Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are oh-so-easy when you make them with crescent roll dough! Swirls of pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice add cozy fall flavor, and the cream cheese frosting takes them over the top.

eight pumpkin cinnamon rolls with frosting served on a tan round plate and sitting on a white and burnt orange pattern kitchen towel.

Cinnamon rolls are one of life’s simple pleasures—well, they’re simple unless you’re making them yourself, in which case they’re a pleasure, but not exactly simple. These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls take all that ooey-gooey goodness you love, add pumpkin and cozy spices, and do it all with crescent roll dough.

No cinnamon roll dough means no yeast, no kneading, and no rising. As a result, these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are done lickety-split!

Whether it’s for our Crescent Roll Breakfast Casserole, Easy Apple Dumplings, or Taco Ring, crescent roll dough is one of our favorite kitchen shortcuts. It bakes up golden brown and puffy, and you can turn it into just about anything. Like magic!

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Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

We love Pumpkin Pie and Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake, but if you’re craving pumpkin for breakfast, these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect option. (Okay, maybe Pumpkin Pancakes, too. Also delicious!) Bake up a batch on the weekend, and your kids will suddenly forget their plans to sleep in!

While traditional cinnamon roll recipes involve brushing the dough with melted butter and sprinkling a mixture of brown sugar and cinnamon over the top, these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls skip the butter and use pumpkin puree instead. (Hmm, you might even say these cinnamon rolls are… healthy?!)

The pumpkin puree holds the sugar and spices in place and also makes for a deliciously gooey filling. Slather them with tangy and sweet cream cheese frosting, and you’ll want to make these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls all year round!

ingredients to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients For Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

Crescent roll dough – The kind sold in tubes in the refrigerator section at the grocery store.
Pumpkin puree
Dark brown sugar – Dark brown sugar gives the filling a deeper, more caramel-like flavor, but you can use light brown sugar if that’s what you have on hand.
Pumpkin pie spice – Use homemade pumpkin spice made with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, etc., or store-bought.
Kosher salt
Cream cheese – Let this come to room temperature so it’s easy to combine with the rest of the frosting ingredients.
Powdered sugar
Unsalted butter – This also needs to be at room temperature before you begin.
Vanilla extract
Whole milk

Variations

Here are a few ways to tweak this pumpkin cinnamon roll recipe that all work well.

Make them nutty. Scatter toasted pecans over the top of the frosting.
Make them extra-decadent. Drizzle caramel sauce over the rolls before serving.
Make them lighter. Make a simple milk and powdered sugar glaze instead of using cream cheese frosting.

How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls With Crescent Roll Dough

Prepare: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and grease a 9×13 baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
Prepare and Top the Dough: On a lightly floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it’s a flat rectangle. Pinch the seams together. Then, spread the pumpkin puree over the entire surface of the dough in an even layer. Sprinkle the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt over the puree.
Form the Rolls: Roll the dough into a log, and use a sharp knife or dental floss (seriously, it works!) to cut the log into 8 or 9 slices. Place each roll in the prepared baking dish.
Bake: Place the pan in the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are golden brown. Let them cool in the pan for 10 minutes.
Make the Frosting: While the rolls cool, start the frosting. Whisk together the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Then, beat in the butter and vanilla. If needed, stir in milk a tablespoon at a time to thin the frosting until it reaches your desired consistency.
Finish: Frost the Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls after they’ve cooled slightly, but are still warm. Serve immediately.

Quick Tip

It’s important to roll the dough as tightly as you can because the rolls are going directly into the oven, not rising like they would if you were using traditional yeast dough. This means that if your rolling is slack, you may end up with gaps in your finished cinnamon rolls!

a serving of pumpkin cinnamon roll cut in half to show the cross section and served on a white round plate.

How to Store Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are definitely best enjoyed fresh. However, if you have any leftovers, you can pop them in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. Or, just leave them in the pan, and cover it with plastic wrap.

Let the rolls come to room temperature before serving, or heat them up in the microwave just enough to warm the rolls without completely melting the frosting.

FAQs

What is the best way to freeze homemade cinnamon rolls?

The best way to freeze Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls is unfrosted! Unfortunately, that’s not usually an option, so here’s your next best bet. Set the rolls on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and place them in the freezer. Once the frosting is solid, you can transfer the cinnamon rolls to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 3 months. (If you have to stack them, parchment paper will keep them from sticking to each other.)

Are cinnamon rolls healthy?

Cinnamon rolls aren’t exactly healthy, but everything in moderation, right? These Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are a little healthier than the typical recipe. This is because we use pumpkin puree instead of spreading butter over the dough. Pure pumpkin puree is a good source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals, which adds some nourishment to the dish. They’re also lower in calories thanks to the crescent roll dough!

Can you freeze cinnamon rolls before you bake them?

You can freeze traditional cinnamon rolls before baking, but the pumpkin mixture in these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls may release liquid after thawing, so I don’t recommend freezing this recipe before you bake.