Soft, tender, and bursting with pumpkin flavor, these Pumpkin Buns are the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving, and they’ll make your home smell incredible!
Looking for a sourdough twist? Try my Sourdough Pumpkin Rolls, made with a sourdough starter, pumpkin spice, and a sweet buttery honey glaze.
Searching for a Thanksgiving showstopper? My pumpkin challah is beautifully braided and perfect to serve along a holiday dinner!
Ingredients and Substitutions
All-Purpose Flour: Use white all-purpose flour for soft, fluffy buns. If you’d like, you can substitute 1 cup of white flour with whole wheat—just add 1 tablespoon more milk if you do.
Sugar: You can use caster, granulated, or brown sugar.
Pumpkin Puree: Use your favorite pumpkin puree. If you’re using homemade pumpkin puree, be aware that it may have more moisture than store-bought. You might need to add a bit more flour to balance out the extra moisture.
Tip: If you’re in the mood for sweet pumpkin buns, you can substitute pumpkin puree with pumpkin pie filling.
Milk: Skim, 2%, or whole milk all work well. For a dairy-free option, almond milk is a good alternative.
Butter: I prefer unsalted butter, but salted butter works too. For a dairy-free version, you can use vegetable, canola, or sunflower oil.
Yeast: I use instant dry yeast, but if you’re using active dry yeast, activate it with the milk.
Pumpkin Spice: This is optional, but if you’re craving that classic pumpkin spice flavor, add 1.5 teaspoons of this mix to the dough.
Don't have pumpkin spice mix? Check out my pumpkin spice granola post to learn how I make my own.
How to Make It
This dough is easy to make, especially if you have a stand mixer. In the recipe card, you’ll get the measurements in cups and grams. Make sure to measure the flour accurately if you’re using cups.
If you’re using active dry yeast, don’t forget to activate it—just use the milk called for in the recipe instead of water. Mix the activated yeast with the wet ingredients.
Step 01. In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients: pumpkin puree, egg, milk, and melted butter.
Step 02. In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, and pumpkin spice (if using).
Step 03. Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Knead the dough with a stand mixer (using the dough hook) for 8 minutes. If kneading by hand, it should take about 10-12 minutes.
Step 04. The dough should be tacky and silky with a good windowpane at the end. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm spot for the first rise, which should take about 1 hour and 30 minutes, with the dough rising to about 85% of its original size.
On colder days, the rising time might be a bit longer. You can use your oven’s proofing function or leave the dough in the oven with the light on.
Step 05. Deflate the dough and divide it into 9, 12, or 16 equal parts, depending on the size you prefer.
Step 06. Fold each piece of dough over itself 4 to 6 times, then pinch the seams together to close, forming a small ball of dough.
Step 07. Place the balls seam-side down on a lined baking sheet or in an oven-safe dish. Cover for the second rise.
Step 08. Let them rise for about 1 hour, or until they look puffy and light. Brush the egg wash before baking.
Step 09. Preheat your oven to 350°F and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let the buns cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Tips for Perfect Buns
Use canned pumpkin puree. Homemade pumpkin puree often has more moisture than canned. If using and your dough feels too sticky during kneading, add 2 tablespoons to ¼ cup more flour. Check out the recipe video to see the dough’s ideal consistency, and be careful to not add more flour than necessary. The dough should stick to the bottom of the bowl, but not the sides.
Baking during winter. Colder kitchens can slow down the fermentation rising process when baking with yeast. If your oven has a proofing function, use it! Alternatively, you can let the dough rise in the oven with the light on (oven off).
Reheating Buns. To warm up, preheat your oven to 325°F. Brush the tops with melted butter for a soft crust, and heat them on a baking sheet or dish for 5 to 10 minutes, until they’re nice and warm.
Avoiding Dense Buns: Respect the rising time—during the first rise, the dough needs to increase by at least 80%. The second rise is only complete when the buns look puffy and feel light. Touch one of the shaped buns before the second rise—it will feel doughy and firm. After rising, it should feel much softer.
Making in Advance
You can prepare these pumpkin buns ahead of time. Mix and knead the dough, then let it rise for 20 minutes at room temperature before refrigerating it overnight. Make sure to cover it well to prevent the dough from forming a skin.
The next day, remove the dough from the fridge, divide, and shape it while it’s still cold. They should take about 2 hours to rise. Bake when they feel airy, look puffy, and have almost doubled in size.
Storing and Freezing
Let them cool completely before storing them in a bread keeper or airtight container, away from direct sunlight. They’ll stay fresh for up to a week when stored properly. The pumpkin puree helps keep these buns soft and moist longer than traditional dinner rolls.
You can also freeze them, either before or after baking, using freezer-safe bags. To freeze before baking, do so after shaping. When ready to bake, place the shaped dough in a lined baking dish, let them thaw and rise until puffy and light, then bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes.
To freeze baked buns, let them cool completely before placing them in a freezer-safe bag, squeezing out as much air as possible before sealing. In either case, they will keep for up to 3 months.
More Pumpkin Baking Recipes
Have you tried this Pumpkin Buns recipe? Please leave a 🌟 star rating in the recipe card below, I'd love to know how it went!
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Buns
Ingredients
- 420 g all-purpose flour
- 24 g sugar
- 180 g pumpkin puree
- 1 large egg
- 7 g instant dry yeast
- 5 g sea salt
- 120 g milk whole, 2% or skim
- 75 g butter unsalted, melted
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie mix optional
- 1 egg yolk for the egg wash
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients: pumpkin puree, egg, milk, and melted butter.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, instant yeast, salt, and pumpkin spice (if using).
- Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, mixing until a shaggy dough forms. Knead the dough with a stand mixer (using the dough hook) for 8 minutes. If kneading by hand, it should take about 10-12 minutes.
- The dough should be tacky and silky with a good windowpane at the end. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm spot for the first rise, which should take about 1 hour and 30 minutes, with the dough rising to about 85% of its original size.
- On colder days, the rising time might be a bit longer. You can use your oven’s proofing function or leave the dough in the oven with the light on.
- Deflate the dough and divide it into 9, 12, or 16 equal parts, depending on the size you prefer.
- Fold each piece of dough over itself 4 to 6 times, then pinch the seams together to close, forming a small ball of dough.
- Place the balls seam-side down on a lined baking sheet or in an oven-safe dish. Let them rise for about 1 hour, or until they look puffy and light.
- Just before baking, brush the top of the buns with the egg yolk.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Let the buns cool for 10 minutes before serving.
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