These light and fluffy Orange Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect way to celebrate the holidays with your family this year. A light and fluffy homemade orange infused cinnamon roll smothered in an amazing orange glaze.
Ever since I can remember, it has been a tradition to eat cinnamon rolls for breakfast both on Thanksgiving and Christmas morning. Not just any cinnamon roll, the BEST cinnamon rolls.
We’re talking super light and fluffy bread with a creamy butter glaze. It’s amazing!!! And you can make crescent dinner rolls from the same dough.
A Great Addition
As a kid, I hated any pastries with orange or lemon but as an adult, I’ve decided to give them a second shot, even in my already amazing cinnamon rolls… and I love it!
To turn my beloved cinnamon rolls into Orange Cinnamon Rolls I just made a few minor changes/additions. I added orange juice and zest to the dough and the glaze. So refreshing and yummy! And I love the little flecks of orange zest popping out.
Make the Dough Ahead
Yes, homemade cinnamon rolls take time, mostly just waiting for it to rise, but at least with this Orange Cinnamon Roll recipe, you can get half of it done the night before and stick the dough in the fridge for the night.
Then the next morning you just roll it out, cut it, and let it rise one last time before cooking. It’s seriously so perfect for Christmas morning because you wake up just 15 minutes before the kids come down to get them rolled out and rising while you open gifts. Then just pop them in the oven and 10 minutes later you’ve got breakfast ready!
They’re so good, it’s like an extra bonus gift!
These orange cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy and delicious and will become a breakfast time staple in your house ANY time of year! Happy Baking!
Orange Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 package dry yeast 2 ¼ teaspoons
- ½ cup warm water 110-115°F
- ½ cup granulated sugar + 1 tablespoons, divided
- ½ cup butter melted but no hotter than 115°F
- ½ cup orange juice
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1 tablespoon orange zest about 1 orange
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
For the the Filling
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
For the Glaze
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1 ½ teaspoons orange zest about ½ orange
Instructions
For the Dough:
- In a large bowl, mix the yeast with 1 tablespoon sugar and the water and let it begin to foam. Add orange juice and melted butter (but no hotter than 115).
- Whisk in the ½ cup sugar, beaten eggs, and orange zest. Add 2 cups of flour and the salt and mix well.
- Switch to using a wooden spoon and add 2 ¼ cups flour stirring until completely mixed (dough will still be a little sticky). Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Once mixed, cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let it rise until double in bulk (about 2 hours). Punch the dough down and proceed to the next step to roll it out or cover it and place it in the fridge to use later (good for up to 4 days in the fridge).
Rolling the dough
- Grease 1 large baking sheet (17inx10in) and set aside.
- Use the ¼ cup remaining flour to roll the dough out. Dust the work surface with flour. Place dough on the floured surface and dust the dough enough so dough doesn't stick to rolling pin. Roll into a rectangle about ⅓ inch thick (make sure you still have enough flour underneath as you are rolling it out).
- Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Brush the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Roll the dough long end to long end. With the seam side down, cut the dough using a double piece of colored thread-- Place the thread under the dough, bring both ends to the top, cross, and pull to cut.
- Place on a greased cookie sheet (12 per sheet) and allow to rise for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 400°F with the rack in the middle of the oven. Bake one pan at a time for 10 minutes until lightly browned. (If your oven doesn't heat evenly you might want to gently rotate the pan halfway through.)
- Once the cinnamon rolls come out make the glaze and pour on top.
For the Glaze
- Heat cream and butter together in the microwave until butter is almost melted (about 30-40 seconds). Beat in the orange juice, vanilla, and powdered sugar until smooth. Mix in the orange zest and then pour over the warm rolls.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert
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.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Cinnamon Toast Cake
Very light hand fluffy made dough in bread machine great addition would be glazed orange
Ooo, that would be delicious Robyn!
I have made these twice now and each time they come out perfectly. was told that they were the best cinnamon rolls in the u.s.a. thank you for the recipe
Hi Stevie, wow, that’s such a compliment—thank you! I’m so glad to hear that the cinnamon rolls turned out perfectly both times and were such a hit. It’s great to know they earned that “best in the USA” title!
Orange cinnamon rolls, where have you been my whole life? These look amazing! I can’t wait to bake these… planning to try it tomorrow.
They are so delicious Sam! Enjoy.
I am always so lazy in the morning to make cinnamon rolls. I am so glad that you can make these ahead of time!!
Isn’t it the best Cathleen! Now we can be lazy in the morning while enjoying these delicious cinnamon rolls and a hot cup of coffee!
Do you use freshly squeezed orange juice or would store bought orange juice be ok?
Store-bought orange juice should work just fine Mia! Enjoy.
Is it possible to roll these out, cut them and store them in the fridge for later? I wanted to make these for my kiddos, but would like to have them mostly ready for the morning. Any suggestions? Thanks!
I haven’t tried it with this recipe however, I have successfully refrigerated cinnamon rolls overnight before. You may need to let them rise on the counter for a little while before baking. Please let us know how it works out for you!
The instructions for the glaze in orange cinnamon rolls has no mention when to add the powdered sugar.
Thank you for letting me know Elaine.
The powdered sugar was listed as ‘sugar’ in the glaze instructions. I’ve updated the recipe.
Ohmygosh I can taste them already! Cannot wait to make these luxe rolls!