Mashed sweet potatoes make these Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls super tender and soft, and the orange cream cheese frosting takes them to a new level! These sweet rolls are a great recipe for when you want a change up from your traditional cinnamon roll recipe.
Love these sweet potato cinnamon rolls? You’ll also love these Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.
If you’ve been reading for awhile, you’ll know that I spent basically the first 18 years of my life believing that I didn’t like sweet potatoes. It’s such a shame, because I missed out on all of those years. Now they are one of my very favorite things now as an adult.
While I usually use them in a soup or hash or even fried up as tater tots, they work really well in baking as well. Cook them and mash them up and put them in your bread recipe and you have magic. The potatoes make the rolls soft and pillowy and just perfect.
But what could make them even better? Orange cream cheese frosting. It’s easy and delicious and full of fresh and bright flavor. The combination is a true winner!
Ingredient Notes
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour.
- Sugar: The rolls call for granulated sugar. The actual rolls are not very sweet, but the filling and the frosting both bring in sweetness.
- Yeast: I am using active dry yeast, but instant yeast will work, as well. In fact, the original version I posted here was made with instant yeast, but I changed it to active because that is what I keep on hand.
- Salt: The salt will help balance the flavors.
- Sweet Potatoes: There are 2 different ways to get your mashed sweet potatoes. You can peel, cube, and boil them, or you can roast the full potatoes in the oven and scoop out the flesh. I have done both, and the biggest difference is that boiling them will start you off with a higher water content. So you may need to add more flour to the boiled potato version than if you roasted the potatoes.
- Butter: You will need butter in three different parts of the recipe. You will melt the first part for the rolls, then use softened butter for the filling. And more softened butter for the frosting.
- Egg: You just need 1 large egg.
- Brown Sugar: The brown sugar will go in the filling. I used light brown sugar, but you could swap in dark brown for a deeper flavor.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice: I use my homemade pumpkin pie spice mixture. You can always use store bought, or even just use cinnamon instead of the mix.
- Cream Cheese: You will want to use full fat cream cheese.
- Powdered Sugar: This is just for the frosting.
- Fresh Orange: You’ll use both the zest and the juice. The zest is what will give the frosting the most orange flavor.
How to Make Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
STEP 1: Mix 2 cups of the flour with the sugar, yeast, and salt in a stand mixer bowl. Then in another bowl, combine the sweet potatoes and butter, and heat until the butter is almost melted. Combine the wet with the dry, and add the egg.
STEP 2: Mix the ingredients together, then start adding flour until it starts coming away from the sides of the bowl. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough.
STEP 3: Add the dough to a greased bowl, then cover.
STEP 4: Let the dough rise until it has doubled.
STEP 5: Once the dough has risen, turn it out and roll lit into a large rectangle.
STEP 6: Take your softened butter and spread it over the dough. You’ll want to leave the edges dry.
STEP 7: Mix together the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice, and spread it over the dough.
STEP 8: Roll the dough up tightly, pinching the ends together to keep it rolled up. Use a serrated knife to cut the dough into 12 even pieces.
STEP 9: Place the dough in a greased baking dish, cover, then let the rolls rise until doubled. Bake the rolls until they are golden brown.
STEP 10: Make the frosting by beating all of the ingredients together. When the sweet potato cinnamon rolls come out of the oven, spread 1/4 of the frosting over the top, letting it melt into the rolls. Let them cool another 20 minutes, then spread the remaining frosting on top.
Tips and Tricks
This makes 12 decent sized cinnamon rolls. If you want to stretch them a bit further, you can cut them into more than 12 rolls.
I like to add on that first round of frosting, because it melts into the rolls, making them extra gooey. You can always skip this and just add the frosting to the cooled rolls, but I would not suggest adding all of the frosting right away.
Not a fan of orange? You can leave it out of the frosting, and then just add in heavy cream for the liquid.
I would not suggest using leftover mashed sweet potatoes, unless they are just mashed potato, without milk or butter added. If they have ingredients added, they might work, but I would be more confident just using plain mashed sweet potatoes.
More Sweet Roll Recipes:
Cranberry Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Sticky Buns
LOOKING FOR MORE FREE RECIPES?
Subscribe to my free recipe newsletter to get new family friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more family-friendly inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram.
Sweet Potato Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Rolls:
- 4 1/4 – 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons butter cut into small cubes
- 1 egg
Filling:
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 3 tablespoons very soft butter
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 2 tablespoons butter softened
- 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 2 cups of the flour, the sugar, dry yeast and salt. Stir until blended.4 1/4 – 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon salt
- In a separate bowl, combine the water, sweet potatoes and the butter. Microwave the mixture on high in 15 second increments until very warm, but not hot (120º to 130ºF). The butter will not melt completely.1 cup water, 3/4 cup mashed sweet potatoes, 3 tablespoons butter
- Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture along with the egg.1 egg
- Beat the mixture on medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Continue adding in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough just pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
- Change to the dough hook and knead unit the dough is elastic, about 5-7 minutes. Alternately, lightly flour a work surface and turn the dough out and knead by hand.
- Lightly grease a large bowl, and add the dough, turning it over to coat it in the oil. Cover and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
- When the dough is almost done rising, prepare the filling. Combine the brown sugar and pumpkin pie spice in a small bowl.1/3 cup packed brown sugar, 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- Punch the dough down, then pour out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 15×12-inch rectangle.
- Spread the soft butter over the dough, stopping about 1/2-inch from the sides. Sprinkle the sugar/spice mixture evenly over the butter.3 tablespoons very soft butter
- Starting at the long end of the rectangle, roll up tightly. Pinch the ends to seal. Cut the log into 12 even pieces and place cut side up in a greased 13×9-inch baking dish.
- Cover the dish and allow the rolls to rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 350ºF. Bake the rolls until they are golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
- While the rolls are baking, prepare the frosting. Beat the cream cheese and butter together. Then beat in the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time. Beat in the orange zest, then add enough of the orange juice to make your desired consistency.4 oz cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, zest of 1 orange, 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
- When the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and spread about 1/4 of the frosting over the rolls, allowing it to melt into the rolls.
- Let the rolls cool about 20 minutes before spreading the remaining frosting on top.
Monique @ Ambitious Kitchen says
Sweet potatoes FOREVER and ever. LOVING these rolls.
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen says
I’m so glad you came over to the sweet potato side!! 😉
Julie says
Love the idea of including some sweet potato in cinnamon rolls!
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says
I’d love to smell these baking at my house.
Nicole says
These look so delicious! And that frosting … NOM! Perfect for Thanksgiving morning.
Jenny Flake says
Oh my goodness I am drooling!! Just gorgeous!!!
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
I’ve been craving cinnamon rolls! These look so tempting! LOVE the addition of sweet potato!
Amy @Very Culinary says
So, these look amazing! WANT. I made my easy pesto Focaccia just last week << always use Fleischmann’s.
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
WAIT? Sweet potato cinnamon rolls are a thing that exists in the world and I can eat?! I am OBSESSED with these! And I could drizzle that glaze all over my face! Pinned!
Heidi @foodiecrush says
Whaaaat? 18 years without sweet potatoes? Good thing you saw the better side of the potato. You’re going to get me to make homemade cinnamon rolls yet!
Shawn @ I Wash You Dry says
Yum! I’m interested to see how soft the pumpkin makes the dough, it sounds amazing!
Laurel says
Could you just let the mixer knead the dough? I’m new to using yeast!