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
I want to make these in advance tonight but I am confused about putting them in the oven before baking. What temp is the oven set to for the first 45 mins? Do I wait for temp to go up or put it in right away? Let me know as I have never made these. Thanks
Hi Jen, in step 10 the cinnamon rolls sit on the counter for 35-45 minutes to rise while the oven preheats to 375°F. Then the cinnamon rolls bake for 20-25 mins at 375°F.
These are amazing!!
Absolutely fabulous recipe I make it all the time and get so many compliments!!❤️
Any ideas on how to make this great bread into a sticky bun with goo that doesn’t get hard??
Hi Carlena, if the cinnamon spread inside goes hard you can warm these cinnamon rolls up and it should soften right up.
I’ve been so afraid of making anything with yeast, so today I conquered my fear and made these… My family absolutely loved them, I will be making these for my daughter and son in law. Thank you so much!!!
I am so happy you tried this recipe. It’s so delicious, I am glad everyone enjoyed them!
Followed the recipe, but my cinnamon rolls, word dense, not fluffy. Do you think I didn’t knead them enough?
Hi Maggie, that could be it. You want to knead the dough until it becomes smooth and elastic. It can also be caused by under-proofing your dough, or from adding to much flour to the mixture. You can read about measuring flour here, you will want to add flour until the dough forms a soft ball that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. I hope that helps!
I love these I forgot to warm the milk mixture last time and they still turned out great.. I’m currently waiting for the 2nd rise of this batch for the oven … I make these twice a month for the weekends… I can’t wait for my coffee and roll in the morning
Hi, Holly. This recipe reminds me of the one I used 30+ years ago, then unfortunately lost due to a break-in and vandalism. I do have a couple of questions. ** I am physically unable to knead. is it possible the stand mixer could do the last 8 minutes called for, as well? ** For the overnight method, you say to place the water BESIDE the pan of rolls. Would placing it on the oven floor be acceptable instead? My apartment has a very small stove/oven, and there wouldn’t be enough room for both to be on the same shelf. I’d rather know for sure, in advance, to avoid the possibility of losing the ingredients. Many thanks!
How heartbreaking Terry, I’m sorry that happened to you and the recipe was ruined. Yes, you can definitely mix the last 8 minutes in a stand mixer (it should take about 3 to 4 minutes on speed 2 if using a Kitchenaid). You could certainly place the water below the rolls as well. I can’t wait to hear how they work out for you!
Can these be frozen before baking and then thawed and let rise then baked? Sounds like the recipe I have been looking for. Want to make small pans since it is just the two of us and a large pan is to much for us.
I have never tried freezing these before baking but they freeze great after baking. You can even freeze the cream cheese mixture separately and add back on top when ready to enjoy!
my family LOVES this recipe. it is clear and easy to follow.
Made these today! They turned out perfect! Thanks Holly, another winner!
March 6, 2024
Thanks Holly for your cinnamon buns recipe.
Cinnamon Buns turned out very good.
I didn’t have enough butter so instead I replaced with olive oil. Also, we have been using homogenized milk, I used that instead of 2 percent milk.
I have no brown sugar and used regular sugar.
The texture of baked cinnamon buns are very soft indeed.
This sure is for keeps.
Thank-you.
So happy they turned out great for you!
I hate that this recipe is sooo good! My family has been requesting these way too much. Thank a lot Holly
LOL I’m glad (not sorry ;) ) that they love them!
I converted this recipe into a keto version by substituting the flour with keto wheat flour, used swerve sugars and almond milk. I thought it was fantastic!!!
I made these with Brown Sugar Splenda and Stevia with the butter
for the filling and a Brown Sugar Splenda Caramel Icing due to health needs. I made the rolls exactly following the recipe with the sugar so they would rise well. They made a soft, special roll and am thrilled to find a recipe that works exactly as stated! Thank you for the recipe!
Do you put water in oven if you don’t refrigerate overnight?
No, you can just follow the recipe instructions as listed.
I made this recipe!! I made half with chopped walnuts and half without. This recipe is perfect. It’s my first attempt to make them from scratch.
Excellent recipe
Just as great as my Mother’s homemade cinnamon rolls recipe.
Wouldn’t change a thing
Wow, thank you so much for the kind words, Patricia!
I’ve been trying a bunch of different cinnamon roll recipes and by far this one is the best
Cinnamon rolls have always been my Achilles heal, but not now! These turned out amazing for Christmas Eve morning! Recipe saved! I have found the bakers yeast to be full proof and have had so much more success with my dough making!
I will never be able to describe how immaculate these were. Thank you from the bottom of mine and my husbands, stomachs.