Homemade Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

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The best part of cold weather is all the comforting, delicious baking happening inside. These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are the ultimate fall and Thanksgiving baked good for breakfast, brunch or dessert.

Historically, I have never been that good with dough. I use my stand mixer with the hook attachment and let it do all the hard work. If you are good with dough…good for you, you’re doing life right. If you’re like me, I recommend this stand mixer. It’s pricey, but it has come in handy in my kitchen in so many ways over the years. Without it, I wouldn’t have this pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe.

Once I figured out the dough, the rest was easy. You get soft, warm cinnamon rolls filled with brown sugar and cinnamon, covered in a sweet cream cheese frosting and finished with candied pecans. Basically, everything I want in a fall breakfast.

Everyone will love these pumpkin cinnamon rolls, and you won’t be able to stop making them for your family. The holidays just got a little better!

Why You’ll Love These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

• Warm, soft and fluffy- These have been described to me as “ooey-gooey,” if that means anything to you. They’re soft, fluffy, and perfectly gooey in the middle.
• The right amount of fall flavor-Sometimes pumpkin-flavored baked goods can have so much pumpkin spice that it overpowers the whole thing. These have that cozy fall flavor in every bite without going overboard on the spice.
• Cream cheese Frosting- Homemade cream cheese frosting that melts into the freshly baked dough and pairs magically with the cinnamon-sugar filling. ’Nough said, I think.
• Perfect for Fall Mornings- “The best part of waking up is…” a warm pumpkin cinnamon roll and a cup of coffee on a cool fall morning. Make these for a cozy weekend breakfast, brunch, or Thanksgiving morning.
• Make ahead friendly-Prepare them ahead of time so you can enjoy warm cinnamon rolls without doing all the work the day of. (Instructions below)

What to Serve with Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls?

• Coffee, tea or a pumpkin spiced latte for your ultimate fall morning.
• Fresh fruit such as apples, pears, berries, or peaches for something light and refreshing.
• Scrambled or frittata for a more filling breakfast.
• Breakfast potatoes, turkey/ beef bacon for a savory balance.

If you’re serving these for Thanksgiving breakfast, I’d keep it simple with just a cup of coffee. You need to save some room and appetite for the feast ahead!

Ingredients

Dough

• 4 ½ – 5 Cups All Purpose Flour
• ½ C granulated sugar
• ⅓ C softened butter
• 1 package Active Dry Yeast
• ¾ C warm milk
• ¾ C pumpkin puree
• 1–1½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs

Filling

• 1 C packed brown sugar
• 2½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ½ cup butter, softened

Frosting

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• ¼ cup cream cheese, softened
• 1½ cups powdered sugar
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon salt

Candied Pecans

• 1 cup pecans
• 2½ tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ¼ teaspoon water, as needed

You will also need dental floss. Sounds strange, but trust me. Make sure its flavorless. You don’t want minty cinnamon rolls.

Before we begin, I would like to point out that I am not a baker, so this might seem unconventional to those of you who are pros…but nobody has ever complained about these. So…

Steb-by-step Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350° F
2. Make the dough

In a Pyrex measuring cup, add the milk and microwave until it is warm, but not hot. Add the yeast and let it dissolve.

In a stand mixer, add the softened butter, sugar, salt, eggs, pumpkin purée, pumpkin pie spice and flour. Using the dough hook attachment, mix until combined.

Pour in the milk and yeast mixture and continue mixing with the dough hook until everything comes together.

Work with the dough to make sure it has a good consistency. It should be soft and workable. If it feels very sticky, gradually add more flour, a little at a time, up to another ½ cup. Knead until the dough is smooth and workable.

Form the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a large bowl. Cover and let it rise for about 1 hour, or until it has doubled in size.

Prepare the filling in a separate bowl while the dough is rising and set aside.

Make the Frosting

Using the whisk attachment on your stand mixer, combine the softened cream cheese and butter. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and salt.

Mix on medium speed until everything is combined and fluffy. You want a glossy, sugary, thick, phenomenal frosting.

Roll Out the Dough

Once the dough has doubled in size, it’s time to roll it out and make the cinnamon rolls.

Throw down a dusting of flour on your working surface. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle (or whatever shape that is close to looking like a rectangle) about 16–18 inches long and 12 inches wide.

See…its…rectangle-ish.

To be honest, once you make this recipe more and more, you won’t need these measurements exactly. It will come naturally to you, and you’ll get a feel for the right thickness of the dough.

Spread the softened butter all over the dough, leaving no dough unbuttered. Then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly and generously over all that butter.

Roll the Cinnamon Rolls

Now for the tricky part: rolling the dough.

Start from the middle and roll slowly and as tightly as you can, then work your way toward the sides. Continue until you have a tight log.

Take your time, but what I have learned is that you don’t have to be afraid or intimidated by the dough.

You work the dough. The dough doesn’t work you.

Once you have a log, it’s time to cut the rolls. Cut them into approximately ½-inch slices. You know what? This doesn’t matter that much either. Just make sure they are all relatively the same size. Nobody cares. They just want the finished product.

I am sure I am upsetting every baker out there.

I like to use dental floss to cut the rolls. It’s much easier, and it keeps the rolls together while giving you a nice clean, smooth cut.

Maybe this is just me, but the ends of the log are always kind of awkward. Cut them off to start with evenly shaped, pretty cinnamon rolls.

Slide the floss under the cinnamon roll log, bringing both ends up. Cross the ends and cut down to get a smooth, clean cut.

Place the rolls into a buttered 13×9 foil or glass baking dish.

Cover with a damp paper towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes.

Once they are a little more plump, pop them into the 350°F oven for 20–25 minutes, or until lightly golden and baked through.

I think I can smell these just by looking at this picture.

Make the Candied Pecans

While the cinnamon rolls are baking, make the candied pecans.

In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter and add the pecans and sugar. Stir everything together, making sure each piece of pecan gets coated with the butter and sugar.

If the mixture looks a little dry, add a small amount of water to loosen it up. This will help the sugar coat the pecans more evenly.

Finish the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

As soon as the cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, slather the frosting all over the top so it starts to melt into all those warm cinnamon roll layers.

Good. Lord.

Top with the candied pecans.

And now, enjoy every bite! You worked hard, take the first bite!

FAQs

1. How do I make regular cinnamon rolls without the pumpkin? Easy! Simply leave out the pumpkin purée and pumpkin pie spice, and use 1 cup of milk instead of ¾ cup. The pumpkin purée adds moisture to the dough, which is why the pumpkin version uses less milk. Also, you will want to use a little less flour, about 4 cups.
2. Do I need a stand mixer? No, absolutely not! It just makes things much easier for me because I can let the stand mixer do a lot of the work while I move on to another step of the recipe. You can use a hand mixer to make the frosting, and if you’re good with dough, you can knead the dough by hand. I am not good with dough, so I happily let my stand mixer handle that part.
3. Can I Make These Cinnamon Rolls Ahead of Time? Yes! These are a great make-ahead breakfast, especially for Thanksgiving morning. Prepare the cinnamon rolls the day before, refrigerate them overnight, and finish them the next morning.

-Assemble and slice: Make the dough, let it complete its first rise, roll it out, add the filling, and slice the rolls.

-Arrange and chill: Place the sliced rolls in your greased baking pan. Gently place plastic wrap directly over the rolls, making sure they are covered, to prevent the dough from drying out or forming a hard surface. Place the pan in the refrigerator. They can stay refrigerated for up to 16 hours.

-The next morning: Take the rolls out of the refrigerator and let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour. This allows them to take the chill off and finish their second rise. They should look puffy and be touching each other before baking.

-Then bake as directed, frost right when they come out of the oven, add the candied pecans, and serve. This is especially convenient for Thanksgiving morning when you have plenty of other things to worry about!

Leave a comment or review below and let me know how you liked it! Feel free to tag me on social media — I would love to see your version and how it turned out.