Pumpkin Cheesecake Stuffed Hawaiian Roll French Toast
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What I Love About This Hawaiian Roll French Toast
This stuffed Hawaiian roll French toast takes about 30 minutes from start to finish and still feels like a special weekend breakfast.
- Filling in every bite. I pipe the pumpkin cheesecake filling straight into the center of each roll, so you get sweet, tangy, warmly spiced cream cheese all the way through.
- Golden on all six sides. Hawaiian rolls are little cubes, so each one gets browned all the way around for a lightly crisp outside and a soft, custardy inside.
- Pumpkin in the custard too. The egg custard has its own pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice, so you taste fall flavor in the bread and the filling, just like my pumpkin French toast.
- Made for sharing. One package of rolls makes 6 servings of bite-size stuffed French toast, perfect for a brunch table or as a holiday brunch.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredient Notes
- Hawaiian rolls – You need one 12-count package of sweet Hawaiian rolls. You can use original Hawaiian sweet rolls or the savory butter ones. Each roll becomes its own little stuffed French toast, and I love the soft, slightly sweet bread with the pumpkin filling.
- Cream cheese – Use full-fat block cream cheese for the richest, creamiest filling. Let it sit out to softer for 30-45 minutes.
- Pumpkin puree – Make sure to get pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. Homemade pumpkin puree works too, but it can be thinner, so pay attention to the texture of your filling.
- Heavy whipping cream – I always use heavy cream for a thicker, richer custard that soaks into the rolls more slowly. If you need to substitute, use half and half but the custard will be thinner.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
How to Make Pumpkin Cheesecake Stuffed Hawaiian Roll French Toast
- Make the pumpkin cheesecake filling. Beat the cheesecake mixture ingredients together with an electric mixer until completely smooth and soft, even fluffed.
- Fill the piping bag. Fit a piping bag with a filling tip, also called a Bismarck tip, and transfer the filling into it. The reason this tip is the best, because it has a point on the tip to help insert it into pastries and it’s long and thin. P.S. A zip-top bag works if you don’t have a piping bag.
- Stuff the rolls. Insert the tip into the soft side of each roll, pointing it toward the center. Gently squeeze until the roll feels full but doesn’t crack on the sides. Fill all the rolls before you start cooking.
- Whisk the custard. In a wide bowl, whisk the ingredients for French toast’s pumpkin egg custard until smooth.
- Dip one batch at a time. Dip each filled roll in the custard, turning it and letting it soak for a few seconds per side, about 20 to 30 seconds total. Only dip as many rolls as will fit in the pan.
- Preheat the pan. Preheat a large pan over heat below medium but not quite medium-low. At medium or higher, the outside cooks too fast before the inside has a chance to cook through. Add some oil to the pan and add dipped rolls.
- Cook on all six sides. Cook the rolls for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, turning them until all six sides are golden brown. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
- It will take about about 9-12 minute total to cook the stuffed Hawaiian rolls French toast.
Best Toppings for Hawaiian Roll French Toast
- A dusting of powdered sugar
- Warm maple syrup
- A drizzle of my homemade pumpkin spice syrup for even more fall flavor
- Whipped cream with a pinch of cinnamon
- Toasted chopped pecans
How to Store and Reheat Stuffed Hawaiian Roll French Toast
- Store: in the refrigerator, in an airtight container, for up to 3 days. Let the French toast cool completely first.
- Reheat: in the air fryer at 360°F for about 3 minutes, until warmed through and a little crispy again. You can also reheat them in the microwave, in 30 second increments, until warmed through.
- Can I freeze it? I don’t recommend freezing these once they’re filled, since cream cheese filling can change texture after thawing.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Stuffed Hawaiian Roll French Toast Recipe FAQs
Keep them whole for this recipe. You pipe the filling straight in through the soft side, so each roll stays a closed little cube with the filling tucked inside while it cooks.
Store-bought Hawaiian rolls aren’t technically fresh anyway, so use them right out of the bag. Keep the rolls sealed in the bag until you’re ready to make the French toast and don’t let them go stale. Stale rolls will crack when you fill them, and they don’t soak up the egg custard well.
You can fill the rolls the night before. Cover them air-tight and refrigerate until you’re ready to dip and cook them.
I don’t recommend baking these, mostly because you don’t get the golden crust on all sides. To make a larger amount for a crowd, use a griddle instead.
Almost always, the heat was too high so inside is undercooked. The outside browns fast while the center hasn’t had time to cook through. Keep the heat just below medium, keep the soak to 20 to 30 seconds, and only dip each batch right before it goes into the pan.
More Recipes From Me
- Cherry Cheesecake Stuffed French Toast
- Apple Pie Stuffed French Toast
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
- The Best French Toast Recipe
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Pumpkin Stuffed Hawaiian Roll French Toast Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian rolls
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Egg Custard:
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp pumpkin puree
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
- Combine the cream cheese, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl and beat it with an electric mixer until completely smooth and soft.
- Fit a piping bag with a filling tip (aka Bismarck filling tip). Tip: You can also use a zip-top bag if you don't have a piping bag.
- Transfer the pumpkin cheesecake filling into the piping bag and set aside.
Prepare French Toast:
- Whisk eggs, brown sugar, heavy whipping cream, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and vanilla extract for the custard until smooth.
- Carefully fill each Hawaiian roll with some cream cheese filling: start filling from the soft side and insert the top toward the center. Gently squeeze the filling mixture until the roll fills but not cracking on the sides. Fill them all first, before starting to cook.
- Preheat a large pan over heat that is below medium. Don't cook over medium or higher or the outside will cook too fast before the inside cooks through.
- Depending on the size of your pan, you will most likely need to work in batches. Don't soak the filled rolls, until that batch is ready to go into the pan.
- Add some oil to grease the pan and dip each filled Hawaiian roll in the egg custard, turning it and letting it soak for a few seconds per side. (Total soak time would be about 20-30 seconds.)
- Place the soaked Hawaiian rolls into the preheated pan and let them cook for about 1.5-2 minutes per side. (Remember to turn them on ALL sides, they are little cubes, so they have 6 sides.)
Notes
- Hawaiian rolls: use one 12-count package of sweet Hawaiian rolls and keep them whole.
- Pumpkin puree: use pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie mix. Homemade puree can be thinner, so check the texture of the filling.
- Heavy whipping cream: half and half works as a substitute in the custard but it will not be as tick and rich. Soak a few seconds less.
- Heat: keep the heat just below medium so the centers cook through before the outside gets too dark.
- Keep warm: hold cooked batches on a baking sheet in a 200°F oven while you finish the rest.
Nutrition
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Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
