Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

These perfectly spiced pumpkin cinnamon rolls will quickly become a favorite treat. Topped with cinnamon cream cheese frosting, and packed with all the best fall flavors, they are hard to resist!

Pumpkin in the dough makes them extra soft, and a bit of pumpkin puree in the filling makes them extra ooey gooey. They are similar to a luscious homemade cinnamon roll, but packed with even more spice and pumpkin flavor. 

Why you need to make this pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe:

• Pumpkin in the dough not only adds flavor and softness, it gives them a beautiful orange color.
• Nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in the filling gives these sweet rolls the best fall flavor!
• Cinnamon cream cheese frosting – seriously, this stuff is AMAZING!
• As they bake, they make your house smell so good that you won’t ever want to leave.
• They are a glorious fall comfort food that will thrill your taste buds from first to last bite!

HOW TO MAKE PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS

1. DOUGH – Heat the butter and milk in a saucepan or glass bowl in the microwave until the butter is melted. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the pumpkin puree, sugar, salt, yeast, spices, and egg. Stir together until smooth. 
   Add half the flour and stir till smooth. Slowly stir in additional flour until a soft dough forms.
   
2. KNEAD – Dump the dough out onto a floured counter top and knead several times until smooth.
3. FIRST RISE (OPTIONAL) – Spray a large bowl with cooking spray, add the dough ball. Cover and let rise until doubled, for 45-60 minutes. 
   
4. FILLING – Whisk together all of the filling ingredients until smooth. If it’s runny, chill it until it firms up but is still spreadable.
   
5. FORM – Spray the counter and a 9×13″ pan with cooking spray. Roll dough out into a rectangle, making sure it is an even thickness all the way across. Spread filling on the dough and roll up lengthwise. Pinch the edge to seal it together.
    
6. CUT – Use dental floss, thread, or a sharp knife to cut the roll into 12 slices. Place each slice in the prepared pan. 
   
7. RISE – Cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until doubled. It usually takes about 4o minutes, but it depends on the temperature of your kitchen. When the rolls are almost doubled, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
   
8. BAKE – Remove plastic wrap and bake rolls at 350° for 30-35 minutes, or until done on the bottom and lightly browned on the top. 
   
9. FROST – Beat together all the ingredients until smooth, adding milk if needed. Spread over the tops of the warm rolls. Enjoy!

How to store leftover sweet rolls?

Cinnamon rolls are definitely best fresh, but you can store these pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls for 3-4 days at room temperature if tightly covered. We like to microwave them for about 15 seconds before eating them.

VARIATIONS:

• Sprinkle chopped nuts or even raisins on top of the cinnamon filling before rolling up the cinnamon roll dough.
• If using instant yeast, you can skip the first rise time. If using regular yeast, I recommend dissolving the yeast in the warm milk/butter mixture. Just let it cool to about 125° before adding the yeast.
• Feel free to adjust the spices in the dough and the filling to your liking. 
• Instead of using vanilla in the frosting, try adding maple flavoring instead. Delicious!

Can I prep the rolls the night before?

Yes, you can. I recommend cutting the yeast down to 2 teaspoons, and not heating the milk. You want to slow down the rising process. 

After you place the cut rolls in your prepared pan, cover it with plastic wrap and pop them in the refrigerator. In the morning, take them out and let them sit for 45-60 minutes, or until they reach room temperature. Uncover and bake as directed.

You can also make the frosting the night before, and take it out when you take out the pan of rolls so that it will soften up.

Note that the texture of the rolls will not be quite the same, the rolls tend to have more air pockets in them when you let them raise in the refrigerator.

Can I freeze the unbaked rolls?

Absolutely. After forming them, place them a few inches apart on a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment. Immediately pop them in the freezer for about 3 hours.

Remove to freezer ziplock bags. They will last for 2-3 months.

When ready to bake, remove the frozen rolls and place them in prepared pans. Cover and let sit for a few hours until they have raised to double their original size. (They will raise a bit in the freezer.)

After they are nice and puffy, bake them as directed.

You can either make and freeze the frosting, or whip it up when you are ready to serve the rolls.

LOVE PUMPKIN? TRY THESE RECIPES:

• Pumpkin Zucchini Bread
• Iced Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Healthy Pumpkin Muffins
• Pumpkin Roll with Cream Cheese
• White Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cranberry Pumpkin Bread

PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLL RECIPE

A perfect fall twist on a classic, these sweet rolls with pumpkin spice will blow you away! They are seriously scrumptious and will bring a smile to your face as soon as you bite into them.