This classic cinnamon roll recipe makes big, gooey cinnamon buns topped with rich and tangy cream cheese frosting. You can bake your cinnamon rolls the same day, or let them rise in the fridge overnight for a cozy make-ahead breakfast.
If you’re short on time to make traditional cinnamon rolls from scratch, try my cinnamon roll sheet pan pancakes!
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Today’s homemade cinnamon buns have inspired many spin-offs in my kitchen, from pumpkin cinnamon rolls to chocolate cinnamon rolls and pecan cinnamon rolls. I grew up baking cinnamon rolls with my mom, and it always comes back to this original cinnamon roll recipe!Â
Pull apart a freshly baked cinnamon roll, and you’re greeted with sweet-scented, steamy insides swirled with gooey cinnamon filling. The frosting melts into the crispy, golden top. It takes me straight back to my mom’s breakfast table. There’s truly nothing better on a weekend morning.
Reasons to Love This Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe
- Bakery-worthy buns. These cinnamon buns are pillowy soft and sweet, filled with gooey cinnamon sugar, and smothered with cream cheese icing. Imagine the best, bakery-style cinnamon roll, made from scratch!
- 30 minutes of prep. Homemade cinnamon rolls take time, but most of that time is hands-off while you allow the dough to rise. You can even pre-make the rolls the night before and let them rise while you sleep!
- Perfect for cozy breakfasts. This cinnamon roll recipe is perfect for a Christmas morning breakfast, Easter brunch, or a Sunday morning, any time of the year. There’s something super comforting about digging into a batch of warm, ooey, frosted cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Recipe
I’ve covered what you’ll need to make the dough, filling, and frosting in this traditional cinnamon roll recipe below. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for the recipe amounts.
For the Dough
- Yeast – I use active dry yeast. Rather than activating the yeast beforehand, I mix it right into the wet ingredients, like you would with instant yeast. This method works as long as the eggs, butter, and buttermilk are at room temperature.
- Eggs – Brought to room temperature. If you need to bring the eggs to room temperature quickly, place them in a bowl of warm water for 10 minutes.
- Dry Ingredients – Granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and salt. Make sure to measure the flour correctly using a digital kitchen scale, if possible. Or, spoon the flour into the measuring cup before leveling it off. Don’t scoop the flour directly from the bag.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter. Take the butter out of the fridge ahead of time so that it can soften before you start. If you forget, you can soften the butter quickly by microwaving it for a few seconds. You don’t want it melted.
- Buttermilk – This should also be at room temperature. If needed, you can make a homemade buttermilk substitute from 1 tablespoon of vinegar combined with 1 scant cup of regular milk. Allow that to rest for 15 minutes, stir, and it’s ready to use in the recipe. You’ll have a little leftover. I suggest adding it to your next batch of pancakes!
- Oil – Olive oil, or your preferred oil for greasing the bowl.
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- Brown Sugar – You can use light or dark brown sugar.
- Cinnamon – You can also flavor your cinnamon bun filling with pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or cardamom.
- Butter – For this part, melt the butter in the microwave.
Vanilla Frosting
- Cream Cheese – I recommend full-fat cream cheese for a rich, creamy frosting. Bring the cream cheese to room temperature.
- Milk – Any kind; whole milk, 2%, 1%, etc.
- Vanilla Extract – Or an equal amount of pure vanilla paste. Alternatively, you can flavor the frosting with different extracts, like lemon or orange, if you’d like.
- Confectioners’ Sugar – Also known as powdered sugar or icing sugar.Â
Tips for Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
- Use room temperature ingredients. I mentioned it above, but the key to activating the active dry yeast in this recipe (without dissolving it in warm milk/water as usual) is ensuring your ingredients are at room temperature. This includes the eggs, butter, and buttermilk.
- Grease the baking dish. Cinnamon rolls are sticky-gooey (it’s why we love them!), so to ensure that they’re easy to remove, make sure to grease the baking dish thoroughly. Use cooking spray, like PAM, or swirl melted butter generously over the bottom of the pan. You could also grease the dish with Crisco shortening or line it with parchment paper.
- Speed up the rising process. Place the cinnamon roll dough somewhere warm to rise. One trick is to place the dough in the turned-off oven with the light on. I’ve also heard of bakers switching on their oven on low for a few minutes, switching it off, and then placing the dough inside the still-warm oven so it can rise.
- Use a serrated knife to cut the rolls. A serrated knife works best for neat slices. Otherwise, use a sharp knife that cuts clean through without squishing the rolls.
- Read and reread the recipe before starting. Cinnamon rolls aren’t difficult, but they do have a few steps and rise times that require some planning. Reading the recipe thoroughly before you start will help everything go more smoothly and save you from surprise steps halfway through. Trust me, it’s worth the extra minute!
Variations
- Top with caramel sauce. Instead of vanilla frosting, spread salted caramel sauce over the cinnamon rolls for a sticky bun-inspired version.
- Make them chocolatey. Stir mini chocolate chips into the filling or try adding cocoa powder.
- Add nuts. Sprinkle chopped pecans on top of the cinnamon sugar filling before you roll up the dough. You can also mix chopped nuts into the frosting.
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Make the Dough
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Combine wet ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the yeast, eggs, sugar, butter, buttermilk, and salt.
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Begin adding flour. Add 1 cup of the flour and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour ½ cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
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Knead with a dough hook. Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough for 4 minutes, adding flour 1-2 tablespoons at a time to prevent the dough from sticking to the sides of the bowl.
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Finish kneading by hand. When the dough is smooth and soft, but not sticky, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for 1 minute longer. The dough is ready when it’s smooth and springs back after being pressed with your thumb.
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Let the dough rise. Lightly grease a large, deep bowl with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Transfer the dough to the bowl, turning once to coat both sides of the dough with oil. Cover the bowl with Saran Wrap and allow the dough to rise for 2 to 2½ hours, until doubled in bulk.
Assemble the Cinnamon Rolls
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Make the filling. In a medium bowl, combine the light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
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Prep the baking dish. Grease a 9Ă—13-inch baking dish with PAM or olive oil spray. Set aside.
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Roll out the dough. Roll the dough into a rectangle that’s about 18Ă—12 inches. (Doesn’t have to be exact.) Brush the melted butter all over the top of the dough.
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Add the filling and roll up the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling onto the dough, leaving a 1-inch border on all sides. Gently press the filling into the dough. Fold the left and right sides of the dough in, then roll up the dough jelly-roll style, beginning with the bottom long side of the dough. Fold the last bit of dough over the top of the jelly roll and pinch the seam into the dough to seal. Gently squeeze the dough to make an even log shape.
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Cut the rolls. With a serrated knife, slice the log into rolls 1½ inches wide. Place each roll into the prepared baking dish, cut side up. You will have about 12 rolls.
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Let the rolls rise. Cover the baking dish tightly with Saran Wrap and place it in the fridge to do a slow rise overnight. Or, if you are baking the same day, cover tightly with Saran Wrap and let the dough rise in a warm spot for about 90 minutes, until the rolls have doubled in size.
Bake the Cinnamon Rolls (Slow Rise Overnight)
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Place in a cold oven with boiling water. When ready to bake, remove the rolls from the fridge and take off the Saran Wrap. Place them in a cold oven along with a shallow pan filled with boiling water. (Put the rolls on the top oven rack and the pan of water on the bottom oven rack.)
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Steam the buns. Close the oven door and let the rolls steam for about 20 minutes.
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Empty the oven. Remove the rolls and the pan of water from the oven.
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Prep the oven. Preheat your oven to 350ËšF.
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Bake. Place the rolls on the middle oven rack and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
Bake the Cinnamon Rolls (Same Day Baking)
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Prep the oven. Preheat your oven to 350ËšF.
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Bake. Place the rolls on the middle oven rack for 30 minutes, until golden brown.
Make the Frosting
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While the rolls are cooling, make the frosting. Combine the cream cheese, milk, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Mix at low speed until the sugar has been incorporated, then increase to medium speed and continue mixing until you have a smooth frosting, about 2 minutes.
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Frost the cinnamon rolls. Pour the frosting over the cinnamon buns and gently spread with a spatula. Enjoy!
Serving: 1cinnamon roll | Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 81g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 363mg | Potassium: 147mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 44g | Vitamin A: 567IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch
Here’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to make the best cinnamon rolls! The first rise is the longest. After you’ve assembled your cinnamon rolls, you can choose to refrigerate them overnight or let them have a second, quicker 1-hour rise before baking.
Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough
First, we’ll prepare the dough. If I’m baking my rolls the same day, I’ll get the dough started first thing in the morning and then prep my other brunch dishes, like deviled eggs, air fryer bacon, and a mimosa pitcher, while the dough rises.
- Combine the wet ingredients. First, mix the yeast, eggs, sugar, butter, buttermilk, and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Add flour. Start by adding 1 cup of flour to the wet ingredients. Gradually beat in the remaining flour, ½ cup at a time, until the dough starts to pull away from the bowl.
- Knead the dough. Knead using the dough hook for 4 minutes, adding another 1-2 tablespoons of flour at a time until the dough is smooth and soft. Next, turn the dough out on a floured surface and finish kneading by hand for a minute. When you press the dough with your finger, it should spring back.
- Rise. Grease a bowl with oil, and place the dough inside. Turn the dough once to coat. Then, cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise for 2 to 2 ½ hours until it’s about doubled in size.
Assemble the Cinnamon Buns
Once your dough has risen, you’re ready to prepare your cinnamon rolls for baking. After you’ve assembled the rolls, there’s the option to do a quick rise and bake them right away, or you can do a second slow rise overnight and bake the cinnamon rolls the following day.Â
It’s up to you! I love prepping these rolls the night before a holiday breakfast, since they’ll be ready to bake in the morning. Here are the steps.
- Prepare the filling. Mix up the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt for your cinnamon roll filling. Meanwhile, grease a 9Ă—13-inch baking dish to get it ready for the rolls.
- Roll out the dough. Roll out the risen cinnamon roll dough into a large 18Ă—12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with melted butter.
- Fill and roll up the dough. Next, sprinkle the prepared cinnamon sugar filling evenly over the buttered dough, gently pressing it down. Leave a 1-inch border around the sides. Fold the sides of the rectangle inward first, then roll up the dough into a log. Pinch the seams to seal the log closed.
- Cut the rolls. Now, use a serrated knife to slice the log into 12 cinnamon rolls, each about 1 ½ inches wide. Arrange the rolls inside your greased baking dish.
- Rise again. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap. At this point, you can place the cinnamon rolls in the fridge to rise overnight, or leave the covered rolls to rise in a warm location for 90 minutes if you’re baking them the same day. The rolls should double in size.
Bake the Cinnamon Rolls
Last but not least, you’re ready to bake your homemade cinammon rolls!
- After a slow rise. Place the uncovered rolls inside a cold oven, set over a pan of boiling water. Close the door and let them steam for 20 minutes. Afterward, remove the cinnamon rolls and the water before preheating the oven. Bake at 350ÂşF for 30 minutes.
- Same-day baking. You’ll preheat the oven to 350ºF. Once the cinnamon rolls finish rising, bake them on the middle rack for 30 minutes. The cinnamon rolls are done when they’re golden brown on top and baked through in the middle.
Make the Frosting
While the cinnamon rolls cool down, follow these steps to prepare the vanilla icing.
- Prepare the frosting. Slowly whisk softened cream cheese with milk, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Once that’s combined, whip the frosting for another 2 minutes until it’s creamy and smooth.
- Frost the cinnamon rolls. Pour the icing over the partially cooled cinnamon rolls and spread it out evenly. You’re ready to dig in!
How to Store
- Refrigerate. Store the frosted cinnamon rolls covered at room temperature for a day or two. After that, store them in the fridge.
- Reheat. Quickly reheat these cinnamon rolls in the microwave or warm them up in the oven.
- Freeze. Try to freeze your rolls before adding the frosting. They can be frozen for up to 2 months and thawed in the fridge before serving. Make a fresh batch of frosting, then enjoy.
