Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Brown Butter Cream Cheese Glaze

I’ve got another cinnamon roll recipe to add to your fall baking lineup, and this one features pumpkin spice and everything nice! Surprise, it’s this pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe and you’re going to LOVE it! 

The dough is pumpkin brioche that’s soft, fluffy, and infused with real pumpkin for that unmistakable autumn flavor. There’s also real pumpkin in the cinnamon sugar filling to really take it up a notch! 

Instead of the typical cream cheese icing, I’ve gone with a maple glaze that has a beautifully sweet and balanced flavor with a slight tang. And it’s a game changer.

These rolls are fluffy and tender, packed with homemade pumpkin pie spice, making them a must-try for anyone ready for fall festivities. Warm cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven – isn’t that what Fall is all about?! Well, that and pumpkin spice lattes (I’m more of a pumpkin cream cold brew kinda gal tho).

I could ramble all day about these beauties, but I won’t do that to you. Without further adieu, let’s chat everything pumpkin cinnamon rolls! Then make my banana bread cinnamon rolls next 🙂

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Pumpkin Dough

• Yeast Mixture: This combination of active dry yeast, sugar, and whole milk helps the dough to rise so it becomes light and fluffy. The sugar feeds the yeast, while the warm milk creates the perfect environment for the yeast to bloom, ensuring a soft dough.

• Dry Ingredients: bread flour is the foundation of the rolls, while sugar sweetens the dough. You can also use all purpose flour, but bread flour is the superior option if you want nice and fluffy pumpkin cinnamon rolls. My pumpkin pie spice blend includes cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cardamom, and ground cloves. Kosher salt enhances the overall flavor. 

• Wet Ingredients: Pumpkin purée adds pure pumpkin flavor and moisture. Eggs add richness and help bind the dough together. I incorporate room temperature butter into the dough because it absorbs better, creating a smooth and elastic dough.

Cinnamon rolls Pumpkin filling:

• Pumpkin purée: Adds moisture and a subtle pumpkin flavor to the filling, keeping the rolls gooey and soft. It also complements the spices for a rich, seasonal taste. Please don’t buy pumpkin pie filling, t’s not the same thing! 

• Maple syrup: Enhances the sweetness and adds a deep, caramel-like flavor that pairs beautifully with the pumpkin and spices. It also helps bind the filling ingredients together.

• Brown sugar: Adds sweetness and creates a gooey, caramelized texture in the filling, while the molasses in the brown sugar adds depth to the flavor.

Maple Icing:

• Salted butter: Balances the sweetness of the icing, bringing out the flavors of the other ingredients without being overpowering.

• Cream Cheese: Balances the sweetness of the icing, bringing out the flavors of the other ingredients without being overpowering.

• Powdered sugar: Sweetens and thickens the icing, ensuring it has the right consistency to coat the rolls without being too runny.

• Flavoring: Vanilla bean paste (you can also use vanilla extract here) adds a rich, concentrated vanilla flavor. Pumpkin pie spice infuses the rolls with more pumpkin flavor. Maple syrup adds sweetness and a hint of maple flavor, complementing the pumpkin spice and making the icing especially flavorful.

How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Prepare the Dough Cinnamon Rolls Dough

Step 1: Combine active dry yeast, 1 tbsp of sugar, and warm whole milk in a small bowl. Gently whisk and allow yeast to bloom and become bubbly/frothy, about 5-10 minutes.

Step 2: Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer, then add in pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, vanilla bean paste, and vegetable oil. Whisk together until combined, then add in the dry ingredients – bread flour, nutmeg, kosher salt, and brown sugar. Use a flat spatula to combine, mixing until a shaggy dough begins to form, about 2 minutes.

Step 3: Add the bowl to the stand mixer and attach the dough hook attachment. Mix on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, until the dough comes together and becomes smooth. Begin adding butter, 1 tbsp at a time, ensuring that the butter is fully incorporated prior to adding more. (The dough may break apart, but it will come back together, just keep mixing). Crank the speed up to high speed and mix for 8-10 mins, until glossy and smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 1/2-2 hours.

Step 4: While the dough is rising, prepare the pumpkin butter cinnamon sugar filling. Add pumpkin puree to a plate and blot the puree dry with a paper towel to remove excess moisture. Blot until the paper towel is dry when pressed into the pumpkin puree and the puree forms a thick paste-like texture. Place the pumpkin puree into a bowl, then add butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix everything together and set aside.

Add Filling & Slice into Cinnamon Rolls

Step 5: Now make the pan sauce. Combine the butter, maple syrup, heavy cream, and brown sugar. Mix together until smooth, then smear all across the bottom and sides of a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.

Step 6: Once the dough has doubled in size, punch the dough down and roll into a 12×18 rectangle on a well floured surface. Spread the pumpkin cinnamon filling all along the dough.

Step 7: Starting with the short end, begin rolling the dough into a tight scroll/spiral.

Step 8: Using unflavored dental floss or a serrated knife, cut the dough into 12 equally sized pieces and place into a 9×13 baking dish.

2nd Rise and Bake

Step 9: Cover with a kitchen towel and allow the rolls to rise again for about 25-40 minutes, until they become puffy. With 20 minutes left on the second rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the kitchen towel and pour heavy cream on top of the rolls. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the center of the rolls aren’t soft when pressed and the tops of the dough are golden brown.

Step 10: While the rolls are baking, making the icing. Melt butter in the a skillet and continue to cook until foamy and browned. Once browned bits form on the bottom of the pan, add in the cream cheese and reduce to low heat. Whisk together until the cream cheese is fully melted, remove from heat and then add in maple syrup, vanilla bean paste, powdered sugar. Once combined, add 1-2 tbsp of whole milk, depending on how thick you’d like the frosting to be. Pour the icing on top of the rolls.

Pro Tips for the Best Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

• Add warm milk to yeast. The temperature of the milk should be between 105-115°F to properly activate the yeast. If the milk is too cold, the yeast won’t activate, and if it’s too hot, it can kill the yeast, preventing the dough from rising.
• Blot the pumpkin purée. Removing excess moisture prevents the filling from becoming too wet and ensures a gooey, well-set center.
• Cut dough with dental floss. Slide unflavored dental floss under the rolled dough, cross the ends over the top, and pull for clean, even clean cuts.
• Let the rolls rise until puffy. This ensures they bake up light and fluffy, even in cooler environments.
• Pour heavy cream before baking. This step keeps the rolls extra moist and gives them a melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Make Ahead

To prepare these pumpkin cinnamon rolls in advance, assemble them up to the point of the second rise, then cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and store it in the fridge overnight. When you’re ready to bake, let the rolls come to room temperature for about 30 minutes before baking as directed. 

Storing Leftovers

For storing leftovers, place the cooled rolls in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven before serving.

To Freeze: After baking and cooling completely, place them in an airtight container or wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to enjoy them, thaw the rolls in the fridge overnight and reheat them in the oven or microwave until warmed through.