Fall is my absolute favorite time of year! These Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze are the perfect fall treat and great for Thanksgiving morning!
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Homemade cinnamon rolls are just special. There is something about homemade rolls, filling the house with their heavenly smell, that cannot be beat. Every holiday I make a version of my Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls. These Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze are perfect for Thanksgiving! And since fall is my favorite season, I make these as often as I can to enjoy this time of year.
Pumpkin spice is put in both the dough and filling here so that everything tastes like fall! You can make your own pumpkin spice easily, learn how to make it here! The maple cream cheese glaze is a perfect compliment to the rolls, but feel free to leave the maple syrup out if you wish.
The glaze is my favorite part of a cinnamon roll, so this batch makes a LOT! I also love to add some chopped pecans or walnuts.
I typically have to double the recipe because people are known to eat three or four per person in our house. They are just too irresistible! Plus, you will want leftovers. And if you fight over the inside pieces like we do, you will want extra “center” rolls. 🙂 These Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze are sure to be a hit in your house!
Ingredients
Full quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Let’s talk about the ingredients you need to make these homemade cinnamon rolls!
All Purpose Flour
Butter – I like to use unsalted butter
Milk
Cream Cheese
Active Yeast – I do NOT use instant yeast for these rolls
Ground Cinnamon
Pumpkin Spice blend – I love to use my homemade pumpkin spice as it is easy to make but you can also use a store bought blend
Pecans – you can also use walnuts, or skip the nuts completely
Pumpkin Puree – we are only using a little so this is a great way to use up part of a can
Granulated Sugar
Brown Sugar
Powdered Sugar
Large Egg
Maple Syrup – a great addition to the frosting, but you can skip it if you want
Instruction Overview
Full instructions are in the recipe card, but here is an overview of how to make these pumpkin spice rolls and some additional comments around the steps.
It is a lengthy process to make these, but they are delicious and worth it!
First get your yeast woken up in warm water. It is important that it is warm but not too hot so that it is activated, but also you do not kill it. Your yeast package will recommend a certain temperature range. I like to use a digital thermometer to make sure it is accurate temperature.
Start mixing your dough ingredients together. I like to use a stand mixer because it is SO much easier. But a stand mixer takes longer when kneading because it does not have the heat from your hands to help it along. But it is worth it in my opinion.
If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix by hand with a spatula in a large bowl.
Adding flour, it is important to NOT add it all at once. You are looking for a certain consistency where it is holding together and not sticky, but not dry and hard. The amount you need will vary based on your air humidity, room temperature, and the exact flour you are using. I personally end up typically using around 3.5 cups.
Knead the dough until you can stretch it very thin and see light through it without it breaking much, then let it rest to rise.
Roll out the dough and start layering on all of the fillings. You might need more of certain things like butter or sugar based on exactly how large the dough ends up being and what you prefer!
Roll it up and cut the log into rounds. I like to cut in half, then line up the two halves and cut in half again, and then each fourth into three pieces to try and make them similar size.
Line your baking sheets with some butter and sugar to make the bottoms ooey gooey yummy and place the rolls in. I used to always use just one 9×13 inch dish, but found that using two dishes with 6 in each lets them get very large and stay round because they have the space to expand!
After they rise a second time, bake them. I can check if they are done by pressing on the very center of a roll. If it caves in, the middle is still a little raw. If it bounces back up and has resistance, it is cooked through.
Make your frosting and add on top once the rolls have cooled. If the rolls are too hot, the frosting will melt and run off. I like to make a 1.5 or 2 times batch of frosting because we love it!
The cinnamon rolls can be kept at room temperature, covered, for up to 5 days but they are best within 24-48 hours (as they start to dry out past that).
Kim’s Tips
I find that using two large 9×13 inch baking dishes give the rolls space to spread out large and stay round, like you see in these pictures. You can also keep them all in one dish, they will just be smaller and square shaped from being constricted to space.
Homemade cinnamon rolls do take some time to make, but they are completely worth it. The trick with these is making them the day or night before. This way, you do not have to wake up in the middle of the night to get these going. Just prep them in advance, throw them in the oven, and your house will smell like heaven in no time!
If you want to enjoy a roll warm, you can microwave it for 10-15 seconds. Do not heat too long because it will get hard as it cools if you do!
More Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipes
Cinnamon Rolls
Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Cream Cheese Glaze
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- Digital Thermometer recommended for yeast water temperature
- Large bowl or stand mixer (I prefer using my stand mixer, it takes a little longer but is easier)
- Rolling Pin
- 2 Baking dish (9×13 inches) (see note 3)
Ingredients
Dough
- ½ cup milk
- 1 package active dry yeast (1/4 oz, not instant yeast)
- 1/2 cup warm water (as per yeast package directions, typically 100-110F)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice (see note)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour more or less as needed
Filling
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (approximately 1/3 can)
- 1 Tablespoon pumpkin spice (see note)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 3/4 cup pecans chopped (or walnuts) (optional)
Glaze
- 2 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons milk room temperature
- ½ Tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Make Dough
- In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water as per package directions for the correct temperature to ensure that you keep your yeast alive (typically between 100-110℉).1 package active dry yeast, 1/2 cup warm water
- In a large bowl, mix the milk, sugar, melted butter, salt, egg, and 1 1/2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice. Add two cups of the flour and mix to combine.½ cup milk, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 large egg, 1 1/2 Tablespoons pumpkin spice
- Add in the yeast mixture. Add additional flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough is easy to handle (the amount of flour that you need will vary). (See Note 1).4 cups all-purpose flour
- Roll the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes. You can also do this in a stand mixer (it tends to take longer than 10 minutes). The dough has been kneaded enough when it slowly bounces back when you press into it, and you can stretch the dough very thin to where you can see light through it without it getting holes and tearing.
- Place the dough into a greased bowl (you can use 1-2 teaspoons of vegetable oil to coat the bowl you mixed everything in). Cover bowl with saran wrap and then a kitchen towel. Let sit until the dough has doubled in size, approximately 60-90 minutes.
Assemble Rolls
- When dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Then put it back on a floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle approximately 15×9 inches.
- Mix the filling of cream cheese, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, and 1 Tablespoon pumpkin spice together in a medium bowl. Spread the mixture over the dough in a thin layer. Depending on the exact size of your dough, you may need a little more to coat it all.4 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1 Tablespoon pumpkin spice, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Spread the 2 Tablespoons melted butter on top of the cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the butter. Top with walnuts or pecans if you are using them. (You might need more of each depending on your preference and exactly how large your dough was rolled out).2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, 2/3 cup light brown sugar, 3/4 cup pecans
- From the long edge, tightly roll the dough all the way to the other long edge and pinch dough together to seal.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the log in half. Then cut each half into half again so that you have four equal pieces. Lining up two pieces at a time, cut each into three rolls so that you have a total of 12 rolls.
- Coat the bottom of your 9×13" baking dish with some additional melted butter and sugar to coat. (See note 3 – use two 9×13 dishes to get big rolls). Place the cinnamon roll slices close together (four rows of three in one dish, or three rows of two in two dishes) in the dish and let them rise until the dough has doubled again, approximately 45 minutes.
Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Once the rolls have doubled in size, place them in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes or until they are starting to brown.
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Whisk the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the milk and maple syrup and whisk in until combined. Sift in the powdered sugar and whisk until smooth. Taste and add additional maple syrup if you wish, however go light as you do not want it to overpower the pumpkin spice. (If it is lumpy from being too cold, microwave in 30 second intervals until it smooths out).2 ounces cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons milk, ½ Tablespoon maple syrup, 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- When the rolls are done, let them cool slightly and then top with the icing. Serve warm. (If the rolls are too warm when you add the frosting, it will melt and slide off).
Notes
- It is very important to not add too much flour as your dough will be very tough and not rise. You know you have enough when it is not overly sticking to the sides of the bowl when mixing, and feels tacky but not super sticky when you touch it. You might not need all 4 cups of flour, so make sure you are only adding a little at a time.
- If you are having issues with your dough rising during each proofing, it is likely too cold. Place the bowl or dish inside an oven (off), wrapped in blankets, in the sun, or in another warm place to help activate the yeast.
- I have found that using two 9×13 inch baking dishes, with only 6 rolls in each, will get you very large and round rolls like you see in these pictures. You can fit them all in one dish instead, but they will be smaller since they are cramped and end up being square shaped.
I love cinnamon rolls and the addition of pumpkin to these make them a perfect fall treat!
This is the perfect way to start a chilly fall day! What a lovely recipe. Thanks so much for this!
Oh ya! I hear theses lovely morsels calling my name. Beautiful pictures and recipe. I love cream cheese in recipes like this!
This combines two of my favorite fall things; pumpkin and maple! Looks zoo good!
That looks so devine.. Can’t wait to try.. Thanks for the recipe
Cinnamon scrolls are truly one of life’s pleasures and with a pumpkin spice flavoring, they are the epitome of fall treats. Delicious.
Pumpkin Spice and Maple! Such a fabulous combination of flavors 😀
What a tempting and delicious way to start the morning. I think the pumpkin spices make this the perfect breakfast for the fall temperatures. My kids would gobble these up in no time. Yum!
Oh my goodness gracious me what I wouldn’t do for one of these before me right now! GORGEOUS!
Thank you, Elizabeth! I was so happy with how they turned out!
I can already feel the pounds creeping on just looking at this cinnamon roll! I want two!
That is the difficult part! I have to restrain myself from making them too often! 😀
These look fabulous, I love your photography. I shall pin these for making later:)
Thank you, Jacqui!
oh man.. I usually don’t eat cinnamon rolls, but PUMPKIN cinnamon rolls? SOLD
Oh these look amazing! And that glaze! Ugh, I’d just drink it out of a mug!
I love cinnamon rolls and these look really yummy!
These look divine and so tasty! I wish they were healthy, but I’ll cheat and eat these instead!
WOW! I love a good homemade cinnamon roll, nice job!
YUM! Breakfast pastries are a weakness of mine!
My mouth is watering! I want one of these right now! Perfect for the season!
These look all sorts of amazing!
I tried it! It came out great!