Homemade Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls

Up close shot of frosted cinnamon rolls.

4.78 from 18 votes

Homemade Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls

Ready in a little over an hour, this Homemade Pumpkin Chai Cinnamon Rolls recipe is the ultimate decadence. The dough is filled with savory pumpkin and warm spices, and the chai cream cheese glaze is sure to fill your days with comfort!

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Rising Time:1 20

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Keyword: baked, breakfast, brioche, brunch, chai tea, cinnamon, cinnamon rolls, classic, cream cheese, dairy-free, dessert, easy, fall recipe, fluffy, healthy, holiday, holidays, homemade, indulge, plant-based, pumpkin, pumpkin spice, recipe, soft, southern, spices, sweet, sweets, traditional, vegan, vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 461kcal

Author: Shanika

Ingredients

CHAI TEA MIXTURE:

½ cup Almond milk, unsweetened (You can use whole milk, if desired)
2 black tea bags, premium (You can also use a chai tea bag and omit the spice blend)
2 Tbsps pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon chai spice blend (See Notes!)

PUMPKIN DOUGH:

4 cups organic All-purpose flour (I love Bob's Red Mill)
2 cups Artisan Bread flour (I love Bob's Red Mill; See Notes!)
1 packet Rapid Rise Yeast (That's 2 ¼ tsps!)
1-2 tsps pumpkin spice blend (See Post for ingredient details!)
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ cup WARM water
½ cup organic brown sugar + 1 Tbsp
1 ¼ cup Almond milk, unsweetened + at room temp. (You can use whole milk or heavy cream, if desired)
1 cup organic pumpkin puree (NOT Pie filling!)
2 large eggs, room temp.
6 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted + cooled until warm (Make sure that it's WARM, not hot!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

FILLING:

½ cup organic brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, softened at room temp.
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional

CHAI-INFUSED GLAZE:

3 cups organic powdered sugar, sifted
4 oz. organic cream cheese, softened at room temp. (That's ½ a pack!)
3-4 Tbsps cooled Chai tea mixture (See Notes!)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

TO MAKE THE DOUGH:

Combine yeast and 1 tablespoon brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and slowly pour in warm water while stirring frequently. Allow 10 minutes for the mixture to sit and for the yeast to activate.
Add in the room temperature milk and warm melted butter to the yeast mixture and whisk until well combined. Add in the eggs (one at a time), pumpkin puree, and vanilla, whisking to incorporate.
In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, bread flour, brown sugar, pumpkin spice blend, and sea salt and add them to the wet ingredients and mix on low-speed until well combined and everything begins to form into a dough-like consistency, about 2-3 minutes.
Change “Mixer head” to kneading accessory and knead dough for 5-10 minutes on high speed until dough ball becomes smooth and elastic and dough springs back when lightly pressed together with 2 fingers. NOTE: If dough is still too sticky, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until texture is achieved!
Lightly grease a large bowl with a small amount of olive oil and place the dough ball in the bowl, tossing it around until coated. Cover with plastic wrap (or a towel) and let sit for 1 hour, allowing the dough to rise and double in size.
In the meantime, you can work on the filling!

TO MAKE THE FILLING:

Add the softened the butter (best if done at room temp. so that it's more "paste-like" in texture once smeared) in a bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar, mixing them together. Set aside.
Once the dough has risen fully, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper, allowing excess to hang from the sides.

ASSEMBLY + BAKE:

Add a bit of flour to a surface and place the dough onto it, lightly adding a bit of flour to the top. Using a rolling-pin, roll out the dough into a rectangular shape (approximately 9″x14 and ½-inch thick), trimming the edges if needed. NOTE: Try not to make the dough too thin or else rolling it up will be hard to do!
Then, generously add ¾ of the softened butter atop dough (spreading it out evenly with a spoon or knife), followed by the brown sugar-spice mixture, ensuring that the top is coated evenly. NOTE: I also use a 'pastry brush' to sweep sugar mixture evenly across the dough to ensure that every bite is sweet!
Tightly roll dough (long-ways) and using a pastry cutter, cut dough into 1.5" rolls, placing each roll (cut side down) into a large baking dish (lined with parchment paper!).
Then place plastic wrap over the baking dish with rolls, smear the tops with remaining softened butter and let them rise again (for another 20 minutes).
Once the rolls have doubled in size (once again!) or have gotten significantly larger, bake them for approximately 35-40 minutes in the preheated oven.
While all the baking magic is happening, make the Chai tea mixture and Glaze.

FOR THE CHAI TEA MIXTURE:

In a medium saucepan on medium-high heat, add the milk and bring to a boil for 1-2 minutes. Add the tea bags and let it boil for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and let everything steep for 5-6 minutes.
Once fully steeped, remove tea bags and whisk in 2 teaspoons cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon cardamom, ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves, and a pinch of black pepper until dissolved and combined. Let it cool completely.

TO MAKE THE CHAI-INFUSED GLAZE:

In a bowl, beat (using a hand-mixer) the softened cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and chai tea mixture, beating everything together until the glaze becomes smooth and velvety. NOTE: Add additional chai tea mixture (1 tablespoon at a time) if the glaze is too thick or powdered sugar (1 tablespoon at a time) if too thin.
Spread the glaze atop the rolls using a rubber spatula evenly until generously covered.
To serve, cut out each roll desired and enjoy.
Bon Appetit!

Notes

TO STORE: Cinnamon Rolls can be kept fresh at room temperature when tightly wrapped or sealed for up to 3 days. Fresh for up to 1 week in the Refrigerator. Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2 months.
FLOUR: If you don’t have bread flour, you can always just use all-purpose flour entirely instead. Bob Red Mill's has a great option for both flours!
CHAI SPICE MIX: 2 Tbsps cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ginger, 1 teaspoon allspice, 1 teaspoon cardamom, ½ teaspoon ground cloves
TEA BAG: You can also use a chai tea bag blend instead if preferred.

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