Easy Pumpkin Shaped Rolls with Frozen Rhodes Rolls Dough
Inside: These pumpkin rolls are so easy to make using frozen dinner roll dough and kitchen shears. They’re the perfect extra touch for Thanksgiving dinner or any special fall meal!

How adorable are these fun pumpkin shaped dinner rolls? What if I told you they didn’t involve kneading your own bread dough or tirelessly tying individual rolls with endless pieces of twine?
The good news is that two little shortcuts make them much more realistic for most of us to have at Thanksgiving or any meal where we’re cooking so many other things.
The first secret is to use frozen dinner roll dough. And the second is to cut the pumpkin sections instead of tying all that kitchen string.
We can have these cute pumpkins in the bread basket with not much time added (not counting thawing and rising) over making regular rolls!

If you’ve never had Rhodes Bake-N-Serve, they taste just like homemade rolls. I can’t make bread from scratch to save my life, but these make me feel like a bakery chef when I use them because each little dough ball actually rises in my kitchen before I pop them in the oven!
What You Need to Make Pumpkin Dinner Rolls the Easy Way.
- 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls or 12 Rhodes Texas Rolls (thaw dough ahead of time and keep cold)
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 12 Pecan pieces
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Plastic wrap
- Kitchen shears or sharp knife
- Wooden spoon

(Recipe courtesy of Rhodes Bake-N-Serv)
Make sure to print the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Make the Pumpkin-Shaped Rolls.
1. Thaw the frozen dough balls in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight (but no longer or they may start to expand).
2. Prepare a cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Take each round ball of dough and flatten it most of the way into a circle or a flat ball.

4. Cut 5 or 6 slits around the outside of each ball with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Lay the cut dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet leaving 2-3 inches between (you may need a second sheet pan—I crowded mine a bit).

5. Poke a deep hole with the handle of a wooden spoon into the top of each roll.


6. Spray pieces of plastic wrap with nonstick spray. Cover the rolls with the sprayed side down.
Let the dough sit at room temperature until it doubles in size. The time will vary. I let these rolls rise for five hours, but the Rhodes site says it may take as little as one hour. Putting them in a warm place will help speed things along.

7. Carefully remove the plastic wrap, and re-poke the hole into the middle of each pumpkin shape.
8. Bake the pumpkin rolls for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

9. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter.

10. Insert a pecan piece into the hole in the center of each roll for a pumpkin stem. I cut mine in half vertically but you could leave them whole.

SH&H Tip: Make these pumpkin-shaped dinner rolls shiny and more golden with an egg wash. Whisk an egg and a tablespoon of water together and brush over the balls of dough right before baking. (The shine in this photo is from the melted butter.)
Need some ideas for decorating the Thanksgiving table? Here are some tablescapes for inspiration:
Storage and reheating this delicious dinner roll.
- Store any leftover pumpkin rolls in a ziploc bag or airtight container at room temperature for 2 or 3 days. Make sure they’re cool first.
- Freeze the baked rolls safely for up to three months in a freezer bag or freezer safe container.
- Reheat room temperature rolls in a 300 degree oven in a foil covered pan until warm (5-10 minutes).
Printable Recipe.

Easy Pumpkin Shaped Rolls with Frozen Rhodes Rolls Dough
Ingredients
- 12 Rhodes Dinner Rolls or 12 Rhodes Texas Rolls
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 12 Pecan pieces
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Plastic wrap
- Kitchen shears or sharp knife
- Wooden spoon
Instructions
- Thaw the frozen dough balls in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight (but no longer or they may start to expand).
- Prepare a cookie sheet with non stick cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Press each ball of dough into a flat ball.
- Cut 5 or 6 slits around the outside of each circle with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Lay the cut dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet leaving 2-3 inches between (you may need a second sheet pan).
- Poke a deep hole with the handle of a wooden spoon into the center of each roll.
- Spray pieces of plastic wrap with nonstick spray. Cover the rolls with the sprayed side down.
- Let the dough sit at room temperature until it doubles in size. The time will vary between 1 and 5 hours, depending how warm the room is.
- Carefully remove the plastic wrap, and re-poke the hole into the middle of each roll.
- Bake the pumpkin rolls for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter.
- Insert a pecan piece into the hole to make a pumpkin stem.
More Fall and Thanksgiving food ideas
Honestly, I’ve seen photos of pumpkin rolls before but never thought I’d actually make them. Because all those different ways I’d seen take so much more time. But my new favorite way is so much easier! I’m all about the shortcut—especially if you can’t really tell the difference. 😉

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