These easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are packed with brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and icing. Fluffy cinnamon rolls are always a hit for breakfast!
Table of Contents
Perfect Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
You ready for the best cinnamon roll recipe? I think everyone has their own idea of what makes perfect cinnamon rolls. For me….I like the rolls soft with LOTS of buttery cinnamon and sugar swirled throughout. There’s nothing worse than anticipating that first bite of a cinnamon roll and it’s dry and bread-like with minimal cinnamon goodness right?
So, there you have it, I call these my perfect rolls because my dough is amazingly soft with gobs and gobs of butter/cinnamon/sugar swirled and as you can see I kinda like a touch of cream cheese frosting on top. If this sounds like the kind of cinnamon roll you like as well……you might want to make these 🙂
Try my Chocolate Hazelnut Sweet Rolls too! Follow Picky Palate on Instagram for daily recipe inspiration.
What You’ll Need
To make homemade cinnamon rolls you’ll need the following pantry staples. See the recipe card below for specific amounts.
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Active Dry Yeast– Find the yeast in the baking section of the grocery store. Yeast helps the rolls rise.
- Granulated Sugar– Sugar brings the sweetness to the rolls.
- Warm water– Warm water will help activate the yeast.
- Unsalted melted butter– Melted butter is part of the wet ingredients for the rolls.
- Whole milk or heavy cream– Milk is added to the dough as part of the wet ingredients.
- Large egg– An egg is added to the dough.
- All-Purpose flour– Flour is the main dry ingredient for the rolls.
- Kosher salt– Kosher salt is a coarse salt commonly used in cooking and baking.
For the Cinnamon Sugar Filling:
- unsalted softened butter– You’ll use softened butter as part of the filling that is spread over the dough before rolling into a log.
- light brown sugar– Brown sugar is mixed with granulated sugar and cinnamon as part of the cinnamon roll filling.
- granulated sugar– The sugar is added to the brown sugar and cinnamon as part of the filling.
- ground cinnamon– Cinnamon gives the cinnamon rolls that signature cinnamon roll spice.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- cream cheese- Make sure your cream cheese is softened for a smooth frosting.
- unsalted butter– The butter needs to be softened as well to create that nice smooth frosting.
- powdered sugar– Also called confectioners sugar, this helps make the frosting and give it sweetness.
How To Make the Cinnamon Rolls
Combine wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, mix melted butter and warm milk. Add butter and milk mixture to yeast mixture with the dough hook attachment on low speed then add sugar and egg mixing until combined.
Mix and add dry ingredients: In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add 2 cups of flour mixture to the mixer at a time scraping sides of bowl, continuing to add remaining flour until the dough starts to clean sides of mixing bowl.
How Long Do I Knead Cinnamon Roll Dough?
Let the dough kneed for 7 minutes. When dough is ready, transfer to a large bowl.
Transfer your dough to a floured counter top and dust with flour as well as your hands. Break out your favorite rolling pin and get rolling. Don’t forget to dust it with flour too.
Let dough rise. Place dough into a large bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a barely warm oven for 45-60 minutes, until dough doubles in size. Dough should double in size, about an hour. My favorite part. After it’s doubled, give it a good punch.
With a floured rolling pin, roll dough.
How Big Should I Roll Cinnamon Roll Dough?
Dough should be approximately 19-24 inches wide and 14 inches long.
Spread softened butter over entire surface of dough. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over buttered dough.
Sprinkle dough with cinnamon sugar mixture.
How To Roll Rolls
Starting at long end of dough, carefully roll into a log shape. Using dental floss or knife, cut rolls into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
Looks like a perfect little log shape. Place seam side down on the counter before slicing.
Keep slicing them until you reach the end. I do about 1 1/2 inch slices.
Place cut rolls in pan. Take 4 tablespoons softened butter and spread over 13×17 inch jelly roll pan lined with a silpat liner or parchment paper then sprinkle with brown sugar. Place 4 rolls per row close to each other, about 1/2 inch apart.
Second rise. Place into a barely warm oven (turn oven to warm for 5 minutes, then turn off right before placing rolls in oven to let rise) for 45-60 minutes or until rolls have doubled in size.
Preheat oven, then bake. Remove rolls from oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls for 15-17 minutes or until rolls are golden brown and baked through. Set aside to cool slightly.
How To Make Cinnamon Roll Frosting
Beat cream cheese and butter. Place cream cheese and butter into your clean stand mixer bowl and beat until smooth and combined. Slowly add powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved. I prefer 2-3 cups. Spread cream cheese frosting over warm rolls. Serve warm or let cool and enjoy room temperature. If serving the next day refrigerate then warm in the microwave individual rolls for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
How To Serve
Serve cinnamon rolls warm or room temperature at your next occasion. Perfect for holidays and brunch.
How To Store Leftovers
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat as needed.
Tips For Making Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
- Check your Active Dry Yeast to make sure it’s fresh before getting started.
- Don’t substitute any ingredients in recipe for best results
- Serve warm
- Store leftover rolls in an airtight container for 3 days in refrigerator. Warm up before re-serving.
Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- Oven
- stand mixer
- hand mixer
- Rolling Pin
- mixing bowl
- whisk
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Active Dry Yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup warm water 115 degrees F.
- 8 tablespoons 1stick unsalted melted butter
- 3/4 cup warmed whole milk or heavy cream 115 degrees F.
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 4 cups All-Purpose flour plus more for dusting counters
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Cinnamon/Sugar Layer
- 8 tablespoons 1stick unsalted softened butter
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter for buttering pan
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar for sprinkling over buttered pan
Frosting
- 8 ounces softened cream cheese
- 8 tablespoons 1 stick softened unsalted butter
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Place yeast and sugar into stand mixer then add warm water and gently stir. Let sit until yeast has doubled, about 10 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix melted butter and warm milk. Add butter and milk mixture to yeast mixture with the dough hook attachment on low speed then add sugar and egg mixing until combined. In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt.
- Add 2 cups of flour mixture to the mixer at a time scraping sides of bowl, continuing to add remaining flour until the dough starts to clean sides of mixing bowl. Kneed dough on low speed for 7 minutes. Place dough onto a floured counter and kneed dough until it does not stick to your hands. Place dough into a large bowl that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a barely warm oven for 45-60 minutes, until dough doubles in size.
- Remove dough from bowl and place onto a floured counter top. With a floured rolling pin, roll dough into an approximate 14x24 inch rectangle, about 1/4 inch in thickness. Spread softened butter over entire surface of dough. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle evenly over buttered dough. Starting at long end of dough, carefully roll into a log shape. Using dental floss or knife, cut rolls into 1 1/2 inch pieces.
- Take 4 tablespoons softened butter and spread on bottom of 9x13 inch pan then sprinkle with brown sugar. Place 4 rolls per row close to each other, about 1/2 inch apart. Place into a barely warm oven (turn oven to warm for 5 minutes, then turn off right before placing rolls in oven to let rise) for 45-60 minutes or until rolls have doubled in size. Remove rolls from oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake rolls for 15-17 minutes or until rolls are golden brown and baked through. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Place cream cheese and butter into your clean stand mixer bowl and beat until smooth and combined. Slowly add powdered sugar until desired consistency is achieved. I prefer 2-3 cups. Spread cream cheese frosting over warm rolls. Serve warm or let cool and enjoy room temperature. If serving the next day refrigerate then warm in the microwave individual rolls for 10-15 seconds in the microwave.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Way too sweet. The filling was good, the dough was too sweet.
Hi there! This has become my go to recipe for cinnamon rolls, and I am hoping to ask for some clarification. I am hoping to mix the dough, rise in the fridge overnight, and do the rolling filling and second rise in the morning. Will this work or should I rise in the fridge over night after its been rolled and filled instead?
Thanks!!
I am wondering the same thing! What did you end up doing?
I’ve prepped and done the second rise the day after. I put them in the fridge overnight and let them come to room temp first and then rise in the oven. Technically you could do the first rise in the fridge overnight I don’t trust the temp in my fridge though haha.
I’ve made this recipe quite a few times and it’s delicious but I always find myself adding substantially more flour than the recipe calls for. Doll should the dough creep up the hook like that or am I still not adding enough flour?
Wow! We have tried our fair share of cinnamon roll recipes and this one is by far the BEST! So good!
Made these in Kentucky January 2020 and they were such a hit with my sister and her neighbors! Made them again the summer of 2020 in California for my own neighbors and they loved it as well! This will always be my go to recipe and I am so thankful my dear friend Marci introduced me to picky palate! Making them today while visiting my sister in Idaho and we can’t wait to eat them!
These were SO good! I’ve never made cinnamon rolls before and quite frankly I thought they weren’t going to turn out but they were so yummy!
Can you use 2% milk?
I have! I’ve also used half and half!
Love this recipe!! Can you make ahead and do the second rise in the morning? Can you freeze— if so before or after baking?
You can make a day ahead, rise the next morning. I haven’t tried freezing, but I would try after baking.
Can you make them a couple of days ahead and do the second rise the morning you are ready to bake?
Hi Sara –
I have made cinnamon rolls (not this recipe but similar) and put them in the fridge overnight and forgot about them the next morning! I also forgot about them when I got home from work and only remembered until it was too late in the evening. I took them out of the fridge the second morning and they were flat and had lost almost all of the rise. Even leaving them out for an hour before baking they never came back and although edible, they really weren’t very good. I wouldn’t do it again.
I’ve tried freezing and it DOESN’T work 😬. I think it must kill the yeast or something, so I agree, freeze after baking!
Best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had!
Does anyone know if these could be made with 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour?? Thanks!!
Using powdered sugar on cinnamon rolls sounds delicious. I need to get a cinnamon roll recipe for my mom. She wants to have sweets ready for when my kids visit.
These rolls live up to their name – perfect! My family requests these for all special occasions. I usually have to add at least an extra cup of flour and let them rise longer than 60 minutes, but they turn out every time! I often put the sliced rolls in the fridge overnight before bringing them to room temperature to bake in the morning. They also freeze beautifully after they’ve been baked. Thanks for an amazing recipe!!!
I also found I needed an extra .5-.75 cup of flour and extra time for the first ride. But this is a solid recipe that I use regularly!!
I’ve used this recipe for a few years. Although I think there is a bit too much sugar for the filling (can add a gritty mouth feel with too much sugar) and the frosting makes more than needed; I still think it is a great foundational recipe.
Perfect!
I’m using Rapid Rise yeast packets, the kind that come in the strip of 3. The amount in 1 packet is a little less than a tablespoon. Do we measure the same for Rapid Rise yeast and regular yeast?
Yes 🙂
Do you ever use bread flour for your rolls? I can’t tell what the difference would be in using bread flour and all-purpose flour. Any tips on how to make the cream cheese frosting that doesn’t clump up?
Can these be froze? If so, would you freeze them letting them rise? Or before baking them? Or after baking them? Thanks!
Hi Jen,
I would prepare them up until the second rise right before you would bake them. Freeze at that point. I personally haven’t done this, but I know others have. Of course, you would bring back to room temperature before baking when ready.
I have tried several recipes and by far this is the best!
I really like cinnamon rolls! Can’t wait to thy this recipe, thank you for sharing!
Such an easy recipe to follow and my rise actually worked!! Usually really poo at using yeast but these came out amazing!!! My only fault was baking them a few mins too long and they came out a tad darker then id loke but still 😋 delocious
It was fantastic and your dough is too soft as well and i love your recipe, pictures as well….i will made it now…Thanks for sharing….!
Wonder what your thoughts are…..Made this three times today and not once did the dough rise. Made sure everything was warm enough for yeast to rise (110-115 degrees). Placed in a warm oven with a pan of hot water like you recommend. Yeast was brand new. literally followed step by step. and nothing. any idea why it did not rise?
Hi Tyler was your milk and butter warm enough? So hard for me to say unless I was watching the process.
Start with 120-130 degree water, by the the time you put it in a cold bowl, cold sugar, the temp will be about 115 degrees. I think the 115 degrees is not warm enough.
I have successfully made this recipe multiple times but this just happened to me as well only to realize I used 3 tsp of yeast not TBS, most recipes capitalize Tablespoon to avoid this mistake, I did have a little helper in the kitchen and made the error!
These are the best cinnamon rolls! Can I make them a week ahead and stick them in the freezer? Has anyone tried this?
These are THE BEST cinnamon rolls I’ve ever tasted. They are so soft and yummy! Perfect recipe. Next I’ll be trying with gluten free flour.
DId you every try’s these gluten free?? Been looking for a good gluten free cinnamon bun recipe for years!
So sorry, I haven’t experimented with a gluten free version.
Made these for Christmas morning. Prepped on Christmas Eve all the way through the last rise, covered and refrigerated until the morning. Let them come to room temp for around 90 minutes. They took a little longer to cook but they turned out GREAT! It was my first time making cinnamon rolls from scratch. Will definitely use the recipe in the future!
Thanks for sharing ur reciepe i made it now it was so fantastic and soft dough.
My cinnamon rolls didn’t rise! The dough originally rised after 50 minutes. After I cut my cinnamon rolls they did look like they had more flour on the edges than yours did. Could that be why? I’m going to bake them now to see how they come out. I’m bummed they didn’t rise though.
Hi Amanda, I am wondering if your buttermilk/butter mixture wasn’t warm enough? Usually that’s why the dough wouldn’t rise in the correct timing.
I made 2 batches of these and neither time did they raise. I will go back to my old recipe.
Hi Jill,
If the dough didn’t rise, generally your butter/cream mixture was not warm enough. Wishing you the best.
What brand of yeast do you recommend?
These look AMAZING!!! Could you make these the night before and then bake in the morning??
Thats what i do with a cinnamon roll recipe. If you roll them up and cut them and pan them the night before, it makes it easier to prep in the morning. then all you have to do is pull them out and proof them in the oven till theyve risen, and bake! Also I sometimes prep my frosting the night before too, then just remove from fridge to soften while the rolls bake and youre good to go!
Hi Sheila, do you let them rise after panning them before you put in the refrigerator?!
Thanks!
I make this recipe every Friday. My son loves cinnamon rolls