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
Throw your yeast in the freezer after you buy it, buy it in bulk if you can-1 Tbs=1 package, I have some that is four years old (it kept getting pushed in the back) made two loaves of bread with some of it yesterday, yummie, will try your cinnamon rolls for New Years
Let us know how the cinnamon buns turn out for you, Mary!
I made these yesterday and they are AMAZING!
Very simple recipes to follow as I have never made cinnamon rolls before but do a lot of bread making. The rolls come out soft and perfectly seasoned. I shared some with my neighbors and they were in heaven.
Thanks for the great recipe!
I have some dried apple slices from Augason and would welcome some recipes for them.
Also, for cinnamon buns, I use frozen bread dough.
I have made cinnamon rolls many times and this is one of the best! I”m not sure why people think they are bland – they are cinnamon rolls! Sometimes I add a hint of orange or lemon zest when I make these, or a sprinkle of chopped nuts but these are great!
Question -the kids want mini- cinnamon rolls that will fit in their lunchbox. Would it be better/easier to make the rectangle longer, split the dough in half and roll or what do you think?
Thanks for awesome recipes!
Hi Michelle, so happy to hear you love this recipe! To make mini cinnamon rolls, I would make a long rectangle, cut in half lengthwise, then roll up until you have 2 long logs. Then cut the logs into equal pieces, place the cinnamon rolls on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Let us know how they turn out!
I just made them and they are delicious.
Directions are excellent.
I’ll be making these again! Came out perfectly. I used my bread machine on dough setting since I have no mixer. Worked great. I let double in my microwave with two cups of hot water. Only took about 30 minutes to double. I don’t care for cream cheese so I made my own icing with powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.
Oh David, you must not quite understand how blogs work. Not only are the actual ingredients with quantities listed (if you actually scroll down) but complete detailed instructions. I know the quantities are there as I actually just hand wrote them to keep as reference (personal preference vs printing). I also just prepped all my ingredients by measuring them from the quantities listed.
First attempt at cinnamon rolls from scratch and they were delicious and not very hard to make!!
Will definitely make them again. Thanks for the recipe and directions.
Fantastic recipe ❣️❣️❣️❣️❣️
Fabulous and easy enough to make with my little one who loves to help out in the kitchen!
Great afff
I’ve made these a few times… followed the recipe and frosting recipe as written.. these ALWAYS come out wonderful.. Delicious!!!
My husband wanted to make…ie…we make… homemade cinnamon rolls. We would give it more than 5 stars if we could. They taste wonderful and really were easy to do. The dough was very forgiving as I showed him how to get a better rectangle and had to fold some edges over! Thank you so much, this one is a definite repeat!
Thanks so much for the comment, Leah! Glad you and your husband enjoyed them.
One of the best cinnamon bun recipes on the internet! Great instructions too. Followed everything to a T and came out great.
Made these for dessert tonight, sadly not impressed, especially for the amount of time I spent making the dough. I thought the icing was delicious but the dough itself made a very bland bread.
Thanks for trying this recipe, Elisabeth.
I spread my dough out too thin! I believe I would’ve gotten a better result if I closely followed the directions. It was not soft and fluffy. It came out thin and stiff with over-caramelized sugar seeping out the bottom.
I probably added in more flour than necessary during the kneading process.
Oh no, I am sorry to hear that, Catherine! For best results we roll ours out into a 15″ x 12″ rectangle.
Good recipe
I thought that after 30 years of making cinnomon rolls I had the best recipe, until I triied this one.
Hands down the easiest and softest and most cinnamon flavored ever.
I made them the night before and put em in the fridge tilll morning. Followed the directions for getting them to rise and 22 min in the oven later we had cinnamon rolls that even my grown kids who can bake and cook loved, Even my wife said they were super.
U say “brush with milk” right before baking. Okkkk? I’m sorry, am I missing something? I don’t see any milk in the ingredient list besides when making the dough. How much? What kind?
Any milk will work just fine. I use whole milk since that is what is used earlier in the recipe. You want just a light brushing. I hope this helps Kalia!
hi, when I roll and cut them into 15 pieces, are they supposed to be squished into the pan together?
Hi Janet, the rolls should fit into a 9×13-inch pan. I do rows of 3 rolls x 5 rolls. There is a video in this recipe that you can watch to see how they are rolled and arranged. I hope that helps.