I can’t believe I’m saying this.
Maybe it’s just that we are approaching Pumpkin Everything Season
But this recipe for Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns is quite possibly even better than my regular Cinnamon Buns Recipe!
Complete with cream cheese icing, these gigantic, fluffy pillows of pumpkin heaven are the stuff dreams are made of!
I definitely ate way more than my share of these
So don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Make sure you have your friends and family waiting to take these off your hands or it could get dangerous pretty quickly!
This recipe does not need eggs and I’m not even using an egg replacer!
So for those who are wondering where’s the “non-vegan” version….. there isn’t one!
In this version the traditional cinnamon bun dough is packed with pumpkin
And the brown sugar and cinnamon filling gets pumpkin spiced up
With extra cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves
It’s like eating a slice of pumpkin pie only in fluffy puffy bun form!
I love working with dough, there’s something so therapeutic about it!
However you will need to give yourself some extra time to get it all done
Since you have to let the dough rise after mixing and you just can’t rush the process
Beware of wild animals trying to steal your dough!
You will have to wait for them to rise again after forming them into those perfect little scrolls
For those who are pressed for time, you can always refrigerate your formed buns for a slow rise overnight
Then in the morning just pick up where you left off for fresh baked Pumpkin Cinnamon Buns with your morning coffee!
The dough can also be frozen at that same point and then defrosted on a pan in the refrigerator overnight *see more below
Once they come to room temperature same as I mentioned for the refrigerated ones, you will proceed just the same
Once your buns are fully baked and slightly cooled
Ice them down and gobble them up!
I used cream cheese buttercream for the icing with a sprinkle of cinnamon!
Notes for Success:
Pressed for time? You can baking the buns the next morning
Simply stop at the step in the instructions after you have formed the buns and then placed them into the greased pan.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The buns will not have risen too much in the refrigerator so you will have to take them out and bring them back to room temperature and give them their second rise.
This could take an hour or longer depending on your room conditions
Once they have fully risen to fluffy *see video* preheat the oven to 350°F and pick up at the step below for baking
As with any bread and yeast dough recipe the amount of flour being used will vary based on a few variables
Often times in humid climates you will need much less flour than places that have drier and cooler temperatures
It is important to get a feel for making dough to determine if you will need to add more or not.
Variations:
If you do not have pumpkin to make this recipe banana will work equally well in the same quantity as listed
Click though to see my Gingerbread Cinnamon Buns recipe using banana for the dough!
And of course for the purist, there is always the traditional cinnamon buns recipe too!
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL YOUTUBE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON BUN DOUGH
For more amazing yeast bun and sweet bread recipes click the links below!
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- Chocolate Babka
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- Cheese Danish
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- Chocolate Cinnamon Buns
- Warm Plant Milk 1½ cup (360ml) *approx 115°F
- Soft Vegan Butter ½ cup (113g)
- Granulated Sugar ½ cup (100g)
- Dry Yeast 3 teaspoons
- Canned Pumpkin 1 cup (240g)
- All Purpose Flour 5-6 cups (625g - 750g) *see note in text article notes for success
- Cardamom 1 teaspoon
- Salt 1 teaspoon
- For the filling:
- Light Brown Sugar 1 cup (205g)
- Ground Cinnamon 1 teaspoon
- Ground Nutmeg ¼ teaspoon
- Cardamom ¼ teaspoon
- Ginger ½ teaspoon
- Cloves ¼ teaspoon
- Melted Vegan Butter ¼ cup (60ml)
- For the icing:
- Vegan Cream Cheese 1 cup (226g)
- Vegan Butter 1 stick ¼ cup) (56g)
- Confectioner's Sugar 1 cups (120g)
- Vanilla Extract 1 teaspoon
- Cinnamon for sprinkling
- Grease a 9" X 13" X 2" cake pan, set aside for later.
- Combine all the ingredients for the sugar filling together in a small bowl, reserve for later
- Combine the yeast with the warm milk and a pinch of sugar and let stand for 5 minutes
- In a mixing bowl combine all the dry ingredients and blend well
- Add the milk with the yeast, the pumpkin and the softened butter to the bowl of your stand mixer and add all the sifted dry ingredients.
- Mix with the dough hook ~ you may need to help it along with a spatula until it forms a soft mass, then let it knead for 5 minutes on medium speed
- Add flour to adjust the consistency as needed *see video demonstration
- Turn mixer speed to low and mix for another 3 minutes
- Once it is to desired consistency and properly kneaded for a total of about 8 minutes
- Turn out to a lightly floured surface and continue to knead until it is no longer super sticky to your hands of the table
- Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl covered and let rise to double in a warm spot
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface to 12" x 18" and about ½" thick
- Brush with melted butter and then spread evenly with the sugar spice mixture
- Roll up then cut into desired portions ~ cutting the log into 12 pieces for giant bakery size buns
- Place them in a lightly greased 9" x 13" pan
- Cover loosely and let rise again covered in a warm spot. 35 - 60 minutes depending on the conditions in your area
- Once they are light and fluffy and puffy and almost doubled in size and the buns are almost touching each other, bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approx 35 - 45 minutes depending on the size of your buns * see video demonstration
- While the buns are baking you can prepare the cream cheese icing recipe by mixing the vegan cream cheese with the softened butter by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula, to combine evenly
- Add the sifted confectioners sugar and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Cool slightly then top generously with Cream Cheese Icing and a sprinkle of cinnamon
Keep them wrapped well to prevent drying & rapid staling
If you do not plan to eat them all right away refrain from icing ALL the buns since the cream cheese icing will have to be refrigerated after an hour or so.
Gretchen if I wanted to make these scrolls without the pumpkin (traditional, as per your original recipe but a vegan version) what would I sub the pumpkin purée with please
CLICK HERE for regular cinnamon buns recipe and sub in any egg replacer for the egg in the original recipe (and of course vegan butter and plant milk for the milk)
Hi Gretchen
Could you please give approx amounts for the main three ingreds in the icing (i.e. cream cheese, butter & icing sugar)? Thanks.
Oh wow! I never noticed that was not completed! Sorry! (refresh your page!) Its updated!
Wow! I’ve been craving to make cinabons. I’ve never made them before.
I am definitely going to make these! I love pumpkin everything too! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
YAY!! you are going to LOVEEEE THESE!
Hello! New fan, just bought your book, newish to baking.
This is the first of your recipes I’m trying and they are currently in the oven. I was wondering if you could tell me where to find the videos mentioned in the recipe. I couldn’t tell if my browser was blocking them or not, if they were here on this page. I also looked on your YouTube channel and in the Baking 101 section. I ask because I ended up turning batter onto my lightly floured surface and it was a comical farce after that. I think I recovered and will be taste-testing my results soon, but sure would like to learn how to avoid that again. LOL.
Hey thankyou! Sorry for the late reply, I am in the process of moving to another state! So I’ve been .. well… moving! haha..
The video to reference is HERE CLICK HERE, Ill have to update this post ASAP thankyou for pointing that out!!
Where do I find the Chunky Monkey rolls recipe with Banana? It says click through but I don’t understand what that means.
Wow you don’t miss a trick! I haven’t gotten that far yet LOL
I was thinking forward! …Coming soon!
*however you can improvise if you can’t wait for me! Banana in place of the pumpkin and then rolled up with chocolate schmear (*from my chocolate cinnamon rolls recipe) with toasted coconut and nuts inside! 😀
Hi Gretchen,
I love your videos and can’t wait to get my fall baking started. Having just learned my child has to eat gluten-free, I wonder if you have experience with gluten-free flour. Will is behave the same in your recipes or do I need to do something to make it perform better?
Hi Thanks! I am not an avid GF baker but I have been told that many of my recipes work great with a 1:1 blend!
I was wondering if you think I could substitute sweet potato purée for the pumpkin?
Yes I think so, however sweet potato is a much moire starchy, dry vegetable so I would probably want to increase the liquids slightly
Sounds great. I will do that. Thank you for the suggestion.