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We’ve been making these melt-in-you-mouth overnight cinnamon rolls on the regular but there’s something new and wonderful about this recipe. Did you notice the fluffy cream cheese crown of irresistible decadence on the top? That my friends is the same frosting I used on my wildly popular pumpkin cake and it will change your life.
The part that touches the cinnamon rolls melts a bit, sinking into every groove and the top stays whipped and gorgeous.
This is also an overnight cinnamon rolls recipe (meaning, there is a make-ahead option!) I’ve had so many curious folks asking if my maple cinnamon rolls would work overnight, so I’m sharing my tips and tricks (and it couldn’t be easier!). These are perfect for holidays, house guests, and you of course ;).
I’ll always remember the first time I brought a batch of my cinnamon rolls to my sister’s house and how quickly they were eaten by the children (and my sister!). They’ve been in high demand ever since ;).
Ingredients for Overnight Cinnamon Rolls:
1 cup warm milk (not hot)
1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast (we use Red Star Brand)
4 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
3 cups (plus 2 to 4 Tbsp) all-purpose flour *measured correctly, divided (*see notes below)
1 large egg, room temp
2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted (1 Tbsp for batter and 1 Tbsp to grease pans)
1/2 tsp salt
For the Cinnamon Roll Filling:
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, divided (6 Tbsp for filling and 1 Tbsp to brush tops)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 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 confectioners (powdered) sugar
How to Make the Best Overnight Cinnamon Rolls:
1. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, add 1 cup warm milk and sprinkle with 1/2 Tbsp yeast. Let sit uncovered for 7 minutes at room temp. Add 1/2 cup flour, 2 Tbsp sugar and whisk until blended. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 35-45 min (or in a 100˚ oven for 25 min). It will look puffy (**See Important Note Below).
2. Whisk in 1 egg, remaining 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp melted butter and 1/2 tsp salt.
3. Using the dough hook on speed 2, add remaining 2 1/2 cups flour (1/2 cup at a time) letting it blend with each addition. Add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time just until dough is no longer sticking to fingertips or the walls of the bowl as it mixes then knead/mix for 10 min. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp 2 hours (or in a 100˚ oven for 1 hr). Dough should double in size.
4. Generously dust flour over a clean work surface and place dough in the center. Sprinkle dough with flour (just enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking) and roll into even 17″x10″ rectangle. Dot the top of dough with 6 Tbsp softened butter and spread it out gently with a spatula.
5. Stir together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon and sprinkle ALL OF IT evenly over buttered dough. Roll the dough up starting with one of the longer sides, 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 cinnamon rolls.
This tip is GOLD: use unflavored floss to prevent squishing your rolls. Slide it under the roll, then bring it up, cross it at the top and pull both ends to cut through the roll easily then repeat.
6. Butter sides and bottom of a 9×13 baking pan with 1 Tbsp butter and evenly space cinnamon rolls in pan, cut-side down. If making overnight cinnamon rolls, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate (up to 18 hours). Remove from refrigerator and keeping them covered, let cinnamon rolls rise at room temp 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or in a 100˚F oven for 35 min) or until puffy.
7. Brush tops with 1 Tbsp melted butter and bake at 350˚F for 22-24 mins or until tops are light golden brown. Let cool in pan 15 minutes then frost warm buns generously with the cream cheese glaze (instructions below).
How to Make Cream Cheese Icing:
1. Using an electric mixer, cream together 4 Tbsp softened butter, 4 oz soft cream cheese and beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Beat in 1/2 Tbsp vanilla then add 1 cup powered sugar and continue mixing until fluffy (3-4 min), scraping down the bowl as needed.
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for Overnight Cinnamon Rolls:
- 1 cup warm milk, not hot
- 1/2 Tbsp active dry yeast
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, divided* (plus 2 to 4 Tbsp)
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter melted, divided
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Cinnamon Roll Filling:
- 7 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, divided
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 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 confectioners, powdered sugar
Instructions
How to Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls:
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, add 1 cup warm milk and sprinkle with 1/2 Tbsp yeast. Let sit uncovered for 7 minutes at room temp. Add 1/2 cup flour, 2 Tbsp sugar and whisk until blended. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 35-45 min (or in a 100˚ oven** for 25 min). It will look puffy.
- Whisk in 1 egg, remaining 2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp melted butter and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Using the dough hook on speed 2, add remaining 2 1/2 cups flour (1/2 cup at a time) letting it blend with each addition. Add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time just until dough is no longer sticking to fingertips or the walls of the bowl as it mixes then knead/mix for 10 min. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temp 2 hours (or in a 100˚ oven for 1 hr). Dough should double in size.
- Generously dust flour over a clean work surface and place dough in the center. Sprinkle dough with flour (just enough to keep the rolling pin from sticking) and roll into even 17″x10″ rectangle. Dot the top of dough with 6 Tbsp softened butter and spread it out gently with a spatula.
- Stir together 1/4 cup sugar and 1 Tbsp cinnamon and sprinkle ALL OF IT evenly over buttered dough. Roll the dough up starting with one of the longer sides, 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 cinnamon rolls.***
- Butter sides and bottom of a 9×13 baking pan with 1 Tbsp butter and evenly space cinnamon rolls in pan, cut-side down. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight (up to 18 hours). The following day, remove from refrigerator and keeping them covered, let cinnamon rolls rise at room temp 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or in a 100˚F oven for 35 min) or until puffy.
- Brush tops with 1 Tbsp melted butter and bake at 350˚F for 22-24 mins or until tops are light golden brown. Let cool in pan 15 minutes then frost warm buns generously with the cream cheese glaze (instructions below).
How to Make Cream Cheese Icing:
- Using an electric mixer, cream together 4 Tbsp softened butter, 4 oz soft cream cheese and beat on medium speed until creamy and smooth. Beat in 1/2 Tbsp vanilla then add 1 cup powered sugar and continue mixing until fluffy (3-4 min), scraping down the bowl as needed.
Notes
**Oven should not be hotter than 100˚F or you will cook and ruin the yeast.
***Use unflavored floss to prevent squishing your rolls. Slide it under the roll, then bring it up, cross it at the top and pull both ends to cut through the roll easily then repeat.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
The start of September is when I roll up my sleeves, pull out the baking tools and incorporate cinnamon in as many desserts as possible! I think it’s the best way to welcome Autumn :).
Q: Which food is the heart of Autumn for you?
Do I have to wait overnight for the rolls?
Or can I bake them after a few hours?
Yes, absolutely! Instead of refrigerating the rolls, let them rise at room temp 1 to 1 1/2 hours (or in a 100˚F oven for 35 min) or until puffy.
I actually went ahead and baked them according to your directions.. (proofed in oven too) and wooooow amazing!!!! Soft yummyyy dough.. my kids loved them and said they were the best they have had! Thank u!!!!
You are so welcome! I am so glad to hear that!
I went ahead and baked them in the evening after following your directions, (proofing in the oven). Yummy!!!! My kids loved them, best they have had!
Thank you!!!
Your so welcome!
Hi Natasha! Can I use instant yeast instead of active?
Hi Svetlana, I haven’t tried to substitute it that way but if you use instant yeast, typically you don’t have to do the initial 7 minute proofing step at the start of the recipe, just add the first bit of flour and let it proof. Again I haven’t tested it but I think it could work fine.
Amazing
Hi Natasha! Do you think this cream cheese frosting would work for the pull-apart pumpkin bread? Or would it be too thick..? I haven’t tried it yet, but I was just curious if it would work! 🙂
I think that frosting would work on anything! 🙂 Yes, I think it would be very tasty 🙂
Question Natasha. I’m going to definitely try these and might even try apple butter sauce on one half, but my question is about storing them. How do they keep and do they freeze? I’m assuming that you’d keep them without the icing and just add it to them when you serve? Just wondering because I sell my goods to coffee shops and that’s always a question I get. Thanks 😀
Hi Judy, I haven’t tried freezing them so I’m not sure if that works well. I assume it does but they would need reheating in the oven to get them crispy again. I keep them at room temperature for a day and they are usually gone by then but I think they would be ok at room temp for a couple of days. You would want to refrigerate if leaving them out much longer than that. I drizzle with glaze just as soon as they are cooled to room temperature. The glaze holds up really well at room temperature. If you’re freezing the pastry, definitely don’t add the glaze until ready to serve again.
Thanks so much 🙂 With my customers, they typically refrigerate everything for the evening, put it out during the day. In most cases it’s usually gone within a couple of days, so I don’t think freezing would be necessary. That was really helpful, thanks again 🙂
I made these yesterday/today for my dad’s birthday. He loves cinnamon rolls… but somehow hates cinnamon. Not sure how he manages that. Lol. These rolls (2 batches) were EXTREMELY labor intensive without the use of a stand mixer. If I were to make these again, I would double the amount of buttery/cinnamony/sugary goodness for the filling as well as double the frosting. I would also roll the dough out into a much deeper triangle than the 10″x17″ one suggested to make for more spiraled rolls. Maybe a 17×17 square would work better.
Hi Kitti, most yeast doughs or any dough that requires kneading is WAY WAY easier in a stand mixer. I love yeast doughs so I find my mixer incredibly useful and time saving.
Oh yes, high time I invest in one! And by triangle… I def meant rectangle. Lol.
Hi Natasha,
I did this recipe in the bread maker and it turned out great also, but the only thing was that I followed the print out version and in the ingredients list it doesn’t say to add salt to the dough. 😕 So the dough turned out tasteless and not as sweet.
Oh sorry about that! I see I have it in the instructions at the top and bottom but not in the list of ingredients. I totally missed that! Thanks for letting me know. Fixed!
Natasha! Thank you very much for this recipe ! It is absolutely delicious!!! My family loved it 🙂
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for the amazing review! 🙂
Made these and they were LOVED by all. I only had a quarter of a Tbsp of cinnamon, so I added 1/4 tsp of nutmeg to the sugar mixture as well. I also cut the rolls into 20 pieces and they fit in an 11×17 pan perfectly! Definitely a keeper!! Thank you!!
I’m so happy you LOVED them!! Thank you for sharing that with us 🙂
Pan was actually 14×11*
I love cinnamon rolls! So I am definitely going to make these.
I hope you LOVE these as much as we do! 🙂
Hi Natasha!!!! I am so happy you posted that recipe!!! love cinnamon rolls!!! have only one question: what about not waiting overnight? will it work the same way, or its kinda secret of perfect rolls?)))
Ilona, you can let them rise and bake right away. Leaving them overnight is just an option if you want to have them fresh for breakfast.
Natasha, you are one evil woman. I want to ditch my diet now. ☺
Oh no! What have I done!?😏
Oh this looks so good, Natasha! Love cinnamon rolls and yours just looks so perfect! This is great for breakfast or even snacks! I am also planning on making apple cinnamon rolls. 😉
Apple cinnamon rolls sound nice! I’ve tried that once and maybe my apples weren’t diced finely enough but it didn’t work well for me. Can you share any tips for how you do it? Do you use applesauce or chopped apple?
Hello Natasha! I was thinking of using apple butter since I just made some a few days ago…hopefully it’ll work and I’ll let you know how it goes and if it turned out well lol!
I would be so curious to know how that works out! Thanks Sheila! 🙂
I love this recipe. Soooo good! It’s a winner in my family. Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that! 🙂 Thank you 🙂
Mmmmm wow omg yummmm sooooo cool that I can make it overnight this recipe screams my dad he loves cinnamon buns thanx tons for posting hun gotta try
That’s wonderful! I hope you both love the recipe! 🙂
Awwww thanx Natasha dear am looking forward to making this sometime tho gotta make ur peach cake before peach season is over for good lmao love ur dessert recipes lots
I noticed you use white sugar for the filling. I have always used brown sugar, just wondering if there would be a difference in flavour? Love the overnight option, perfect for those early morning coffees! Another keeper recipe. Thanks as always for sharing.
Hi! I’ve actually done it both ways and it’s just a slight difference in color for the center. They both work great. I’ve used packed light brown sugar with great results! 🙂
To me autumn means it’s time for acorn squash or which ever one is your favorite. We love it with butter and brown sugar and sometimes a sprinkle of nutmeg. Now that says autumn!
I’m really excited to make acorn squash as well! Thank you for sharing that with us 😋. I will have to try your version.
These look great Natasha and I agree that fall is time to start using the oven again. Nothing like the smell of cinnamon rolls baking will get the teenagers out of their beds (well, bacon works too). My daughter loves pumpkin so she schmears hers with pumpkin cream cheese. Thanks for the recipe!
Ha ha! Yes, bacon definitely works too! Now I’m thinking about both bacon and cinnamon rolls. I better go have breakfast! 🙂 The pumpkin cream cheese sounds delicious!
I think apple pie is the heart of autumn for me! These look great, the only downside for me is that I don’t have a stand mixer, is it possible for me to mix the initial ingredients with a whisk then a wooden spoon and continue the next steps by hand kneading?
Thanks
Hi Faye, absolutely! The mixer just makes the kneading easier but it can definitely be done with a regular whisk until it’s too thick to whisk and then switch to a wooden spoon or kneading by hand but keep in mind the mixture will feel slightly sticky when kneading by hand. When you’re done kneading, it should be the same way that it doesn’t stick to clean dry fingertips 🙂
I love making cinnamon rolls and use pretty much the same recipe. Turns our great every time! We almost never make the glaze, they are great without it too. What a a great idea to make ahead and bake the next day! I also like the way you use softened butter, Natasha. I always melted it, but it’s soggier and messier to work with that way. On the menu for next week!
Thank you Dasha! Yes, I agree, the butter stays put and I think the best part is that none of it get’s wasted dripping out the side 🙂