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 cream cheese frosting for the perfect bite!
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Holly’s Recipe Highlights
Although they take a bit of time, homemade cinnamon rolls are easy to make so don’t be intimidated by the yeast.
- Flavor: Soft, fluffy dough is rolled with brown sugar and cinnamon for a sweet, sticky center and lightly golden buttery edges.
- Recommended Tools: A stand mixer makes kneading simple, but the dough can be mixed by hand or even in a bread machine.
- Yield: Makes 15 generously sized rolls, perfect for sharing.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve these for a special breakfast with complementary main dishes like this overnight breakfast casserole.
- Freezing: Freeze baked rolls before frosting. Warm them up in the microwave and enjoy warm and soft cinnamon rolls anytime.
Ingredient Notes
- Yeast: If the yeast doesn’t foam in step 2, your buns will not rise. Instant yeast has not been tested in this recipe.
- Dairy: Whole milk and butter add richness and keep the dough tender. If salted butter is used, use less salt in the dough.
- All-purpose flour: Be sure to use the spoon and level measure method to avoid dense rolls. Use bread flour for even softer rolls.
- 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.
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!
Pro Tips for Perfect Rolls
- Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature.
- If the yeast does not foam in step 2, it should be replaced with new yeast.
- Add flour to the dough gradually; the less flour, the softer the rolls.
- If your kitchen is cool, let the dough rise near a warm oven.
- 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
Make-Ahead and Overnight Option
Perfect for Christmas morning or any holiday, these are the best cinnamon rolls ever, and they 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 the next morning, 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 for the first 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. The hot water will help to create steam and keep the rolls soft and fluffy as they bake.
- Bake according to the recipe instructions.
Storage and Leftovers
- Store baked cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Warm the individual rolls in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to soften, for the perfect fluffy cinnamon rolls to start a slow weekend morning. Enjoy with a cup of coffee.
- To freeze, skip the frosting, wrap baked and cooled rolls tightly, and place them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature and frost them just before serving.
Cozy and Sweet Brunch Recipes
Did you enjoy this Cinnamon Roll Recipe? Leave a rating and comment below.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with dough hook (optional)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 package active dry yeast or 2¼ teaspoons
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3¾ to 4¼ cups all purpose flour divided
- 2 eggs room temperature
Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
Frosting
- 1½ 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 x13 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 milk if desired and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- To prepare the frosting, while the rolls are baking, combine powdered sugar, cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and salt with a hand mixer until fluffy.
- Allow rolls to cool for about 10-15 minutes and spread frosting on warm rolls.
Video
Notes
*Double-check the date on your yeast to ensure it has not expired. If the yeast does not foam, it should be replaced with fresh yeast.
- Knead by Hand: If you do not have a stand mixer, you can still make this dough by hand. Start by stirring in as much flour as you can with a spoon, then switch to mixing it in by hand. When the dough is no longer too sticky, move it to a lightly floured counter and knead until it becomes smooth and elastic, which usually takes about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Bread Machine: You can make this dough in a bread machine. Add the dough ingredients in the order your machine lists and set it to the dough cycle. When the cycle is done, let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then continue with the recipe as directed.
- Cutting the Rolls: When the dough is rolled into a long log, you can slice the rolls with plain dental floss instead of a knife to keep each piece even. Slip the floss under the log and bring the ends up and over the top. Pull the ends in opposite directions so the floss moves cleanly through the dough. This method helps keep each roll neat and keeps the shape steady as you cut.
- After shaping, place the rolls in the prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. When ready, remove the wrap and put the pan in a turned-off oven. Set a bowl of very hot water beside the rolls and let them rise for about 45 minutes or until doubled.
- To bake, take the rolls out of the oven, leave the water inside, and preheat the oven as directed. Return the rolls to the oven and bake as the recipe states. The steam helps keep the rolls light as they bake.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 398 | Carbohydrates: 57g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 66mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 103mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 566IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 58mg | Iron: 2mg
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
So this is my go to recipe for cinnamon rolls for years! But just a quit question…. was this recipe originally with bread flour? I swear it was but now lists AP flour and I’m wondering if there is a glitch in the matrix. Thanks!
This recipe is shown as it was originally posted with all purpose flour. I do have a different recipe for Copycat Cinnabon Rolls here that uses bread flour.
So glad you’ve enjoyed it.
I don’t have a stand mixer! First time making anything with yeast. Any suggestions?
This can be made without a stand mixer but will take a little bit of work to get the dough nice and smooth. Mix in as much of the flour as you can with a spoon and then continue mixing it in by hand. Once the dough is not too sticky, place it on the counter with a little bit of flour and knead it until it is smooth and elastic. This will take about 10 minutes. Let us know how it works out for you!
Just made these, OMG they were so good.
So glad you loved these Diana!
They look delicious and smell delicious. I can’t wait to try them. The recipe was a little confusing as it doesn’t say what to do with the milk, butter, sugar mixture. But I made due.
So glad you loved them. The milk mixture is added in step 2. Hope that helps!
2. Place 2 cups flour in a stand mixer. Add eggs, milk mixture and yeast mixture. Mix until combined.
After putting the milk on the cinnamon rolls to back them I put a little but of homemade apple syrup and then back them they turned out great and added a great twist to the rolls
This recipe is incredible! I just made them for the first time using the hot water/cold oven method and it was flawless. I gave it plenty of extra time to rise in the oven beyond the 45 minutes as suggested. I baked them for 25 minutes and the top was more crispy than I would have liked, next time will be no more than 20 minutes! The frosting is a must for cinnamon rolls. I ended up using coconut brown sugar for the filling very modestly and the rolls were the perfect amount of sweet for me. Highly recommend!
Thanks so much, Shayna! Glad you liked them!
My cinnamon rolls turned out to perfection. It’s been 20 years since I’ve made some. This recipe is awesome!!
Came out great!!! Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome Renee, glad you enjoyed it!
Hello, Holly! I was SO excited to try this as I have baked with yeast very little. I made them in the evening and refrigerated to prepare in the morning. My only issue is that I am not able to get them to rise again using the hot water/cold oven method. What do you recommend? I am warming my oven on the “warm” setting and trying that!
Sorry to hear that K Sun! The hot water/cold oven trick has always worked for us. Maybe your water wasn’t hot enough? Was the oven door closed the entire time to let them rise? You can also turn the light on in the oven to increase the temperature slightly. Let us know how the “warm setting” works for you! Good luck :)
Oh my gosh these are so good! The icing is amazing! I have wanted to make cinnamon rolls from scratch forever. Guess the boredom finally motivated me to try. I don’t have a stand mixer so was worried about that, but I just mixed the dough with a wooden spoon before turning it out to knead and it worked just fine. Thanks Holly!
So glad you enjoyed these Fran! Sounds like the perfect motivation to bake :)
Can you use instant yeast?
Hi Jen, we have never tried using instant yeast in this recipe. But if you want to attempt it, you do not need to proof instant yeast so you can skip step 2 and add it directly into your flour mixture with the sugar and add the water in with the milk mixture. You also need ⅓ less than recommended when using instant yeast as opposed to active dry yeast. Hope these tips help, let us know how it turns out!
I have taken up baking and cinnamon rolls were my Dad’s only request. This recipe turned out perfect. Especially the icing, I definitely licked the beaters! SWP Employee
I love to bake never had good luck with cinnamon buns .its one of my husband favorite
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Let us know how they turn out for you Beverley!
I was a little nervous but they turned out wonderful and delicious
These turned out beautifully! I’m usually reticent to try yeast recipes just bc they seem to take me a lot longer than they should, but these were well worth the time and effort. It was a perfect recipe for a day at home! They really are gooey and I love the brown sugar/cinnamon on the inside instead of the usual granulated sugar/cinnamon- it added a lot to the gooey factor. This will absolutely be my go-to cinnamon roll recipe from here on out.
hey sara
how did the dough turned out. is it fluffy and flakky or dense??
Omg these are so good!!!! Made them earlier today. My only suggestion is if you want some left for breakfast and you have a house full of kids double the receipt- there that good!!!!!
I love this recipe the cinnamon rolls was so good
my wife is a diabetic and after reading the recipe I tried this but replacing ALL sugar with Splenda and Splenda brown sugar. Also, instead of the powdered sugar for the frosting I just used 3/4 cup of Splenda. Cinnabon doesn’t have anything on this AND a diabetic can eat it and enjoy something sweet and delicious.
I’m so glad you loved them! Thank you for sharing your tips with the splenda, great to know it works!!
When you combine the milk, butter, sugar and salt to heat, are you supposed to stir?
Yes you can stir it as it is heating to dissolve the sugar.
Sounds great, on my to make list. I will return with my results as well :) Thanks, Holly.