Complete your holiday meal 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!
Vegan pumpkin dinner rolls are a holiday staple in our house. Every Thanksgiving and Christmas I make these sweet buttery rolls alongside my lentil loaf, wild rice stuffing, Instant Pot mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole.
They're also great paired with a hearty bowl of vegan soup for a warming winter dinner.
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 what makes these bread rolls soft and fluffy. It locks in the moisture so the rolls always come out of the oven soft & fluffy, and stay soft & fluffy!
How to make pumpkin dinner rolls
Mix the warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl.
Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the yeast fully activate and become ‘foamy’.
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 combined.
Add 1 more cup of flour to the bowl.
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: Avoid using more than 4 cups of flour. Extra flour will create dense rolls.
Also, If you're kneading the dough by hand, you can always add 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. Then, oil the dough ball and bowl. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and set aside to rise for 45 minutes.
Now, turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface.
Cut it 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 edges of the dough underneath itself to shape a ball.
- Then pinch the extra dough together.
- Pinch and turn the dough until you get a rough ball shape.
- Flip the dough over and gently roll it between your hands to fully shape. (For visual instructions this video on how to shape dinner rolls is 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! In a 400ºF preheated oven, bake the rolls for 14-20 minutes depending on their size.
Brush the finished rolls with oil and top with coarse sea salt.
ENJOY!
Variations
Change it up and try one of these options.
- 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.
- Top with cinnamon and sugar for sweet rolls.
Serve these pumpkin rolls with a warm bowl of vegan potato corn chowder for a delicious fall dinner, or alongside my wild rice stuffed acorn squash for a filling holiday meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes 9-16 rolls.
For the photos, I made 9 large rolls in a 9x9-inch ceramic dish.
For a gathering, smaller dinner rolls can be made 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.
Yes! The dough can be placed in the fridge for the first rise. The next day, take the dough out and let it come to room temperature then proceed with the remaining steps.
Recipes for leftover pumpkin puree
We'd love to hear from you!
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Recipe
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (vegan)
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cups warm water
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 4 Tablespoons coconut sugar, or granulated sugar of choice
- 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 ¾ teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
- 4 Tablespoons melted coconut oil, or neutral vegetable oil of choice
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- Coarse sea salt for topping, (optional)
Instructions
To Make the Dough
- In a large bowl stir together the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to activate the yeast. Once the yeast has foamed, stir in the maple syrup, salt, oil, and pumpkin puree.
- Now, 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 ¼-3/4 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.
To Shape the Rolls
- 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 a clean dry 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.
To Bake
- 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
- To skip oiling the tops of the rolls, you can add the salt to the top of the dough just before baking. The salt will bake into the rolls and stick. However, the top of the rolls won't be as glossy.
- For an extra touch of Fall flavor add 1-2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice.
Nutrition
**Nutritional info is provided as an estimate based on the ingredients I used and for convenience and as a courtesy only.**
Anonymous
jacquie
These look wonderful and i can't wait to try them. Can you brush the tops w/ vegan butter rather than oil?
thanks.
jacquie
Marlena Luna
Hi Jacquie! Yes, vegan butter can be used instead. Enjoy!
Melanie
Hello! I love this recipe so much! I was wondering if you thought it might work to use the dough for cinnamon rolls?
Marlena Luna
I think the dough would make great cinnamon rolls. If you decide to try it out, the maple syrup in the dough can be omitted if you don't want to overly sweeten the rolls. Or you can make the recipe as is! ENJOY! :)
Connor
We did this with a kabocha that we didn't know what to do with and it wad awesome!! Tyty
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.
Marla
Can I make these in advance and freeze them? Should I bake them first before freezing or freeze the dough?
Marlena Luna
The rolls can be frozen before or after baking.
To freeze the baked rolls, place them in an airtight container or bag.
To freeze the dough, follow the instructions through step 6. Then, freeze the dough balls spaced out on a baking sheet for 30 minutes to an hour. Transfer them to a freezer safe bag.
Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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 !
Marlena
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!
Marlena Luna
Awesome to hear, Viki!
Kimberley
Can I make the dough the night before I bake them?
Marlena Luna
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
Marlena Luna
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!