Vegan Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Soft, fluffy and buttery vegan pumpkin dinner rolls that are easy to make and use only 6 key ingredients! These rolls are the perfect dinner side in Fall and Winter.

This recipe combines two of my popular yeast bread recipes, my vegan brioche buns and vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

Simple pantry ingredients & substitutions

To make the pumpkin bread buns, you'll need:

Notes about the ingredients

All-purpose or bread flour. Bread flour results in slightly taller buns that are more similar to regular sandwich bread. You can also use whole wheat or spelt flour, though it'd make your pumpkin rolls denser.

Vegan block butter. Alternatively, you can use vegan butter spread (margarine) but you may have to decrease the amount of milk that you use.

Pumpkin puree. This recipe works well with both canned and homemade pumpkin puree. Note that pumpkin puree varies a lot with consistency and flavor so you may need to add more or less flour (or sugar), as needed.

Sugar of choice, such as granulated, brown, coconut or even maple syrup! Even though these pumpkin dinner rolls are savory, we need a little sugar to help feed the yeast and for flavor.

Instant dry yeast (or rapid-rise yeast) is the easiest yeast to use! Alternatively, you can use regular yeast.

Pumpkin spice (optional) for extra Fall flavor. This is a combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves and I've provided a homemade recipe for it in the recipe card.

A complete list of ingredients, quantities and instructions are in the gray recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Preparing the dough for the pumpkin buns

If you're using instant yeast, simply add all the ingredients to a large bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer!

If you're using active dry yeast (or another type), mix it with the warm milk from the recipe to activate it (shown in image #1). When the mixture bubbles, add the remaining ingredients to your mixing bowl.

Initially, the dough will be quite sticky and shaggy (like image #3 below). However, when you knead the dough for longer, it'll come together. Kneading strengthens the gluten strands in the dough which helps it stay in one piece! If your dough is still sticky or dry, add more flour or milk as needed.

How to tell when the dough has been kneaded enough

For the best vegan pumpkin dinner rolls that are soft and fluffy, make sure you knead your dough for long enough!

Your dough is ready when:

• It doesn't stick to the side of the bowl or your kneading surface. It should be tacky but not sticky.
• It feels soft, stretchy and elastic
• Optional: It passes the 'windowpane' test. This is where you stretch a piece of the dough to create a 'window' and it doesn't break (shown in image #5). In saying that, your bread rolls will still bake well without passing this test.

First rise for the dough

Once you've made the dough, let it rest in a bowl in a warm spot in your home!

As this dough is enriched with butter, we need to keep the dough warm enough so it can rise. King Arthur Baking recommends that dough is left at 24°C to 26°F (75°F to 78°F) for a rise over 1-2 hours. If your home is colder, it'll take longer for the dough to rise.

When the dough doubles in size (or thereabouts) you can go ahead and shape your vegan pumpkin dinner rolls!

Tips for shaping your rolls or buns

Divide your dough into 12 equal parts and shape them into balls. You can be as rough or fussy as you want. Honestly, it doesn't matter what your buns look like!

For extra smooth dinner rolls, you can:

1. On one side of the dough, stretch and fold all the end bits to the centre and pinch them together. Keep doing this until the underneath is smooth and taut.
2. Turn your dinner roll upside down revealing the smooth surface. Clasp your hand over the dinner roll, and gently push and roll until it's completely smooth.

For a step-by-step guide on how to shape bread rolls, check out Baking Mad's Youtube video.

Second rise

Once you've shaped the rolls, we need to rest them again to allow the gluten to settle. After around 1 hour, the buns will become puffy again and will be ready to bake!

Shortcuts for quick vegan dinner rolls!

If you're in a rush or just don't have the time to wait for the dough to rise, here are a few shortcuts:

1. Use instant dried yeast as it makes the dough rise quicker compared to using other types of yeast.
2. Skip the first rise of the dough. Once you've prepared the dough, go ahead and shape the pumpkin buns. However, you'll still need to rest the dough after they've been shaped.
3. Make the dough the day before and let it rise in an airtight container in the fridge overnight. Remove the dough from the fridge and when it's soft enough, you can shape the dough into buns.

Customizing these pumpkin rolls

These rolls as is, are perfect for Thanksgiving dinner or dinner in Fall! However, they are very easy to customize.

To make sweeter pumpkin bread rolls ideal for breakfast, use 4 tablespoons of your sweetener of choice. After baking, you can sprinkle them with coarse sugar and serve them with vegan cream cheese! Alternatively, check out my vegan pumpkin cinnamon rolls.

For pumpkin hamburger buns, divide the dough into only 6 parts, brush them with the maple syrup mixture and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake the buns spaced apart on a lined baking sheet. If you have burger bun rings, use them for taller buns!

For healthier vegan pumpkin dinner rolls, use whole wheat flour and softened coconut oil instead of butter. Whole wheat flour is more absorbent than all-purpose so you may need to add extra liquid to get a soft dough. I also recommend adding extra salt to mimic that buttery flavor.

Expert Tips

More vegan pumpkin recipes

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