Pumpkin Herb Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Healthier homemade whole wheat rolls – garlic herb pumpkin flavor! Using only whole wheat flour, yeast, pumpkin, maple syrup, herbs, and spices, these festive rolls are the perfect addition to your holiday dinner. The garlic herb flavor really comes through and makes them a special roll that will keep you wanting more!

Pumpkin herb whole wheat dinner rolls

If you’ve been on the lookout for a unique whole wheat roll recipe to serve at your next holiday gathering, this is it!

These healthier pumpkin rolls are herby, garlicky, savory, and super delicious!

Don’t let the active dry yeast scare you – they are incredibly easy rolls to make!

If this is your first time or second time making yeast dough I’ve included step-by-step photos in the recipe to show you what your dough will look like the whole way through.

Here’s what you need for whole wheat dinner rolls

Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions.

• whole wheat flour
• dry active yeast
• granulated garlic
• dried Italian seasoning
• sea salt
• nutmeg
• pumpkin puree
• maple syrup
• extra virgin olive oil

Step-by-step instructions for homemade rolls

1. In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flour, yeast, granulated garlic, dried herbs, sea salt, and nutmeg. In a smaller bowl combine the warm water, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and oil. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Using a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula mix until everything is combined and there are no patches of flour. You can also make this in the bowl of a stand mixer and then use a bread book mix on low speed to combine.
2. Lightly cover the large bowl with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm place for 2 hours. It will double in size during that time.
3. To make the rolls, flour a surface with whole wheat flour and remove the dough from the bowl (with floured hands). Roll it around in the flour a couple of times and form a smooth ball. Stretch or roll the ball out into a log about 1 foot long. Take a knife and cut the dough into 10 equal pieces. Lightly form into balls and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
4. Mist with olive oil spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough balls rest for 60 minutes at room temperature before baking.
5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. After the dough has rested for 60 minutes, remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle a little dried Italian seasoning on top of each roll.
6. Bake the rolls for 20 minutes. Allow the rolls to cool for 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet before eating.
7. Store cooled leftover rolls in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days.

Tips for perfect 100% whole wheat garlic herb pumpkin rolls

• Rise time can vary depending on the temperature in your house (a warm spot is best!). If your dough hasn’t risen in the 2 hours for the first rise, give it a little more time to ensure you get fluffy rolls in the end.
• If you want an even fluffier roll, replace ¼ cup of whole wheat flour with vital wheat gluten OR use half whole wheat flour and half all-purpose flour.
• Before baking, brush melted butter on the top of the rolls for an extra special touch.

Can you make savory pumpkin whole wheat rolls in advance?

Absolutely!

I suggest making them only 2-3 days in advance for optimal freshness. Rewarm rolls in the oven on low heat before serving.

Can you freeze them?

Yes! Just like you could freeze whole wheat bread beautifully, you can freeze fluffy dinner rolls.

Let the rolls fully cool, then place them in a freezer bag, label and date them, and keep frozen rolls for up to 6 months.

Simply defrost them on the counter and for best results rewarm your rolls in a baking dish in the oven to serve.

Substitutions

Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this whole wheat dinner roll recipe. 

If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!

Whole wheat flour – For a lighter roll, use white whole wheat flour. You can also replace up to 1.5 cups of wheat flour with all-purpose white flour.

Dry active yeast – Instant yeast (also called rapid rise yeast) can be used as a substitute. Rise times will shorten using a quicker-to-activate yeast.

Granulated garlic – You could use fresh garlic (1-2 minced cloves) in place of the dried variety. Another substitute would be to use onion powder for a similar flavor profile.

Dried Italian seasoning – A mixture of dried basil, dried thyme, dried rosemary, and dried parsley could be used in place of the seasoning mixture. You could use 1 or a mixture of the listed herbs too, depending on what you what available.

Pumpkin puree – Canned pumpkin can be substituted with canned butternut squash or canned pureed sweet potato. You could also make your own vegetable puree to use here from fresh steamed and blended pumpkin, butternut squash, or sweet potato. If you don’t have any pureed vegetables on hand, you can substitute in warm milk in its place.

Maple syrup – Honey makes a good alternative to the maple syrup used in this recipe.

Olive oil – Melted butter is a good alternative to oil. Avocado oil, melted coconut oil, and melted ghee will work too!

Looking for more delicious recipes? Try these holiday favorites:

• No sugar cranberry sauce
• Cranberry hazelnut kale salad with turmeric vinaigrette
• Maple cinnamon roasted butternut squash
• Bacon and brussels sprout farro salad
• Einkorn pumpkin bread

If you try this fluffy whole wheat dinner rolls recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!

XO

Heather

*Originally published in November 2011. Updated December 2022.*