Jumbo Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Soft pumpkin dough, gooey cinnamon-brown sugar filling, and thick vanilla cream cheese frosting.
Jump to RecipeDon’t Mess This Up
- Don’t keep adding flour just because the dough feels slightly sticky. Pumpkin makes the dough naturally softer.
- Use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
- Don’t overbake them. Pumpkin dough can go from soft to dry surprisingly quickly.
- Pour the heavy cream on after the second rise, immediately before baking.
What It Should Look Like
What They Should Be Like
- The outside should be lightly golden.
- The inside should be very soft, fluffy, and orange-tinted, with visible cinnamon swirls.
- The center should be gooey without looking like raw dough.
- You should actually taste pumpkin underneath the cinnamon instead of having them taste like regular cinnamon rolls with pumpkin spice thrown in.
Save Some for Later
Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator.
Reheat individual rolls for a few seconds in the microwave until soft and warm again.
These can also be assembled ahead, covered, and refrigerated before the second rise. Let them sit out until puffy before baking.
Jumbo Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Course: Cinnamon Rolls8
jumbo rolls25–30
minutes350
°FSoft pumpkin dough, gooey cinnamon-brown sugar filling, and thick vanilla cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- Pumpkin Dough
¾ cup (180 g) whole milk, warmed to about 105–110°F
2¼ teaspoons (1 packet / 7 g) active dry yeast
⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240 g) pumpkin puree
1 large egg
6 tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4½ cups (540 g) all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- Cinnamon Filling
½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, very soft
1 cup (213 g) packed light brown sugar
1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Small pinch ground cloves
Pinch of salt
- Before Baking
⅓ cup (80 g) heavy cream, slightly warmed
This is optional, but recommended. Pouring warm cream around the risen rolls right before baking makes the centers extra soft and gooey.
- Vanilla Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz (113 g) cream cheese, softened
4 tablespoons (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt
1–2 tablespoons milk or heavy cream, as needed
Directions
- Activate the Yeast
- Add the warm milk, yeast, and about 1 tablespoon of the sugar to your mixing bowl.
- Stir and let sit for 5–10 minutes.
- It should look foamy on top.
- Make the Pumpkin Dough
- Add the remaining sugar, pumpkin puree, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- Stand Mixer
- Use the dough hook and mix on low until the dough comes together.
- Knead on medium-low for about 6–8 minutes.
- By Hand
- Mix with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms.
- Turn onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 8–10 minutes.
- What the Dough Should Look Like
- Pumpkin dough is naturally a little softer and stickier than regular cinnamon-roll dough. It should be soft, smooth, slightly tacky, able to pull away from the bowl, and not wet enough to stick all over your hands.
- If it’s extremely sticky after kneading, add flour 1 tablespoon at a time.
- Don’t dump in a bunch of extra flour or your rolls can turn dense.
- First Rise
- Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl.
- Cover and let rise somewhere warm for about 1–1½ hours, or until roughly doubled in size.
- Make the Filling
- Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- Keep the softened butter separate.
- Roll Out the Dough
- Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured surface.
- Roll into approximately a 16 × 20-inch rectangle.
- Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving about ½ inch around the edges.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon-brown sugar mixture evenly over the butter.
- Gently press the filling into the butter with your hands.
- Roll & Cut
- Starting with the long side, roll the dough tightly into a log.
- Cut into 8 large rolls.
- For cleaner swirls, use unflavored dental floss instead of a knife.
- Place the rolls into a greased 9 × 13-inch baking dish.
- Second Rise
- Cover and let rise for approximately 30–45 minutes.
- They should look noticeably puffier and be starting to touch each other.
- Add the Cream
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Warm the heavy cream slightly. You don’t want it hot.
- Pour it slowly around and between the risen rolls right before baking.
- Bake
- Bake at 350°F for approximately 25–30 minutes.
- Start checking around 23–25 minutes.
- The tops should be lightly golden, but don’t wait until they’re dark brown or the centers can dry out.
- The center rolls should be cooked through and no longer look raw or doughy.
- Make the Frosting
- Beat the cream cheese and butter together until completely smooth.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.
- Beat until fluffy.
- Add milk or heavy cream 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you want.
- Frost
- Let the cinnamon rolls cool for about 10 minutes.
- Spread the frosting over the rolls while they’re still warm so some of it melts down into the swirls.
The Chaos Test
- Make ahead: yes
- Freezer friendly: yes
- Mixer needed: no
- Beginner friendly: yes
- Mess level: 3/5
- Best eaten: warm
- Worth making again: yes