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Soft & Fluffy Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Soft, fluffy pumpkin dinner rolls made from scratch with real pumpkin puree — light, buttery, and perfectly golden. An easy Thanksgiving dinner roll recipe that takes 30 minutes of active prep time and yields 12 rolls. Great for holiday tables, fall dinners, or freezing ahead.
Servings: 12 rolls
rolls
Ingredients
- ½ cup pumpkin or winter squash puree, (room temperature, very smooth)
- ¾ cup whole milk, warm (about 110F)
- 2¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 3¼ cups all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter, very soft (plus more for brushing)
Optional Topping
- flaky salt or toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
Make Dough
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine warm milk, sugar, and yeast. Stir briefly and let sit for 5–10 minutes until foamy.
- Add the pumpkin purée, egg, salt, and softened butter to the yeast mixture. Mix gently to combine.
- Add 3 cups of flour and knead with a dough hook (or by hand) until a soft, slightly tacky dough forms — about 8 minutes. Add up to ¼ cup more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, only if needed to reduce stickiness.
- Tip: The dough should feel soft and stretchy, not dry or stiff. Slight tackiness is okay — it helps with lightness.
First Rise
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free place for 60–75 minutes, or until doubled in size.
Second Rise
- Punch down the dough and divide into 12 equal pieces. Roll each into a smooth ball and place in a lightly greased 9” x 13” pan.
- Cover rolls loosely with a clean towel or plastic wrap and let rise 35–45 minutes, until noticeably puffy.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F.
Bake
- Gently brush rolls with a little whole milk or cream for a golden color. Sprinkle with flaky salt or seeds, if using.
- Bake at 375°F for 16–18 minutes, rotating halfway through, until rolls are deep golden.
- Transfer the pan of baked rolls to a cooling rack.
Optional
- After five minutes on the cooling rack, place a clean kitchen towel and a baking sheet over the pan of rolls. This will help retain moisture in the rolls and ensure they stay soft. (The kitchen towel will absorb any steam that condenses on the bottom of the baking sheet.)
Nutrition Facts
Soft & Fluffy Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Amount per Serving
Calories
184
% Daily Value*
Fat
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
3
g
19
%
Trans Fat
0.2
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
0.4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
1
g
Cholesterol
26
mg
9
%
Sodium
207
mg
9
%
Potassium
92
mg
3
%
Carbohydrates
30
g
10
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
3
g
3
%
Protein
5
g
10
%
Vitamin A
1750
IU
35
%
Vitamin C
0.4
mg
0
%
Calcium
30
mg
3
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
