These pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are MAGICAL. They use an instant Greek yogurt and self-raising flour dough and take just 40 minutes to make. Perfectly spiced filling, gorgeously ginger cream cheese icing and a soft, simple dough. You’re going to love it.
The only thing that can make cinnamon rolls better is a cinnamon roll recipe that LITERALLY takes 40 minutes from start to finish.
Making cinnamon rolls is such a treat but it can be a lot of work. There’s the enriched brioche dough, which is tricky to make without a stand-mixer, the wait for them to rise (twice) and then the baking time. That whole process takes at least 3 hours, if not more. And sometimes you just want cinnamon rolls quickly!
And honestly, this recipe is killer. The magical Greek yogurt and self-raising flour dough strikes again and works perfectly here. It’s as simple as mixing the dough, rolling it out, filling with an incredible pumpkin spice brown sugar mix, then rolling it up and baking. No kneading, no waiting for it to rise and these buns are SO delicious.
The filling is loaded with a packed homemade pumpkin spice mix (think cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice, ginger, cloves and cardamom) and then we’re going in with a very gingery cream cheese frosting once they’re out of the oven. The result is a warming, comforting soft and gooey cinnamon roll that is just as good as the classic.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It takes just 40 minutes, from start to finish.
- No kneading, no waiting for the rolls to rise.
- You don’t need any fancy equipment.
Ingredients
Along with the magical dough, there are a few key ingredients that spice up the buns and all are easy to find.
- The dough. We’re using my favourite Greek yogurt and self-raising flour dough here. If you don’t have self-raising flour, just use plain flour and add 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
- The filling. We’ll make a quick homemade pumpkin spice mix with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and all spice, then mix that with softened butter and brown sugar (use white sugar if you can’t find any). If you don’t have some of the spices don’t worry too much – you can get away with leaving a couple out and they’ll still be glorious. Equally, you can use a store-bought pumpkin spice mix.
- The icing. We’re going for a classic cream cheese icing with a twist. That twist is stem ginger in syrup. It adds a delicious, spiced warmed to the icing that perfectly complements the filling. We’ll also need butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract.
PRO TIP: Make sure you’re using a thick Greek yogurt for the dough. It needs to be thick to create a strong dough that’s easy to work with. A thin, natural yogurt won’t work here.
How to make them
Start by making the dough. Add the self-raising flour and Greek yogurt to a bowl and mix to combine. Once it’s formed large, floury lumps, go in with your hands and bring it together into a cohesive dough. Set it aside and cover it with a tea towel while you make the pumpkin spice filling. That’s as easy as mixing your spices with butter and sugar until a paste forms.
Lightly flour a flat surface, then use a rolling pin to roll your dough into a rough rectangle, about 45cm long and 30cm wide. Try to keep the edges even, but don’t worry if they’re not (mine certainly aren’t). Spread the pumpkin spice filling evenly all over the dough, then tightly roll the long side up so you’re left with a long dough sausage. Use a bread knife or serrated knife to cut the sausage into 8 roughly equal pieces. Line a small oven dish or cake tin with baking paper, then pop the pieces inside, leaving a little space in between each. Bake for 30 minutes, until the buns are golden brown and the filling is bubbling.
While the buns are baking, make the ginger cream cheese icing. Get the cream cheese, icing sugar and softened butter in a large bowl and use an electric whisk (or use a hand whisk) to whip it into a smooth icing. Add the stem ginger and vanilla extract and whip again until they’re mixed through. Let the buns sit for about 10 minutes before you ice them if you can, then dig in!
Got a question?
Of course! Just use 2 tablespoons of cinnamon in the filling, rather than the pumpkin spice mix. You can leave out the ginger in the icing if you like, but I think it works beautifully with plain cinnamon rolls too.
They will keep well for 3 days in a sealed container at room temperature – pop them in the microwave for about 20 seconds after the first day though, just to freshen them up.
This is most likely due to the yogurt you’ve used. You really need to use a proper, thick Greek yogurt here or the dough will be sloppy, sticky and hard to work with. You can add flour to make it workable, but that will result in a dense and doughy finished product. Natural yogurt won’t cut it here.
Yes! I’ve had great results using a fat free Greek yogurt, just again, make sure it’s still nice and thick.
1 dough, many ways
If you like this recipe, I’ve developed others that use this same, amazing flour and Greek yogurt dough. From quick pizza to cheese and herb scones and bagels, it’s truly incredible what this dough can do.
If you enjoyed this recipe, here are some other sweet recipes you might like
If you make these cinnamon rolls, let me know in the comments below! I’d love to hear what you think.
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Easy Pumpkin Spice Cinnamon Rolls (No Yeast + No Knead)
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 rolls 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These pumpkin spice cinnamon rolls are truly MAGICAL. They use an instant Greek yogurt and self-raising flour dough and take only 40 minutes to make. Perfectly spiced filling, gorgeously ginger cream cheese icing and a soft, simple dough. You’re going to love it.
Remember, if you’re looking for cup measurements, just use the ‘Units’ section below and click on ‘US’.
Ingredients
For the dough –
- 300g self-raising flour (or use plain flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder)
- 280g thick, Greek yogurt
For the pumpkin spice filling –
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon all spice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 90g butter, softened
- 100g dark brown sugar (or use regular brown sugar or white sugar)
For the ginger cream cheese icing –
- 100g cream cheese, at room temperature
- 60g butter, softened
- 75g icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 pieces of stem ginger in syrup, finely chopped
Instructions
- Make the dough. Start by lining a small oven dish or cake tin with baking paper, and heat your oven to 200C fan. Add the 300g self-raising flour and 280g Greek yogurt into a large bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture resembles large floury lumps. At this stage, get your hands in there and mix it into a rough, cohesive dough. I like to kind of smash the mixture together to break up the lumps of yogurt and bring everything together. Pop back in the bowl and cover with a tea towel while you make the pumpkin spice filling.
- Make the pumpkin spice filling. Add 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon all spice and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the softened butter and dark brown sugar, then mix with a wooden spoon or spatula into a thick paste.
- Roll out the dough. Dust a flat surface with a little flour to help stop the dough sticking, then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle, roughly 45cm long and 30cm wide. Don’t worry if your edges are uneven, it’ll be fine. Smooth the pumpkin spice filling out all over the dough. I like to use a knife or the back of a spoon to do this.
- Roll up the dough. Tightly roll up the dough along the long edge, so you’re left with a long sausage shape. Slice the sausage into 8 roughly equal pieces. Place the cinnamon rolls into the lined dish or cake tin, with the filling side exposed. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes. PRO TIP: Use a serrated or bread knife to cut the cinnamon rolls, and I like to lightly mark the 8 pieces on the dough sausage before I start cutting, so it’s easier to know where to cut to get roughly equal pieces.
- Make the cream cheese icing. While the buns are baking, add 100g of cream cheese, 75g icing sugar and 60g softened butter into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand whisk (or a hand held whisk), whip the mix into a smooth, creamy icing. Add the chopped stem ginger pieces and the vanilla extract, then whisk again until they’re incorporated. Set aside.
- Ice the cinnamon rolls. After 30 minutes, the rolls should be looking gorgeously golden, and the filling should be bubbling around the edges. At this point, take them out of the oven. If you can wait, let them sit for about 10 minutes before smoothing the icing all over the top of the buns (this will prevent the icing just melting away into the hot buns). Again, I like to use a knife or the back of a spoon to do this. And you’re done! You can finish with a little dusting of more pumpkin spice if you like, and eat while warm and gooey.
Notes
Use a store bought pumpkin spice mix if you like – and don’t worry if you’re missing some of the spices listed. They’ll still taste gorgeous.
Make sure you’re using a thick Greek or Greek style yogurt here – plain, natural yogurt tends to be too runny for this dough and you’ll end up having to add lots more flour (which will result in dense cinnamon rolls). Fat-free Greek yogurt works really well, as does sour cream.
The rolls will keep for 3 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Just give them a quick 20 second blast in the microwave to freshen them up after the first day.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: baking
- Method: oven
- Cuisine: american
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
Keywords: cinnamon rolls, pumpkin spice buns, cinnamon buns
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