These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are soft, fluffy, and packed with cozy fall flavor! Swirled with pumpkin puree, warm pumpkin pie spice, and topped with creamy icing, they're the perfect breakfast or brunch for pumpkin season. Plus, they're easy to make and can be made vegan or gluten-free.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Soft and fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls
- Packed with warm pumpkin spice flavor
- Perfect for fall breakfasts and holiday brunches
- Easy to make vegan and gluten-free
- Topped with rich cream cheese icing
- Great for Thanksgiving morning or weekend baking
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Ingredients
Indulge in the perfect blend of autumn flavors with these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. A no-yeast and gluten-free option ensures an easy baking experience while maintaining rich flavors. Topped with a silky vegan cream cheese icing, it's a treat everyone will love!
Dough Ingredients:
- Almond milk or oat milk, ideal for dairy-free moisture. If you're not vegan or dairy-free, regular milk will work.
- Melted, adding richness without dairy.
- Maple syrup.
- Active dry yeast.
- Regular all-purpose flour or 2 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour. If opting for gluten-free, consider the King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. (Avoid using flours like almond or baking flour.)
- Non-dairy yogurt (only if using gluten-free flour for added elasticity).
Filling Ingredients:
- Softened regular or vegan butter.
- Canned pumpkin puree, the essence of fall.
- Organic cane sugar or brown sugar.
- Pumpkin pie spice or a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger.
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
- Regular or vegan cream cheese.
- Softened regular or vegan butter.
- Powdered sugar.
How To Make Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls
Dough Prep: Mix warm milk, melted butter, maple syrup, and salt. Introduce the active dry yeast, stir gently, and let it activate for 10 minutes. Incorporate the flour choice. If using gluten-free flour, infuse the dough with non-dairy yogurt, kneading for elasticity.
Shape the dough into a round within the bowl, cover with a kitchen towel, and place on a warm oven for a quicker rise. Alternatively, let it rise on the countertop.
Making The Rolls: Post-rise, roll the dough (¼-inch thickness) on a floured surface. Spread butter, pumpkin puree, sugar, and spices. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
Using a sharp pizza cutter, trim the uneven ends of the dough if desired. Then, use the pizza cutter to slice the log into 9–12 even rolls, depending on how large you'd like your cinnamon rolls. A pizza cutter glides through the dough easily and helps keep the rolls from getting squished.
Space them in a baking dish and cover for another 30-minute rise. Then, bake for approximately 35 minutes.
Making The Frosting: As the pumpkin cinnamon rolls bake, whisk together cream cheese frosting ingredients with an electric mixer. Set the icing aside until ready to frost the pumpkin rolls.
Cool rolls slightly, lavish them with icing, and relish every bite!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Assemble the rolls, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.
Yes. Freeze unfrosted rolls for up to 2 months and thaw before reheating.
Your milk may have been too hot or your yeast may have expired.
Other Recipes You Should Try
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Try My No-Yeast Gluten-Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 cup milk regular or vegan
- ¼ cup melted butter regular or vegan
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 3 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 ½ cups regular all purpose flour or 2 cups gluten free all purpose flour If gluten-free, I recommend King Arthur Measure for Measure gluten-free flour. Please don't substitute any other flour such as almond flour, baking flour, etc.
- 1 tablespoon non dairy yogurt only needed if using gluten free flour
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Filling
- ¼ cup softened butter regular or vegan
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice or use 1 tablespoon of cinnamon with ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cloves, ⅛ teaspoon ginger
Cream Cheese Icing
- 2 oz cream cheese regular or vegan
- 2 tablespoon softened butter regular or vegan
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
- Prepare the dough by mixing the warm almond milk, melted butter, maple syrup, and salt. Sprinkle the active dry yeast evenly across the top of the mixture, stir gently, and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix until a dough forms. If using gluten free flour, add the non dairy yogurt into the bowl and then use your hands to work it in and form the dough into a mound. This creates more elasticity and the gluten free dough will hold together better when rolling. You don't need to do this step if using regular flour.
- Use your hands to form the dough into a round mound, leaving it in the bowl. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and set it on top of the preheated oven (the warmth of the oven helps the dough to rise faster) This is an optional step and the dough will still rise if you leave it covered on the counter top.
- After the dough has risen for an hour place it on a floured surface and roll the dough into a ¼ inch oval or rectangle (add more flour if the dough is too sticky to roll). Note, if using gluten-free flour, the dough will be slightly more dry. Spread the softened butter to cover the dough. Then, spread the pumpkin puree over top. Sprinkle with sugar and pumpkin pie spices.
- Preheat the oven to 350.
- Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough log into 9–12 even rolls. I find a pizza cutter makes cleaner cuts and keeps the rolls nice and round! Place the pinwheels into a baking dish so that they are close but not touching. Cover them with a towel or loose plastic wrap and set aside for another 30 minutes.
- Remove plastic wrap and bake the rolls in the oven for about 35 minutes.
- While the rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting by using an electric hand mixer to mix together the softened butter, powdered sugar, and cream cheese. Allow the rolls to cool and spread the icing over the rolls. Enjoy!
Chastity says
Can I use honey to sub for the maple syrup?
JillianGlenn says
Yes, honey will work great!
Abby says
Hi! I know you mentioned your preferred GF flours but do you think Bobs Red Mill 1:1 would work in this recipe?
Jillian says
Hi Abby, unfortunately, Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour would not work in this recipe.
Shola says
Can stevia be used in place of maple syrup?
Jillian says
I have never used stevia in place of maple syrup in this recipe but typically stevia is not a 1-1 swap for syrup.
Yurema says
Hi! Can you replace the yogurt with oat milk or plant based milk or does it have to be yogurt?
Jillian says
The yogurt acts as a binder for gluten-free flour. You can make them without it but the dough will hold together better with a tiny bit of non-dairy yogurt.
Tonya says
Does the almond milk need to warmed or room temp?
Jillian says
I find that warming the almond milk helps the yeast activate more quickly!
Canaan says
Question, how much salt did you use, does it matter? Salt is listed in the written instructions but not in the ingredient list, and I wonder if the amount of salt is important when using yeast? Either way I actually made this recipe already since I started making the dough before the salt question arose, and several people loved them! But I wonder if I could have made it better if a specific amount of salt was recommended. Thank you for the recipe!!