Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Caramel Glaze

Enjoy the delicious fall flavors of pumpkin, caramel, and spices when you make this delicate and moist cinnamon roll recipe.

These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are so moist and flavorful, my family can hardly wait until Fall to enjoy this delectable treat. Make your own pumpkin puree if you have the chance, otherwise, any pumpkin or winter squash puree will do.

The simple caramel glaze adds just enough sweetness to these yummy yeast rolls. Bake up a batch today and treat your family and friends!

Ingredients

Use the freshest ingredients you can source such as farm-fresh eggs and whole milk, pumpkin puree made right after harvest, and fresh ground cinnamon. If you love making dairy products, this is the perfect recipe for homemade salted butter!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Dough

• 2/3 Cup Whole Milk
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter
• 1 Cup pumpkin – cooked and mashed (pumpkin puree)
• 4 Tablespoons white sugar
• 1 Teaspoon table salt
• 2 Eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoons Active Dry Yeast (2 packets if you purchase them that way.)
• 4 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 Cup packed brown sugar (for filling)
• 2 Teaspoons fresh-ground cinnamon (for filling)
• 4 Tablespoons salted butter that has been melted (for filling)

Caramel Icing

• ½ Cup salted butter
• 1 Cup packed brown sugar
• 4 Tablespoons whole milk
• ½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
• A dash of table salt
• 1 ½ Cups powdered sugar

Kitchen Items You’ll Need

If you bake bread regularly, you should have everything you need for this recipe. I’ve baked these cinnamon rolls for years by hand with just a mixing bowl and a strong fork for mixing. But recently I started using a stand mixer. It’s such a time saver! This recipe is easy no matter which way you prefer to bake your breads. The instructions are for use with a stand mixer.

Here’s a quick list of some essentials

• Stand Mixer (or a large mixing bowl and strong arms)
• Mixing paddle and dough hook for the mixer
• Saucepan to warm the milk and butter, then use again to make the caramel glaze
• Large bowl for the bread to rise in
• Linen towel or something to cover the bread while rising
• 9 x 13 Baking pan for baking the rolls
• Kitchen utensils: spatula, rolling pin, liquid measuring cup, measuring spoons, whisk, table knife

Instructions

Once you have your ingredients and supplies gathered, it’s time to bake up this sweet treat!

Before you begin grease the rising bowl and the baking pan with butter or your favorite oil for baking.

• Heat the milk and butter over medium heat until the butter is just about melted. This should be just warm enough to activate the yeast. Set that aside for just a moment.
• Combine the pumpkin, sugar, and salt in your mixing bowl using the flat beater. I stir it on the lowest setting for about 30 seconds then scrape it down. Please don’t omit the sugar. It’s primary use is to feed the yeast.
• Add the milk mixture then beat until well-blended. About a minute or so is fine.
• Beat in the eggs and yeast next for about another 30 seconds. Make sure the sides of the bowl have been scraped down with a spatula and all the ingredients have been fully mixed in.
• Add half of the flour and beat on the lowest speed for 5 minutes.

• Turn off the machine and replace the flat beater with the dough hook.
• Add the rest of the flour and mix on the lowest setting until all the flour has been incorporated into the dough.
• Turn the dough into the greased bowl, cover, and let rise for a good hour in a warm place. I use my food dryer with the trays pulled out as proofing box. I preheat the dryer for 20 minutes at 104°F then leave it turned off while the bread rises.

• Punch down the dough, knead it several times in the bowl until it forms a nice smooth surface. Use a bit more flour if it’s super-sticky, just remember this will be a softer dough than regular bread.
• Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out into a rectangle approximately 18 inches by 12 inches with the longer side horizontal.

• Brush the melted butter across the dough, sprinkle the cinnamon then brown sugar on top.
• Roll up the dough jelly-roll style away from you. Pinch the edges to seal the dough tight. Make sure not to get too much dry flour on the edge while pinching or it won’t hold well.

• Cut the roll into 12 pieces and place them in the greased baking pan. I like to put the larger pieces in the four corners of the pan and the smaller end pieces of the roll in the middle.

• Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size – about 45 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 350°F then bake for 20 – 25 minutes until lightly browned on top.
• Remove to a wire rack to cool slightly.

Now it’s time to make the caramel glaze and put it on the rolls while they’re still warm.

• Melt ½ cup of butter in a small saucepan.
• Whisk in 1 cup of brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of milk.
• Bring to a boil and boil for exactly 1 minute.
• Remove from heat, cool for a minute, then stir in ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and a dash of table salt.

• Beat in 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar using a hand mixer or whisk in by hand with a sturdy whisk. Sift the powdered sugar first if you can to prevent lumps. If you do get some small lumps of sugar, you’ll just need to beat the glaze longer until they dissolve.
• Immediately drizzle the icing over the warm pumpkin rolls. The icing hardens fairly quickly, so you need to work fast.

You can serve these right away, or store covered on the countertop for several days (if they last that long!)

FAQs & Baking Tips

FAQs

What is the best pumpkin to use?

I prefer homemade pumpkin puree, but any canned pumpkin will work. Do not use pumpkin pie filling. It has additional ingredients besides pumpkin.

Can I omit the icing?

Yes! These are awesome without icing too. Instead of icing you can brush melted butter over the rolls when you removed them from the oven.

Some cinnamon rolls have nuts or raisins. Can I add them to this recipe?

Sounds yummy! Add 1 cup of those ingredients just before you stir in the flour.

Tips

To create a “pumpkin pie” flavor, use 1 Tbs. of pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon.

Fresh pasture-raised eggs with darker yolks add more golden color to the rolls.

Make efficient use of your time while the pumpkin rolls are rising, clean up the kitchen and get everything set up for making the caramel glaze.

This recipe makes a large amount of icing. Feel free to cut the ingredients in half. Or, mix the extra icing with equal amounts of softened cream cheese to make a dip for apples and other firm fruits, pretzels, shortbread cookies, and similar snacks.

Rewarm the pumpkin rolls in a toaster oven on it’s lowest setting, or a quick few seconds in the microwave, for a “fresh-from-the-oven” experience.

More Great Pumpkin Recipes

• Homemade Pumpkin Puree for Fresh or Freezing
• Quick Pumpkin Pie Spice Recipe
• How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds