Complete your holiday table with these soft and fluffy pumpkin dinner rolls! Their sweet buttery taste is undeniable at the dinner table! Serve these warm fresh pumpkin rolls at your next Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering! They’re vegan, dairy-free and egg-free!
This year I'm planning to make a variety of vegan sides for my family's holiday dinner. I plan on serving mashed potatoes and gravy alongside wild rice stuffing, vegetable soup, and these soft and fluffy pumpkin dinner rolls.
What makes these dinner rolls soft and fluffy?
These dinner rolls are filled with pumpkin purée, 1 cup to be exact! The pumpkin puree is the secret to soft and fluffy bread. The pumpkin holds the moisture in so the rolls always come out of the oven soft & fluffy and stay soft & fluffy!
To keep the rolls fresh on the dinner table, cover them with a clean kitchen towel.
How many dinner rolls does this recipe make?
This recipe makes 9-16 rolls.
For the photos, I made 9 large rolls in a 9x9 inch ceramic dish.
For a gathering, I'd suggest making smaller dinner rolls by dividing the dough into 12-16 pieces, depending on size preference. Bake the smaller rolls for 14-18 minutes in a 9x13 inch dish. They will cook best and stay soft if they are snug in the dish when rising as shown in the process steps below.
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How to make pumpkin dinner rolls
Start by mixing together the warm water, coconut sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. (photo 1)
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the yeast to fully activate and become ‘foamy’. (photo 2)
Mixing the dough
Mix in the maple syrup, pumpkin puree, salt, and oil.
Then add in 2 cups of flour.
Mix until the ingredients are well blended.
Add in another cup of flour and mix well to form a dough.
Kneading the dough
Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes using the 4th cup of flour for dusting. You can do this by hand or with a stand mixer. The final dough should come together but still be slightly sticky.
Kneading Tips
- I wouldn't recommend using over 4 cups of flour. Extra flour will create dense rolls.
- If you're kneading the dough by hand, you can always add a bit of oil to your hands. This will help keep the dough from sticking to them.
When the dough comes together, roughly shape it into a ball. Oil your dough ball and the bowl, cover, and set aside to rise for 45 minutes.
Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface.
Cut the dough into 9 evenly sized pieces for large rolls. Or 12-16 evenly sized pieces for smaller dinner rolls.
How to shape the rolls
- Pull and tuck the sides of the dough underneath itself.
- Bring the sides of the dough together.
- Pinch them closed at the bottom.
- Turn the dough over and gently roll it to shape. (I found this video on how to shape dinner rolls helpful.)
Closely fit the dough balls in a lightly oiled oven-safe dish. Cover and set aside to rise.
Once the rolls have fully risen, it’s time to bake those bad boys! Bake in a 400ºF preheated oven for 14-20 minutes depending on the size of rolls you made.
Brush the finished rolls with oil and top with coarse sea salt.
ENJOY!
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Pumpkin dinner rolls made your way
- Replace the pumpkin puree with mashed sweet potato, or butternut squash.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice for an extra touch of fall flavor.
- Or top with cinnamon and sugar to keep them sweet.
These pumpkin rolls also pair well with a warm bowl of potato corn chowder. Or serve them as a side to my wild rice stuffed acorn squash for a holiday-worthy meal. YUM!
Have leftover pumpkin puree? Use it up in one of these vegan recipes:
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Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (vegan)
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls are undeniable at the holiday dinner table! Serve these warm fresh pumpkin rolls at your next Thanksgiving or Christmas gathering! They’re vegan, dairy-free and egg-free!
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 Tablespoons coconut sugar, or granulated sugar of choice
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 and 3/4 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- 4 Tablespoons melted coconut oil, or neutral vegetable oil of choice
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- Coarse sea salt for topping
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix the warm water, yeast, and coconut sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. Once the yeast has foamed, mix in the maple syrup, salt, oil, and pumpkin puree.
- Mix in 2 cups of flour until fully incorporated. Then mix in another 1 cup of flour for a total of 3 cups.
- Use the last cup of flour to dust your hands and the dough throughout the kneading process. Lightly knead the dough until a slightly sticky dough ball forms, this should take about 2-3 minutes. (You may not need the full cup of flour. I use anywhere from 1/4-3/4 cups of it.)
- Once the dough comes together shape it into a ball. Then, lightly coat the bowl and the dough with a bit of oil. Cover with a kitchen towel and set aside to rise for 45 minutes.
- Turn out the risen dough onto a floured surface. Depending on the size of rolls you want, cut the dough into 9,12 or 16 evenly sized pieces.
- Form each piece into a ball by pulling and tucking the edges of the dough underneath itself. Gently roll the dough ball, seam side down, on an unfloured surface to create a smooth ball.
- Transfer rolls to a lightly oiled oven safe dish.
- Cover with a kitchen towel and allow the rolls to rise for another 30-45 minutes.
- Once the rolls have doubled in size, bake at 400ºF for 14-20 minutes or until the tops brown.
- Brush the warm rolls with oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
ENJOY!
Notes
For an extra touch of fall flavor add 1-2 teaspoons pumpkin spice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 dinner rolls Serving Size: 1 dinner rollAmount Per Serving: Calories: 132
Heather Fisk
I've made these several times now, with both homegrown pumpkin and canned. Both work wonderfully! The only difference is the canned has more of an orange color. My whole family love them! Everyone has said it's the salt on top that really makes them.
Marlena Luna
That's great to hear, Heather! My family is definitely just as fond of the coarse salt on top as yours!
Lisa
can you make these with gluten free flour?
Marlena Luna
Yes, any 1:1 ratio gluten free flour will work as an equal replacement.
Sara
All I can say is WOW !!! I made these three times already, the last batch I added some rosemary to the dough and it was delicious ! Thanks for the recipe :)
Meghan
Hello! I followed your instruction to make ahead to step 7 and let my rolls slow rise in the fridge overnight. They are huge now and expanding over my dish. Should I punch them down and let them rise or split them into a bigger dish before baking? Thanks for your help!! I can't wait to try these. Feel free to delete this comment after you respond - I just needed some quick help if you see this in time. :)
Marlena Luna
Hi Meghan! You can let them come to room temp, then punch them down, split them into rolls (making 12-16), add them to a bigger dish, and let the rolls rise for 30 min before baking. Lately I’ve been splitting the dough into 12 rolls and baking them in an 11.5 x 8 inch dish. It’s worked out great.
Kim Payne
Sooo delicious - Viki gave me the recipe also and I cannot wait to make them !
Where you get your protein
Yay! I’m glad you enjoyed them, Kim!
Viki
I am de these yesterday and they got an A+ plus from everyone in the family, vegan and non! They were simple to make and a great way to be sure there are rolls on Thanksgiving that my vegan daughter can enjoy. I was able to get 20 decent sized rolls out of the recipe. I was surprised but the little sprinkle of salt at the end did make them even better!
Where you get your protein
Awesome to hear, Viki!
Kimberley
Can I make the dough the night before I bake them?
Where you get your protein
Yes, the dough can be made ahead and refrigerated. Simply follow the recipe through step 7 (dividing the dough into rolls).
Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for a slow rise. The next day, allow the dough to come to room temperate on the counter, about an hour to an hour and a half. Then proceed with the baking directions. Enjoy, Kimberley!
Rachel
i cannot find the actual recipe for the vegan pumpkin rolls. can you please help me
Where you get your protein
The recipe is just above this comment section. There is a photo with writing directly below the recipe card. I just added a jump-to-recipe button at the beginning of the post. I hope that helps!