These cinnamon roll muffins are soft and tender, and are filled with cinnamon flavor, and topped with a cream cheese glaze.
Cinnamon Roll Muffins are a delightful twist on the classic cinnamon roll. They taste like cinnamon rolls without all the work of making a cinnamon roll.
These moist and fluffy muffins are infused with warm cinnamon flavor and topped with a sweet cream cheese glaze, reminiscent of the iconic cinnamon roll icing.
Perfect for breakfast or as a sweet treat any time of the day, these muffins are sure to satisfy your cravings for a comforting and indulgent baked good.
For more muffin recipes, check out our blueberry banana muffins, lemon poppyseed muffins, coffee cake muffins, apple crumble muffins, almond flour banana muffins, and pumpkin banana muffins.
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Why this recipe works
- Texture- These muffins are incredibly soft and moist and have a tender crumb that will melt in your mouth.
- Flavor- The flavor of these will make you think you are eating cinnamon rolls in muffin form!
- Cream cheese icing- They are topped with creamy and silky smooth cream cheese icing.
- Cinnamon swirl- These muffins have a cinnamon swirl made with brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon (like cinnamon roll filling) to give these the most delicious cinnamon roll flavor.
- Time- This whole recipe comes together in under an hour from start to finish!
Ingredients
Before you start to make this recipe, measure and prepare your ingredients so the cooking process will go smoothly and easily.
Full measurements are in the recipe card below.
Flour– We used all-purpose flour for this recipe, self-rising flour, and cake flour will work great as well.
Baking powder and baking soda – to allow the muffins to rise.
Butter- use unsalted butter for this recipe. Only butter will work for this recipe, no margarine, and no coconut oil. Margarine has a weird taste and can ruin the flavor of this dessert.
Greek yogurt- Get your Greek yogurt to room temperature. Any percent of fat will work for this recipe.
Vegetable oil – We used vegetable oil for this recipe. canola oil will work great for this recipe.
Buttermilk- we make our homemade buttermilk (1 cup of milk plus 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar).
Brown sugar- adds a nice texture to the muffins and compliments the cinnamon flavor.
Sugar- We used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
Cinnamon- use your favorite brand of cinnamon for this cinnamon roll muffins.
Eggs- You will need 2 large eggs for this recipe. Make sure that you use room-temperature eggs in this recipe.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Kosher salt- you will need about ½ teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
For the cream cheese glaze
Butter- make sure you are using room temperate butter.
Cream cheese- make sure that you are using whole-fat cream cheese that is at room temperature. We highly recommend using the famous Philadelphia cream cheese.
Powder sugar- is known as confectioners sugar. For a smoother buttercream, sift it before adding it to the butter.
Pinch of salt- to balance the sweetness.
Instructions
Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, yogurt, eggs, cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, kosher salt, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until just combined.
Make the cinnamon topping: into a small mixing bowl, add the cinnamon, brown sugar, and melted butter, and mix with a spoon until well combined.
Pour the batter into the muffin tins filling almost to the top. Top with a tablespoon of the cinnamon topping and make a swirl using a knife.
Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t overbake these muffins!
In a medium-sized bowl, add the softened cream cheese, softened butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix with a spoon or a tiny whisk until creamy and smooth.
Top the muffins with the cream cheese glaze and serve!
Expert Tips
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist muffins and not dense and dry muffins.
- Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with the back of a knife.
- Add some of your favorite add-ins! Make this recipe your own and add your favorite muffins add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, banana slices, chopped fruit, and more! Be creative!
- Be patient! I know it's extremely tempting to eat these muffins as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these muffins cool for at least 15 minutes so they will be more firm and won't crumble up.
Faq's
Yes! These muffins taste great with chopped toasted walnuts or pecans. You can add any of your favorite add-ins.
We use all-purpose flour for these muffins. Self-rising flour and cake flour will work great as well.
Your muffins may be dry if you overbaked them. Keep your eye on them while they're baking. Also, you may add too much flour. Make sure you measure your flour correctly.
Yes! I love microwaving them for about 30 seconds until they are warm enough. This makes them soft and fresher like they were just baked now!
Storing
Store these for 3 days at room temperature, in an airtight container, or covered with plastic wrap, or store these in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
Cover the muffins with plastic wrap or foil to prevent them from drying out.
Freezing
Freeze these muffins after they cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.
Thaw these at room temperature for a few hours or until its completely thawed or place them in the fridge overnight to thaw.
Substitutions
Gluten-free- If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply replace the flour with gluten-free flour.
Dairy-free- You can make these muffins dairy-free by replacing the butter with vegan butter.
Variations
Toppings- These muffins can be topped with cinnamon buttercream frosting or maple cream cheese frosting. Use your favorite toppings that you like to make the most!
Add-ins- Make this recipe your own and add your favorite muffins add-ins: chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, banana slices, chopped fruit, etc.
Equipment
- Mixing bowl (set of 3)
- Whisk Set (pack of 3) to whisk the ingredients together
- Muffin pan
More cinnamon recipes
Cinnamon bundt cake- This cinnamon bundt cake is moist, buttery, and has a tender crumb. It is made with a cinnamon swirl and topped with a velvety cream cheese frosting.
Homemade cinnamon rolls- These homemade cinnamon rolls are soft, gooey, incredibly light, and fluffy. They are filled with a cinnamon filling and are topped with cream cheese glaze.
Cinnamon roll cheesecake- This cinnamon roll cheesecake is made with a cinnamon crust, creamy cinnamon swirled cheesecake, and topped with cream cheese glaze.
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If you liked this recipe
📖 Recipe
Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Ingredients
- 3 cup Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking powder
- ½ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 115 g Butter melted
- ¼ cup Vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 2 Eggs
- ½ cup Yogurt
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup Buttermilk
Cinnamon topping
- 1 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 50 g Butter melted
Cream cheese glaze
- 100 g Cream cheese softened
- 30 g Butter softened
- ¾ cup Powder sugar
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 180c (350f) and prep a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
- Into a large mixing bowl, add the melted butter, yogurt, eggs, cinnamon, sugar, brown sugar, kosher salt, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Mix with a whisk until well combined.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and baking soda and mix until just combined.
- Make the cinnamon topping: into a small mixing bowl, add the cinnanmon, brown sugar, and melted butter and mix with a spoon until well combined.
- Pour the batter into the muffin tins filling almost to the top. Top with a tablespoon of the cinnamon topping and make a swirl using a knife.
- Bake in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Don’t overbake these muffins!
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the softened cream cheese, softened butter, powder sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix with a spoon or a tiny whisk until creamy and smooth.
- Top the muffins with the cream cheese glaze and serve!
Notes
- Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and milk. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
- Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have moist muffins and not dense and dry muffins.
- Mesure you flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
- Add some of your favorite add-ins! Make this recipe your own and add your favorite muffins add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, chocolate chunks, banana slices, chopped fruit, and more! Be creative!
- Be patient! I know it's extremely tempting to eat these muffins as they are pulled out of the oven, but let these muffins cool for at least 15 minutes so they will be more firm and won't crumble up.
- These muffins are extra moist and melt in your mouth delicious, so it will be worth it to wait these 15 minutes.
Keitina
I have not tried this yet. Can sour cream replace the yogurt?
RichandDelish
Hi Keitina, yes, it will have the same effect.