This cinnamon roll recipe makes rolls that are fluffy and delicious.
Soft dough is filled with sweet cinnamon sugar, rolled up, and baked to perfection. Top it off with a buttery frosting for the perfect bite!
This Cinnamon Roll Recipe Is The Best Because…
Although they take a bit of time, cinnamon rolls are easy to make so don’t be intimidated by the yeast.
- They’re soft, fluffy, and gooey throughout.
- These cinnamon rolls are easy to make, even for beginner bakers!
- They can be made with a stand mixer or kneaded by hand.
- Prepare them the night before and bake in the morning for a warm, delicious breakfast.
Ingredients for Cinnamon Rolls
- Yeast: I use active dry yeast in this recipe. The yeast is activated with sugar and warm water. If it doesn’t foam, it is dead and should be replaced with fresh yeast.
- Flour: All-purpose flour or bread flour can be used. I use all-purpose flour since it’s what I usually have on hand.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter and add your own salt for the best flavor. If you have salted butter, it can be used, but you’ll want to omit the salt.
- Eggs: Eggs add flavor and help with the rise.
- Sugar: I use granulated sugar (white sugar) in the dough.
- Cinnamon Sugar Filling: The filling for these cinnamon buns is a mixture of brown sugar and ground cinnamon. You can use dark or light brown sugar.
You can add chopped pecans, coconut, or raisins to the filling if you like.
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
- Proof the yeast: Combine the yeast with warm water and sugar (recipe below). The mixture should become foamy.
- Prepare the dough: Warm the milk and butter in a separate bowl. Add the remaining dough ingredients, including the yeast mixture, and knead the dough until smooth.
- Rise: Place it in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in size.
- Add filling: Roll the dough into a rectangle, spread with butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Then, roll the dough again and cut it.
- Bake: Place the rolls in a prepared baking pan and bake them in the oven until they are golden brown.
Enjoy! Once the rolls are done baking, remove them from the oven and let them cool before serving. Don’t forget the cream cheese frosting!
Cinnamon Roll Icing
Cream cheese icing is my favorite way to top fluffy cinnamon rolls. This icing needs cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla for flavor.
Be sure to let the rolls cool down before adding the frosting, or the butter will melt. If you’d prefer, you can skip the frosting and drizzle with glaze.
Tips for The Best Cinnamon Rolls
- Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature.
- Check the expiration date on your yeast. Expired yeast can prevent the dough from rising properly.
- If the yeast does not foam in step 2, it should be replaced with new yeast.
- Lightly cover the dough with a kitchen towel while it rises.
- If the rolls brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil to prevent them from getting too dark.
To Prepare Cinnamon Rolls The Night Before
This is the best cinnamon roll recipe ever, and it can be made ahead of time.
- Cover the prepared cinnamon rolls in a greased 9×13-inch dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.
- When you’re ready to bake the rolls, remove them from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. With the oven off, cover the rolls with a clean kitchen towel and place a bowl or pan of very hot water in the oven to allow them to rise.
- To bake, remove the rolls from the oven (leave the water in the oven) and preheat the oven to the temperature specified in the recipe.
- Bake according to the recipe instructions.
The hot water will help to create steam and keep the rolls soft and fluffy as they bake.
Storing Leftover Rolls
Cinnamon rolls can be stored at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Keep the frosting separate, (store it in the refrigerator) and add it to each roll as you enjoy them.
You can also freeze cinnamon rolls by wrapping them tightly or storing them in an airtight container. You can even individually freeze the rolls for quick treats. The cream cheese frosting can also be frozen, either on the buns or in a separate container.
More Breakfast Roll Favorites
Did you enjoy these Homemade Cinnamon Rolls? Leave a rating and a comment below.
Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with dough hook (optional)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 package active dry yeast or 2 ¼ teaspoons
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 ¾ to 4 ¼ cups all purpose flour divided
- 2 eggs room temperature
Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Frosting
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar or as needed
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Grease a 9×13 pan or baking dish and set aside.
- Combine warm water, yeast, and 1 teaspoon of white sugar in a small bowl. Let the mixture rest for 7 to 10 minutes or until it becomes foamy*.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, butter, remaining white sugar, and salt. Heat the mixture to 120 to 130°F with a thermometer.
- Attach a dough hook to a stand mixer and add 2 cups of flour. Add the eggs, warm milk mixture, and the yeast mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until combined.
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and add the flour ½ cup at a time until the dough forms a soft ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You may not need all of the flour.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes).
- Grease a large bowl and add the dough. Lightly cover it with a kitchen towel and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface, and with a rolling pin, roll it out into a 15 x 12-inch rectangle.
- Spread butter on the dough and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on top. Roll the dough tightly, starting on the long side. Using a sharp knife or dental floss, cut the log into 15 even pieces and place them in the prepared pan.
- Cover rolls with a kitchen towel and let them rise for 30 to 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Brush rolls with additional milk if desired and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- To prepare the frosting, while the rolls are baking, combine frosting ingredients with a mixer until fluffy.
- Allow rolls to cool for about 10-15 minutes and spread frosting on warm rolls.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Recipe is slightly adapted from this copy cat version originally adapted from Allrecipes.com found here
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I’m making these for the first time and have just started the second rising. What is the purpose of Step 11: brushing with additional milk if desired prior to baking? So far, so good. :-)
Brushing with milk helps with browning.
Lovely. Eat them fresh for best effect.
I’ve tried at least 1-2 other cinnamon bun recipes, with not a lot of luck. These are delicious.
Excellent. I skipped the cream cheese topping in favor of butter to slightly reduce my use of sugar.
I made these 4/26/25. I will make these again. The directions were clear and straight forward. Thank you!
I was really hesitant to do something with yeast just because I can never seem to get it right/know if I’ve gotten it right. But I took the leap today with this recipe. Still not sure the second rising was as big as I expected, but they turned out wonderfully! Thank you so much for this great recipe. I’ll definitely do it again.
After a seemingly endless search for a great recipe, I discovered this one about a month ago and have made them 4x since!!! Everyone rants and raves about how good they are! They’re the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had or made! They’re soft and fluffy and absolutely delicious! The recipe and notes are very thorough easy to follow… even for novices in baking like me! Thank you for ending my quest as the search definitely stops here!
Mine never rised is it because I maybe over knead it? Still tasted good just wasn’t fluffy
If it didn’t rise, did you check your yeast?
SO good!
Excellent! The BEST homemade cinnamon rolls that I have ever made. Easy to follow recipe. I doubled the frosting for extra frosting. My family loved them! Will make again!
I am in same boat as Jen, wanting to make 24hrs in advance. You said bake them but I don’t want them baked until the next morning. I’m confused if I still do step 10 of letting it rise if I’m gunna do your “prepare 24hrs ahead” instructions?
You will prepare the rolls up to step 9 before rising. They will rise a little bit in the fridge and complete the rising in the morning with when you remove them from the fridge and place a bowl or pan of very hot water in the oven. Enjoy!
Do I still do step 10 if I’m preparing it the night before ?
You will prepare the rolls up to step 9 before rising. They will rise a little bit in the fridge and complete the rising in the morning with when you remove them from the fridge and place a bowl or pan of very hot water in the oven. Enjoy!
The best recipe I’ve tried yet, just like the cinnabon rolls.. they were a hit! Thank you for the clear instructions!
I made these for breakfast. Put them together yesterday and put them in the fridge overnight.
The only thing I did differently was to add cardamom to the bread.
Probably the best cinnamon rolls I have ever made.
Can you use the yeast recipe part for regular dinner rolls?
Or do you happen to have a roll recipe.
Made these and they were 30/10!
delicious recipe!!!!
Absolutely delicious! Simple, sweet, and will definitely be coming back to make again! Wish I could send in a picture just to show how well they did! Great Job with this recipe pick!
Hi Sydney, we would love to see a picture. Tag us on instagram @spendpennies
I made these yesterday and they are delicious! They are definitely on the make again list. Thank you
These sound delicious and I want to take them to a girls lake house weekend. So I bake them ahead of time and then freeze for transporting them?
These freeze great after baking! You can even freeze the cream cheese mixture separately and add back on top when ready to enjoy.