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Yeast free gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls need no rising time at all. Celebrate the best of fall with these sweet, perfectly spiced buns!
Why you'll love this recipe
I began this recipe with my gluten free yeast free cinnamon rolls, since unlike our classic gluten free cinnamon rolls take a bit longer to make and it made sense to cut out the rising time.
For maximum pumpkin flavor without too much moisture, instead of using pumpkin puree we use pumpkin butter. You can make your own by cooking down pumpkin puree with maple syrup and spices, or buy it right off the shelf. My favorite brands are Trader Joe's and Stonewall Kitchen.
I've done a lot of tweaking to this recipe to get it just right. Follow my instructions for fluffy, soft cinnamon rolls that are bursting with pumpkin spice flavor.
If you're in the fall baking mood and would love more cinnamon spice, try our gluten free monkey bread. For more pumpkin flavor, try this gluten free pumpkin pie or a gluten free pumpkin roll cake.
Recipe ingredients
Here's what you need to make these pumpkin rolls, plus some information on the role of each ingredient in a successful result:
- Gluten free flour blend: Provides most of the structure and bulk of these rolls. I recommend Better Batter's original blend all purpose flour or Nicole's Best multipurpose with 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free baking flour may also work but I suggest adding an additional 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum because that blend contains some, but not enough.
- Pumpkin pie spice: A combination of warm, earthy spices that smells and tastes like you imagine pumpkin itself does. To make your own, combine 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, and a scant 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- Pumpkin butter: Adds moisture and pumpkin flavor. My homemade pumpkin butter is similar to pumpkin pie filling in that the main ingredients are pumpkin puree, spices, and sweetener. The butter is cooked down to concentrate the flavor of the puree and reduce excess moisture which tends to make the texture of the rolls spongy.
- Butter: Adds buttery flavor, moisture, and richness to the rolls, and helps turn the cinnamon and sugar in the center into a rich filling.
- Eggs: Help the rolls rise, and bind the ingredients together. The egg whites help the rolls keep their rise even as they cool.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness and locks in moisture for a tender crumb. The granulated sugar in the roll dough also helps them brown in the oven, and the brown sugar in the filling adds depth of flavor.
How to make gluten free cinnamon pumpkin cinnamon rolls
The dough rolls out easily, and then all that’s left to do is to cover it in filling, then roll it tight. For a nice clean edge, I like to trim the rectangle of any irregulars, and then slice the cylinder with a metal bench scraper or some unwaxed dental floss.
I have baked these yeast free gluten free pumpkin cinnamon rolls in a muffin tin, one roll per well, and in a round baking tin. Since they’re yeast-free rolls, they don’t swell like yeasted rolls do. I much prefer the muffin tin, since the wells of the tin help the rolls rise up and the layers press together, so there’s cinnamon-sugar in every corner.
When the pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are done baking, I love slathering them in my homemade icing. If you prefer a cream cheese icing, you can make the one from my gluten free carrot cake recipe with softened cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. Prefer a shortcut? You can buy a can of cream cheese frosting from the store. Betty Crocker has a gluten free option.
Whether you’re a fan of spring and summer only or you get “fall fever” every year like I do, the promise of warm, cinnamon-sugar goodness should make everything better. Just think of fall clothes, pumpkin patches, and jumping in a pile leaves. Better make a big batch of that pumpkin butter. You’re going to need it!
Expert tips
Measure flour by weight
I find that in gluten free baking, measuring out ingredients by weight rather than volume can make a huge difference in the end result. When you measure flour by volume, it almost always leads to using too much, which will cause the baked rolls to come out dryer and tougher.
Flour your work surfaces
The dough for these rolls can seem sticky. To keep from tearing or stretching out your dough after you rolled it out into a rectangle, be sure to flour your work surface with more flour blend. Just flour the surface lightly and shape using a light touch so you don't work too much flour into the dough, which could lead to a shorter rise and a tougher result.
Get a clean cut with floss
To make clean cuts each time, wrap unwaxed dental floss around the long roll and then pulling the two ends over one another as if you were about to tie a shoe lace creates a very clean cut. This prevents the rolls from being compressed from repeated cuts with a knife.
Ingredient substitutions
Dairy free
In place of the butter, try using block-style vegan butter. My favorite brands are Miyoko's Kitchen and Melt. For the milk, you can substitute an equal amount of dairy free milk, like coconut milk in the carton or almond milk.
Egg free
This recipe calls for three eggs, which is more than the usual 2 eggs that are easiest to substitute with chia eggs, flax eggs, Bob's Red Mill egg replacer or JustEgg liquid egg substitute. If you'd like to experiment, you can try one of those substitutes, though.
How to make in advance
To prepare these raw rolls in advance, you can place the unbaked, shaped rolls in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake. Since there's no yeast, there's no danger of the rolls overproofing in the refrigerator. And since baking powder is double-acting, the rolls will still rise fully in the oven.
Storage instructions
As with many baked goods, these pumpkin cinnamon rolls tend to dry out and become stale after a few days. They're best enjoyed fresh and warm, but if you do have extras you'd like to enjoy tomorrow or the next day, make sure they're completely cool before putting them inside an airtight container.
For longer storage, freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months. Make sure they're completely cool before wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap and placing them in a zip top bag. Defrost at room temperature, then sprinkle lightly with water and refresh in the microwave or a 300°F toaster oven.
Gluten Free Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
For the rolls
- 3 ¾ cups (525 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, plus more for sprinkling (See Recipe Notes)
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum, (omit if your blend already contains it)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, (See Recipe Notes)
- 8 tablespoons (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 5 ounces pumpkin butter, store bought or homemade pumpkin butter, at room temperature
- 3 (150 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs, at room temperature, beaten
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 3 fluid ounces milk, at room temperature
For the filling
- ¾ cup (164 g) packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons (18 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend, (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, (See Recipe Notes)
- 5 tablespoons (70 g) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
For the icing (optional)
- 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, (See Recipe Notes)
- 1 tablespoon milk, plus more by the 1/4 teaspoonful if necessary
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F. Grease the wells of a standard 12-cup muffin tin, and set the pan aside.
Make the dough for the rolls.
- In a medium-size bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice and whisk to combine well. Set the bowl aside.
- In a large bowl, place the butter and pumpkin butter, and beat to combine well with a handheld mixer or by hand.
- Add the eggs and sugar, and beat until smooth. The mixture will be thin.
- Add the flour mixture in two parts, alternating with the milk, beating until just combined after each addition. The dough will be thick and heavy.
Shape the dough
- Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, and pat into a thick rectangle.
- Sprinkle the top of the dough lightly with more flour, and roll into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Fold the dough over on itself into about a 5-inch square packet.
- Sprinkle both sides of the dough lightly with flour, and roll out again into a rectangle that is about 10-inches x 15-inches, and about 1/4-inch thick.
- With a pastry wheel, pizza cutter or a sharp knife, trim each of the four edges slightly, along the perimeter of the dough, to make a clean edge.
Make the filling
- In a small bowl, place the light brown sugar, flour, pumpkin pie spice and salt, and mix to combine well.
- Add the melted butter, and mix to combine. The filling will be a thick paste.
Fill the dough and shape the rolls
- Spread the filling in an even layer on top of the rectangle of dough, leaving 1/4-inch clean around the perimeter.
- Beginning at one of the 15-inch sides of the rectangle, roll the dough away from you tightly until it forms a cylinder.
- Using a metal bench scraper, sharp knife or unwaxed dental floss, slice the cylinder into 12 cross-sections, each about 1-inch thick.
- Place each cross-section of spiraled dough into a well of the prepared muffin tin and press gently down into the wells.
Bake
- Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the tops of the buns are lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbling (about 25 minutes).
- Remove the tin from the oven and allow the buns to cool briefly, until you can stand to touch the rolls before twisting the rolls back and forth a bit in each well to prevent them from sticking to the pan.
- Once the rolls have set, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the optional icing
- In a small bowl, place the confectioners’ sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and 1 tablespoon of milk. Mix well until a thick paste forms.
- Add more milk by the 1/4-teaspoon, mixing to combine well, until the glaze falls off the spoon slowly, in a thick but pourable glaze.
- Add milk very slowly, as it is much easier to thin, than to thicken, the glaze. If you do thin the glaze too much, add more confectioners’ sugar a teaspoon at a time to thicken it.
- Drizzle or spread the icing on the cooled rolls before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
When measuring the pumpkin butter is it fluid oz or weight? Wondering why it isn’t in grams? The pumpking coffee cake is on the list for today. I’m not sure how I measured it for these pumpkin cinnamon buns.
Nancy, “fluid ounces” is a volume measurement. Ounces is a weight measurement, and each weighed ounce is 28 grams. Any digital scale will make the conversion for you between ounces and grams. If a recipe, like this one, uses “ounces” for an ingredient, it’s by definition a weight measurement, not volume.
I made my pumpkin butter and finally got around to making these cinnamon rolls. They turned out pretty good if I do say so myself. But I am wondering what the purpose is of folding the dough over on its self in the shaping the dough section? I miss read that when I did it and folded it over twice. They were still good. Just wondering what the purpose is. I also think I overworked the dough. Is that possible? Either way they were yummy and I will be making them again!!
It’s meant to smooth the dough so that it doesn’t crack as it’s rising in the oven, Nancy. It’s not likely that you overworked the dough, but you can easily incorporate too much flour which will make the dough too dry. I’m glad you made the pumpkin butter! It’s worth the trouble.
These look amazing! Thank you for the bonus recipe for pumpkin spice, too! Can’t wait to make these.
You’re very welcome, Sandy!