Cozy fall baking in my house always starts with these pumpkin cinnamon rolls! They start with my softest bread flour cinnamon roll dough, swirled with a gooey pumpkin pie filling, topped with buttery pie crumbs, then baked to sticky golden perfection.
Pumpkin purée is mixed right into the dough for a rich, cozy pumpkin flavor and extra-soft texture.
Don’t forget the swirls of cinnamon cream cheese frosting after baking; it’s the finishing touch that makes them a better-than-bakery fall treat you’ll crave all season long!
More in an apple mood? My soft and gooey apple cinnamon rolls with brown sugar apple pie filling have the same soft dough, but with caramelized apples tucked into every swirl!
Bake & Follow Along (with photos)
1
Make the tangzhong. This technique ensures a soft, fluffy texture, as seen in my brown butter rolls (YUM). The result will be pasty, mashed potato-like.
2
Knead until a smooth dough ball forms. The dough should feel soft and tacky. Set it aside to rest before rolling it out.
When my husband and I crave pumpkin and need it ASAP, we throw together my soft chocolate chip pumpkin bread. It delivers the same cozy flavor, just faster!
3
Make the pumpkin pie spiced filling. Combine the pumpkin puree, butter, brown sugar, flour, and pumpkin spice. Set aside until ready to use.
4
Roll, fill, and cut the dough, then let the rolls rise until they double in size. Don’t rush the rise, it’s what gives them that bakery-soft, pull-apart texture. On busy days, I skip yeast and bake my pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting instead.
5
Make the pie crumb topping. Pie crumb = true pumpkin-pie texture on top. They bake into little buttery bits that stay crisp against the frosting!
6
Spread the pie topping over the tops of the rolls. It’s okay if some of the crumb falls between them!
7
Make the cinnamon cream cheese frosting. You can also add a touch of pumpkin puree to it for even more pumpkin flavor!
8
Frost the tops of the rolls. Once baked, spread the frosting on top of the cinnamon rolls and allow it to melt into the centers. Enjoy!
Pumpkin purée: Libby’s is my go-to. You won’t use the whole can, so I set the rest aside for soft pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies: cinnamon-sugar, ultra-soft, with 500+ five-star reviews.
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Tangzhong
- 1/4 cup bread flour, *See notes below for measuring*
- 3/4 cup water
Pumpkin Dough
- 3 2/3 cups bread flour, *See notes below for measuring*
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream, room temperature
- 2/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- Tangzhong from above
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cool room temperature
Pumpkin Pie Filling
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose or bread flour
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
Pie Crumb Topping
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/2 cup all-purpose or bread flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 3 ounces cream cheese, cold
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the water and all-purpose flour. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is a paste-like slurry. Scrape it into a bowl and set it aside until ready to use.1/4 cup (32 g) bread flour, 3/4 cup (155 g) water
- In a stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt until combined. Add the cream, pumpkin, egg, and tangzhong to the bowl. Knead on low speed with the dough hook until it forms a rough dough ball.3 2/3 cups (485 g) bread flour, 1/3 cup (66 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons instant yeast, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (66 g) heavy cream, 2/3 cup (150 g) pumpkin puree, 1 (50 g) large egg, Tangzhong from above
- With the mixer running on low, add the softened butter 1/2 tablespoon at a time, letting it fully incorporate before adding more. Continue kneading for another 8-10 minutes or until the dough looks smooth and elastic.6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter
- Remove the dough from the bowl and pull the sides into the bottom center to create a smooth round ball. Place it back into the mixing bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap, and set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
- To make the filling— combine the butter, brown sugar, pumpkin puree, flour, and pumpkin pie spice until smooth.1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted butter, 2/3 cup (133 g) light brown sugar, 1/4 cup (55 g) pumpkin puree, 2 tablespoons (16 g) all-purpose or bread flour, 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- Place the rested dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out into a 15×21 rectangle, with the longest side closest to you. Dollop the pumpkin pie filling across the surface of the dough, then use an offset spatula to gently spread it across, leaving a 1/2-inch border clean at the top.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut twelve 1 3/4-inch strips. Roll each strip away from you, then carefully transfer them to a parchment-lined 9×13 baking pan.
- Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set it aside to rise for 1-2 hours or until the rolls double in size. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325 F/162 C.
- When the rolls are ready to bake, combine the pie crumb topping ingredients until crumbs form. Evenly distribute the crumbs on top of the pumpkin rolls.3 tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, 1/2 cup (65 g) all-purpose or bread flour, 2 tablespoons (28 g) granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon (10 g) cornstarch
- Bake for 30-40 minutes. They’re done when a thermometer inserted into the center of the roll reads 180°F.
- While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting. In a stand mixer bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter until combined. Then, mix in the powdered sugar. Keep beating on low speed until the frosting is light and fluffy, then mix in the heavy cream, vanilla, and cinnamon.4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter, 3 ounces cream cheese, 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract, 4 tablespoons (56 g) heavy cream
- Let the pan cool on a wire cooling rack for 15 minutes, then spread the cream cheese frosting on top. Enjoy!
Notes
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!
I found Cambrea’s blog via her Blueberry Cinnamon Roll recipe and was 10/10 impressed with the final result. I’ve never had or made a more chewy, supple cinnamon roll in my life!! Once October rolled around, I knew where I was going for a pumpkin version, and these did not disappoint!
I didn’t do the pie crumble because I wanted to streamline as much as possible, and these were still fabulous. Worth the extra time and effort for a special occasion treat.
Hi, excited to try these! Can I roll them and refrigerate overnight and let them raise the next morning and bake them then?
Definitely!
These cinnamon rolls were AMAZING!!!
Surprisingly I found the dough to be better than the icing, don’t get me wrong, the icing is delicious as well!
Highly recommend you to give this a try!
Also, HUGE shoutout to the author for putting the measurements under each step in the directions, so easy to follow along, didn’t have to keep scrolling up to verify the amounts etc. More ppl need to do this lol!
Aw thank you Lauren! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed them! 🙂