Vegan Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

Meet the cutest and most delicious Vegan Pumpkin Dinner Rolls. These are soft, moist and perfect for the Thanksgiving table.

Besides, they are easy to make and naturally orange thanks to the pumpkin purée we add to it. Bursting with Fall flavors in each bite!

Thanksgiving calls for a delicious dinner. And when we start prep for the big day we always like to include colorful Fall inspired recipes that are also easy to put together.

When we set out to prepare for our dinner menu, I like to include Pumpkin Soup, Spinach Artichoke Dip, Air Fryer Pot Pie and Whole Roasted Cauliflower in a Creamy Sauce along with some breads.

These do make a super amazing dinner for Thanksgiving but they can be used alone or in a combination through Fall. And if you are looking for a delicious cute looking bread roll; this is it!

Cute little rolls that are shaped like pumpkins, have the same color as the originals and can also be slightly uneven given the magic of yeast to resemble the actual ones.

Jump to:

• What are Bread Rolls
• Why this recipe works
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make this recipe
• Expert Tips and Notes
• Using the Instant Pot
• Making these without Twine
• Serving and Storing
• Freezing the Rolls
• Recipe FAQs
• More Bread Recipes
• More Thanksgiving Recipes
• Vegan Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

What are Bread Rolls

Yeast breads made into small rounds, squares or other shapes, bread rolls are nothing but regular bread shaped differently. They are perfect to enjoy with some butter slathered on them or to serve with different curries or sides.

Simple bread rolls are often called Pav in India and they are perfect to serve with Misal, Pav Bhaji or with Vadas as Vada Pav.

A little switch from the regular bread rolls are these cute little Vegan Pumpkin Dinner Rolls. They are made with pumpkin purée, are easy to make and perfect to serve as a Thanksgiving recipe or otherwise.

Why this recipe works

• These bread rolls are shaped like small pumpkins.
• The bread rolls are full of Fall flavors in every bite.
• They make a chic recipe for the big dinner.
• Great to serve with salted butter or to make a delicious sandwich using it.
• We use real pumpkin purée to flavor the bread, add moisture and make the bread delicious.
• We can make the bread rolls ahead of time.
• Using the Instant Pot to proof the dough makes this a perfectly timed recipe.
• The process of making them is definitely a lot of fun!
• These rolls are Vegan friendly.
• Thanksgiving is perfect with these rolls and all the other delicious recipes.
• With under 10 ingredients; we only need shelf stable ingredients for this one.
• The recipe is quite budget friendly.
• These Vegan Pumpkin Dinner Rolls are freezer friendly.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Whole Wheat Flour: I like to make these rolls with whole wheat flour. Regular all purpose flour works as well. Use a mix of the two flours if you like.
• Essential Wheat Gluten: Given wheat flour does not have the same gluten content as all purpose flour, I like to add some essential wheat gluten to the dough.
• Yeast: Both Instant and Active dry yeast works just fine. The activation differs. I have used active dry yeast activated with warm water, salt and sugar in the recipe.
• Pumpkin Purée: Pumpkin purée helps add the pumpkin flavor, taste and color to the rolls. This can be made at home or store bought. Make sure it is pumpkin purée and not pie filling as that tends to be super sweet and not what we are looking for.
• Olive Oil: As the rolls are Vegan, I add Olive oil as the fat. For a non-vegan version, unsalted butter works too.
• Pumpkin Spice: I like to season the rolls with some pumpkin spice. However, this is completely optional. If you like your rolls plain, leave this out. And if this spice is unavailable, add nutmeg and cinnamon to the recipe.
• I add some cranberries as stems for the pumpkins. However, cinnamon sticks work great too. We aso need some baking twine for making the shape of pumpkins.

See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.

How to make this recipe

1- In a heat proof container add warm water, salt and sugar. Then add in yeast and stir well.

2- Set aside to bloom in a warm spot for 10-12 minutes.

3- In the base of a stand mixer add wheat flour, essential wheat gluten, pumpkin spice, salt and olive oil.

4- Then add the pumpkin purée and bloomed yeast.

5- Run the stand mixer on medium speed for 10-12 minutes, so the dough comes together. The dough should be soft but smooth. Once done, remove from the stand mixer.

6- Spray non-stick spray in the base of the instant pot. Place the dough ball and spread olive oil or cooking spray on it.

7- Close the lid and set the mode to 'yogurt' on normal and time to 60 minutes. Once the time is up, the dough should have doubled.

8- Transfer the dough to a baking mat. Punch it down and knead for a minute.

9- Divide the dough into equal parts. Make 5 parts for medium size rolls and 7 or more for smaller ones.

10- Make a smooth round with one ball of dough.

11- Using a baking twine tie the ball, dividing it into 8 parts or more. Repeat for the rest and brush them with olive oil. Place them all in a warm spot for an hour.

12- Once the hour is up, place in a preheated oven at 400 F for 18-19 minutes.

13- After these are baked, remove and let them cool.

14- Then remove the baking twine and place a cranberry on top as a stem. Serve as desired.

Expert Tips and Notes

• Pumpkin Purée: We use pumpkin to color and flavor the bread. This purée can be made at home or bought. However, remember to get 'pure pumpkin' and not the can that's meant for a pie. The pie filling is sweeter and just not right for the recipe.
• Shaping the pumpkins: The pumpkins are easy to shape with baking twine. Do not tie them extremely tight as the breads will proof and the twine will sink deep inside. Then instead of pumpkins the bread will be a round with twine within.
• Removing the twine: After the rolls are baked, simply let them cool a little. Once they cool, carefully remove the twine. Either cut all the threads from top and remove or keep turning the bread to remove the twine intact.
• Adding stems: Adding stems is optional but it does give the rolls an authentic touch. Cranberries, pretzels, cinnamon or cloves make the best stems for the rolls. Pick them based on the size of the rolls.
• Egg/ Milk Wash: A lot of recipes for bread do use an egg or milk wash before baking but we entirely skip that here. This step sticks the twine firmly to the bread dough making it difficult to remove it cleanly after baking.

Using the Instant Pot

Using the Instant Pot to proof the dough is optional but I like to use it. Given that we generally make these around Fall, the temperatures are not particularly warm in most regions.

Thus, the dough may not rise well on the kitchen counter. Instead we use the instant pot to make sure the dough rises irrespective of temperatures outside. This timed method helps estimate the correct time for making the bread and works year round.

However, if you like or are in a warmer place, simply place the dough on the counter and rest covered for an hour to 1.5 hours to rise. Then follow th remaining steps.

Making these without Twine

While using baking twine is the easiest and best way to shape these rolls, there are other ways to make these.

A lot of folks do use kitchen shears to make slats on the risen dough balls and let them rise further before baking. However, this is not a fool-proof recipe but worth a try.

Serving and Storing

There is definitely nothing like freshly made bread. And that holds true for this recipe as well. These Vegan Pumpkin Dinner Rolls are best when they are just out of the oven.

That being said, we can also make them before hand. If doing so, simply pop the cooled bread rolls into an airtight container and refrigerate till ready to serve. Heat them in the oven at 250 F or microwave for 20-30 seconds before serving.

Freezing the Rolls

These Vegan Pumpkin Dinner Rolls are great to freeze before baking or after. To store the unbaked version, simply tie the twine and place them on a baking tray. Freeze till solid and transfer to a ziploc. Freeze it again for up to 3 months; till ready to bake.

To thaw, bring them out and leave them in a warm place for 2-3 hours. The rolls will thaw and rise and be ready to bake.

Another way to freeze these is to freeze the baked rolls. To do so, simply bake and cool completely. Remove the twine and then freeze solid on a baking tray before transferring to a ziploc bag. Freeze up to 3 months. To thaw, place them in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then heat up for 20-30 seconds in the microwave.

Recipe FAQs

More Bread Recipes

More Thanksgiving Recipes

If you are looking for a Vegetarian Thanksgiving table or looking to include a couple of vegetarian sides, try these. A lot of these are Vegan friendly too.