Gooey, sticky, sweet, delicious frosted pumpkin cinnamon rolls – They are perfect for Fall!
Want one??? Or maybe an entire pan???!
Normally, homemade cinnamon rolls are so good on their own that there’s not really much you can do to make them even better… But stuffing the pastries with pumpkin and even more cinnamon somehow manages to do just that! Imagine a cinnamon roll filled with pumpkin pie.
Add a sticky, sugary glaze and you’re taking the cinnamon rolls to uncharted territory in deliciousness.
I made this particular batch of vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls on Saturday when my friend Sara came to visit from Minnesota. (You’ll be hearing much more about Sara in the near future.)
Have you ever met someone for the first time and felt like you’ve known that person your entire life?
This is exactly how I felt when I met Sara two weeks ago…
We bonded over a shared love of photography, music, Saved by the Bell, and Freddie Prinze Jr. (Did you know he’s almost 40?!), talking non-stop the entire day about everything from awkward middle school dating experiences to our goals and dreams for the future.
We also spent quite a bit of time with the pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
Can you blame us?
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 1 cup milk of choice
- 2 tbsp sweetener of choice (not xylitol or stevia)
- 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, spelt flour, or all-purpose flour, or a combination
- 2 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup sugar of choice
- 1/8 tsp pure stevia extract, or 4 more tbsp granulated sugar of choice
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 4 tbsp melted coconut oil or full-fat (but trans-fat-free) butter-type spread
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 5 tbsp whole-wheat pastry or all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsp sugar of choice (I like Sucanat here)
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- optional, 1/2 cup raisins
- scant 1 cup pumpkin puree
- dash salt
Instructions
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls recipe: Warm the milk in a small measuring bowl. You want it warm, but not boiling: if you have a candy thermometer, it should read 110 degrees F. Stir in the 2 tbsp sweetener, sprinkle the yeast on top, and set aside for 5 minutes. During this time, it should bubble up. (If it does not bubble up, either your yeast is no good or your milk was too hot or cold.)
In a large measuring bowl, combine the 2 1/2 cups flour, baking powder, 1/4 cup sugar of choice, stevia, salt, the 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice. Stir very well.
Stir the melted oil and vanilla extract into the milk mixture, then pour this into the large measuring bowl of dry ingredients and stir to form a dough. Especially if using spelt flour, you may need to add a little extra flour until it’s dry enough to form a dough. Form dough into a ball, then place in a lightly-greased large bowl. Cover loosely with a towel, and set in a warm place to rise 20 minutes or until doubled in size. (If your oven has a “bread proof” setting, this is the perfect place to let your pumpkin cinnamon rolls rise.)
Meanwhile, stir together all remaining pumpkin cinnamon roll ingredients (except the 5 tbsp flour) in a medium measuring bowl. Set aside. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking pan. Set aside.
After the dough has risen, punch dough to deflate. Knead dough with your hands, adding the 5 tbsp flour as you knead so that the dough is not sticking to your hands. Knead 5 minutes. On a lightly-floured surface, roll out the dough into a very thin rectangle. Spread the contents of the medium mixing bowl evenly on top. Carefully roll up the dough, lengthwise, lifting and rolling the dough.
Using a large, sharp knife, slice dough into 13 even rolls, wiping the knife after each cut. The filling may ooze out a bit, but this is okay. Place the rolls in the prepared baking pan, and return to the warm place for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. When it reaches this temperature, place cinnamon rolls in the oven and bake 20 minutes. Glaze with the recipe below:
For the Glaze:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar or Sugar-Free Powdered Sugar
3 1/2 to 4 tsp milk of choice (or more or less to achieve desired glaze thickness)
Whisk ingredients together to form a glaze. Using a spoon, drizzle evenly over pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
Link Of The Day:
Does you put the 5 tbps flour in the “remaining ingredients” since you need it later? “Meanwhile, stir together all remaining pumpkin cinnamon roll ingredients in a medium measuring bowl”
Yes, you are correct! I am changing the post now. Sorry for my poor word choice.
I made these today with my sister– so delicious! Half the batch was gone before 8 pm! They were wonderfully moist, fluffy, a balanced combo of spice, sweetness, and pumpkin, and very easy. Despite concerns about too much flour added to the sticky dough before the initial rise, the rolls turned out great! I got 9 good-sized rolls. Thank you for another great recipe! 🙂
Is there a reason the recipe isn’t showing up? I tried chrome and safari, thinking maybe it was the browser, but nothing!
I’ve made these twice now with excellent results each time! I like to make them ahead of time when I know I’m having company, and since there was an earlier question about freezing I’ll say what’s worked for me:
I up the yeast to a heaping Tbsp and stick the pan in the freezer (tightly covered with plastic wrap) after shaping and cutting. I pull them out the night before and allow them to thaw in the fridge overnight. The next morning I loosen the plastic wrap and let them rise on the counter ~1hr until they have risen, and then I bake as directed! Works like a charm every time.
Thank you Katie for this amazing recipe!!
I’m wondering if the 2 *tablespoons* of baking powder is accurate? When using a full 1 tablespoon of yeast, I’m wondering if the baking powder is even necessary (I can’t see a good reason to include it when your leaven is the yeast). Can someone comment if that is accurate or not?
Wow just made these and they are awesome! My first time using yeast too. Recipe quite forgiving too as my 3 year old was “helping” me and added another half cup of sugar to the yeast and milk and they still turned out! No way are they healthy though they taste too good!
What is ” Scant”?
Hi Katie,
Your recipes are always AWESOME! Thanks for all your testing! In addition, your photography is always great. On suggestion, though, please get your hair off the pumpkin rolls!
:o)
These are fantastic!!! The filling is so good that I may even double it next time!! You should put warnings on things like this ;-).
So happy to find a healthier cinnamon bun recipe for my family, these are superb! (I’ve never been disappointed with any of your recipes!) 🙂