Big, soft, homemade Cinnamon Rolls are irresistible with whipped cream cheese icing that melts over the warm rolls. We love these freshly baked while they are warm but they also reheat well if you’re lucky enough to have leftovers. Watch the video tutorial and you will realize it’s easier than you think to make cinnamon rolls from scratch.
These easy cinnamon rolls are the perfect breakfast for any holiday or special occasion. They are such a treat, especially on Christmas morning and Easter.
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The sweet smell of homebaked treats like Apple Pie and Banana Bread wafting through your kitchen is so comforting and a batch of homebaked cinnamon rolls tops my list of favorites. These are the best when served warm from the oven with some of the glaze melting between each sweet roll.
Cinnamon Rolls Video
This easy Cinnamon Roll Recipe never fails to impress. If you enjoyed this video tutorial, and click the bell icon so you’ll be the first to know when we post a new video.
Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls
These are melt-in-your-mouth soft and the icing is irresistible. As my sister puts it, they are “better than Cinnabon!” and way better than Pillsbury or anything you’d get out of a can.
These easy cinnamon rolls take just 2 hours to make and most of that is rising time. If you’re new to working with yeast doughs, see our tips below and you will be a pro in no time!
The Best Cinnamon Roll Icing
The fluffy cream cheese frosting is so simple with just 4 ingredients and it comes together in 1 mixing bowl: cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. This icing is my favorite the next day when you reheat a cinnamon roll and it gets all melty. I love that it’s not overly sweet but if you like a sweeter glaze, by all means, add more powdered sugar.
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade cinnamon rolls are easier than you think. In fact, there is very little active time – most of the time required is in letting the dough rise and puff up.
- Make the Dough – combine and knead the dough for 3 min, cover and rise for 30 min in a warm spot
- Roll the dough into a 10×17 rectangle and spread with softened butter
- Sprinkle on cinnamon sugar and roll tightly into a log
- Shape Rolls – Cut into 12 pieces, transfer to a buttered metal 9×13 casserole, cover, and proof 20-30 min in a warm place
- Bake the rolls – Brush tops with melted butter and bake
- Frost rolls– Make the icing and spread it onto warm rolls.
Tips for Working with Yeast
Be sure to use Instant or Rapid Rise Yeast which is a fast-acting and quick-rising yeast. It speeds up the process. We use the Red Star Brand Rapid Rise Yeast and you can also use their Platinum Instant Yeast.
Heat Kills Yeast and stops the rising process. Never overheat the liquids (they should be 110˚ to 115˚F) and keep the oven under 110˚F if proofing in the oven. I double-check temperatures with an instant-read thermometer.
Pro Tip: “Rapid Rise Yeast” and “Instant Yeast” are used interchangeably. They are not the same as “Active Dry Yeast” which requires additional activating and proofing.
How to speed-proof dough
Yeast doughs require rising times. In most cases, you can cut the rising time by proofing in a warm place around 100˚F to 110˚F.
- Oven Proofing: If you don’t have a low heat proofing setting, you can warm your oven to the lowest heat setting for 2 minutes and turn it OFF. Set the dough bowl over a towel in the oven to proof, just don’t forget the towel in the oven.
- Microwave Proofing: Place a damp kitchen towel in the microwave and heat on high for 1 minute. Cover dough with plastic wrap, place in the warm microwave, and let rise in the warm microwave with the door closed.
Common Questions
Butter plays a crucial role in how moist the cinnamon rolls are. Unless you want a dry cinnamon roll, don’t skimp on the butter. In fact, you can use even more inside the rolls and brush the tops with double the butter.
All-purpose flour or bread flour works well for cinnamon rolls. Bread flour is even better and has a higher amount of gluten to give you the softest, fluffiest rolls.
In recent years, I have found that a metal baking pan works best. It conducts heat faster and gives your buns color a little earlier so there is less risk of over-baking.
Set the dough in a warmer place (100-110˚F oven). Avoid overheating or it will kill the yeast. Also, check that yeast is not expired and avoid adding too much flour.
Avoid over-proofing your dough. If you let it rise for too long, you will exhaust the yeast and the rolls can fall flat or seem dry when baked. Also, avoid adding too much flour and over-baking.
Make-Ahead Cinnamon Rolls
If you love make-ahead desserts like Lemon Bars, Baklava, and Cheesecake, you’ll be happy to know that you can make cinnamon rolls the day before and enjoy freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning. Check out our Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe.
To Reheat: You can quickly warm refrigerated rolls in the microwave for 18-20 seconds. The dough becomes soft and the frosting softens and melts like a thick glaze over the cinnamon roll.
These cinnamon rolls and whipped cream cheese frosting remind me of my favorite bakery rolls and you really can’t beat a freshly baked cinnamon roll.
More Dessert Recipes
These are some of our favorite dessert recipes for special occasions or if I’m craving a bakery-quality treat at home.
Easy Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cinnamon Rolls:
- 1 cup warm milk , (110-115˚F), not hot
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast, (rapid rise)
- 1 large egg , room temp
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter , melted, divided
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour, plus 2 to 4 Tbsp (and more to dust)
For the Cinnamon Roll Filling:
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter , softened, plus more to for grease pan
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter , softened
- 4 oz cream cheese , softened
- 1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls:
- In a large mixing bowl (or using a stand mixer), add 1 cup warm milk (110-115˚F) and sprinkle with 1 packet instant yeast. Whisk in 1 egg, 4 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp melted butter and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Add 3 cups flour (measured correctly*) and stir in with a firm spatula or wooden spoon. Add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time just until dough is no longer sticking to fingertips or the walls of the bowl. It should still feel slightly sticky but won’t stick to clean/dry fingertips. Knead dough by hand for 3 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm 100˚F oven for 30 minutes (or at room temp 1 hour), until doubled in size.
- Generously dust a clean work surface with flour and turn the dough out onto the floured surface. Sprinkle dough lightly with flour and roll into even 17″x10″ rectangle, squaring off the sides. Dot the surface of dough with 6 Tbsp softened butter and spread it out evenly all the way to the edges.
- In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon and sprinkle ALL OF IT evenly over buttered dough. Roll the dough up starting with one of the longer sides and work in a typewriter motion, keeping a tight roll. Once it's rolled up, push ends in slightly to make them a little more uniform then slice into 12 equal-sized rolls.
- Butter sides and bottom of a 9×13 metal baking pan with 1 Tbsp butter and arrange cinnamon rolls, evenly spaced with the cut-side down. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm 100˚F oven 20-30 minutes, (or room temp 50-60 min), until puffed. Do not proof too long.
- Brush tops with 1 Tbsp melted butter and bake at 350˚F for 20-24 mins or until tops are lightly golden. Let cool in pan 15 minutes then frost warm buns generously with the cream cheese glaze (instructions below).
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Icing:
- In a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream together 4 Tbsp softened butter and 4 oz cream cheese. Beat in 1/2 Tbsp vanilla then add 1 cup powdered sugar and continue mixing on high speed until fluffy (3-4 min), scraping down the bowl as needed.
Notes
**Liquid should not be hotter than 115˚F and oven no hotter than 100˚F or you will cook and ruin the yeast.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Have you had any positive feedback on freezing these? I would love to make them and give them as gifts but could you tell me how I could prepare the rolls and icing and bake at a later time? Thank you! p.s. I enjoy all of your videos and I have made so many of your recipes and every one has turned out incredible! 🙂
Hi Heather, you can check out our Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe.
Thank you. These are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had… My Husband and teen were so happy. Great for a mid-day snack here in Alaska. So good.
That’s wonderful, Tiffany! So glad it was enjoyed.
The written recipe says nothing about the egg? I had to rewatch the video to find its entry point.
Hi Miranda. It’s in step 1 on the recipe card.
Easy to make and turned out oh so good, we had to share with family! Thank you.
You’re welcome, great to hear that you enjoyed it!
My apologies if someone already asked. But please tell what the dimensions of the cutting board you use in this video are. Thank you in advance. I really appreciate the level of detail you provide with your recipes and videos. 🙂
Here is my Amazon affiliate link for the Cutting board. You can find the details here.
Hi Natasha! How many days can these rolls still taste good after baking them? Do I put them in the fridge? Thank you.
Hi D! These are best fresh on the day of, but they are still good for the first 2-3 days. The cinnamon rolls without frosting can be kept at room temperature for a few days but if they are frosted, they should be refrigerated because of the cream cheese.
First off we absolutely love, love, love these. We make a pan full every week and have one in mornings for breakfast. I have small problem. My rolls seem to come apart. I don’t cut them using floss, I use a pastry cutter. Could this be my problem. I have tried rolling very tight. Tried using more butter, less butter. Less sugar and cinnamon it sure why they keep unwinding and separating. Not all in each batch do this. Only about half. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you. Just love your site
Hi Richard! I’m so glad you love the recipe. I’m sorry you’re having such trouble getting them to stay together. Is this while the are raw or once they have baked? My thought would be that over-kneading the dough could make it tough causing it to pull apart and separate when they are rolled. If this is happening during the baking process, then you could try to tuck the ends of the spirals underneath the rolls so that they’re held in place while they rise and bake. I hope that helps.
Two quick questions, we make these almost weekly and they are great. We use a glass dish instead of metal pan. Does it make a difference? My second question is our rolls always seem to come undone and fall apart. We tried rolling them tight and it doesn’t seem to matter. They just come apart? Any ideas how we can stop this?
Hi Richard, this can be made in a glass pan, but you may need to adjust the temperature and bake time since glass cooks differently.
Hi I’ve done the recipe step by step but I don’t know what I did wrong my cinnamon rolls didn’t come out as soft. They came out dry and I also put less time in the oven since it gets hotter faster.
Hi Adelaide, I recommend watching the video again to ensure nothing was substituted or adjusted throughout the process or with the ingredients. Also if you are at a higher elevation that may be the culprit. Ensure you are using regular bake mode in your oven. I hope you try these again soon!
Hello Natasha, first of all, thank you for all your wonderful recipes. I’ve been following you for years and have tried several of your recipes. Congratulations on your cookbook! These cinnamon rolls are the best I have ever had and have made them twice in 5 days. My sister says this has to become a staple in our home!! Can I triple or double the batch? Thank you!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Hafsah! Doubling this recipe will work well!
These came out so good!! I have tried several recipes over the years and these are by far the best! I am up at our vacation home in PA and the altitude makes it hard to bake. These came out perfect and I did not have to make any adjustments. I have made several of your dishes and will continue to do so!
I’m so glad to hear that, Patty! Thank you so much for sharing that with us, we appreciate it.
I have tried so many of your recipes and every single one is huge success. Natasha, you have not only a great taste, but also a unique ability to describe all steps in detail, so everyone can enjoy your delicious creations. These cinnamon rolls are something I can die for. Soooo yummy😋 Thank you very much!
Hi Margarita! That’s wonderful to hear. I’m so glad you are enjoying the recipes. Thank you for the feedback.
Really love making your cinnamon rolls, was wondering, could I use a cookie sheet to bake them instead of a baking dish.
Hi Richard! I have not tested the recipe on a cookie sheet, I assume it will work but you may need to experiment with it as the baking time may change and the crust will be crisper than if using a deeper pan.
For particularly moist rolls, drizzle 1/4 to 1/2 cup of warm cream over the rolls just before you bake them. Do not use cold cream because the risen dough will fall. This step makes the fabulous rolls even tastier.
Thanks for sharing, Steve!
Hi can I use active dry yeast as a substitute instead of the rapid yeast?
Hi Margaret! This recipe is specifically written to use rapid-rise yeast (also known as instant Yeast. Active Dry Yeast requires additional activating and proofing. You may consider my overnight cinnamon roll recipe instead.
I always weigh my flour but have seen conflicting data on what a cup of flour weighs in grams. What weight do you use?
Hi Shane! You can click on “metric” in the recipe card for the conversion.
I have made theses several times and they are melt in your mouth to die from. I am thinking of trying something and was wondering what you thought. Instead of milk I was thinking of using 1/2 cup of warm water and 1/2 cup of fresh orange juice. Then also add the zest of 1 orange to dough. Let rise, roll out, add filling and bake. For glaze thinking of using the 1 cup of power sugar, along with 1/2 tsp of vanilla, 4oz’s cream cheese, zest from one orange along with 4 Tbsp of soften butter and maybe 2 or 3 Tbsp of orange juice. Was wondering what your thoughts are on this before I try it out
Great to hear that you liked it! I haven’t really tested that to advise. If you an experiment, we’d love to know how it turns out!
Hi, I don’t have instant yeast I have regular active dry yeast, can I make the cinnamon rolls with that instead?
Hi Steffannia, I haven’t experimented on that to advise. If you test that out, we’d love to know how it turns out.
Hello Steffannia, I love this recipe. I have used active dry yeast and it work beautifully. You’ll need to bloom the yeast first however.
The cinnamon rolls with the cream cheese frosting were really good 💕 looking for the next sweets to make ❤
Hi Nancy! That’s great to hear, thank you for sharing.
Love these and they are so easy. Just wondering if I could freeze the dough to use at a later date ?
Hi Daphne! I honestly have not tried freezing these. I guess they can be frozen before that last rising time, thawed in the fridge overnight, brought to room temperature, and allowed to let rise for that last rise before baking. If you test that out, please let me know how it goes.
Would really like to know if you tried to freeze these. I was thinking of going all the way through the recipe up to when the dough is rolled and cinnamon has been added. Thinking instead of cutting, freeze the roll. Then take out of freezer the night before and thaw in refrigerator overnight. Then cut into the rolls, go through the second rise, then butter and bake. Add icing when ready. Just thinking
HI Richard, I haven’t tried that but it sounds like a great idea!
Hi natasha love your recipes so much wondering if you can help me I tried the cinnamon rolls but had trouble with my dough stretching and they were not soft.any idea what went wrong .I’ve made them before and they were amazing. But since that time I’ve been having some problems.
Hi Trina, did you make any changes or use any substitutions from the first time that you tried it? It’s hard to say without being there. I encourage you to review all the steps again and ensure your ingredients are not expired and steps weren’t missed. I hope that helps!
Hi Natasha, my name is Sherl Kitchen and I have been wanting to try and make this delicious looking cinnamon Rolls!
But I have a question my husband bought me a new Fridgidare gallery flat top stove and my oven temperature doesn’t go down to 100 degrees it will only go down to 170 degree. so my question is would that be to warm to cover with the saran so the dough will rise quicker? Or could I cover the dough with foil instead since the temperature is a little higher? I really wanted to do it this way as well instead of letting them sit for a hour lol! I guess I’m impatient lol! Thanks for sharing this recipe!😊
Hi Sherlene. You could try leaving the oven door propped open or even preheat the oven to the lowest temperature of 170 degrees then shut it off and let the dough rise in the oven. Let us know how it turns out.