Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are soft, swirly, spiced, and have a delicious pumpkin butter and brown sugar filling. Top them with my easy browned butter glaze for the ultimate gourmet bakery experience right at home!
As the author of The Ultimate Bread Machine Cookbook, I'm always playing around with my bread maker trying fun new flavors for my family to enjoy during the chilly weather months.
We've been on a cinnamon roll kick lately. My apple cider cinnamon rolls were such a hit in September, I wanted to try a pumpkin spice cinnamon roll for October.
These were even better than expected. When I asked my daughter to pick the winner, all she could say was: "Both!"
I tend to agree, but I think the dough for these breakfast treats turned out baby soft. It was so easy to work with and had the perfect amount of pumpkin spice baked right into the roll itself!
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Bread Machine Friendly: Prep the dough right in a bread maker to shave tons of hands-on time off the top!
- Fall Flavor in Every Bite: Pumpkin spice in the dough itself, pumpkin filling rolled up with brown sugar and even more cinnamon, and browned butter glaze on top? Every last crumb is utterly delicious.
- Make Ahead Friendly: You can prep the rolls in advance and just bake them fresh before serving. This is the best prep ahead brunch recipe for the holidays!
Ingredients
The shopping list for this recipe includes several pantry items you probably already have on hand:
- Pumpkin Spice: For convenience, I used a jar of pumpkin spice blend but I have an easy substitute for you in the recipe card below.
- Pumpkin Butter: I used prepared pumpkin butter from Trader Joe's for a quick and easy way to add tons of pumpkin flavor to the rolls. Any brand pumpkin butter will work.
- Yeast: I used Red Star active dry yeast. You do not need a yeast specifically labeled "bread machine yeast" but it will work if you already have it.
- All-Purpose Flour
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Powdered Sugar
- Milk
- Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon
- Kosher Salt
Prepare the Dough in a Bread Machine
As with all my bread machine recipes, you'll add the ingredients for the dough into the bread pan fitted with the paddle attachment in the order they are listed in the recipe card, starting with the liquid ingredients and adding the dry ones right on top.
Add the milk, vanilla, and butter. Then add the flour, sugar, pumpkin spice, kosher salt, and yeast.
Place the bread pan in the bread machine and select the DOUGH program, press Start. It will take about 90 minutes to complete.
NOTE: Keep an eye on the dough as it mixes together and does the first kneading, the first 5 - 10 minutes or so.
Sometimes the dough is just a little too sticky, depending on how you measured the flour and the milk.
If you find that it is sticking to the sides of the pan and not forming a dough ball, you may want to sprinkle in up to a tablespoon of flour or so to help it come together better.
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Assemble the Rolls
When the dough is ready, transfer it to a lightly floured baking mat and roll it out to a 12x15-inch rectangle.
I eyeballed the pumpkin butter and just spread it over the top of the dough like I would spread sauce on a pizza. I used about 1/3 cup. You don't want it to be too thick.
Then I sprinkled the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt over the top.
I think you'll get more reliable results if you stir together the pumpkin butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl and then spread the mixture over at once. It's up to you!
Roll the dough into a log from wide edge towards wide edge.
Use a pastry cutter to divide the log in half.
Then slice each half into thirds.
Cut each third into half, forming 12 slices total.
Second Rise
Place the sliced rolls, cut side up, in a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
Cover the dish in plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 30 minutes or until they are nice and puffy.
Baking Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Remove the plastic wrap and bake the rolls for 20 - 25 minutes or until they are golden brown and the dough is cooked through when you gently tug at the center of the spirals.
Add the Glaze
The browned butter glaze I used on these pumpkin spice rolls is absolutely to-die for. It only takes about 5 minutes and is the perfect finishing touch.
To keep this recipe concise for you, I created a separate post with step-by-step instructions on how to brown the butter and make the quick glaze here. You'll also find instructions in the recipe card below.
But you could use any cinnamon roll glaze you love. My maple glaze or vanilla glaze would both be delicious. A cream cheese drizzle would also be amazing.
Make Ahead Tips
Make ahead cinnamon rolls are such a fantastic brunch dish to prep ahead of a special holiday meal or party.
Up to 24 Hours in Advance:
You can assemble the rolls, cover them in plastic wrap, and store them in the fridge immediately before the second rise. They will keep up to 24 hours in advance.
Just let them rise on the counter while the oven preheats and bake them the next day.
Up to 4 Months in Advance:
If you want to freeze the rolls, assemble them and then cover the dish in aluminum foil. Freeze them immediately before they have a chance to do the second rise.
Let the rolls thaw in the fridge overnight and then let them rise on the counter while the oven preheats.
Variations
- Apple Butter: You could easily swap apple butter for the pumpkin butter.
- Add Chopped Nuts: Chopped pecans or walnuts would be delicious.
- Swap the Glaze: Use vanilla, maple, or cream cheese instead.
Serving Suggestions
I could make an entire meal out of just a plate of these pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls!
If you want to turn them into a more elegant breakfast spread, you could add peppered bacon, turkey breakfast sausage, and serve them alongside scrambled eggs.
For texture, you could chop up some pumpkin spice pecans if you have them on hand. They're a fun candy dish snack to have around the holidays anyway.
Or for a fun dessert, serve them with a batch of Crockpot hot chocolate and coffee for the grown-ups.
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes
Once you've discovered how easy bread machine cinnamon rolls are to make, you'll be excited to try these other fun flavors:
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 1/4 cups (300 g) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons butter softened and cut into small cubes
- 3 cups (411 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons (37 g) sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin spice see notes for substitute
- 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons yeast
For the Filling
- 1/3 cup pumpkin butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of kosher salt
For the Browned Butter Glaze
- 2 tablespoons browned butter optional, see notes
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 -2 teaspoons milk
Instructions Start Cooking
Prepare the Bread Machine Dough:
- Add the ingredients in the order they are listed to the bread machine pan fitted with the paddle attachment, starting with the wet ingredients and adding the dry ingredients right on top.
- Place the bread pan in your bread maker and select the DOUGH program. Press START. Keep an eye on the dough for the first 5 minutes as it mixes together. If it appears too wet and isn't forming a dough ball, you can add additional flour, just 1 tablespoon at a time, letting it mix in fully before adding another. The DOUGH program takes about 90 minutes to complete.
Assemble the Rolls:
- When the bread maker is finished prepping the dough, transfer it to a lightly floured baking mat and remove the bread paddle. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or rub it with softened butter.
- Roll the dough out to a 12x15-inch rectangle.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together the pumpkin butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add just a pinch of kosher salt and stir until smooth. Spread the filling evenly over the dough.
- Roll the dough into a log from wide edge to wide edge. Use a pastry cutter or bench scraping tool to divide the log in half. Then cut each half into thirds. Cut each third in half to make 12 slices total.
- Transfer the slices cut side up to the prepared baking dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise for 20 - 30 minutes or until they've nearly doubled in size.PREP AHEAD NOTE: If you want to prep the rolls for later, immediately store the prepared dish of rolls in the refrigerator or freezer before they rise. They can be kept in the fridge for up to 24 hours or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let chilled rolls rise on the counter before baking. Let frozen rolls thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.
Baking Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake the cinnamon rolls for 20 - 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Ice the Rolls:
- Brown the butter: Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Continue to cook until it turns golden brown and smells nutty. Be careful, it can burn quickly. Pull it from the heat before it goes too far.
- Add the powdered sugar, browned butter, and vanilla extract to a small bowl and whisk it together with a fork. Add the milk just 1 teaspoon at a time until the glaze is smooth but still slightly thick.
- Use the tines of your fork to drizzle the glaze over the rolls. The warmth from the bread will help melt the glaze into a smooth icing on top.
Recipe Notes
Pumpkin Spice Substitute:
If you don't have a pumpkin spice blend on hand, you can use:- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon cloves
Browned Butter Substitute:
Browned butter gives these pumpkin rolls a deliciously nutty flavor. If you don't want to take the time to prepare browned butter, you can make a simple vanilla glaze by substituting the same amount of plain melted butter.Save This Recipe to Your Recipe Box
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Turned out just perfect and so easy to make. I'm now a fan of brown butter frosting.
Hi AJ,
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I'm thrilled to hear you loved this recipe, too. Your comment about the frosting made me laugh and I read it to my husband. He heartily agrees -- brown butter frosting is AMAZING.
Enjoy!
Tiffany