Best Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing
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These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls will help warm up chilly autumn mornings with flavors of vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon with a maple icing on top!
If you’re a fan of yummy brunch recipes, you’ll love my Cinnamon Roll Overnight Oats, Cinnamon Pecan Granola, No Yeast Cinnamon Roll Dippers, Cake Batter Granola Bars, Pumpkin Waffles, and Pumpkin Scones with Maple Glaze.
Why This Recipe Works
Layers of flavor: These pumpkin cinnamon rolls start with flavor in the dough with ground nutmeg and vanilla and of course pumpkin puree. Then, we add more deliciousness in the filling, using two kinds of sugar, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Finally, the glaze has both maple syrup and maple extract in it for that final touch of yum. One bite and you’ll be hooked!
Perfect for the holidays: Looking for something different to serve Thanksgiving morning or for your overnight guests around the December holidays? You’re in luck. These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are just the thing to have family and guests running from their rooms into the kitchen. Make a double batch just to be on the safe side.
Simple ingredients: A little flour, some water, yeast, milk, butter, sugar…all the ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. If not, a quick trip to the baking aisle of your local grocery store is all it would take to get everything you need.
Maple glaze: The icing on the roll, as it were? The maple glaze! It’s a bit unexpected but still works so well on top of these pumpkin cinnamon rolls. And if you don’t like maple? No worries. Leave it out and add a pinch of cinnamon and vanilla extract instead. Or add a brown sugar frosting instead. Any way you top it, you can’t go wrong.
Ingredients
- Active Dry Yeast — Yeast is the key to getting the rolls to rise. You can find active dry yeast in the baking aisle, usually in a pack of three.
- Warm Water — Warm water is necessary to get the active yeast to…well, activate. It will not work in cold.
- Flour — An all-purpose white flour works great with these pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
- Pumpkin Puree — Can’t have pumpkin rolls without pumpkin puree! If you see a can that says “canned pumpkin” don’t worry — it’s the same thing as puree and they can be used interchangeably.
- Cinnamon and Pumpkin Pie Spice — Two other crucial spices to add to the filling. The taste of cinnamon and pumpkin pie mixed with the sugar and butter right in the filling? Oh. my.
- Powdered Sugar — Powdered sugar is essential to making the glaze. Any brand is fine.
- Maple Extract and Maple Syrup — How else are you going to get that maple flavor?
Here’s How You Make It
The Dough
- To activate the yeast, dissolve it in warm water in a large bowl, letting it stand for about five minutes. You’ll notice the yeast starting to bubble. When this happens, add to it 2/3 cup of the flour, the pumpkin puree, milk, butter, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla and mix it all together with a wooden spoon. (photos 1-3)
- Then, transfer the dough to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, and allow it to knead on low for 10 minutes, or till the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough forms a ball and is mostly no longer sticky, although it may still feel a bit tacky — that’s okay. (steps 4-5)
- Finally, let the dough rest in a large bowl coated with cooking spray. Cover the dough with a clean towel and place the bowl in a warm spot allowing the dough to rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size. (not pictured)
The Filling
- In another bowl, combine together both sugars, the flour, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Cut in the cold butter with two forks or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (photos 6-7)
- Once the dough has doubled, remove the towel and punch the dough down. Then, allow it to rest another 10 minutes. (photos 8-9)
- Take the dough out of the bowl, and roll it into a rectangle, about 12×12 inches. Sprinkle the dough with the filling. (photos 10-11)
- Roll the dough up tightly in a spiral shape, pinching the ends to seal. Then, slice the rolled up log into 9 sections. (photos 12-13)
- Place each section spiral-side down in a well-greased 8×8 inch square pan. Cover the dough again, allowing it to rise for about another 30 minutes, or until once again doubled in size. (photo 14)
- Preheat the oven to 375 while the dough is rising again. Put the pumpkin cinnamon rolls in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Allow the rolls to cool slightly before glazing. (photo 15)
The Glaze
- While the rolls are baking, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, maple extract, and maple syrup. Drizzle over rolls and serve warm. (photo 16)
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days.
- If you’re going to freeze these rolls, I suggest freezing the dough and filling separately, then putting together and glazing when you’re ready to bake.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are you as impatient as I am? Then you may have not let your rolls rise long enough. That’s usually the culprit. When using yeast, you have to give it time to let the dough rise. You just do. No shortcuts here. If you make the rolls before they’ve doubled in size, then you will have denser cinnamon rolls.
If you find you have some hard, dry cinnamon rolls right out of the oven or after a couple days, you can brush some water or milk over the top before heating up. About 1 teaspoon over each roll should do the trick.
More Brunch Recipes
- Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls with Hazelnut Icing
- The BEST Easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (1 hour!)
- Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole
- Skillet Breakfast Potatoes
Did you make this recipe? FANTASTIC. Please rate the recipe below and be sure to tag me on social when you share a photo on social – I love seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Maple Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 3 cups flour,, divided
- ⅔ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Filling
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 4 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into small sections
Glaze
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Instructions
Dough
- Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl and let stand five minutes. Add 2/3 cup flour, pumpkin, milk, butter, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla to bowl and mix well. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead on low 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms a ball and is mostly no longer sticky. (May still be a bit tacky)
- Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and cover. Place bowl in a warm place and allow dough to rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size.
Filling
- Combine sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Cut in butter with two forks or a pastry cutter until mixture resembles course crumbs.
- Punch dough down. Allow to rest 10 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle, about 12×12 inches. Sprinkle with filling. Roll tightly, pinch ends to seal, and slice into 9 sections. Place sections flat side down in a well greased 8×8 inch square pan. Cover and allow to rise about 30 more minutes or until doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 375. Bake rolls about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly.
Glaze
- Mix together powdered sugar, milk, maple extract, and maple syrup. Drizzle over rolls and serve warm.
Notes
- Serve immediately or store in airtight container at room temperature up to three days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Simply Awesome! I have never seen a pan of cinnamon buns disappear so fast. I did not have time to do dress the second batch of dough as cinnamon buns so I made them into sweet dinner buns. They too, were devoured. Tonight I am making a pan of cinnamon buns for breakfast. Thank you for a delicious recipe.
That’s great! Thank you for your review! 🙂
WHY DO YOU HAVE 3 cups flour but only use 2/3? You still have 2 1/3 cups left….
Can I use instant yeast?
Probably! I haven’t tested this recipe with it so I can’t guarantee results tho!! I’d love to hear how it goes for you!
Would it be possible to use a bread machine for this recipe? I make other cinnamon roll recipes in my bread machine. Thank you.
this are delicious. and the color/flavor is a nice change up from standard rolls.
wondering if the recipe should read “add 2/3 of the flour” or “2-2/3 cups flour” rather than “2/3 cup flour” in step #1. seems the dough is still liquid adding only 2/3 a cup, and adding 1 TB at a time from this soupy step takes a while. i added 2 cups of flour in the beginning, then another 1/2 cup. then 1/4 cup. then tablespoons at a time until the correct consistency. worked great.
i’ve made these several times, for crowds. even substituted some ingredients to make them vegan with excellent results. simply use a vegan butter substitute and a soy or nut milk for the regular milk.
I varied by using sweet potato instead, but OH MY!! This recipe is delicious!!!
I will try again with the recipe as written, using pumpkin puree!!
Thank you!!!
These were delicious! I needed a 13×9 to fit all of the rolls in! I can’t imagine how it can fit in an 8×8! The more the merrier though 🙂
Could you make the dough & filling and roll them ahead of time then bake a day later? I would love to make these thanksgiving morning, but I don’t think I would have the time (or the oven space) to bake them the morning of.
Yes, I have made these the night before, then put them in the oven the next morning. Just cover them tightly overnight so they don’t dry out and take them out early the next morning, let them come to room temp or almost room temp before putting them in the oven!