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Bring a playful twist to your Halloween breakfast table with these adorable pumpkin shaped cinnamon rolls. With store-bought dough, a touch of creativity and some colorful icing, you can transform everyday rolls into festive pumpkin treats. These are perfect for a Halloween brunch. They look impressive, but they’re simple enough that anyone can whip them up with minimal effort. No advanced baking skills required, just some basic supplies and a little icing magic.
These pumpkin shaped cinnamon rolls use pre-made dough and food coloring to create fun Halloween treats. They’re simple, tasty and perfect for spooky mornings.
Thanksgiving turkey cookies are also a lot of fun to make. And you might want to try pumpkin s’mores cookies or a pumpkin spice latte.
Why You’ll Love It
So easy to make: No fancy baking skills needed, just roll, pinch and bake.
Festive and fun: These look just like mini pumpkins on your table.
Kid friendly: Kids love helping with the icing and shaping.
Customizable: You can tweak the colors or add spooky faces if you like.
Perfect for Halloween brunch: Serve these for a cozy seasonal breakfast.
Easy Pumpkin Shaped Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Cinnamon roll dough: Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls make the perfect base.
Icing sugar: Used to make the colored icing for decorating.
Milk: Helps create the smooth texture in the icing.
Food coloring, gel: Green and orange create the pumpkin look.
How to Make Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Shape the dough: Slightly unroll the cinnamon rolls and pinch to form pumpkin stems.
Secure the shape: Use toothpicks to hold the pinched shape in place.
Bake: Bake on a lined sheet until golden and cooked through.
Make the orange icing: Mix icing sugar, milk and orange dye until smooth.
Decorate the pumpkins: Spoon orange icing over the pumpkin body, avoiding the stem.
Make the green icing: Mix a new batch with green dye.
Finish the stems: Spoon green icing over the stem portion carefully.
Dry: Let them sit until the icing sets.
Substitutions and Variations
Gluten free option: Use gluten free cinnamon roll dough instead (maybe this one!)
Use the included icing: Add dye to the frosting that comes with the rolls instead of making your own.
Try other food dye brands: Shades may vary slightly, but the results will still be cute.
Add faces: Use melted chocolate or icing to draw spooky pumpkin faces if liked.
Serving Suggestions
With a drink: Enjoy an iced gingerbread latte or medicine ball tea with your pumpkin rolls.
For brunch: Pair them with a biscuit breakfast sandwich, fried egg sandwich or breakfast burrito.
How to Store Pumpkin Shape Cinnamon Rolls
Store: Keep them for a day or 2 at room temperature or in the fridge for 5 or 6 days.
Freeze: For longer storage, you can freeze these. First wrap them individually in plastic wrap, and then in aluminum foil or put them in a freezer-safe bag.
Thaw: Defrost in the refrigerator overnight or leave them at room temperature for an hour or so.
Top Tips
Use toothpicks for shape: The stems won’t hold without them.
Let them cool first: Don’t ice while hot or your colors will run and fade.
Direct the icing: Use a spoon to guide the icing for better coverage.
Separate the colors: Don’t let orange and green mix or you’ll end up with brown.
Pillsbury Shaped Cinnamon Roll FAQs
They should be golden on top and baked through in the center.
Yes, but you’ll miss the pumpkin effect.
Yes, just supervise the baking and icing steps.
Pumpkin Shaped Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Pumpkin Shaped Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 Can cinnamon rolls dough, I used Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 ½ Cups icing sugar
- 1 ½ Tablespoons milk
- 5 Drops food coloring gel, green
- 5 Drops food coloring gel, orange
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line an average sized baking sheet with parchment paper.
Prepare and Bake the Cinnamon Rolls
- Place the cinnamon rolls on the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart, with the end of the cinnamon roll facing to the left.
- Grip the end of the cinnamon roll and gently unroll it about 3 inches. Pinch it at the top of the cinnamon roll and make a little peak, about ½ an inch in height. Roll the rest of the flap like normal.
- Secure the middle of the pinch with a toothpick. Repeat for all cinnamon rolls.
- Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until cooked through.
- Remove and let cool fully.
Make and Add the Icing
- Once cooled, place 1 cup of the powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon of the milk in a small mixing bowl and mix thoroughly. You don’t want your icing to be too thin, you want it nice and thick, but still runny enough it will coat things well.
- Add the orange dye and mix until no streaks appear.
- Slowly and carefully spoon the orange onto the rolled portion of the cinnamon rolls, being careful to direct it with the spoon to cover every visible part of the roll. Don't cover the visibly peaked part you created with the toothpick.
- Place the rest of the milk and powdered sugar in a separate bowl and mix well.
- Add the green food dye to the bowl and mix until no streaks appear.
- Using a clean spoon, coat the stem portion that was covered by the orange icing. Direct the icing as you did with the orange and be sure it covers every portion of the pumpkin stem.
Let Them Dry
- Allow the cinnamon rolls to sit and dry for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
Let them cool first: Don’t ice while hot or your colors will run and fade.
Direct the icing: Use a spoon to guide the icing for better coverage.
Separate the colors: Don’t let orange and green mix or you’ll end up with brown.
Nutrition
Pumpkin shaped cinnamon rolls are a super fun way to add some holiday spirit to your breakfast table. You only need a few ingredients and some basic shaping skills to pull off this cute idea. From spooky brunches to Halloween morning surprises, these festive cinnamon rolls are always a hit. These sweet pumpkins made from Pillsbury Grand Cinnamon Rolls taste just as good as they look, and they’ll disappear fast once served.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
These pumpkin-shaped cinnamon rolls are adorable! They made my breakfast so festive and fun!
Just adorable. I made them for my daughter’s birthday last week and everyone loved them
I was a bit nervous making these because they look like something from a professional bakery but my concerns were unfounded because these were so easy and mine came out looking just like the ones in your photos. I made them for family brunch last week when my son came home from university because I know cinnamon buns are his favorites and he loved them and so did everyone else, so thank you for this wonderful recipe.
These are so cute! My kids would love them