These Pumpkin Dinner Rolls are so soft and fluffy and easier than you might think! You’ll love how delicious they are with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor. They are my go-to fall dinner roll recipe and they are perfect for Thanksgiving and other holiday dinners.
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
I’m obsessed with Pumpkin Dinner Rolls! If you follow me on social media you might know I have a thing for baking bread. This past summer I started to get really into it, especially sourdough bread and slow cooker bread. I keep my sourdough starter in the fridge, bringing it out weekly to feed and bake something delicious with it.
With so many garden pumpkins on the counter, I made a big batch of fresh pumpkin purée to freeze for later use. Craving some pumpkin bread, I came up with these soft and fluffy sourdough pumpkin dinner rolls.
These Pumpkin Rolls are so fluffy and moist, they are hands down one of my favorite savory pumpkin recipes. Some people associate pumpkin with sweet recipes, like pumpkin scones and pumpkin roll, but did you know pumpkin makes a perfect ingredient for dinner dishes too? I love using pumpkin savory meals, like Pumpkin Chili and Pumpkin Macaroni and Cheese too!
Just a warning, though – these rolls are addictive! I dare you to only eat one of them! I always come back for seconds or thirds!
How To Make Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Before starting this dinner roll recipe, you’ll need one cup of sourdough starter ready to go.
Many people are intimidated to make bread with a sourdough starter and even to work with yeast. If this is you, don’t worry, you’re definitely not alone! But there’s no reason to be afraid. Just follow a few simple rules and you can have wonderful, fresh loaves of bread and batches of homemade rolls anytime you want. Making yeast dough is really easy, even if you haven’t worked with yeast before! And working with the sourdough starter is super easy too. You can purchase the sourdough starter here.
You’ll also need one cup of pumpkin purée. I typically make mine fresh, but canned pumpkin works just fine. If you do use canned, be sure to buy pure pumpkin purée and not pumpkin pie mix.
Once you have your sourdough starter mixed and ready to use, this recipe is really quick and easy.
You’ll combine the sourdough starter, water, yeast, salt and oil together in a large bowl. And then to the yeast mixture, you’ll add three cups of flour and pumpkin purée. Stir to combine. Continue adding 1/2 cups of flour until your dough is sticky, but not too sticky that you can’t knead it. You will use anywhere from four to five cups of flour total. Once dough is made, knead it inside the bowl for 5 minutes.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let set in a warm place for one hour. Dough should approximately double in size.
Dough should rise to look like the picture below. Punch dough down with your hands.
With floured hands, form the dough into small dinner roll shapes. Place on a baking pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray or on a silicone baking sheets. After letting them sit for 30 minutes more, bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees F. During the last few minutes of baking, I like to brush with melted butter to give them a pretty golden brown look on top.
And soon you’ll have a batch of Pumpkin Dinner Rolls to serve to your family, or eat yourself! 🙂
Can You Freeze Pumpkin Dinner Rolls?
Absolutely, you can freeze pumpkin dinner rolls! Bake them as usual, and then let them cool completely. Next, place them on a cookie sheet and freeze, making sure they don’t touch each other. Once frozen, put in a freezer-safe bag and put them back in the freezer. When you want one (or more), you can throw them in the microwave for a quick defrost!
I hope you enjoy my go-to fall pumpkin dinner rolls as much as my family does!
Looking for more rolls, biscuits and bread? Try these!
Jalapeño Buttermilk Biscuits
Homemade Pretzel Rolls
Flaky Biscuits
2 Hour Slow Cooker Bread
Bread Machine Italian Bread
Easy Ciabatta Bread
Pin these Pumpkin Dinner Rolls for later:
Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
PrintIngredients
- 1 cup Sourdough starter
- 1 1/2 cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon yeast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup pumpkin
- 4-5 cups flour
- melted butter
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine sourdough starter, water, yeast, salt, sugar and oil.
- Add pumpkin and 3 cups of flour. Combine with wooden spoon.
- Continue adding 1/2 cups of flour until your dough is sticky, but not too sticky that you can't knead it. You will use anywhere from 4 to 5 cups of flour total.
- Once dough is made, knead it inside the bowl for 5 minutes.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let set in a warm place for 1 hour. Dough should approximately double in size.
- Punch dough down with your hands.
- With floured hands, form dough into small dinner rolls. Place on sprayed pan (with nonstick spray) or on silicone baking sheets. Let sit for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Bake rolls for 20 minutes.
- During the last 5 minutes of baking, brush rolls with melted butter and continue baking.
Dabs Bradney says
Great recipe !!!
ginger Bugash says
Can I form the dough, freeze it, thaw it then let rise & bake?
Virginia Bugash says
I made these last Christmas and they are now my go too rolls. They’re amazing!
If you want them to taste pumpkinish add pumpkin pie spice to taste.
Pamela says
Hey Virginia, thank you so much for commenting. Happy to hear you like these dinner rolls, I love the idea of adding some pumpkin pie spice!
Emily says
Thank you for this recipe! All I was finding were pumpkin SPICE breads, i just wanted a good ol’ warm pumpkin bread. Trying it later today! 🙂
Pamela says
Hope you enjoy the rolls Emily!
Diana says
Which yeast do I use when making the rolls, (not for starter)active dry or rapid rise?
Pamela says
Hey Diana, use active dry. Enjoy the rolls!
Diana says
Thank you!
Teresa says
I switched sweet potato for the pumpkin and the water that the potatoes cooked in was used for the recipe water. OMG.. These are going to be my Thanksgiving rolls!!
Pamela says
Hey Teresa, thanks for letting me know you enjoyed these rolls! I love the idea of using the water that you cooked the sweet potatoes in for the recipe! Thanks for stopping by!
maggie says
how do you feed your sourdough before bakig with it ?
Pamela says
I store my starter in the refrigerator taking it out a day before I bake with it. Here’s the basic feeding instructions I use: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/feeding-and-maintaining-your-sourdough-starter-recipe
CJ @ Morsels of Life says
You’ve been voted most popular on Inspire Me Monday! I’m loving how you gave sourdough a seasonal twist! I bet it’s delicious. 🙂
Emma @ Bake Then Eat says
Oh my these look and sound amazing. I’ll take 3 or 4 please 😀
Janet Vinyard says
Sounds like the perfect rolls for fall dinners! Thanks for sharing your recipe! Blessings, Janet
Lee MacArthur says
I will have to try this recipe without the added yeast. I’ve found if you don’t mind letting the sourdough do its own thing over a 24 to 36 hour period, you can make really awesome sourdough breads or pizza with no added yeast.
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
I started my first sourdough starter this summer and I’ve been obsessed!! Each week I look for a new recipe to try and I can ensure these rolls will be in my kitchen ASAP!! So perfect for fall 🙂
Megan - The Emotional Baker says
Hi Pamela! Just reporting back – I tried this recipe & I’m in love! I used bread flour and made one loaf (I let it rise one hour, shaped, let it rise 45 min, and then baked about 30 min) and six sandwich buns. I’ve been enjoying the bread for veggie sandwiches, nut butter sandwiches & for veggie burgers. Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Pamela says
Hey Megan, thanks for letting me know you tried and enjoyed the recipe! Now you have me craving some nut butter on a pumpkin roll! Yum! Thanks again! 🙂
Sharon says
Woah. These look like little clouds of heaven. I am on a bread-making kick so I’m gonna have to try this next! Thanks for sharing!
Ashley@CookNourishBliss says
I love making bread at home! It’s so relaxing and fun and the end result is totally worth it! These rolls sound fantastic!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
They look great! Nice with a bowl of steaming hot chili or pumpkin soup :-))
Sues says
What an awesome idea for a super seasonal dinner roll! Perfect for Thanksgiving 🙂
Jessica @ Jessica in the Kitchen says
Oh my GOSH. I need to get me a sourdough starter, but these look so divine! I know I’ll be that person that won’t be able to stop at just two!
Sybil says
Oh YUM! I probably shouldn’t be reading while hungry, but I’m so tempted to take the day off to make these right now!
Julie Rymer says
We’re us recipe for sour dough starter used in sour dough pumpkin rolls ?
Pamela says
Hey Julie, I’m unsure of what you’re asking, let me know!
Lisa Spencer says
She asked where is the recipe for the sour dough starter
Pamela says
The recipe I use for my starter is:
2 cups warm water
2 cups flour
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
And then follow usual instructions to start and ferment the starter. This takes a few days.
I store my starter in the refrigerator taking it out a day before I bake with it and then feed it accordingly.
Lorinda case says
You start a sourdough culture by mixing equal parts water and flour. You put it in a jar and cover it with a coffee filter and rubber band and leave it on your counter. Start with a couple tablespoons of flour and water. Every single day you must feed it. After a few weeks to a month it will be pretty bubbly and smell sour. Use this live culture to make bread, pancakes, and rolls. If you get tired of it, put it in the refrigerator and feed once a week on your counter over night. Then place back in the refrigerator. Otherwise keep it on your counter and feed and water every day.
John/Kitchen Riffs says
Freshly baked bread or rolls are a real weakness of mine! So I’d eat more than my share of this recipe. This looks seriously good — thanks.