These stuffed pumpkin dinner rolls are perfect for any fall festivity. They are soft with a hint of pumpkin flavor and chocolate filling, and your family will LOVE these pumpkin dinner rolls!
Dinner rolls? Yum
Pumpkin dinner rolls? Even better
Stuffed pumpkin dinner rolls? Yes, please!
With chocolate hazelnut filling? Shut the front door!
For real! These stuffed pumpkin dinner rolls are not just cute but simply the best. But, what is it? Some people refer to these pumpkin dinner rolls as pumpkin buns because of the shape that looks like bread buns or steamed buns. Doesn’t matter you name them pumpkin buns or pumpkin dinner rolls, they will be perfect for any fall festivity. These rolls are soft with a hint of pumpkin flavor and chocolate, and surprisingly easy to make.
The ingredients
You will need ingredients that you can find easily in major grocery stores. And you will need
- Pumpkin puree. You will need 1 cup of pumpkin puree. See below on how to get pumpkin puree from scratch
- Yeast. Be sure to use good dry yeast or your dinner rolls may not be alive and well
- Milk. Use warm milk
- Butter. Unsalted butter, softened
- Egg
- Flour and you will need all-purpose flour
- Pecans, hazelnuts, chocolate for the filling. You can also substitute hazelnuts with macadamia, walnuts, almonds, or any nuts
- Honey, sugar for the filling. You can substitute honey with maple syrup
- Salt
Latest Recipes
How to make pumpkin dinner rolls
- Pour warm milk into a large bowl, add the cooked pumpkin puree, soft butter and egg white. The yolk will be needed a little later. Mix the dough well
- Add sugar and salt to the bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves and pour in the dry yeast
- Sift the flour and add to the dough. Then knead the dough until it gets soft and elastic. Cover it with a damp towel and leave for 10-15 minutes. Then, transfer the dough into the bowl, cover with a damp towel and let it stand in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size
- Prepare the filling for the buns. Grind hazelnuts, honey, and chocolate into a homogeneous mass
- When the dough has come up, punch the dough and pull it out of the bowl. Knead it well again and divide it into 10-15 equal parts
- Get a dough, flatten it on a wooden board dusted with a little flour. Add a teaspoon of filling in the center, then form round bun or dinner roll. Poke the center with your finger to give a deep indentation. Repeat with the rest of the dough
- With a pairing knife, cut 8 slices around each ball. Don’t slice all the way into the center to make the pumpkin shape
- Place them, 2-inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat. Let them rise again until they become double in volume, about 45 minutes
- Mix the yolk and a few spoonfuls of water and grease the rolls. Sprinkle the rolls lightly with sugar and bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and insert the pecan slices on the center of the rolls to mimic the stem.
How to make pumpkin puree from scratch
- Wash and cut the pumpkin
- Cover the baking dish with foil, and put the sliced pumpkin into it. Cover the top with another sheet of foil. Bake at 230°C for about 30-40 minutes, until the pumpkin pieces are soft and can be easily crushed with a fork. The baking time will vary depending on the type and maturity of the pumpkin. (Instead of baking, you can cook pumpkin for a couple, but baked pumpkin will be more delicious. You can also use canned pumpkin puree)
- The baked pumpkin is thoroughly crushed in a blender or crushed to a puree
Kitchen notes
Make the dough ahead of time and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to work on it, bring the dough to room temperature and proceed to the next step. Be sure to punch down the dough when you bring it to room temperature so there’s no trapped gas.
If you plan to freeze the dough, freeze the dough after the dough has been shaped into pumpkins, but don’t brush the butter. Cover immediately with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 2 months.
Not a fan of chocolate? Use cinnamon butter instead!
Best way to enjoy stuffed pumpkin dinner rolls
You can pair these dinner rolls with wedang jahe, cold brew, or pumpkin spice latte.
These stuffed pumpkin dinner rolls are so adorable and they would look absolutely beautiful on any holiday table!
Stuffed Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- ⅔ cup warm milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 egg separated
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dry yeast
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
For the filling
- 1-2 cups toasted hazelnuts
- ½ cup chocolate such as Nutella spread of mini chocolate chips
- Honey or sugar
- 10-15 pecans
Instructions
Pumpkin puree
- Wash and cut the pumpkin
- Cover the baking dish with foil, and put the sliced pumpkin into it. Cover the top with another sheet of foil. Bake at 230°C for about 30-40 minutes, until the pumpkin pieces are soft and can be easily crushed with a fork. The baking time will vary depending on the type and maturity of the pumpkin. (Instead of baking, you can cook pumpkin for a couple, but baked pumpkin will be more delicious. You can also use canned pumpkin puree)
- The baked pumpkin is thoroughly crushed in a blender or crushed to a puree
Form the dough
- Pour warm milk into a large bowl, add the cooked pumpkin puree, soft butter and egg white. The yolk will be needed a little later. Mix the dough well
- Add sugar and salt to the bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves and pour in the dry yeastSift the flour and add to the dough. Then knead the dough until it gets soft and elastic. Cover it with a damp towel and leave for 10-15 minutes. Then, transfer the dough into the bowl, cover with a damp towel and let it stand in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size
Chocolate filling
- Grind hazelnuts, honey, and chocolate into a homogeneous mass
- When the dough has come up, punch the dough and pull it out of the bowl. Knead it well again and divide it into 10-15 equal parts
- Get a dough, flatten it on a wooden board dusted with a little flour. Add a teaspoon of filling in the center, then form a round bun or dinner roll. Poke the center with your finger to give a deep indentation. Repeat with the rest of the dough
- With a pairing knife, cut 8 slices around each ball. Don't slice all the way into the center to make the pumpkin shape
- Place them, 2-inch apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or baking mat. Let them rise again until they become double in volume, about 45 minutes
Bake the dinner rolls
- Mix the yolk and a few spoonfuls of water and grease the rolls. Sprinkle the rolls lightly with sugar and bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Insert the pecan slices on the center of the rolls to mimic the stem.
Debra says
Oh, I couldn’t love these more! First of all…how cute? And the chocolate hazelnut filling is a bonus/surprise….everyone adored them.
Gloria says
These have got to be the cutest thing ever. What a great presentation for the holiday dinner table. I know these will not last long with my guests.
Rob says
These rolls are so cute and unique, and perfect for Thanksgiving. The filling is such a delicious and unexpected addition!
Bernice says
These pumpkin rolls are just way too cute. They would look wonderful on any Thanksgiving table and do double duty as a decoration and delicious bun.
Toni says
These are really amazing dinner rolls! My whole family loved it.
Natalie says
I will make them for Thanksgiving. These rolls look fab! The texture is so amazing and I love added pumpkin.