Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
on Nov 08, 2021, Updated Jun 09, 2024
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My Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipes has to be one of my all-time favorite things to make and to eat. I mean, who doesn’t like a sweet, fluffy roll that’s filled with 🧈 butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon?! My recipe is very straightforward and simple, just take care to read through the directions fully before starting. Since I personally don’t care about the icing, I did a very basic one here, but if you are a diehard cream cheese frosting fan, I have a great recipe here.
Why You’ll Love Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Nothing, absolutely NOTHING, smells as wonderful as homemade 🤎 cinnamon rolls. You’ll be thrilled to know, that with a little bit of time, you can make these 💯 amazing rolls in your own kitchen. My recipe is super simple, and as long as you use fresh yeast and let the dough rise properly, you will make A+ rolls every time. They’re fluffy and tender, not too sweet and have just the right amount of cinnamon. I love a simple drizzle, but you could absolutely do a cream cheese frosting, too.
Ingredients
- Milk: Warm milk – not too hot or cold – helps activate the yeast.
- Sugar: This sweetens the dough and feeds the yeast.
- Yeast: Active yeast gives rise to your dough. Make sure it foams up when combined with the warm milk and sugar to ensure your cinnamon rolls rise properly.
- Flour: I use all purpose flour for baking, but you can also use a 1:1 gluten-free flour if you have dietary restrictions.
- Butter: This gives your cinnamon rolls all that buttery goodness. It forms the base of the filling and gives the dough its signature softness.
- Salt: This helps balance the sweetness of the dough and slows down the activity of the yeast so it doesn’t rise too quickly.
- Light brown sugar: I use brown sugar in this recipe, but you could also use coconut sugar. Both give this recipe a rich molasses flavor that balances the spice of the cinnamon.
- Cinnamon: The star of the show gives this recipe its signature warmth, aroma, and flavor.
- Powdered sugar: Confectioners sugar forms the base of the icing. Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool before icing so it doesn’t melt and sink to the bottom of the pan.
- Vanilla: This adds flavor and aroma to the icing. Use a pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
- Nut milk: This adds moisture to create the icing. You can use any milk you prefer, whether it be plant-based or whole milk.
Nonna’s Tip 🥄
Too much flour will make the dough tough and result in crumbly buns. The dough should be tacky before rising, but not sticky or wet. If it’s sticky or wet, add a tablespoon of flour at a time until you achieve the right consistency.
Variations and Substitutions for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
- You can make these Homemade Cinnamon Rolls plant-based by using unflavoured almond milk and a plant-based butter like Earth Balance.
- If you try using gluten-free flour, please use the 1-1 baking flour from Bob’s Red Mill and let me know how it was in the ✏️ comments.
- You can customize the filling by adding chopped nuts, raisins, or other 🍓 dried fruits. For a different flavor, try spreading a layer of fruit preserves or 🍫 chocolate spread before rolling up the dough.
Best Served With
- Serve these Homemade Cinnamon Rolls for a sweet breakfast treat, along with a bowl of yogurt.
- For a yummy 3 pm pick-me-up with a ☕ coffee or tea.
- Serve this with a high-protein breakfast dish, such as scrambled 🥚 eggs, turkey bacon or my Homemade Breakfast Sausage Recipe.
Similar Recipes
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Activating the Yeast
- 1 ¼ cup warm milk, or almond milk
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 package active dry yeast, or 2 1/4 teaspoons
For the Stand Mixer
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted, 1/4 cups or 1/2 stick
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- Yeast mixture above
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Filling
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1 stick or Earth Balance
- ½ cup light brown sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1.5 tablespoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla
- 1 tablespoons nut milk, add more to adjust consistency
Instructions
- In a bowl start by activating the yeast by adding 1 tablespoon of sugar, one pack of the active dry yeast and 1 + ¼ cup warm milk.
- The milk must be warm, not hot, and not cold. Once it activates and foams up, it is ready to use. If it does not foam up, you have to start this step again.
- In your stand mixer you can now add the flour, 3 tablespoons of sugar, ¼ cup of the melted butter, the activated yeast mixture and ½ teaspoons of salt. Knead it with the dough hook attachment on medium-low speed until the dough forms and pulls away from the sides. Mine took 7-8 minutes.
- Oil it up, cover it and let it rise in a warm spot away from drafts for 2 hours.
- While it rests you can combine the filling. In a mixing bowl add the softened butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt and incorporate until a nice thick paste.
- Once the dough has risen, punch it down and oil up your counter a little bit so nothing sticks. Pour out the dough and roll it out into a nice rectangle, approximately 11 by 8 inches. Spread on the filling evenly and begin to roll up your dough jelly-roll style up starting with the longer side into one big roll.
- Cut the roll into 10 pieces using a sharp knife or some dental floss and set each roll into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and let it rest for another 30 minutes.
- Once it has risen, take off the cover and bake in a pre-heated 350F (175C) oven for 15-30 minutes or until golden. Mix the icing together and pour on top. Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator once they cool and re-heat any time.
- To freeze the baked rolls, bake as directed and cool completely. Tightly cover them and freeze. When ready to use, thaw overnight in the fridge. The next morning, cover and bake at 350F (175C) for 20 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Plant-based substitutions: You can make these Homemade Cinnamon Rolls plant-based by using unflavoured almond milk and a plant-based butter like Earth Balance.
- Gluten-free flour: To make these using gluten-free flour, please use the 1-1 baking flour from Bob’s Red Mill.
- Add-ins: You can customize the filling by adding chopped nuts, raisins, or other dried fruits. For a different flavor, try spreading a layer of fruit preserves or chocolate spread before rolling up the dough.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Common Questions
If your yeast doesn’t foam/activate, it might be old or the water temperature might be incorrect. Make sure the milk is warm (about 110°F/43°C) but not hot. If it still doesn’t foam, start over with fresh yeast.
You can prepare the rolls up to the point of the second rise. Instead of letting them rise, cover and refrigerate overnight. The next day, let them come to room temperature and rise before baking as directed.
The cinnamon rolls are best served the day of, but they store well in a container once cooled for a few days and can be reheated.
Yes, cover the baked buns tightly and then freeze. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw them overnight in the fridge. The next morning, cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F (175C) for 20 minutes.
You can customize the filling by adding chopped nuts, raisins, or other dried fruits. For a different flavor, try spreading a layer of fruit preserves or chocolate spread before rolling up the dough.
The best cinnamon roll recipe in the world, and I don’t have to travel the world. They’re just the best.
Patty
Hi my beautiful Patty! So happy you love them! Happy weekend my love