Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

These pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are the best fall breakfast! The rolls are made with sweet dough flavored with pumpkin puree and pumpkin pie spice swirled with sweet cinnamon filling. The cinnamon rolls are smothered with sweet and tangy cinnamon cream cheese icing. These are perfect pumpkin cinnamon rolls for Thanksgiving, Halloween, or any cool fall weekend morning!

Ingredients for Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin Spice Dough

• Milk – I recommend using 2% milk. The milk needs to be between 105 and 110 degrees F. Use a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup and heat the milk in the microwave in 30 second intervals until the milk reaches the appropriate temperature. Check with a thermometer!
• Active dry yeast – One packet of active dry yeast typically contains 2 1/2 teaspoons. Active dry yeast helps the cinnamon rolls rise and puff up.
• Granulated sugar – Add one tablespoon of granulated sugar to the milk/yeast mixture to feed the yeast. Additional granulated sugar adds sweetness to the cinnamon rolls.
• Egg – Large egg, room temperature.
• Unsalted butter – Melted.
• Pumpkin puree – Use 100% pure pumpkin puree. Do not use pumpkin pie mix.
• Vanilla extract – Vanilla extract adds subtle vanilla flavor to the dough.
• Pumpkin pie spice – Pumpkin pie spice contains cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and allspice. Purchase it premade or check out my blog post on how to make your own pumpkin pie spice.
• Salt – Salt enhances the flavor of the pumpkin spice dough.
• All-purpose flour – All-purpose flour provides structure to the cinnamon rolls. Be sure to fluff the flour before scooping and level the measuring cups. You will also need additional flour to roll out the cinnamon roll dough.

Cinnamon Filling

• Unsalted butter – Softened butter.
• Light brown sugar – Light brown sugar adds sweetness and a slight molasses flavor.
• Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon adds amazing warm flavor to the rolls.

Cinnamon Cream Cheese Icing

• Unsalted butter – Use room temperature butter for easy creaming.
• Cream cheese – Also room temperature so it blends well with the butter.
• Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar. Powdered sugar adds sweetness to the icing.
• Salt – A pinch of salt balances out the sweetness of the frosting.
• Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract adds amazing flavor to cream cheese icing.
• Cinnamon – A bit of cinnamon adds another layer of pumpkin spice flavor.

Yeast and Proofing

In this recipe, we will be using active dry yeast to help the pumpkin spice dough rise. A couple things to note about using yeast:

• Yeast needs a warm climate so it can bloom. Add the active dry yeast to one cup of warm milk. The milk temperature should be between 105 and 110 degrees for the best environment. If it’s too hot or too cold, the yeast won’t bloom properly.
• Snacks are important. Yeast needs a snack while it’s blooming. (Don’t we all?). Add one tablespoon of sugar to the warm milk to feed the yeast while it’s doing its thing.
• Yeast needs a little time! Allow the yeast to bloom for about 5 minutes before adding the milk mixture to the other wet ingredients. The yeast will look foamy which means it’s done it’s job.

For these cinnamon rolls, we will also be proofing the dough twice. Proofing just means that we are letting the yeast do its job and letting the dough rise.

• The first proof happens right after the dough has kneaded for 8 minutes. Get a large bowl, spray with nonstick cooking spray, and place the dough in the bowl. The dough will be very sticky. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm area to proof for 1 hour.
• The second proof occurs after the cinnamon rolls are cut and placed in a 9×13 baking pan. Again, cover the pan in a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm area for another hour so the cinnamon rolls puff up before baking.
• If you are following the instructions to bake the next day, remove the pan of cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator, cover in a towel, and proof the same way, but for an additional 30 minutes.

How to Assemble the Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls

Assembling the pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls can be a bit of a delicate process. You must work with a gentle touch! Here is the basic breakdown of how to assemble the cinnamon rolls.

1. Flour your work surface so the dough doesn’t stick. Turn the dough out onto the lightly floured surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour.
2. Use your hands and fingers to gently press the dough into a rectangular shape.
3. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to about 1/2 inch thick. The length of the dough should be approximately 2 feet and the width should be about 1 foot.
4. Spread the cinnamon filling over the top of the dough. Leave about a 1-inch open space along on side of the width of the dough which will help seal the rolls.
5. Gently use your fingertips to begin rolling the dough into a log. Work your way from side to side to create an even dough log. Start at the side where the filling goes right to the edge. Remember, the dough is very soft, so be gentle!
6. Once you have rolled the dough into a log, use the back of a butterknife to score the top of the dough to create 12 rolls. Each roll should be approximately 1 inch in thickness.
7. Now the fun part! Use unflavored dental floss to cut the rolls! Pull a piece of dental floss under the dough log. Pull the floss up, cross the floss as if you were tying it, and then pull. This will cut the rolls with minimal squishing!
8. Place the rolls into a 9×13 baking pan sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.

Now that your pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are rolled and in the pan, everything else is a piece of cake!

Bake the Cinnamon Rolls the Same Day or Make Ahead

There are two options for making these pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls – bake them the same day or make them one day ahead of time. My personal favorite way to make this recipe is to make the cinnamon rolls one day ahead and baking them in the morning!