Take spiced pumpkin butter, add it to a soft and tender cinnamon roll, and you get one of the best pumpkin cinnamon rolls ever! This recipe is a tried-and-true, 100% dairy-free cinnamon roll that is perfect for those cozy fall mornings.
It’s the time of year again, where I go to Trader Joes and buy a jar of pumpkin butter that I usually don’t end up finishing. I admit it’s one of those seasonal novelty foods that I buy, use a few times, and then I find it in the back of my fridge months later after pumpkin spice season has well passed us. I know, I’m the worst.
Well, I told myself that this year would be different.
I’ve started incorporating pumpkin butter into more baking these days, with these pumpkin butter cinnamon rolls being one of my favorites that I’ve tried. There’s pumpkin butter in the dough as well as in the filling!
Why Will You Love Them?
They have pumpkin in the dough, which means overall more pumpkin flavor to go around. Pumpkin spice may be overdone, but I’m not mad about it. 😉
They can be made dairy-free. I don’t live my life 100% dairy free, but I try to find alternatives here and there when I can!
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls are warm and cozy, which is perfect for a fall morning.
They’re fun to make!
What You Will Need
Pumpkin Butter, which I typically buy at Trader Joes. However, you can certainly find it elsewhere such as in some grocery stores, online, or at a farmers market.
Flour, yeast, granulated sugar, and salt as the dry ingredients to the dough.
One egg, at room temperature.
Warm milk of your choice. For non-dairy, I prefer drinking coconut milk or oat milk.
Melted coconut oil
Cinnamon
Vegan butter (such as Earth Balance or Miyokos), powdered sugar, vanilla, and more milk for the icing.
How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Step 1: Activate the Yeast.
The first step is to activate the yeast. Dissolve some sugar in warm milk (think 110 degrees F), and then sprinkle the yeast on top. I like to let the yeast rest on top for 1-2 minutes, and then stir it in. Your yeast will be ready when it’s nice and foamy. Need some guidance here? I love myself a good wikihow.
Step 2: Make the Dough.
The next step is to make the dough. The easiest way is to use a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, but kneading by hand is also possible. The flour and salt will go in first, followed by the wet ingredients. You will knead it on medium speed for 6-8 minutes, until the dough is tacky and smooth.
Place the dough in a bowl, loosely cover, and let it rise!
Step 3: Roll and Fill
After the first rise, which takes roughly an hour, flour a flat surface and roll the dough out into a big rectangle. Spread some pumpkin butter on it, and then roll it into a log.
Cut the log into equal sized pieces, place each roll into a baking dish lined with parchment paper, and then let it do a second rise.
Step 4: Bake!
After the second rise, which takes roughly 30 minutes, bake the rolls until they start to brown on top. Baking takes between 23-26 minutes.
Aside from being rich and tender, this dough is incredibly versatile. In fact, I use the same ingredients (sans pumpkin butter) for my mile-high cinnamon roll muffins.
Tips and Tricks
Egg Temperature: Make sure that the egg is at room temperature before baking. A cold egg will slow down the yeast activity and prevent the dough from rising very well. If you don’t have time to wait for an egg to warm up, place it in a bowl with hot tap water for 5-10 minutes.
Dough Texture: It can be difficult to know when the dough has been mixed enough. The trick here is to knead it until it’s pulling off from the sides of the bowl. It will be tacky to the touch (but not so sticky that you can’t handle it). The dough may seem very sticky when you first start, but as the flour glutens build up with kneading, it’ll become less sticky and more elastic.
For a lower calorie version, skip the icing!
Did you Make This Recipe?
If you tried these Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls then I hope you enjoy! Feel free to ask questions, leave a rating, review, or take a picture and tag me on instagram @toppedwithhoney. I’d love to hear from you!
Pumpkin Butter Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Frosting (Dairy Free)
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 1 Cup Warm Milk, any kind
- 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 2¼ Tsp Active Dry Yeast, 1 Packet
- 3¼ Cups Flour
- ½ Tsp Sea Salt
- 3 Tbsp Coconut Oil, Melted
- 3 Tbsp Pumpkin Butter
- 1 Egg, At Room Temperature
Filling
- ¼ Cup Pumpkin Butter
- 1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
Frosting
- 4 Tbsp Vegan Butter (or Regular Butter for non-dairy free), Softened
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 1 Tsp Milk, Any Kind
- ½ Tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
Make the Dough
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, dissolve the sugar in the warm milk. Then sprinkle the packet of yeast on top and let it sit for a few minutes until the yeast starts to foam (can take anywhere from 2-5 minutes). Then give the mixture a stir with a spoon to fully dissolve the yeast.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the hook attachment, combine the flour and salt.
- While running the mixer on medium-low speed, pour in the milk mixture, followed by the coconut oil, pumpkin butter, and egg. Turn the mixer speed up to medium to start forming the dough. It will be very sticky at first.
- Continue kneading the dough at medium speed, until its elastic and pulls cleanly off the sides of the bowl. This can take anywhere from 6-8 minutes. Be patient, as the sticky dough will become more manageable as the glutens build. If needed, add a bit more flour to help the dough come together. The final dough should be tacky, but not unmanageable.
- Grease and lightly flour a large bowl. Transfer the dough to it and cover with a cloth. Let it rest for 1 hour in a warm spot, or until doubled in size.
Make the Rolls
- After the dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and place it on a flat, floured surface. Loosely shape it into a rectangle, and then begin to roll it out into a larger rectangle until it's roughly 15"x24".
- In a small bowl, stir together the ¼ cup pumpkin butter and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Spread this evenly across the surface of the rectangle.
- Begin rolling the dough, starting from the short end of the rectangle. Keep a tight roll and gently press down on the dough as you go to keep everything together. Once you've reached the end, pinch the ends together to seal it.
- Cut the dough into 8-12 equal sized rolls using a sharp knife. It depends on how large you want the final product to be!
- Transfer each roll to a baking dish lined with parchment paper. Depending on how many rolls you cut, use a either 9×13 or 11×8 rectangular dish for the best results.
- Loosely cover the dough and let it rise again for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.
- While the rolls are rising for a second time, preheat your oven to 350°F.
- After the rolls have risen, place them in the oven and bake for 23-26 minutes, or until the tops start to turn golden brown.
- Let the cinnamon rolls cool slightly in the pan.
Make the Frosting
- To make the frosting, add butter, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or large bowl + hand mixer).
- Beat the ingredients together starting on low speed until you're confident powdered sugar won't fly everywhere, and then turn it up to medium-high speed and whip together until light and fluffy.
- Spread the frosting onto the cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
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