Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

5.0 from 10 votes

This Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls recipe is hands down the most delicious cinnamon rolls you’ll eat! They are perfect for fall because of the pumpkin and cinnamon flavor combination, but honestly these rolls can be enjoyed in any season. The pumpkin pairs perfect with cinnamon making these (in my opinion) even better than a standard cinnamon roll. The honey yogurt icing adds an amazing tang.

Why You MUST Make These Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

• These are hands down the most delicious cinnamon rolls you’ll eat! They are perfect for fall because of the pumpkin and cinnamon flavor combination, but honestly these rolls can be enjoyed in any season.
• The pumpkin pairs perfect with cinnamon making these (in my opinion) even better than a standard cinnamon roll. The honey yogurt icing adds an amazing tang.
• They are crisp on the outside and soft but perfectly baked on the inside!
• While still decidedly a sweet treat, we’ve limited the refined sugar to the cinnamon sugar filling.
• These rolls are a perfect use of sourdough discard from the fridge.
• While the recipe does require an overnight/long rest period for the dough, you can prepare a large batch and freeze these rolls for up to three months to make it easy to heat up a few at a time in the future.

Ingredients for Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls

• 1/2 cup cold butter
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (we use a can like Libby’s)
• 1/2 cup sourdough starter discard
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie seasoning
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup brown sugar

Yogurt Icing

• 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp honey

How to make Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

Start by grating or cutting your chilled butter into a bowl.

Add the flour and mix until combined. The mix should be uniformly crumbly.

Add the pumpkin, milk and sourdough starter to the flour. Work into a dough.

Cover the dough in the bowl with a towel and leave to rise for 8-12 hours (at room temperature).

When ready to bake, add the salt, baking powder and baking soda to the dough.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

Mix together the cinnamon, pumpkin spice and sugar in a bowl. Add half of the melted butter to this mixture.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface into a rectangular shape that is 1/4-1/2 inch thick.

Paint the surface of the dough with the melted butter and then add the cinnamon sugar filling. Use the remaining melted butter to prepare your cast iron pan or baking dish.

Roll the dough along the long edge of the rectangle. Make sure your hands are floured and you may need to use a dough scraper or spatula to help you with this step!

Once rolled up, use a dough scraper or knife to cut 1 1/2-2 inch thick slices along the rolled up dough.

Place the rolls into the cast iron pan or baking dish. Depending on how many rolls you have, they may be slightly spaced out or touching.

Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes (or until internal temperature is about 200 degrees F).

While the rolls are baking, mix the yogurt with the honey and agitate well to a smooth consistency.

Once the rolls are done, take them out and drizzle the icing over them! I like to brush the icing with the same brush I used to paint butter onto the dough.

These rolls are amazing right out of the oven! But then again they taste pretty dang good at all temperatures.

Tips and Tricks for Sourdough Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls

• Remember to use chilled butter while making your dough! It makes it so much easier to work with and incorporate into the flour.
• I often prepare the dough at night after the kids go to bed (8 or 9pm) and let it sit overnight on the counter, covered by a towel. That way I can wake up in the morning, I can finish the dough, shape the rolls and have them ready within an hour!
• During peak season (the “-ber” months) I like to make the cinnamon sugar filling in bulk to use for this recipe and as an addition to other fall treats! My recipe for that is 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp pumpkin pie seasoning and 1 tbsp cinnamon. I keep it in a jar ready to sprinkle!
• The dough is pretty sticky so flour the work surface, your hands and even the dough scraper while shaping the rolls.
• Generously butter your baking pan or cast iron skillet to make the buns easy to remove.
• Check out these Chicken and Dumplings to use on your other sourdough discard!
• You can also use a cast iron skillet to bake the cinnamon rolls in.

Simple Substitutions

• To make this recipe vegan, simply switch the milk for plant-based milk and the butter for your favorite vegan butter. Ideally choose a product recommended for baking! I have used coconut yogurt and oil which worked decently! For the icing, you can easily opt for sugar combined with a plant based yogurt!
• If the yogurt frosting is not your thing, a thin cream cheese frosting or a traditional powdered sugar glaze also pairs amazingly with these pumpkin cinnamon rolls!
• If you really want to reduce the sugar content, substitute the brown sugar for a granulated sweetener (such as monkfruit) and leave off the icing! Still delicious!
• We love using honey in the dough and icing for a natural sweetness, but the honey can easily be swapped for another sweetener.
• If you don’t have sourdough discard, you simply leave it out and skip the fermentation step or you can replace it with flour and yogurt. The taste will not be the same, but the proportions will be in-tact.

More Fun Sourdough Discard Recipes

• Seven Easy Sourdough Discard Recipes
• Pumpkin Sourdough Snickerdoodles
• Pumpkin Pie Sourdough Pancakes
• Sourdough Tortillas
• Rosemary Sourdough Bread
• Sourdough Frybread

5.0 from 10 votes