Usher in autumn flavors with cardamom pumpkin rolls. These rolls are super soft and fluffy thanks to the pumpkin puree in the dough.
Regardless of the season, there is always a reason to enjoy cinnamon rolls.
It’s never too early to start incorporating pumpkin into our diets. Let’s kick off the -BER months and the beginnings of the holiday season with these cardamon pumpkin rolls!
Spiced Pumpkin Rolls
I can’t exaggerate enough how soft and pillowy these cardamom pumpkin rolls are.
The addition of pumpkin puree to the yeast dough does absolute wonders!
Pumpkin Yeast Dough
These cardamom pumpkin rolls start off like any standard cinnamon roll dough recipe. This only difference is the addition of pumpkin puree in the dough.
While the pumpkin flavor isn’t very prominent in the dough, the puree does add a wonderful soft and fluffy texture to the finished product.
The filling is a mixture of pumpkin puree, sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon. It provides the perfect amount of pumpkin flavor.
Have a fear of yeast doughs? Have a look this baking with yeast guide. It’ll help you tackle any recipe with yeast!
Cardamom Cream Cheese Frosting
Cardamom is an aromatic seed from the ginger family native to India. It is grown throughout tropical areas of Asia, South America, and the South Pacific Islands.
Cardamom has a very distinct aroma with a sweet yet spicy flavor. It is extensively used in Indian and Scandinavian cuisine.
A combination of ground cardamom and ground cinnamon spices the luscious cream cheese and butter mixture. The addition of cinnamon helps to add sweetness and lighten the spicy notes of cardamom.
If cardamom is a bit strong for your taste buds, substitute in ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice mix.
More Pumpkin Recipes
Make Ahead Options
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls: make the dough the night before serving.
- Follow up to Instruction Step 6. Instead of letting the dough rest for 30 minutes, cover and place in the fridge to “slow proof” or slow rise overnight.
- The following morning, remove rolls from the fridge. Keep covered. Let sit at room temperature for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (sometimes longer depending on ambient temperature) until dough is no longer cold, and dough has puffed up.
- Bake as directed and top with frosting before serving!
Bake Ahead and Reheat: follow the steps all the way though. Bake the rolls as directed. Cool to room temperature.
- Tightly wrap in room temperature cinnamon rolls in plastic wrap. For additional protection, wrap in aluminum foil or place in a large zip-top plastic bag.
- Freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature for about 30 minutes, or slowly defrost in the fridge overnight.
- Gently reheat in a 325 degree F oven until warm. Top with frosting before serving.
Storage & Leftovers: fresh baked rolls can be left at room temperature for 24 hours. Once frosted, it can left at room temperature for 10-12 hours.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- Reheat in the microwave for 20-30 second intervals with a cup of water. The water will prevent the bread from turning gummy.
- Alternatively, reheat in a toaster over.
- For longer storage, cut and separate the rolls into individual portions. Wrap portions tightly in plastic wrap. Then, place in a resealable freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Cardamom Pumpkin Rolls
Ingredients
Pumpkin Dough:
- ½ cup warm water, about 110 degrees F
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup whole milk, room temperature
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 4 ½ cups + 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature
Pumpkin Cardamom Filling:
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 2 Tablespoons canned pumpkin puree
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cardamom Cream Cheese:
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
- DOUGH: Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Add teaspoon of sugar and stir to combine. Let sit for 5-7 minutes to allow mixture to bubble and activate.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together yeast mixture, milk, brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, and pumpkin puree. Whisk salt in flour. Add 2 cups of flour to mixing bowl. Use the dough hook attachment to mix together. Add another cup of flour. Continue to knead on low speed until adding softened butter one tablespoon at a time. Add remaining flour and knead until dough is smooth and cleans the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for about an hour until dough has doubled in volume.
- Punch dough risen dough. Transfer to a clean working surface. Roll dough into a 20 x 14-inch rectangle.
- FILLING: In a small bowl, mix together softened butter and pumpkin puree. In another small bowl, whisk together sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon. Spread butter mixture over dough. Sprinkle spiced sugar mixture on top.
- Starting at the long side, roll dough into a log. Slice log into 12 equal parts. Place rolls in a greased 9 x 13-inch baking pan (quarter sheet pan size). Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30-45 minutes at room temperature to allow rolls to rise.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap and bake rolls for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top and the internal temperature of the rolls reach 185°F. Allow rolls to rest for 5-7 minutes to cool slightly before frosting.
- CREAM CHEESE: Beat together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add powdered sugar, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until smooth. Spread over warm rolls.
Notes
More Cardamom Spiced Dessert Recipes
i was anti-fall… and then i woke up this morning, and promptly spent the day under a blanket on the couch. and even when i finally ventured outside, it was breezy and dare i say cold?! aka, my body is ready for pumpkin, and these sound perfect!
Thanks! Those few days of autumn weather last week is enough to get me excited about cooler temps and spiced desserts!
Wow! These rolls look perfect! :) Love this fall twist with the pumpkin & cardamom.
Fall is definitely my favorite season, and these look like the perfect way to celebrate!
Thanks!
I want these on my counter this weekend!
Those look absolutely perfect and that touch of cardamom is pure heaven!
Looks delicious! :)
These look so incredibly fluffy and soft. I love cinnamon rolls ALL time of year.
These look divine! Love that you added cardamom!
These are speaking to me! I want one…or two….with a cup of coffee ASAP!
This is my dream breakfast. Cozy spices and earthy pumpkin…and ICING!
Could you convert me this recipe to grams? Or how much ml is in one cup (that you’re using). Thank you :)
Would it be possible to make the dough up until the point of forming the rolls and then leaving in the fridge over night? I’ve done this is the past with other dough recipes but am unsure with the pumpkin the in the dough. Please advise – making them for Saturday morning! :D
I haven’t tried it with this recipe, but I’m fairly certain you can let the dough proof overnight in the fridge before rolling. Happy baking!
Made them! I did let them sit in the fridge over night and the came out beautiful! Slam dunk! Thank you for a the awesome recipe!
That’s wonderful to hear! So glad it turned out well! :)
These rolls are the bombdiggity! I alwa;ys could take or leave cinnamon rolls, but I LOVE these. I have a half can of pumpkin puree left so if I don’t find another recipe that uses the rest of the pumpkin puree I’ll be making a second batch of these soft orange colored rolls. Thank you for the recipe Maryanne.
Question, after I cut the rolled dough into 12 pieces can I freeze them to bake later?
The cut rolls can be put in the fridge overnight to slow down the yeast and then baked the following day. I don’t suggest freezing it. If you would like to keep for longer storage- bake the rolls then cool to room temperature. Tightly cover with plastic wrap and foil. Then, freeze for up to a month. Defrost overnight in the fridge.