These easy homemade cinnamon rolls are baked until golden brown and then glazed with a cream cheese icing for a sweet, gooey treat. Enjoy cinnamon rolls for breakfast or as an anytime snack.
For more sweet breakfast ideas, try this Peach Cobbler Stuffed French Toast and Apple Glazed Pull-Apart Bread next!
Jump to:
- Why We Love This Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe:
- Ingredients you need:
- Instructions to make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls:
- Alternatives and Variations:
- Pro-Tips:
- Storing and Reheating:
- FAQ:
- What's the difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour?
- More Dessert Recipes to Try
- 📖 Recipe
- Be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook when you make this recipe! I would love to see your creation, and give you a shoutout!
Who needs Pillsbury or Cinnabon when you can make cinnamon rolls from scratch? Premade rolls are good but homemade cinnamon rolls are irresistable!
Once you make homemade cinnamon rolls, you'll wonder what took you so long! Just one bite of this fluffy, mouthwatering cinnamon treat and you will be in pure bliss!
Plus, there's something so gratifying and indulgent about the process... kneading the dough, generously sprinkling cinnamon and sugar, slicing the rolls and drizzling as much icing as you want on the finished product. There are so many reasons why this is the best cinnamon roll recipe!
Must try: Cookie Monster Ice Cream
Why We Love This Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe:
Super Simple! This easy cinnamon rolls recipe is foolproof. Homemade cinnamon rolls only require some basic pantry ingredients, a little patience and a whole lotta love!
Perfect for Special Occasions! Becase these take a little time, I like to make them for holidays and celebrations for loved ones. Nothing beats freshly baked cinnamon rolls on a Christmas morning, for Easter brunch, or Thanksgiving dessert.
Indulgent! These warm rolls are rich, buttery and soaked with vanilla cream cheese icing. They are the perfect pull apart dessert that everyone will crave.
Ingredients you need:
DOUGH:
- Whole milk: The milk should be warm but not scorching hot.
- White sugar: This activates the yeast.
- Active dry yeast: This type of yeast needs to be "proofed" (dissolved into a liquid) before it's added to the rest of the ingredients. If it bubbles when added to a liquid, you know that it's good.
- Eggs: Use large room temperature eggs to help activate the yeast and provide a nice rise to the cinnamon rolls.
- Butter: Use unsalted melted butter.
- Vanilla extract: For a deep vanilla flavor, use a good quality extract.
- Flour: All-purpose flour or bread flour will work in this homemade cinnamon roll recipe.
- Salt: The cinnamon roll dough tastes bland without this key ingredient. Do not forget to add it!
CINNAMON FILLING:
- Butter: It should be unsalted and room temperature (not melted). If the butter is melted, then the filling will seap out before baking.
- Dark brown sugar: This has a richer, caramel like flavor in comparison to brown sugar.
- Cinnamon: The main ingredient and key flavor of this recipe.
- Salt: To balance the other flavors.
CREAM CHEESE ICING:
- Cream cheese: Full fat works best. Ensure it is room temperature so it’s soft and easy to mix.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter at room temperature.
- Powdered sugar: Provides sweetness and a smooth consistency.
- Vanilla extract: This makes for an even more delicious frosting.
Instructions to make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls:
Make the Dough
Use a large bowl (or a stand mixer) and combine the warm milk and half of the white sugar together. Now sprinkle the yeast over the milk mixture and stir it to combine. Allow the yeast to sit for about 10 minutes until it gets foamy/frothy looking.
After the yeast gets frothy, add in the rest of the white sugar, the eggs, the butter, vanilla extract, flour, and salt. If you are using a stand mixer, place the dough hook attachment on and mix it on low speed until it forms a dough (about 2 minutes), and increase the speed to high for another 3-4 minutes. The dough should be pretty smooth but slightly tacky.
If you aren’t using a stand mixer, simply combine all of the ingredients until a dough forms, then knead the dough by hand on a floured surface for about 10 minutes.
Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball, and put it into a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, or plastic wrap and place it in a warm place and allow it to rise for about 1 hour. Dough should proof, and double in size.
If you used instant or rapid rise yeast, you do not need to allow the dough to proof. Just continue with the instructions.
Prepare the Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Use your hands to punch the air out of the proofed dough. Then place the dough out onto a clean and floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ½ inch thickness.
Make the Filling
Use a spatula, spoon, or butter knife to spread the room temperature, softened butter over the dough. Leave about a ½ inch edge.
Now sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt over the butter. Then use the spatula to spread it out evenly over all of the rolls.
Start from the longest side and begin to roll the dough into a log. Roll it fairly tightly until you get to the other end. Pinch the seam to seal the dough into each other.
Slice the Cinnamon Rolls
Use a sharp knife, knife, scraper, or a piece of dental floss to cut the rolls into 1 ½ to 2 inch thick rolls. You should get about 12 homemade cinnamon rolls. Add them into a 9x13 baking dish, and leave a little bit of space in between them.
Cover the baking dish with a towel or plastic wrap, and set them in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour. When they have puffed up again, it's time to bake!
Preheat your oven to 350°F and place the unwrapped baking dish in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown. While the rolls are baking, make the icing.
Make the Icing
Use a medium bowl (or stand mixer), and mix up the cream cheese and butter until they are smooth and creamy. Now add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until it is all fully incorporated and smooth.
When the rolls are done baking, spread the icing all over the top and smear it around to get it into every crevice. And enjoy!
Alternatives and Variations:
- Use melted dark chocolate instead of cinnamon as the base for your buns to make them chocolate rolls.
- For a seasonal treat, add pumpkin puree and pumpkin spice to make pumpkin cinnamon rolls.
- Add chopped nuts or raisins or both to the filling for even more flavor and texture.
- For dairy-free cinnamon rolls, swap out regular milk for almond milk, use vegan butter and vegan cream cheese.
- If you want to save some time, use instant yeast instead of active dry yeast.
Pro-Tips:
- Do not overheat the milk. The ideal temperature is between 105°F - 115°F. If the milk is any hotter, it will kill the yeast and your homemade cinnamon rolls won't rise.
- This recipe calls for room temperature eggs. To bring them to the right temperature, add them to a bowl of warm water for about 5 minutes before cracking.
- Use a lightly floured surface in order to prevent the rolls from sticking.
- Before the dough is ready to be filled, ensure it is not sticky. After kneading, rinse your hands to remove the dough. Use a dry finger to press the dough. If it bounces back, it is ready. But if it sticks, you need to knead some more.
Storing and Reheating:
Cover leftover cinnamon rolls in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, they should be placed in an airtight container and placed in the fridge for up to 5 days. When you are ready to reheat them, place them in the microwave so they can be restored to their soft, gooey glory!
FAQ:
Can I freeze cinnamon rolls?
Yes. Once the rolls come to room temperature, you can freeze them in an airtight container. You can also wrap them individually in plastic wrap. Defrost them by bringing them to room temperature. Then, to reheat, warm them in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or microwave them.
How do you keep homemade cinnamon rolls soft?
Although cinnamon rolls are best served hot and fresh, you can preserve their softness by adding a couple slices of bread in the container used to store leftover rolls. The rolls will absorb moisture from the bread, keeping them soft for longer.
What's the difference between all-purpose flour and bread flour?
While either can be used to make cinnamon rolls, all-purpose flour makes the cinnamon rolls softer and bread flour (which has more protein) makes them fluffier and chewy.
More Dessert Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin Spice Muffins with Cream Cheese Filling
- Strawberry Crunch Cake Brownies
- Southern Peach Cobbler
- Red Velvet Swirl Cheesecake with White Chocolate
- Cookies and Cream Chocolate Poke Cake
- Eggnog Tres Leches
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
DOUGH
- 1 cup Whole milk
- ½ cup White sugar
- 1 packet 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup 1 stick Butter, unsalted and melted
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 4 ½ cups Flour
- 1 teaspoon Salt
FILLING
- ¼ cup Butter unsalted and room temperature
- 1 cup Dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
CREAM CHEESE ICING
- 4 ounces Cream cheese room temperature so it’s soft
- ¼ cup Butter unsalted room temperature
- 1 ½ cups Powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the Dough: Use a large bowl (or a stand mixer) and combine the warm milk and half of the white sugar together. Now sprinkle the yeast over the milk mixture and stir it to combine. Allow the yeast to sit for about 10 minutes, until it gets foamy/frothy looking.
- After the yeast gets frothy, add in the rest of the white sugar, the eggs, the butter, vanilla extract, flour, and the salt. If you are using a stand mixer, place the dough hook attachment on and mix it on low speed until it forms a dough (about 2 minutes), and increase the speed to high for another 3-4 minutes. The dough should be pretty smooth but slightly tacky.
- If you aren’t using a stand mixer, simply combine all of the ingredients until a dough forms, then knead the dough by hand on a floured surface for about 10 minutes.
- Use your hands to shape the dough into a ball, and put it into a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, or plastic wrap and place it in a warm place and allow it to rise for about one hour. Dough should proof, and double in size.
- If you used instant or rapid rise yeast, you do not need to allow the dough to proof. Just continue with the instructions.
- Making the cinnamon rolls: Use your hands to punch the air out of the proofed dough. Then place the dough out onto a clean and floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about ½ inch thickness.
- Make the filling: Use a spatula, spoon, or butter knife to spread the room temperature, softened butter over the dough. Leave about a ½ inch edge.
- Now sprinkle the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt over the butter. Then use the spatula to spread it out evenly over all of the rolls.
- Start from the longest side and begin to roll the dough into a log. Roll it fairly tightly until you get to the other end. Pinch the seam to seal the dough into each other.
- Use a sharp scraper, knife, or a piece of dental floss to cut the rolls into 1 ½ to 2 inch thick rolls. You should get about 12 cinnamon rolls. Add them into a 9x13 baking dish, and leave a little bit of space in between them.
- Cover the baking dish with a towel or plastic wrap, and set them in a warm spot to rise for one hour. When they have puffed up again, its time to bake!
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and place the unwrapped baking dish in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until they are golden brown. While the rolls are baking, make the icing.
- Making the icing: Use a medium bowl (or stand mixer), and mix up the cream cheese and butter until they are smooth and creamy. Now add the powdered sugar and vanilla and mix until it is all fully incorporated and smooth.
- When the rolls are done baking, spread the icing all over the top and smear it around to get it into every crevice. And enjoy!
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