These fluffy pumpkin dinner rolls are amazing! The addition of pumpkin and rosemary take the flavor and texture to the next level. SO GOOD!

It might be hard to believe that the world could really need one.more.dinner.roll recipe, but one taste of these fluffy pumpkin dinner rolls, and you’ll be a believer.

These rolls are so fantastic! The pumpkin flavor is subtle (my kids say they can’t taste it at all), but it lends a beautiful hue AND a magically soft texture to the rolls that is unparalleled.

Basket of pumpkin dinner rolls with white towel.

Pumpkin + Rosemary

For the pumpkin, you can use every day canned pumpkin puree or a homemade pumpkin puree.

Because homemade pumpkin puree can sometimes be more watery than store bought, if you use homemade, drain as much liquid as possible and also realize you may need to add a bit more flour than the recipe calls for, which is totally fine!

For the rosemary, try to use fresh if you can find it. It makes a world of difference in the fresh, fragrant flavor. Fresh rosemary is usually pretty easily available in most grocery stores.

You can also leave the rosemary out for a still-delicious, plain pumpkin dinner roll.

Pumpkin dinner roll in half on white plate.

Basic Roll Dough

Other than the addition of rosemary and canned pumpkin, this is a pretty basic yeast roll dough.

As with all yeast doughs, remember that it’s ok if you have to add more or less flour than called for in the recipe.

The exact amount of flour will depend on many different factors, like elevation, humidity, how you measure flour, etc.

Judge the flour amount by the look and feel of the dough. It should be soft and slightly tacky to the touch while still forming a ball and clearing the sides of the bowl.

Mixing dough for pumpkin dinner rolls in white bosch stand mixer.

Let it Rise

I am a major lazy pants these days, and I usually let the dough rise right there in the mixing bowl (covered). If that makes you uncomfortable for any reason, you can transfer the dough to a greased bowl and let it rise there. Either will work.

After the dough has risen and doubled in bulk, divide it into pieces (20-ish), roll each piece into a cute little sphere, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Thanks to the pumpkin in the recipe:

  • this dough will rise more slowly than some other yeast dough recipes
  • this dough has the most phenomenal silky smooth texture (it’s like playing with playdough except waaaay better because you can eat the final result once it is baked)
Pumpkin dinner rolls rising on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake and Butter

Once the rolls have risen and are noticeably puffy, pop them in the oven and bake until they are golden. (Spoiler alert: your house is going to smell amazing while these bake.)

Right out of the oven, butter the tops of the warm rolls.

You don’t have to get fancy here. Cutting off a chunk of butter and precariously holding on to the papered end is totally acceptable. Melted butter + pastry brush also works.

Just get butter, and lots of it, on top of those rolls as soon as they come out of the oven.

At this point, you can also sprinkle with a touch of sea salt and/or fresh rosemary if you’d like.

Rubbing cube of butter on warm fluffy pumpkin dinner rolls.

If you want to level up your homemade roll making game, these fluffy pumpkin rosemary dinner rolls are the answer.

Perfect for a holiday meal, they are also fantastic with a simple soup or as a side dish for any other meal that could benefit from a homemade dinner roll. In my world, that basically means any and every meal. 🙂

The soft and fluffy texture makes them ultra-special. I cannot wait to sandwich them with mustard, leftover turkey, and a slice of sharp white cheddar cheese (my go-to after Thanksgiving leftover meal…for days).

Pumpkin dinner roll in half on white plate with butter on bottom half.

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basket of several pumpkin dinner rolls with spring of fresh rosemary

Pumpkin Rosemary Dinner Rolls

Yield: 20 rolls
Prep Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 38 minutes
5 stars (27 ratings)
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or homemade, warmed (see note)
  • ¾ cup warm water
  • ⅓ cup melted butter or oil
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary (see note about leaving out)
  • 1 tablespoon instant yeast (see note)
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 5 1/2-6 cups all-purpose flour (see note)

Instructions 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, add the pumpkin, water, melted butter or oil, sugar, eggs, rosemary, yeast, and salt. Mix to combine.
  • Add 2 cups of the flour and mix to combine. With the mixer on low speed, continue to add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms. The exact amount of flour needed will depend on the texture and feel of the dough. It should be soft and slightly tacky to the touch but should form a ball and clear the sides of the bowl. Add additional flour as needed.
  • Knead the dough in the mixer for 5-6 minutes.
  • Let the dough rise until doubled, 1-2 hours. (You can place the dough in a greased bowl and cover or leave the dough in the mixer to let rise there.)
  • Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Lightly grease the parchment paper with cooking spray.
  • Gently deflate the dough. Cut off pieces of dough and roll into balls (I use about 2.5 ounces for each piece of dough). Place the rolls about 1/2-inch apart on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, 1-2 hours.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the center position (or just slightly higher than center). Bake the rolls for 18-22 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and butter the tops while still warm.

Notes

Flour: these rolls work really well with part whole wheat flour (I’ve subbed in einkhorn wheat flour and/or hard white wheat flour for half of the all-purpose flour with good results). I haven’t tried these with bread flour, but it should work well in this recipe.
Rosemary: you can leave the rosemary out for a delicious, plain pumpkin dinner roll. I have not tried subbing in dried rosemary for the fresh. The flavor won’t be quite as prominent if using dried rosemary.
Yeast: you can sub in active dry yeast for the instant yeast by proofing the same amount of active dry yeast in 1/4 cup warm water and a pinch of sugar until foamy and bubbling. Reduce the amount of water in the recipe by 1/4 cup if doing so.
Pumpkin: after measuring the water and oil, I spoon the pumpkin puree into the same liquid measuring cup and pop in the microwave for 20-25 seconds until lightly warmed. Also, because of the pumpkin in the recipe, this dough will rise a bit slower than some other types of yeast doughs. Placing in a warm spot (or a warm oven – 125 degrees or less) can help the dough rise more quickly. 
Author: Mel
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Method: Bake
Serving: 1 roll, Calories: 182kcal, Carbohydrates: 31g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 19mg, Sodium: 242mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 4g

Recommended Products

Cookie Sheet {Half Sheet Pan}
Bosch Universal Stand Mixer
Measuring Cups
Bench Knife/Scraper

Recipe Source: adapted slightly from this recipe (after a reader, Loretta, sent it to me – thanks, Loretta!) – I omitted milk, increased water, increased yeast and rosemary, altered mixing method, and a few other changes.

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