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.
I've been working on this recipe for about a year now, and I feel like it's perfect now. The dough is so light and fluffy and it's made with both milk and melted butter which makes the dough super soft and fluffy.
I love eating this as breakfast. Some of our favorite breakfasts to make are pecan banana bread, protein overnight oats, almond flour banana muffins, and lemon poppy seed muffins.
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Why this recipe works
- It is made with a gooey in the middle and fluffy and light as air dough.
- Filled with a delicious cinnamon filling.
- Topped with cream cheese glaze.
- Stays fresh for 3 days!
- Is the perfect breakfast for the holidays or any other day!
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.
For the dough
Flour– we used all-purpose flour for this recipe, bread flour is even better.
Yeast- we used instant yeast for this recipe. make sure that your yeast isn't expired.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe. You can use caster sugar as well.
Eggs- you will need 1 large egg for this recipe. Make sure that you use room-temperature eggs in this recipe.
Melted butter- we used unsalted butter for this recipe. If you want to use salted butter, skip the salt in this recipe.
Vanilla extract- adds extra flavor.
Kosher salt- you will need 1 teaspoon of kosher salt for this recipe.
Milk- use whole milk in this recipe. you will need ¾ a cup.
For the cinnamon filling
Soften butter– leave the butter in room temperate for 1 hour, or until it softens.
Brown sugar– we like using light brown sugar for the filling.
Cinnamon– You will need 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon for the filling.
For the frosting
Cream cheese– you will need to get your cream cheese to room temperature.
Butter– use room temperature butter.
Vanilla extract- for extra flavor.
Powder sugar– powder sugar works best for the frosting.
Instructions
In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, dry yeast, and granulated sugar. Mix with a spoon until combined. Add the salt, and mix until combined.
Add the eggs, room temperature milk, vanilla extract, and cooled melted butter. Start mixing on low until the dough forms.
Increase the speed to medium and mix for at least 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and silky.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until it’s doubled in size (or even tripled in size).
Punch the dough down and transfer it to a clean floured surface. Sprinkle flour generously on the dough and roll it into a ¼-inch thick rectangle, making sure that the bottom of the dough doesn’t stick to the surface.
Spread an even layer of room-temperature butter (super soft). Top the butter with brown sugar and spread it evenly using your clean hands.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the brown sugar and spread it evenly using your hands.
Roll the dough tightly into a log and pinch the edges of the dough to keep the roll sealed tightly. Use a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss and cut the rolls into 12 even rolls.
Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan, cover with a towel and let the rolls rise until doubled in size.
Remove the towel, and bake the rolls in a 180c (350f) oven for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the rolls are a bit browned. Don't overbake these so they won't dry out.
Make the glaze
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 warm rolls 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 dough mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- 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.
- Dont overheat your milk! Overheating your milk is one of the most common mistakes in making cinnamon rolls. If you heat your milk over 110f, it might kill your yeast and stop your dough from rising.
- Make sure that your ingredients are fresh! Make sure that your flour and yeast are fresh and not expired. This step ensures that you will have great dough to work with.
- Be patient! Let the dough rise at least until it doubles its size. The more the dough rises, the more fluffy the cinnamon rolls will be.
- Make sure that your yeast isn’t expired. You can check if your yeast is expired by mixing a teaspoon of dry yeast with ¼ cup of room temperature water, waiting 10 minutes, and if the yeast has bubbles in it and it puffed a bit, your yeast is alive and good, if there are no bubbles in your yeast mixture, your yeast is probably expired.
Faq's
You can knead the dough by hand! Start by mixing the ingredients in a big mixing bowl, then transfer the dough to a clean floured surface and knead the dough for at least 10 minutes, or until the dough is super smooth and elastic.
The milk should be warm to the touch. We suggest using whole milk for this recipe.
If you warm up your milk too much, it can kill the yeast, so either use room temperature milk or measure the temperature of the milk with a thermometer, it shouldn't go past 100f.
After you roll and cut your rolls and place them into your baking pan, cover them with plastic wrap, and place them in the fridge.
The next day, remove them from the fridge and let them come to room temperature (for about an hour) before baking.
The best flour for cinnamon rolls and for yeast dough is bread flour. It contains a higher percentage of gluten which is the protein in the flour that makes the dough silky, stretchy, and smooth.
All-purpose flour works great for this recipe as well.
Storing
It’s okay to store these cinnamon rolls at room temperature if they are not frosted.
Make sure that you store the rolls in an airtight container so they won’t dry out. The cream cheese frosting contains cream cheese which needs to be refrigerated.
Freezing
Freeze these after they cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.
We suggest removing the rolls from the pan and placing them in an airtight container or wrapping them with a few layers of plastic wrap.
Thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a few hours and reheat it in a 180c (350f) preheated oven for 5-10 minutes.
Reheating
Place the cinnamon rolls on a plate and reheat in the microwave for 20 seconds, these warm-up great and taste amazing for 4 days.
Substitutions
Dairy-free- you can make this dairy-free by replacing the milk with vegan milk and the butter with vegan butter.
Variations
Add-ins- make this recipe your own and add your favorite add-ins: chocolate chips, chopped walnuts, pecans, chocolate chunks, chopped fruit, etc.
Toppings- these can be topped with cream cheese frosting, cinnamon cream cheese frosting, or maple cream cheese frosting. Use your favorite toppings that you like to make the most.
More cinnamon recipes
Cinnamon roll cheesecake- This cinnamon roll cheesecake is made with a cinnamon crust, creamy cinnamon swirled cheesecake, and topped with cream cheese glaze.
Pumpkin cinnamon rolls- These pumpkin cinnamon rolls are soft, made with pumpkin puree and fall spices in the dough, filled with cinnamon filling, and topped with maple cream cheese icing. These are a dream!
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.
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📖 Recipe
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
The dough
- 5 ½ cups Flour
- 1 tablespoon Instant yeast
- â…“ cup Granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups Milk
- 2 Eggs room temp
- 60 g Butter melted and cooled
Cinnamon filling
- 90 g Butter softened
- 2 tablespoon Cinnamon
- 1 cup Brown sugar
Cream cheese icing
- 60 g Butter
- 120 g Cream cheese
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 2 cups Powder sugar
Instructions
- In a bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, dry yeast, and granulated sugar. Mix with a spoon until combined. Add the salt, and mix until combined.
- Add the eggs, room temperature milk, vanilla extract, and cooled melted butter. Start mixing on low until the dough forms.
- Increase the speed to medium and mix for at least 8 minutes or until the dough is smooth and silky.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1-2 hours or until it’s doubled in size (or even tripled in size).
- Punch the dough down and transfer it to a clean floured surface. Sprinkle flour generously on the dough and roll it into a ¼-inch thick rectangle, making sure that the bottom of the dough doesn’t stick to the surface.
- Spread an even layer of room-temperature butter (super soft). Top the butter with brown sugar and spread it evenly using your clean hands.
- Sprinkle cinnamon on top of the brown sugar and spread it evenly using your hands.
- Roll the dough tightly into a log and pinch the edges of the dough to keep the roll sealed tightly. Use a serrated knife or unflavored dental floss and cut the rolls into 12 even rolls.
- Place the rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan, cover with a towel and let the rolls rise until doubled in size.
- Remove the towel, and bake the rolls in a 180c (350f) oven for 20-25 minutes or until the tops of the rolls are a bit browned. Don't overbake these so they won't dry out.
Make the glaze
- 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 warm rolls 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 dough mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly.
- 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.
- Dont overheat your milk! Overheating your milk is one of the most common mistakes in making cinnamon rolls. If you heat your milk over 110f, it might kill your yeast and stop your dough from rising.
- Make sure that your ingredients are fresh! Make sure that your flour and yeast are fresh and not expired. This step ensures that you will have great dough to work with.
- Be patient! Let the dough rise at least until it doubles its size. The more the dough rises, the more fluffy the cinnamon rolls will be.
- Make sure that your yeast isn’t expired. You can check if your yeast is expired by mixing a teaspoon of dry yeast with ¼ cup of room temperature water, waiting 10 minutes, and if the yeast has bubbles in it and it puffed a bit, your yeast is alive and good, if there are no bubbles in your yeast mixture, your yeast is probably expired.
Candice
This is hands down the best cinnamon rolls recipe! I added heavy cream on top before baking and they were divine!