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Dessert recipes

Cinnamon Rolls with Pumpkin

Six pumpkin cinnamon rolls with three topped with maple frosting placed on a small baking sheet.

This small batch of Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls is soft, airy, filled with lots of pumpkin flavor, and smothered with a buttery, cinnamon sugar filling. Served warm and topped with a flavorful maple frosting, you'll be in heaven!

Why this bake works

I have another small batch breakfast treat for you—Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls!

They can be easily made with this Nordic Ware ⅛ sheet pan or a 6-inch round or square baking pan.

Made with instant yeast, these pumpkin cinnamon rolls are very soft and airy with the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor and a cinnamon-sugar filling that melts into a soft-centered layer that is so very good!

Top them off with this small-batch maple frosting, or you can use my Small Batch of Cream Cheese Frosting! Either way, you'll be in heaven!

Unraveled, half eaten pumpkin cinnamon roll on a dessert plate with small fork on a white marbled background.

What goes in

The following ingredients are needed to make these small-batch pumpkin cinnamon rolls. Items noted in the bulleted list are key ingredients that need a bit more explanation.

Ingredients in various size bowls labeled as all purpose flour, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground cloves, allspice, salt, vanilla extract, maple syrup, light brown sugar, granulated sugar, pumpkin puree, powdered sugar, unsalted butter, whole milk, instant yeast, eggs, and water on a white marbled background.
  • Whole Milk. Any dairy milk, including lactose-free milk (for my lactose-intolerant or dairy-sensitive friends), can be used, but whole milk is preferred for this method.
  • All-Purpose Flour. A house favorite is King Arthur All-Purpose Flour, but use what you have on hand! If it's a bit on the lumpy side, Try sifting it first.
  • Instant Yeast. Before using, make sure it hasn't expired.
  • Sugars. You can use pure cane organic sugar in place of granulated sugar. And for the light brown sugar, you can use dark brown sugar as a substitute. For the maple frosting, you will need sifted powdered sugar.
  • Spices. You'll need ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, and salt. If ground cloves, nutmeg, or allspice are not your thing, you can leave those out. For ground cinnamon, a house favorite for recipes, including this one, is Vietnamese cinnamon. I highly recommend it, but regular ground cinnamon is just as good!
  • Pumpkin Puree. Not to be confused with pumpkin pie filling. Only use pumpkin puree.
  • Pure Maple Syrup. I used Spring Tree Maple Syrup found at Giant.

For quantities and instructions, please see the method card below.

How it comes together

Below is a quick overview of how to make these airy pumpkin cinnamon rolls. For the full printable recipe, which can be made using US customary or metric measurements, visit the method card below.

Recipe Tip: Try warming the milk first to allow it to cool before adding it to the dough. I also recommend melting the butter at this time.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Dough

Whisked flour, yeast, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small glass mixing bowl on a white and grey marbled background.

Step 1. Mix the all-purpose flour, instant yeast, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together.

Whisked milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and egg in a medium size glass mixing bowl on a white and grey marbled background.

Step 2. In a separate bowl you'll mix up the warm milk, pumpkin puree, melted butter, and lightly beaten egg.

Flour mixture added to pumpkin cinnamon roll wet ingredients in a medium size glass mixing bowl on a white and grey marbled background.

Step 3. Add the dry and mix until the dough begins to form. Knead for 7-8 minutes. The dough should be soft and a little sticky that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Pumpkin cinnamon roll dough doubled in size in a medium size glass mixing bowl on a white and grey marbled background.

Step 4. Transfer the dough to a greased bowl and let it rise for 1 hour or until it's doubled in size.

Cinnamon Sugar Filling

Recipe Tip: It's best to mix the cinnamon sugar filling together while your dough is rising.

Step 1. In a small bowl, add the sugars and spices.

Step 2. Whisk together, then hold to the side. Hold off on using the 3 tablespoons of butter until it's time to assemble the rolls.

Assembling the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Step 1. Lightly flour your work surface, then roll the pumpkin dough out to a 10-inch by 12-inch rectangle.

Step 2. Spread the softened butter over the top, then the cinnamon sugar filling.

Step 3. Roll the dough into a log, then cut. You can use a knife or some people use unflavored dental floss.

Step 4. Place each slice onto your prepared baking sheet or pan. Let them rise again for about 25 minutes. Brush with egg wash.

Step 5. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350ºF.

Step 6. Once done, let them cool, then top with the maple frosting (optional).

Helpful Baking Tools

Here are a few baking tools Try for making these easy pumpkin cinnamon rolls!

  • Nordic Ware ⅛ Sheet Pan. The ⅛-sheet pan is the best size pan for this method. I also like to use it to transport condiments to the kitchen table for dinner or to reheat leftovers in the oven. I have seen this pan on Nordic Ware's site, Amazon, and at Target. You can also use a 6-inch round baking pan or a 6-inch square baking pan. If you're planning to use either 6-inch pan, you might have to bake your cinnamon rolls for a few minutes longer than the recommended 20-25 minutes.
  • Stand Mixer and Dough Hook Attachment. The easiest way to make these pumpkin cinnamon rolls is with a stand mixer and a dough hook attachment. You can, of course, knead it by hand with a Danish dough whisk.
  • Small Saucepan or Heat-Proof Measuring Glass. Either will work for warming your whole milk.
  • Digital Thermometer. A tool I recently started using with some of my recipes that is a strong match for monitoring the temperature of your milk!
  • Mixing Bowl. The same mixing bowl you used to knead the dough can be used to let it rise. Just make sure you grease it before adding the ball of dough back in!
  • Oven Thermometer. This is a must for any recipe, whether baking or cooking! They're cheap, and they can easily hang right on your oven rack!

Questions on this bake

Why isn't my dough rising?

This could be caused by a few things: 1. The yeast could have expired, or it was killed off by the milk being too hot. Your best bet is to start over with fresh yeast. 2. Too much flour was added. You want the dough to be a little sticky or tacky in texture, but not so sticky that it's sticking to literally everything. 3. The dough was placed in a cold or drafty area of your kitchen. You can let the dough rise in the oven (see recipe notes), or I'll heat the oven and just let the bowl sit on top of the stove, which sometimes does the trick.

How warm should the milk be when adding it to the dough?

The milk can be added to the dough when it's between 100º-115ºF or warm to the touch. A good thing to remember is that if it's too hot for your fingers, then it will probably kill off the dough. Your best bet is to use a digital thermometer, though.

Can Use active dry yeast in place of instant?

Yes, genuinely. Keep in mind that you will have a slightly longer first rise and longer 2nd rise compared to using instant dry yeast.

Can Use pumpkin pie filling in place of pumpkin puree?

No. This should not be used as a substitute.

I don't like the spices used in the cinnamon sugar filling. Can I leave them out?

You can (and should) keep the ground cinnamon and nutmeg in the filling, but you can may leave the others out if they're not your favorite. Please note, though, that the pumpkin rolls will not be as flavorful.

  • Yield 6 servings
  • Prep 25 minutes
  • Cook 25 minutes
  • Total 2 hours 15 minutes
  • Calories 526

Ingredients

Pumpkin Rolls

  • 1/3 cup Whole Milk, warm to the touch (100-115ºF)
  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp Instant Yeast (1/2 package)
  • 2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree
  • 1 tbsp Unsalted Butter, melted
  • 1 large Egg, lightly beaten

Cinnamon Spice Filling

  • 2 tbsp Light Brown Sugar, lightly packed
  • 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
  • 1/2 tbsp Ground Cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger
  • 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp AllSpice
  • 1/8 tsp Ground Cloves
  • 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter, room temperature

Maple Frosting

  • 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, room temperature
  • 2 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup
  • 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 2 tbsp Whole Milk
  • 2 cups Sifted Powdered Sugar
  • 1/8 tsp Salt

Egg Wash

  • 1 large Egg Yolk
  • 1 tbsp Water

Method

Pumpkin Rolls

  1. In a small saucepan, warm the milk over low-medium heat until it reaches 180ºF. Set to the side and allow it to cool down to 100ºF-115ºF degrees or when it is warm to the touch. You can also microwave this in a heat-proof glass measuring cup for 15 seconds at a time until the milk reaches 180ºF.
  2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, instant yeast, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set to the side.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the warm milk, pumpkin puree, melted unsalted butter, and lightly beaten egg.
  4. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir together with a spatula until the dough begins to form.
  5. Transfer the dough to a mixing bowl fitted with a dough hook and knead at a low speed for 7-8 minutes or until the dough has come together. The dough should be soft and a little sticky that pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. If it's still very sticky, you can add in the additional 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour, one (1) tablespoon at a time. You can also choose to stir the dough by hand with a danish dough whisk instead of using the mixing bowl and dough hook.
  6. Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface, kneading it with your hands into a soft and smooth ball. Then transfer it to a lightly greased medium bowl. I use Baker's Joy to coat the bowl, but you can also use an olive oil spray. Cover with plastic wrap and/or a clean tea towel and place it in a warm area of your kitchen to allow the dough to rest and double in size (about 1 hour). If you plan to let the dough rest in your oven (see notes below) do not use plastic wrap!

Cinnamon Spice Filling

  1. In a small bowl, stir together the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and allspice. Set to the side. The room temperature unsalted butter will be used as a spread later when we assemble the rolls.

Assembling the Pumpkin Rolls

  1. Lightly spray a ⅛ sheet pan or a 6-inch round (or square) baking pan with a flour-based baking spray and set to the side.
  2. Once the dough has doubled, punch it down using your fist, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Make sure to lightly flour the rolling pin too. Roll the dough out to about a 10” x 12” rectangle. Spread the unsalted butter onto the dough with an offset spatula, leaving about a 1/4 inch border. Then sprinkle the cinnamon spice filling over the top.
  3. Starting at the longest end of the dough, roll up tightly to form a log.
  4. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough log into 6 equal rolls then place onto the prepared baking sheet or into the prepared baking pan, cut side down. You can use a ruler to help evenly mark my cinnamon rolls. I also cut off the ends for a nice clean edge. You can still bake the edges in a separate pan though!
  5. Cover again with either plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm spot of your kitchen. Allow them to rise for an additional 25 minutes or until they have doubled in size. Meanwhile, adjust your oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat your oven to 350ºF.
  6. If making overnight small batch cinnamon rolls cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight. Before baking, let sit at room temperature for it's second rise 1 hour before baking. Brush on the egg wash, then bake.
  7. In a small bowl lightly beat the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon water, then brush onto the rolls. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350ºF. Allow it to cool for about 10-15 minutes before adding the maple frosting.

Maple Frosting

  1. In a small bowl, stir together the unsalted butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, milk, and powdered sugar using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. The amount of frosting is small though so a hand mixer will work best here. This frosting can be made a day or two in advance of making the cinnamon rolls. Keep it stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Bring it to room temperature 20-25 minutes before using.

Baker notes

Slightly beat your egg before adding it into the dough mixture.

If additional 1/4 cup all-purpose flour is needed add the flour 1 tablespoon at a time. For reference, 1/4 cup equals 4 tablespoons.

To let your dough rest in a warm oven, adjust the oven rack to the middle or center position. Preheat your oven to the lowest temperature, then turn off the oven once it is preheated. Place your bowl of dough in the oven with a medium-size bowl of boiling water on the rack below with the door closed. After 1 hour, open the door and remove the dough (and the bowl of water).

When slicing the dough into rolls, use a ruler to mark where you will be cutting so each roll is roughly the same height.

More breakfast sweets

Other bakes from the same part of the case, each with its own method.