These soft and fluffy Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are full of warm spices and slathered with cream cheese frosting for the ultimate fall treat. This recipe is made with with unfed starter aka sourdough discard and a bit of yeast for quick, same day results.
Recipe Background and Details
These soft, spiced rolls are the perfect sweater weather treat but of course they can be made any time you want to conjure those cozy fall vibes. In fact, I started testing this recipe during the hottest part of July when I was just soooo over summer. I cranked down the air conditioner and let the fall spirit take me away. It was wonderful and I highly recommend it to anyone suffering the summertime blues! These rolls are a variation of my very popular Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls and I hope you love them just as much!
If you want to make these but don't have a sourdough starter yet, be sure to check out my Easy Sourdough Starter Guide and you'll have one in about two weeks!
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Ingredients
Here is the full list of ingredients you will need to make these. See recipe card for amounts and full instructions.
- milk: whole or 2% or your unsweetened alternative milk of choice.
- sugar: I love to use sucanat or brown sugar in these but you can use regular sugar, honey, maple sugar or syrup, etc.
- active dry yeast or instant yeast: Since we are using unfed starter, we'll use the yeast to help these rolls rise quickly.
- egg: if you want to make these egg-free you can simply leave the egg out and add about ¼ cup more milk.
- unfed sourdough starter aka sourdough discard: This is a discard recipe, meaning we are just using the starter for its flavor and as a waste-free option rather than truly discarding it.
- pumpkin puree: I use store-bought but you can use homemade. If your homemade puree is very watery you will want to drain it or cook it down to be more like a store-bought consistency.
- butter or oil: I tested these with softened butter and also with melted coconut oil and they both worked well. You can use any neutral oil or cooking fat you prefer.
- all purpose flour: bread flour works really well too.
- pumpkin pie spice: apple pie spice is essentially the same thing so feel free to use that. Chai spice would be really good too. You can also just use cinnamon as that is the predominant flavor in any of those blends.
- salt: I test all of my recipes with Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. If using table salt you will need to reduce the amount by about half.
See recipe card for quantities.
Ingredients for Filling and Frosting
cinnamon roll filling:
- soft butter
- brown sugar
- pumpkin pie spice
- vanilla extract or paste
- a pinch of salt
cream cheese frosting:
- soft butter
- soft cream cheese
- vanilla extract or paste
- powdered sugar
- milk or cream (optional)
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here are the step-by-step instructions for making these delicious rolls, filling, and frosting.
make the pumpkin cinnamon roll dough
Place warm milk, egg, sugar, and yeast in mixing bowl. Mix together and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Next add sourdough starter, pumpkin, and vanilla extract to mixing bowl and mix to combine. Then mix in salt and pumpkin pie spice.
Next, add flour and butter and knead with a dough hook for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides if needed.
first rise
Once the dough comes together it will need to rise for about 2 hours unless your kitchen is very warm. Just keep an eye on it for doubling in size.
prepare cinnamon roll filling
When dough has doubled in size and you are ready to shape the rolls, get your filling ready.
rolling and shaping rolls
Place dough onto floured surface and roll to a large rectangle. Spread filling all over the dough and starting on the long side, roll up tightly.
Tip: If dough is very soft you can place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before slicing to make it a bit easier.
Slice into 12 even pieces, trimming the ends if desired.
second rise, baking, and frosting
Place rolls in parchment lined (or well buttered) baking dish, cover and let rise until puffy which will take about an hour or up to 2-3 hours if your dough is cold.
Bake in preheated oven until golden brown and bubbly.
make the cream cheese frosting
Prepare frosting while rolls bake. Full instructions are in recipe card below.
Optional Overnight Instructions
When rolls have almost finished their 2nd rise at room temperature, you can cover them tightly and place in the refrigerator overnight to bake the next morning. Let the rolls sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before baking the next day.
This is what I always do as it's a great way to get all the work out of the way and just enjoy freshly baked cinnamon rolls and a clean kitchen the next morning. I offer these same instructions on my Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls and people really seem to love that option. It's also great for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning!
How to Freeze Cinnamon Roll Dough
The best way to freeze cinnamon rolls is before baking. So you will get to the point of cutting the rolls and placing them on a parchment lined tray then freeze them just like this. Once frozen solid you can transfer them to a freezer bag or container and use within 3 months.
When ready to bake, place desired amount of rolls into baking dish and thaw in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning allow the rolls to rise at room temperature for about 2-3 hours or until puffy and touching one another. Give them more time to rise if needed.
Top Tips
- Be patient and give this dough the time it needs to rise. Take a picture with your phone so you can gauge when it has doubled in size.
- This dough can be a little sticky to work with when rolling and cutting. I highly recommend chilling the dough for 30-60 minute before rolling to make it a little easier to work with.
- Stagger your rolls a little bit in the pan to get more round rolls. This is purely for looks, I just love when they turn out more round than square - they will be delicious either way!
Storage
These cinnamon rolls are best on the first day but will keep well for 2 days at room temperature if they are covered tightly to prevent drying out. Any longer than that and I recommend sticking them in the refrigerator and warming before eating.
More sourdough Discard recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Sourdough Discard Coffee Cake
- Sourdough Peach Cobbler
- Triple Lemon Sourdough Scones
- Sourdough Discard Waffles
Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
These soft and fluffy Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls are full of warm spices and slathered with cream cheese frosting for the ultimate fall treat. This recipe is made with with unfed starter aka sourdough discard and a bit of yeast for quick, same day results.
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls
Ingredients
cinnamon roll dough
⅓ cup (80 grams) whole milk, warmed to 100-110 degrees
1 egg
⅓ cup (73 grams) brown sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast or instant yeast
½ cup (140 grams) sourdough discard
¾ cup (187 grams) canned pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons (8 grams) vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
4 tablespoons (2 ounces or 56.5 grams) soft butter or oil
1 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
2 teaspoons (5.2 grams) pumpkin pie spice
3 ¾ cups (450 grams) all purpose or bread flour plus more as needed
filling
6 tablespoons (3 ounces or 85 grams) soft butter
¾ cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
splash of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
pinch of salt
frosting
2 ounces butter, very soft
4 ounces cream cheese, very soft
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
a few tablespoons of milk or cream to thin, optional
OPTIONAL
12 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Make the dough:
Place warm milk, egg, sugar, and yeast in mixing bowl. Mix together and let sit for about 5 minutes.
Next, add sourdough starter, pumpkin, and vanilla to mixing bowl and mix to combine. Then mix in salt and pumpkin pie spice.
Next, add flour and butter and knead with a dough hook for a minute at speed one and then speed two for 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides if needed. This is meant to be a soft dough, but if you find it to be incredibly sticky and wet, add a little more flour.
Once the dough comes together, cover and let it rise for 1-2 hours until it has doubled in size.
Shape the rolls:
When dough has doubled in size and you are ready to shape the rolls, get your filling ready by combining all filling ingredients in a bowl and mixing until well combined.
Place dough onto floured surface and roll to a large rectangle of about 9x13 inches. Spread filling all over the dough and starting on the long side, roll up tightly into a log.
Tip: If dough is very soft you can place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before slicing to make it a bit easier.
Slice into 12 even pieces, trimming the uneven ends if desire.
second rise and baking:
Place rolls in parchment lined (or well buttered) 9x13 baking dish or a 13x18 half sheet pan. You can give the rolls a bit more room on the larger sheet pan which is nice but both pans work well. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let rise until puffy which will take about an hour.
OPTIONAL overnight instructions:
When rolls have almost finished their 2nd rise at room temperature, you can cover them tightly and place in the refrigerator overnight to bake the next morning. Let the rolls sit at room temp for about 30 minutes before baking the next day.
This is what I always do as it's a great way to get all the work out of the way and just enjoy freshly baked cinnamon rolls and a clean kitchen the next morning. I offer these same instructions on my Sourdough Discard Cinnamon Rolls and people really seem to love that option. It's also great for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning!
Baking the rolls:
Optionally, drizzle a tablespoon of heavy cream on top of each roll just before baking. Bake the rolls in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes until browned and bubbly. You are looking for an internal temperature of 190-200 degrees F. Prepare frosting while they bake.
Cream Cheese Frosting:
With a hand mixer, mix soft butter and soft cream cheese until very well combined. Add vanilla and powdered sugar and continue mixing until creamy and all sugar is combined. Add a small amount of milk or cream to thin the consistency if desired.
Frosting the rolls:
When rolls are done baking, remove from oven and let cool for 20-30 minutes before frosting and enjoying.
Notes
If you are using active starter and want to omit the yeast you can, but you will need to allow for much more rising time. I let mine bulk ferment overnight for the first rise, then shape and allow for about 2 hours for the second rise. My kitchen is about 70 degrees. Rising times will vary and be faster if your kitchen is warmer and slower if your kitchen is colder.
See blog post for more detailed explanations, step-by-step photos, ingredient substitutions and variations, storage tips, etc.
This recipe and blog post were both updated on 09/21/26 to omit the active sourdough starter instructions and only include the sourdough discard plus yeast instructions. I also added more butter and brown sugar to the filling to make it more substantial.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- rising: about 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: sourdough discard
- Method: sourdough, baking
- Cuisine: American
Giordana McKnight says
How large should the rectangle be after you’ve rolled it out?
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Hi. The rectangle should be roughly 9x13 inches.
Giordana McKnight says
Thank you— making these today after an overnight proof!!
anita | wild thistle kitchen says
Yay! So excited for you to try them! Thank you!