Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls are the best way to start your day. Warmed up, they are irresistible with a cup of hot fresh coffee. The pumpkin spice filling and soft, sweet, buttery dough make it nearly impossible to stop after one roll.
Key Takeaways:
- Rich, Buttery Dough: These rolls use a high-fat, high-sugar dough that’s soft, sweet, and far superior to store-bought versions.
- Flavorful Pumpkin Filling: Made with thick pumpkin puree, cream cheese, brown sugar, and warm spices like cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice.
- SAF Instant Gold Yeast is Key: This specialized yeast works best for rich doughs and ensures a fluffy, tender texture.
- Make-Ahead Friendly: The dough benefits from overnight chilling, and the filling can also be prepped ahead to save time.
- Perfectly Baked Rolls: Bake until the internal temperature hits 190°F for gooey, soft-centered cinnamon rolls.
- Versatile Glazing Options: Spread the glaze generously or drizzle with a piping bag for a beautiful presentation.
Overview
Start your morning with the warm, cozy flavors of Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls — soft, buttery swirls of dough filled with a rich pumpkin spice blend and finished with a creamy glaze. These homemade rolls are everything a fall breakfast should be: sweet, comforting, and completely irresistible with a hot cup of coffee. The dough is made with high-fat, high-sugar ingredients for an extra tender bite, and it rises beautifully thanks to SAF Instant Gold Yeast, making every roll soft and fluffy from the inside out.
The filling is a decadent mix of thick pumpkin puree, cream cheese, warm spices, and a touch of maple syrup, creating that perfect balance of sweet and spiced. Once baked and glazed, these rolls offer bakery-quality results with homemade love. Whether you’re sharing them with family or saving a few for yourself, these Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls are a seasonal treat worth savoring—perfect for holiday mornings, brunch tables, or simply indulging in the flavors of fall.
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These Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon rolls remind me of Entenmenns, but without the under-backed quality of the pastry dough. The dough is still soft, light, buttery, and so much better than the bakery version. Have a great start to your day with these Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls. Also, check out my Apple Pie Fritter Cake, Apple Cinnamon Chip Scones, or Challah Bread French Toast.
Here is how you can Make these Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls.
What you Need to Make the Bread Dough/Pastry Dough:
The dough for Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls is a high fat, high sugar content dough. That is why it is so yummy. SAF Instant Gold Yeast is a yeast that is formulated just for this type of dough. Purchase and use this if at all possible.
You will also need butter, sugar, eggs, flour, yeast, and milk for the dough.
What you Will Need to Make the Pumpkin Spice Filling.
Pumpkin Puree: I grow sugar pumpkins and use them to make my pumpkin puree. If you roast fresh pumpkins for the puree or purchase pumpkin puree, you will need to remove most of the water from the puree. Place about 2 cups of puree in a nut milk bag and squeeze out the extra water until you have a half cup of very thick pumpkin (mashed potatoes consistency). Visit my blog for step-by-step instructions on How to Roast a Pumpkin for Puree.
The rest of the ingredients: for the pumpkin spice filling are cream cheese, egg yolk, brown sugar, flour, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. I sometimes also add some maple syrup.
Make the Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls:
Make the dough: To make the dough add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and mix on low until a sticky dough forms—about two minutes.
Scrape the bowl and then mix on medium for ten minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Then chill for three hours or overnight is best.
Make the Filling: cream together the cream cheese and brown sugar, then add all of the ingredients and mix with a hand mixer until well blended. Chill for 1-2 hours. During the last 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
Assemble the Rolls: Line an 11 X 13-inch baking pan with a parchment sling. Then roll the chilled dough out into a rectangle about 10 X 12 inches. Spread the chilled Pumpkin Spice Filling on the dough. Sprinkle with some additional cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice and roll up into a cylinder.
Cut into 12 rolls and place in the parchment-lined baking dish. Cover and let rise for 2 hours.
Bake, the Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon rolls for 20 – 25 minutes. When the interior of the rolls reaches 190-degrees F, the rolls are done.
Remove to a cooling rack and let the rolls cool completely before glazing.
Glaze the Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls:
Make the glaze with powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream. Add the heavy cream slowly to the other ingredients until you have a consistency that you can easily spread or use in a decorating cone.
Glaze the rolls by spreading the glaze on top (this gives a lot more glaze to each roll. Alternately use a decorating cone and drizzle the glaze over the rolls.
Store in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Freeze the Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls unglazed for several months.
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FAQ:
Q: Can I use canned pumpkin puree instead of fresh?
A: Yes! Just be sure to remove excess water by straining it until it reaches a thick, mashed potato-like consistency.
Q: Why is SAF Instant Gold Yeast recommended?
A: It’s formulated specifically for high-fat, high-sugar doughs, giving you better rise and texture than regular yeast.
Q: Can I make the dough ahead of time?
A: Absolutely. Chilling the dough overnight actually improves the flavor and makes it easier to work with.
Q: How should I store leftover cinnamon rolls?
A: Keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or freeze them (unglazed) for longer storage.
Q: What temperature should the rolls reach when done?
A: Bake until the internal temperature hits 190°F to make sure they’re fully cooked but still soft.
Q: Can I skip the glaze?
A: You can, but the glaze adds an extra layer of sweetness and presentation—spread it on thick or drizzle lightly, your choice!
Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
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Ingredients
Pastry Dough
- 3 tbsp. butter (50g)
- ¼ cup whole milk (50g)
- ¼ cup water (50g)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1 large egg
- 2¼ cups bread flour (270g)
- 2 tsp SAF Gold Yeast
- 1 tsp salt
Pumpkin Spice Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese (112g)
- ½ cup pumpkin puree concetrate(120g)
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (71g)
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup (optional)
- 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp flour
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar(113g)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1-2 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
Make the Pastry Dough
- Mix the yeast, salt, and flour together.
- Put all of the rest of the pastry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl.
- Add the flour on top and mix for 2 minutes on low.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix on medium for 10 minutes.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Then refrigerate the dough for 2-3 hours or as long as overnight.
Make the Pumpkin Spice Filling
- With a hand mixer cream together the cream cheese and sugar.
- Add all of the rest of the ingredients and mix together.
- Refrigerate for 2 hours while the dough is also chilling.
Make the Rolls
- Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 12 X 14 inches.
- Spread the cooled pumpkin spice mixture on the dough.
- Roll up like the dough into a cinnamon roll. (shape of a cigar or cylinder)
- Line a 11 X 13 inch pan with a piece of baking parchment. Spray with nostick spray.
- Cut the cylinder into 12 pieces and place in the parchment-lined baking pan.
- Cover, and let rise for 2 hours.
- During the last 30 minutes of rising preheat the oven to 350-degrees F.
- Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Check the internal temperature at 20 minutes with an instant-read thermometer continue baking until the internal temperature reaches 190-degrees F.
- Remove from the oven to a cooling rack.
Make the Glaze
- Once the Rolls are completely cooled, make the glaze.
- Mix together all of the glaze ingredients and use a parchment cone, plastic bag with the corner cut off, or a decorating bag with a small or medium pastry tip.
- Glaze the Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls. If you like a lot of glaze on the rolls, spread the glaze on the rolls with a spatula or butter knife.
