolls have cooled slightly (about 10 minutes), use an offset spatula or knife to spread the icing on top and serve.

Notes

Yeast: If using active dry yeast, make sure to proof it first to make sure it’s alive. You can do this by adding it to the warm milk with a teaspoon of brown sugar. If it gets foamy, then it’s alive.
Pumpkin purรฉe: I do not recommend homemade purรฉe since it has a substantial amount of extra liquid, which will make the dough wet. Instead use canned purรฉe, such as Libby’s.
Store rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. They taste best when eaten the day they are baked.
Make ahead the rolls and place them in the 13×9 pan. Cover with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, uncover and let them rest for 30 minutes, then bake according to the recipe.
Serving: 1roll, Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 71g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 348mg, Potassium: 229mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 30g, Vitamin A: 2628IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 146mg, Iron: 3mg

Share This: