Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (vegan)

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

1. Pull and tuck the sides of the dough underneath itself.
2. Bring the sides of the dough together.
3. Pinch them closed at the bottom.
4. 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!

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Pumpkin Dinner Rolls (vegan)

Yield: 9-15 dinner rolls

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Rising Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

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!

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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

1. In a large bowl mix the warm water, yeast and coconut sugar. Let sit for 5-10 minutes to active the yeast. Once the yeast has foamed, mix in the maple syrup, salt, oil and pumpkin puree.
2. Mix in 2 cups of flour until fully incorporated. Then mix in another 1 cup of flour for a total of 3 cups.  
3. 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.) 
4. 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.
5. 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. 
6. 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.
7. Transfer rolls to a lightly oiled oven safe dish.
8. Cover with a kitchen towel and allow the rolls to rise for another 30-45 minutes.
9. Once the rolls have doubled in size, bake at 400ºF for 14-20 minutes or until the tops brown.
10. 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 roll
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 132