Pumpkin chai cinnamon rolls are the perfect breakfast treat for fall. Fluffy pumpkin rolls are filled with chai spices and served warm with a drizzle of maple icing.
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: Fluffy pumpkin cinnamon rolls are filled with brown sugar and chai spices, then topped with a simple maple glaze.
Egg-free: If you're looking for an eggless cinnamon roll recipe, this is a great one to try. Pumpkin replaces the egg in this recipe.
Pan size: 9x9 square
Yield: 9 rolls
Similar to: Banana Bread Cinnamon Rolls (also egg-free!), Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Jump to:
Ingredients and substitutions
- Yeast - You'll need one packet of instant yeast for this recipe. Check the expiration date on your yeast to ensure it's not out of date. Old yeast can prevent your rolls from rising as they should.
- Pumpkin - You're going to need pumpkin puree for this recipe, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin puree is made with one ingredient - pumpkin. Pumpkin pie filling contains other ingredients like sugar and spices, will would cause your dough to turn out overly sweet.
- Wet ingredients - Along with the pumpkin puree, milk, granulated sugar, and butter add moisture and flavor to the dough. Omitting, reducing, or substituting these ingredients can cause your rolls to turn out dry.
- Dry ingredients - All-purpose flour, chai spices, cinnamon, and salt. I haven't tested this recipe with other types of flour. If you have a different type of flour on hand, search for a recipe that's developed to use that flour. Chai spices can be substituted with cinnamon for a traditional cinnamon roll flavor.
- Icing ingredients - Confectioner's sugar, milk, and maple extract create a simple maple glaze. Maple extract could be substituted with vanilla extract if desired.
How to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls
- Warm up milk and butter until warm to the touch, about 110F. Add yeast and whisk until dissolved.
- Add remaining dough ingredients to a large bowl and add milk mixture. Stir until a sticky dough forms.
- Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead until dough ball looks smooth, not sticky, about 3-5 minutes. Rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll dough out into a 9x14 rectangle.
- Spread softened butter over dough, then sprinkle brown sugar and chai spices on top. Gently pat to help sugar adhere.
- Roll up dough and slice into 9 even pieces with a serrated knife.
- Place cinnamon rolls in a greased pan, cover, and allow to rise for 1 hour.
- Rolls will double in size.
- Bake in a preheated oven until rolls reach 195F in the center and look set and golden brown on top.
- Drizzle with maple icing and serve warm.
Heather's Top Tip
An instant-read thermometer is an essential kitchen tool. Use it to test the temperature of your milk (prevents ruining the yeast) and again to test the doneness of your cinnamon rolls (prevents doughy or dry results).
Tips and tricks
Knead until no longer sticky - Knead the dough using the heels of your hands on a lightly-floured countertop. Keep kneading until the dough no longer feels sticky and begins to form a smooth ball. Add more flour to your counter top as needed during this step.
Rise until doubled in size - During the 60-90 minute rise, your dough will double in size. I recommend storing your rolls in a warm, room temperature or slightly warmer environment for best results. If the environment is very cold, your dough will take longer to rise.
Testing for doneness - Visually, your cinnamon rolls will look golden brown and set across the tops. If you have an instant-read thermometer, test the center of the middle cinnamon roll. They're done when they reach 195-200F.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. After assembling your cinnamon rolls, cover and transfer to the refrigerator to rise overnight (this replaces the 60-90 minute rise). In the morning while your oven preheats, allow the rolls to warm up on the counter top before baking. I also include these directions in the recipe card notes below.
Yes, but your icing will have a milder maple flavor. Omit the milk and maple extract and substitute with 2-3 tablespoons of maple syrup, adding more as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
Yes, cinnamon rolls freeze well for up to 3 months. I've included directions in the recipe card below on how to freeze baked or raw cinnamon rolls for optimal results.
Cinnamon rolls turn out dry if they're overbaked. I recommend testing your rolls with an instant-read thermometer to ensure they've reached 195-200F in the center before removing them from the oven to cool.
Your cinnamon rolls will turn out doughy if they're undercooked. I recommend testing your rolls with an instant-read thermometer to ensure they've reached 195-200F in the center before removing them from the oven to cool.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 cups (360 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (113 g) whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 ¼ teaspoons dry instant yeast, one standard packet
- ¾ cup (170 g) pumpkin puree
Filling
- ¼ cup (56 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (106 g) brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon chai spice blend
Icing
- 1 cup (113 g) confectioner's sugar
- ½ teaspoon maple extract, or vanilla
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
Dough
- Lightly grease a 9x9 square baking dish or 9-10 inch round cake or pie pan and set aside.
- In a large bowl, add flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside.
- In a microwave safe bowl, add milk and butter. Microwave in 20 second increments until butter has melted and mixture is warm to the touch, but not hot (about 110 degrees Fahrenheit).
- Whisk in yeast and continue whisking until yeast has dissolved. Pour yeast mixture into dry ingredients. Add the pumpkin puree and stir with a sturdy wooden spoon until a soft dough forms.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes, or until dough looks smooth (not sticky).
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl, lightly cover, and allow to rise for 10 minutes.
Filling
- Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a 14x9 rectangle.
- Spread room temperature butter evenly across the dough. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and chai spice blend, then sprinkle evenly over the butter.
- Starting at the long 14 inch side, roll dough up into a log. Using a serrated knife, slice into 9 even rolls and place into prepared baking dish.
- Lightly cover and allow rolls to rise at room temperature for 60-90 minutes, or until they've doubled in size.
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Transfer dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 26-30 minutes, or until golden brown across the top and rolls reach 195-200 degrees Fahrenheit in the center (use an instant read thermometer to test internal temperature). If rolls are browning too quickly, lightly tent with foil for the remaining baking time.
- While the rolls bake, preparing the frosting.
Icing
- In a medium bowl, add confectioner's sugar, whole milk, and maple extract. Stir until smooth. Add more milk as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Drizzle icing over warm cinnamon rolls and serve immediately.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Chai spice substitute: Chai spice blend can be substituted with cinnamon for a traditional cinnamon roll flavor. Pumpkin pie spice blend also makes a great alternative.
- Overnight directions: After assembling the cinnamon rolls, cover and transfer to the refrigerator to rise overnight (this replaces the 60-90 minute rise). In the morning, remove cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator and uncover while the oven preheats. Bake as directed in the recipe card above.
- Leftovers: Store leftover cinnamon rolls covered at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Freezing baked rolls: Baked cinnamon rolls freeze well and keep for up to 3 months.
- Freezing unbaked cinnamon rolls: Follow the directions above for assembly and rising, using a disposable foil pan (or other freezer-safe pan you don't mind freezing for a while). Bake your cinnamon rolls at 350F for 10 minutes. They should look risen and par-cooked, but not yet browned. Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Transfer to the refrigerator to thaw overnight. In the morning, preheat your oven to 350F and bake for the remaining 16-20 minutes.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!