Pumpkin Caramel Sticky Buns with Pecans have a pillowy-soft interior with a combination of velvety glaze and crunch from sweet, buttery pecans. This easy-to-follow recipe is a great pumpkin dish for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. The maple syrup-based pecan glaze is not only indulgent but all-natural. Since this recipe uses an entire can of pumpkin puree, you’ll appreciate how efficient it is. Your family will love how delicious pumpkin you’ve made pumpkin season.
*This recipe post was originally published in October 2020. I’ve updated the article, images, and added metric measurements in the recipe card.*
What Are Sticky Buns?
Sticky buns are sweet rolls of dough that may or may not contain nuts but are baked on top of a sweet glaze. The main difference between sticky buns and cinnamon rolls is the pan glaze that sticky buns are baked in. Cinnamon rolls usually have a filling of cinnamon and sugar and a cream cheese (or similar) frosting without a glaze and are baked without nuts.
Sticky buns are usually baked in a “sticky glaze” of honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup. On the contrary, cinnamon rolls are often topped after baking. Sweet rolls are similar to cinnamon rolls in that way, though they often have some added ingredient, usually fruits. Honey buns are similar to sticky buns; however, they usually don’t contain nuts and exclusively have a honey topping.
What Ingredients Do I Need To Make Pumpkin Dough?
To make pumpkin sweet dough, you need active dry yeast, whole milk, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, kosher salt, a large egg, pumpkin puree, all-purpose flour, and pumpkin spice blend.
You can use store bought canned pumpkin puree or use my recipe for making it at home. Store bought pumpkin puree tends to be on the watery side, as a result, you might have looser dough if you use that instead of homemade. You can replace the pumpkin puree with sweet potato puree and make sweet potato sticky buns instead. The homemade pumpkin spice blend can also be replaced with a jarred version.
How Do I Make The Pumpkin Sweet Dough?
Warm the milk to 110°F (40°C) in the microwave or stovetop. Since yeast is a living organism that dies in scalding-hot milk, the milk can’t be too hot. You can replace the active dry yeast in this recipe with instant yeast. Instead of blooming it in the milk, add it straight to the flour mixture later and skip this step.
Combine the active dry yeast, a teaspoon (4 grams) of the sugar from the recipe, and the warmed milk in a small bowl using a rubber spatula or spoon. Allow the yeast to bloom in the warm milk for 5 minutes (or until it’s foamy). After 2-3 minutes, the yeast will foam and move around in the milk. It will also emit a scent similar to beer. If none of these things happen, your yeast is dead, and you need to begin again with fresh, live yeast.
Stir together the all-purpose flour and pumpkin pie spice blend in a separate bowl and set that bowl aside.
Add the room-temperature butter, the remaining sugar, egg, and salt to the stand mixer bowl. Blend these together at low speed (“stir” on a KitchenAid) for 1 minute. After 1 minute, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Increase the mixing speed to medium (4 on a KitchenAid) and beat the ingredients for 4 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater once during this 4-minute step.
Add the pumpkin puree and the bloomed yeast mixture to the bowl and blend it at low speed for 1 minute or until combined. The mixture will look curdled because the pumpkin, butter, and egg are causing an imbalance of fat and water. This is normal.
How Long Does The Pumpkin Dough Need To Rise?
Add most of the all-purpose flour and the pumpkin spice blend to the ingredients in the bowl. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and begin kneading the dough together at the lowest speed.
Once most of the flour is absorbed, increase the mixer’s speed to medium (4 on a KitchenAid). Most mixers tell you to knead only on 2, but I prefer 4 because it develops the right amount of gluten.
Knead the dough for ten minutes. The pumpkin dough should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl and cling to the dough hook after 2-3 minutes. If it doesn’t, add the remaining all-purpose flour to the bowl and knead the pumpkin dough for the remaining 10 minutes.
Remove the pumpkin sweet dough from the bowl of the stand mixer after 10 minutes of kneading. Spray non-stick canola or baking spray inside the mixing bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Spray the surface of the dough and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or tea towel.
Allow the dough to rise in a warm kitchen area for 1 hour. The 1 hour rise time gives the yeast a chance to feed on the sugar in the dough and create gases that help it rise.
How Far Ahead Can I Make The Dough For The Caramel Sticky Buns?
You can make the pumpkin sweet dough for sticky buns 2 months ahead and freeze it after the first rise. After it rises, punch down the dough and store it in a lightly oiled food storage bag in the freezer.
Thaw the frozen pumpkin sweet dough for 24 hours in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.
What Do I Need To Make The Caramel Pecan Glaze?
To make the caramel-pecan pan glaze for the pumpkin sticky buns, you need pure maple syrup, chopped pecans, unsalted butter, brown sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt.
You also need a heavy-bottomed pan with sloping sides to cook the caramel.
Can I Replace The Maple Syrup With Something Else?
Please use pure maple syrup for this recipe and not “pancake syrup.” Pancake syrup is high fructose corn syrup with maple flavoring added. It tastes worlds apart from the real thing. I despise pancake syrup so much that I’d rather you cut out the middle man and replace the maple syrup with corn syrup (light or dark) instead of it.
Add the syrup, brown sugar, butter, and kosher salt to a pot. Heat the ingredients together over medium heat while constantly stirring until the contents of the pan begin to steam, or 4 minutes. Once the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts forming bubbles on the edges, turn off the heat.
Stir in the chopped pecans and remove the pan from the stove.
Can I Replace The Pecans In This Pumpkin Caramel Sticky Bun Recipe?
You can replace the pecans in this sticky bun recipe with your favorite nuts. Walnuts, hazelnuts (filberts), or almonds would taste great in place of the pecans.
Pour the contents of the pot into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13x3 inch baking dish. Use a rubber spatula to carefully spread the caramel pecan pan glaze in an even layer at the bottom of the baking dish.
Set the dish aside on the counter while you mix the pumpkin cinnamon filling.
What Do I Need To Make The Pumpkin Spice Filling?
To make the pumpkin cinnamon filling for the sticky buns, you need unsalted butter, brown sugar, the rest of the pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice blend, all-purpose flour, and kosher salt. The all-purpose flour gives structure to the filling and prevents it from curdling too much from the water in the pumpkin puree. You can replace it with an almond meal, whole wheat flour, or cake flour.
Add the butter, brown sugar, and kosher salt to a medium bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the butter-sugar mixture on low for 1 minute. Next, add the all-purpose flour, pumpkin spice blend, and pumpkin puree to the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend these ingredients together at low speed for 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl once again.
This time, increase the mixing speed to medium and beat the pumpkin-sugar filling for 2 minutes. The finished filling will look slightly curdled but still hold its shape with the beaters removed from the bowl. Store the bowl of pumpkin filling in the refrigerator while you wait for the pumpkin sweet dough to finish rising.
How Do I Form The Pumpkin Rolls?
Punch down the pumpkin sweet dough after the rising time is finished to expel the gases that have built up. Flip the bowl upside down over the dough and allow it to rest on the counter for 15 minutes. Storing the dough under the inverted bowl keeps it from drying out while it rests.
Lightly flour a work surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a 24×18-inch rectangle. The dough should be about 1/8″ thick.
Use an off-set spatula to stir the pumpkin-sugar filling, then spread it over the surface of the rectangle dough, leaving a 1″ margin on one long end. You will seal the dough with that uncovered margin after rolling it up.
Tightly roll the dough into a cylinder, beginning on the long end without the uncovered margin. Once you reach the margin, pinch the seam against the body of the roll to seal it.
Position the dough so the pinched seam is on the bottom.
Use a very sharp, thin knife to slice the pumpkin log into 12 slices of equal width. Arrange the pumpkin dough slices in the caramel-pecan glaze at the bottom of the baking dish.
How Long Does The Second Rise Take?
Cover the dish with a clean kitchen towel and allow the sliced pumpkin rolls to rise again for 45 minutes. The second rise of pumpkin sweet dough is only 45 minutes because you don’t want the rolls to overproof and then deflate. That leads to a dense, stodgy pumpkin sticky bun.
Can I Freeze The Pumpkin Sticky Buns Before Baking?
Heat your oven while you’re waiting for the pumpkin rolls to rise a second time.
If you want to make these pumpkin caramel sticky buns ahead, you can freeze them before this second rise. Just wrap the pan in a layer or two of plastic wrap and one layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Freeze the rolls for 2 months. Thaw the frozen pumpkin sticky buns in the refrigerator for 24 hours before removing them and allowing them to warm and proof for 1 1/2 hours. The added proofing time compensates for the chill on the dough since it’s been refrigerated.
How Long Do I Bake Pumpkin Sticky Buns?
Bake the pumpkin sticky buns at 350°F (170°C) for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow the pumpkin sticky buns to cool in it for at least 10 minutes if you plan to flip them out. You can serve the pumpkin sticky buns straight from the pan and scoop up the pan glaze with a flat spatula, or flip them out like a cake and serve them with the maple pecan caramel glaze on top. Allow the pan to sit inverted for 5 minutes to ensure all of the pan glaze drips down onto the top of the pumpkin sweet rolls.
How Do I Serve Them?
Whether or not you serve the pumpkin caramel sticky buns upside-down or right-side up, you will enjoy them. To serve these as a breakfast or brunch bread, add fresh fruit juice, sliced fruits, yogurt, bacon, and/or a cup of coffee.
Pumpkin sticky buns also make a fantastic dessert. Just serve them slightly warmed in the microwave. Dare I say a scoop of vanilla frozen custard would make them everything.
How Do I Store Leftover Pumpkin Caramel Sticky Buns?
Store leftover pumpkin sticky buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
To give sticky buns fresh baked flavor, heat them in the microwave on high for 20 seconds.
Can I Freeze Them After Baking Them?
To freeze pumpkin sticky buns, turn them out of the baking dish 10 minutes after you remove them from the oven. Transfer the entire batch to a freezer-safe storage container, or store them individually to make an easy, grab-and-go breakfast.
Freeze the sticky buns for 2 months. Thaw frozen pumpkin sticky buns at room temperature in an airtight container vented slightly to allow the condensation to escape. Reheat and enjoy.
Can I Make These Overnight Pumpkin Caramel Sticky Buns?
To make overnight pumpkin caramel sticky buns, arrange the rolls in the caramel-pecan glaze in the baking dish. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.
Put the unwrapped pan in a cold oven. Allow it to warm in the cold oven for 20 minutes before turning it on to 350°F (170°C). Set a timer to 25 minutes after the oven comes to temperature, as indicated by the beep it lets off. Bake the pumpkin sweet rolls for 25 minutes and check them. Once they’re golden brown and have an internal temperature of 190°F (90°C), remove the pan from the oven.
Pumpkin Caramel Sticky Buns are a tasty way to welcome pumpkin season. Any recipe that uses an entire can of pumpkin puree is alright in my book. Topping them with pure maple syrup and pecan glaze makes this pumpkin sticky buns recipe much greater. Pin this recipe to your breakfast or pumpkin boards, and don’t forget to share it with your world.
Pumpkin Caramel Sticky Buns with Pecans
at Sense & EdibilityEquipment
- rolling pin
- electric mixer
- stand mixer
- 9x13x3 baking dish
Ingredients
For the Pumpkin Sweet Dough
- 2 1/4 teaspoons (7 grams) active dry yeast
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar separated
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) whole milk warmed to 110°F
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) kosher salt
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 57 grams) unsalted butter
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 cup (250 grams) pumpkin puree
- 5 1/2- 6 cups (715-780 grams) all-purpose flour plus more to roll out the dough
- 1 tablespoon (6 grams) Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend
For the Maple Caramel Pan Spread
- 1 cup (350 grams) pure maple syrup
- 2/3 cup, packed (140 grams) brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick or 57 grams) unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) kosher salt
- 2 cups (230g) chopped pecans
For the Pumpkin Sugar Filling
- 1/2 cup (1 stick or 113 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup, packed (185 grams) brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (175 grams) pumpkin puree (or whatever remains in the can if using canned)
- 1/4 cup (30 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (9 grams) Pumpkin Spice Blend
Instructions
Prepare the Pumpkin Sweet Dough (Begin 2 1/2 Hours Ahead)
- Combine the active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon (4 grams) of the sugar from the recipe, and the warmed milk in a small bowl using a rubber spatula or spoon. Allow the yeast to bloom in the warm milk for 5 minutes (or until it's foamy).
- Stir together 5 cups (650 grams) of the all-purpose flour and pumpkin pie spice blend in a separate bowl and set that bowl aside. Save the remaining 1 cup (130 grams) of all-purpose flour for adding to the dough as needed.
- Add the room-temperature butter, the remaining sugar, egg, and salt to the stand mixer bowl. Blend these together at low speed ("stir" on a KitchenAid) for 1 minute. After 1 minute, stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater. Increase the mixing speed to medium (4 on a KitchenAid) and beat the ingredients for 4 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl and beater once during this 4-minute step.
- Add the pumpkin puree and the bloomed yeast mixture to the bowl and blend it at low speed for 1 minute or until combined. The mixture will look curdled because the pumpkin, butter, and egg are causing an imbalance of fat and water. This is normal.
- Remove the paddle attachment from the mixer. Scrape it and the sides of the bowl down once again.Add 5 cups (650 grams) of the all-purpose flour and the pumpkin spice blend to the ingredients in the bowl. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and begin kneading the dough together at the lowest speed.
- Once most of the flour is absorbed, increase the mixer's speed to medium (4 on a KitchenAid). Knead the dough for ten minutes. The pumpkin dough should begin to pull away from the sides of the bowl and cling to the dough hook after 2-3 minutes. If it doesn't, add the remaining all-purpose flour to the bowl and knead the pumpkin dough for the remaining 10 minutes.
Give the Pumpkin Sweet Dough Its First Rise
- Remove the pumpkin sweet dough from the bowl of the stand mixer after 10 minutes of kneading. Spray non-stick canola or baking spray inside the mixing bowl and return the dough to the bowl. Spray the surface of the dough and cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or tea towel.
- Allow the dough to rise in a warm kitchen area for 1 hour. Make the Maple Caramel pan spread and Pumpkin-Sugar Filling while the dough rises.
Make The Maple Caramel Pan Spread
- Add the maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, and kosher salt to a heavy-bottomed pot. Heat the ingredients together over medium heat while constantly stirring until the contents of the pan begin to steam, or 4 minutes.
- Once the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts forming bubbles on the edges, turn off the heat. Stir in the chopped pecans and remove the pan from the stove.
- Pour the contents of the pot into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13x3 inch baking dish. Use a rubber spatula to carefully spread the caramel pecan pan glaze in an even layer at the bottom of the baking dish. Set the dish aside on the counter while you mix the pumpkin-sugar filling.
Mix the Pumpkin-Sugar Filling
- Add the butter, brown sugar, and kosher salt to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the butter-sugar mixture on low speed for 1 minute.
- Add the remaining pumpkin puree, all-purpose flour, and pumpkin spice blend to the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and blend these ingredients together at low speed for 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl once again.
- Increase the mixing speed to medium and beat the pumpkin-sugar filling for 2 minutes. The finished filling will look slightly curdled but still hold its shape with the beaters removed from the bowl. Store the bowl of pumpkin filling in the refrigerator while you wait for the pumpkin sweet dough to finish rising.
Roll Out, Fill, then Roll the Pumpkin Sticky Buns
- Punch down the pumpkin sweet dough after the rising time is finished to expel the gases that have built up. Flip the bowl upside down over the dough and allow it to rest on the counter for 15 minutes.
- Lightly flour a work surface and use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough into a 24x18-inch rectangle. The dough should be about 1/8" thick.
- Use an off-set spatula to stir the pumpkin-sugar filling, then spread it over the surface of the rectangle dough, leaving a 1" margin on one long end. This allows you to seal the log after rolling it up. Tightly roll the dough into a cylinder, beginning on the long end without the uncovered margin. Once you reach the margin, pinch the seam against the body of the roll to seal it. Position the dough so the pinched seam is on the bottom.
- Use a very sharp, thin knife to slice the pumpkin log into 12 slices of equal width. Arrange the pumpkin dough slices in the maple caramel pan spread at the bottom of the baking dish.
Allow the Dough to Rise a Second Time, then Bake
- Cover the dish with a clean kitchen towel and allow the sliced pumpkin rolls to rise again for 45 minutes.
- Heat an oven to 350°F (170°C).
- Bake the pumpkin sticky buns at 350°F (170°C) for 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool Slightly Before Serving
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the pumpkin sticky buns to cool in it for at least 10 minutes if you plan to flip them out. Allow the pan to sit inverted for 5 minutes to ensure all of the pan glaze drips down onto the top of the pumpkin sweet rolls. You can serve the pumpkin sticky buns straight from the pan and scoop up the pan glaze with a flat spatula, or flip them out like a cake and serve them with the maple pecan caramel glaze on top.
Notes
Swaps and Substitutions:
- You can replace the active dry yeast in this recipe with instant yeast. Instead of blooming it in the milk, add it with the flour and pumpkin spice blend.
- Use store bought canned pumpkin puree or use my recipe for making it at home.
- You can replace the pumpkin puree with sweet potato puree and make sweet potato sticky buns instead.
- Homemade pumpkin spice blend can be replaced with a jarred version.
- Replace the maple syrup with corn syrup (light or dark). Don't use pancake syrup which is too sweet.
- You can replace the pecans in this sticky bun recipe with walnuts, hazelnuts (filberts), or almonds.
- You can replace the all-purpose flour in the pumpkin-sugar filling with an almond meal, whole wheat flour, or cake flour.
Tips and Techniques:
- After 2-3 minutes, during the blooming process, the yeast will foam and move around in the milk. It will also emit a scent similar to beer. If none of these things happen, your yeast is dead, and you need to begin again with fresh, live yeast.
- Most mixers tell you to knead only on 2, but I prefer 4 because it develops the right amount of gluten.
- Store bought pumpkin puree tends to be on the watery side, so you might have looser dough if you're using it instead of homemade.
- The all-purpose flour gives structure to the pumpkin-sugar filling and prevents it from curdling too much from the water in the pumpkin puree.
- Storing the dough under the inverted bowl keeps it from drying out while it rests.
- The second rise of pumpkin sweet dough is only 45 minutes because you don't want the rolls to overproof and then deflate, which leads to a dense, stodgy pumpkin sticky bun.
Overnight Pumpkin Sticky Buns:
- Arrange the rolls in the caramel-pecan glaze in the baking dish. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge overnight.
- Put the unwrapped pan in a cold oven. Allow it to warm in the cold oven for 20 minutes before turning it on to 350°F (170°C).
- Set a timer to 25 minutes after the oven comes to temperature, as indicated by the beep it lets off.
- Bake the pumpkin sweet rolls for 25 minutes and check them. Once they're golden brown and have an internal temperature of 190°F (90°C), remove the pan from the oven.
Storage Instructions:
- Store leftover pumpkin sticky buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
- To give sticky buns fresh baked flavor, heat them in the microwave on high for 20 seconds.
Freezing Instructions:
- To Freeze Pumpkin Sweet Dough:
- Make the pumpkin sweet dough for sticky buns as instructed and allow it to rise for 1 hour.
- After it rises, punch down the dough and store it in a lightly oiled food storage bag in the freezer.
- Freeze the dough for up to 2 months.
- Thaw the frozen pumpkin sweet dough for 24 hours in the refrigerator before proceeding with the recipe.
- To Freeze Formed, UnBaked Sticky Buns:
- Freeze the sticky buns after panning them, but before the second rise.
- Wrap the pan in a layer or two of plastic wrap and one layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
- Freeze the rolls for 2 months.
- Thaw the frozen pumpkin sticky buns in the refrigerator for 24 hours before removing them and allowing them to warm and proof for 1 1/2 hours. The added proofing time compensates for the chill on the dough since it's been refrigerated.
- To Freeze Baked Pumpkin Sticky Buns:
- Turn them out of the baking dish 10 minutes after you remove them from the oven.
- Transfer the entire batch to a freezer-safe storage container, or store them individually to make an easy, grab-and-go breakfast.
- Freeze the sticky buns for 2 months.
- Thaw frozen pumpkin sticky buns at room temperature in an airtight container vented slightly to allow the condensation to escape.
- Reheat and enjoy.
Nutrition
As a proud member of #TeamPumpkin these are excellent! Soft, chewy and full of flavor!
LOL! I’m so glad you’ve found a good fit!
These sticky buns are simply gorgeous and so tempting..loving the idea of adding pumpkin puree. So glad to see nut free option too as I am allergic to pecan nuts! Fabulous share
Oh, yes, I always try to make it all-inclusive.
Sticky buns are my favorite! Adding pumpkin flavor to it sounds amazing! Going to make it next Saturday to surprise my hubby!
I’m sure he’ll love the gesture and the sticky buns. Thanks for stopping by!
These sticky buns were awesome. I loved the fall flavor and will be making them again. The directions were spot on and the ingredients were easy to find at my local market. This was a winning recipe at the house and I will be making these again soon. Have a wonderful day.
Heidy
OMG! These pumpkins sticky buns are absolutely stunning, looks so delicious. I love the idea of adding pumpkin here, I have to try this for sure, thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe Marta! 🙂
Thanks Farrukh. I’m glad you’ve found a new recipe to try. Let me know what you think.
These pumpkin sticky buns sound amazing! I love using Karo Syrup.