These easy homemade cinnamon rolls are soft, gooey, and delicious! They're my family's favorite holiday breakfast. Make-ahead instructions included!
This cinnamon roll recipe is my family’s favorite holiday breakfast! Easy and delicious, it makes the best cinnamon rolls I’ve tried. They have a soft dough filled with a rich brown sugar and cinnamon swirl. A gooey vanilla glaze (or cream cheese frosting!) takes them over the top.
I first shared this recipe in 2019, inspired by the cinnamon rolls my mom made on Christmas morning when I was growing up. Now with over 350 5-star reviews, it’s since become a reader favorite! I recently updated it with new photos, make-ahead and freezing instructions, and tips for cinnamon roll success.
If you’ve never made homemade cinnamon rolls before, you won’t believe how simple they are to make from scratch! They’re a perfect breakfast for Christmas, Easter, or any weekend brunch. I hope you love them as much as I do!
Ingredients in Cinnamon Rolls
Here’s what you’ll need to make this cinnamon roll recipe:
- Active dry yeast or instant yeast – It helps the dough rise.
- Melted butter and milk – They add moisture and richness to the cinnamon roll dough.
- Sugar – It makes the dough lightly sweet.
- Sea salt – Essential for a flavorful dough.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Dark brown sugar and cinnamon – They create the delicious cinnamon sugar filling.
- Powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and more milk – For the glaze! It’s sweet, gooey, and quick and easy to mix together. If you love cream cheese icing on cinnamon rolls, top them with my cream cheese frosting instead.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Recipe Variation
Make vegan cinnamon rolls: Because this recipe is made without eggs, you can easily make it vegan! Simply use almond milk instead of regular milk and melted coconut oil instead of butter!
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
I love how easy it is to make this recipe. No stand mixer required! It has three main steps:
- Making the dough
- Filling and shaping the rolls
- Baking and icing them
Here’s an overview of each step:
Making the dough
Start by proofing the yeast. Mix it with warm water and sugar in a small bowl, and set it aside for 5 minutes, or until the yeast is foamy.
Next, mix together the wet and dry ingredients. Combine the melted butter, milk, sugar, salt, and yeast mixture in a medium bowl. Place the flour in a large bowl and add the wet ingredients. Stir to combine.
Next, knead the dough. Use your hands to knead the mixture until it comes together into a rough dough. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and continue to knead until it becomes smooth.
Then, set the dough aside for its first rise. Form it into a ball and place it in a large bowl greased with butter. Cover with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and set aside until the dough has doubled in size.
Filling and shaping the rolls
After the dough rises, roll it out into a large rectangle. Dust your work surface and rolling pin with flour to prevent sticking.
To add the filling, brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle it evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Then, roll and cut the rolls. Starting at a short end of the rectangle, roll the dough into a log.
Use a sharp knife to slice the log into 12 even rolls. Place them in a large greased baking pan, cut side up. Cover the rolls and set them aside to rise for 1 hour.
Baking and icing the rolls
After their second rise, bake the cinnamon rolls at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until they’re lightly golden brown. Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 10 minutes.
While they cool, make the glaze. Slather it over them and enjoy warm!
Why aren’t my cinnamon rolls fluffy?
If your cinnamon rolls aren’t fluffy, expired or dead yeast is usually the issue.
- Always proof your yeast before making the dough. This simply refers to mixing the yeast with a little warm water and sugar and waiting for it to foam before adding it to the dough. If the yeast doesn’t foam, discard the mixture and start again with new yeast. Note that I recommend proofing active dry AND instant yeast. Instant yeast technically doesn’t require proofing, but I think it’s always best to check freshness to avoid disappointment.
- Don’t overheat the proofing water. 105°F to 115°F is the sweet spot. If the water is too hot, it can kill the yeast!
Cinnamon Roll Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature milk. Cold milk will hinder the rising process. Warm your milk in the microwave for 20 seconds, or let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, before adding it to the dough.
- Let the dough rise somewhere warm. Yeast responds to warmth, so, for an extra-productive rise, stick the dough somewhere warm. We like to put ours on a sunny windowsill! I’ve also had success putting the dough in the oven with the light on while the oven is turned off. The light gives off warmth that helps activate the yeast.
- Add the glaze when the rolls are still warm, but not hot. If the rolls are too hot when you add the glaze, it will melt. If they’re too cold, it won’t spread and ooze over them. I find that letting them cool for 10 minutes brings them to the perfect temperature. They’ll still be warm when you eat them, and the frosting will soften over them without completely melting.
How to Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Get ahead on this cinnamon roll recipe by assembling the rolls the night before you plan to serve them. That way, you can easily bake them off in the morning!
To make overnight cinnamon rolls, prepare the recipe up to the point of slicing the rolls. Place them in the baking dish and cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap. Instead of letting the rolls rise at room temperature, refrigerate them overnight. The next morning, remove the rolls from the fridge. Let them stand at room temperature for 1 hour before uncovering and baking them according to the recipe.
Storage Tips
Store these homemade cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, I recommend freezing them.
How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls
Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool completely after baking. Wrap individual rolls in foil or plastic wrap, or tightly cover the entire baking dish. Store the rolls in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight at room temperature or in the fridge. Reheat, wrapped or covered in foil, in a 350°F oven. Add the glaze right before you eat!
More Favorite Brunch Recipes
If you love these soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls, try one of these brunch recipes next:
- How to Make a Frittata
- Spinach Quiche
- French Toast Casserole
- Coffee Cake
- Baked Oatmeal
- Or any of these 51 Best Brunch Recipes!
Getting ready for Christmas morning? Check out these 45 Christmas Breakfast Ideas!
Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the yeast
- ½ cup warm water, 110°F
- 1 (¼-ounce) package active dry yeast or instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Dough
- ⅓ cup melted butter, plus more for brushing
- ½ cup milk, at room temperature
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2¾ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading
Filling
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1½ tablespoons cinnamon
Glaze
- 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Other Frosting Options (instead of the glaze)
- 1 recipe Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
- Grease an 8x11 or 9x13-inch baking dish.
- In a small bowl, stir together the water, yeast, and sugar. Set aside for 5 minutes, or until the yeast is foamy.
- Make the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, milk, sugar, and salt. Stir in the yeast mixture. Place the flour in a large bowl, then add the wet ingredients and stir until combined. The mixture will be sticky. Use your hands to roughly knead the mixture, then turn it out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes, or until smooth, sprinkling it with more flour if needed. Form the dough into a ball.
- Brush a large bowl with butter and place the dough inside. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- Make the filling: In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Punch down the dough and roll it out on a floured surface into a 20x14-inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar to within ½ inch of the edges.
- Starting at one of the short 14-inch ends, roll tightly into a log, then use a sharp knife to slice the log into 12 rolls. Place the rolls in the baking dish cut-side up, cover, and let rise for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla until smooth. If it’s too thick, add more milk. Alternatively, make this cream cheese frosting recipe instead of the glaze.
- Uncover the rolls and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until lightly golden on top. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes, then drizzle the glaze or frosting on top and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Oh She Glows.
These look incredible! What can I use instead of coconut oil? I’m allergic.
Hi Frankie – melted butter or vegan butter!
Thank you so much! ??
Hi there – can you sub the almond milk for coconut milk?
Hi Andrea, if it’s the coconut beverage type (in cartons)… canned coconut milks have a higher fat content and that might affect the dough.
These look incredible!
If butter is my only option, could you suggest any tips (for substituting this for the oil)?
1) Salted vs. Unsalted?
2) Still using approx 1/3 cup (or modify)?
Thank you, and many thanks also for the time and effort you put into this blog!
Hi Jaclyn, you can use melted unsalted butter – the same amount.
I hope you enjoy!
Thanks very much for the feedback!
(Unfortunately just realized we only have “Fast-Rise” yeast in the cabinet. So if that isn’t conducive to this recipe (??) these may have to wait until the yeast shortage ends).
Wishing you & all of your followers health & wellness during this time! Love your posts, thanks for doing what you do!
I’m pretty sure Fast-Rise will be just fine!
Just wonderful, simple to make and taste great.
So glad you loved them!
These are decadent and delicious. They baked beautifully and the whole family loved them. Very time consuming, but the double batch and freeze is what I’m going to do next time. Perfect 10!
How much yeast if not using a packet?
Hi Evelyn, a packet is 1/4 ounce. I hope you enjoy the cinnamon rolls!
Do you have a gluten free version of your cinnamon rolls?
I made the cinnamon rolls this morning…these are THE best ever!! Worth the time!
Hi Kelly, I’m so glad you loved them!
My sister and I made these on Christmas morning. They were hands down the best cinnamon rolls we’ve ever had! I don’t have a lot of experience baking but these were so easy and tasty. Such a great recipe!
Hi Meagan, I’m so happy to hear that! I’m glad you loved them and that the instructions were easy to follow!
Thanks for the inspiration! Because of this post, I made this recipe Christmas Eve night and then stored the unbaked rolls in the fridge overnight to put into the oven first-thing Christmas morning. I followed the recipe as written, with an addition of some chopped hazelnuts and raisins to the filling. Waking up to the smell of cinnamon rolls was delicious enough, but the rolls were fabulous to eat, too! Baking fresh homemade cinnamon rolls will absolutely become an on-going Christmas tradition in our household – thank you!
I’m so glad you loved them!
I made these as a special treat for my family on Christmas morning. They are so pretty and tasted great! My only problem is baking at altitude–the dough didn’t rise as much as i would have liked so they were a little dense, almost like cinnamon roll-oughala. A friend told me to try doubling the amount of yeast so I’ll try that next time. Love your vegan desserts, always such a treat!
Hi Ali, I’m glad you enjoyed them – thanks for the tip about altitude baking.
I made these for Christmas breakfast and they were a huge hit. I make cinnamon rolls every year for Christmas but this is definitely the best recipe I’ve tried. I put them together last night and after the final rise I put them in the fridge for the night . This morning I brought them to room temperature and then baked them. Perfection… and we’re devoured even without the icing. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Liz, I’m so glad you loved them! Thanks for the tip about chilling them overnight!
Merry Christmas! My daughter and I prepared these cinnamon rolls (last night) through step 7, except we didn’t let them rise for an hour after they were placed cut side up in the pan. Instead we wrapped them tightly with plastic wrap, then foil and put them in the fridge overnight. We then set them on top of the stove in the morning for 1.5-2 hours before baking as instructed.
They came out perfectly and everyone loved them. They were insanely good. I will be making these from now on anytime I want cinnamon rolls from scratch.
Also, we used earth balance butter for the dough (instead of coconut oil) and for brushing onto the dough before the cinnamon-sugar mixture and oat milk instead of almond and we had no issues at all. Delicious!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I also made your hazelnut milk (which is now a Christmas tradition in my house) to go in everyone’s coffee. The coffee and the cinnamon rolls were a perfect combination.
Hi Marissa, I’m so glad these were a hit! Sounds so delicious with the hazelnut milk!
These were DELICIOUS!!!!
Made these for Christmas morning and they turned out AMAZING! Only changes I made- we don’t do nuts in our family so I used oat milk instead of almond. Also, I made the rolls and let them do their final rise for an hour and then left them covered and refrigerated overnight. In the morning I let them come to room temperature for about an hour and baked them per your instructions and they were perfect. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Hi Kelly, I’m so glad you loved them!! I’m so happy that the oat milk worked well and that they worked out over night!
Hands down the best cinnamon roll recipe I have tried. Even if you are not vegan it is the best. Perfect combination of spices and sugar!Not overly sweet like a lot of recipes. Light and fluffy rolls! Thank you for my new favorite.
Hi Kathy, I’m so glad you loved them!
great recipe, thank you, from scratch is always much better, much appreciated
These cinnamon rolls look amazing! We always make some on Christmas morning to eat after gifts!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
I have a couple of questions about freezing. Do you freeze them in the pan or remove? Please explain how you prepare them for the freezer. Also, how long does it take in the oven to reheat at 350 degrees? Thanks!
Hi Tina, here are some options: I’ve reheated single rolls in the microwave for 3o seconds. I’ve reheated multiple rolls (out of the baking dish) wrapped in foil together in the 350 oven for about 20 minutes. To thaw the whole baking dish, it might be helpful to thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in the morning until they’re warmed through. Hope that helps!
Thanks Jeanine! Do you place the baked cinnamon rolls in the pan in the freezer or do you remove from the pan and wrap with plastic wrap or foil or both?
Either way is fine – if you want to re-bake the whole pan at the same time you can freeze the whole dish wrapped in foil. If you want to bake them separated, you can wrap them in foil without the baking dish. I do foil, not plastic wrap.
Thanks Jeanine! Have a wonderful Christmas!
you too!
These look incredible! I am definitely going to make them for Christmas morning! I was wondering if I could use a different oil instead of coconut oil?
Also, I was wondering if I was to make them but instead of an hour rise, they went in the fridge overnight? Would that work? I don’t want to make them 2 days ahead for time and freeze them.
The best Cinnamon recipe yet! I did add more filling than suggested.
I haven’t tried them with another oil, but I think any neutral oil (or melted butter) would work. If it’s the coconut taste you don’t like, look for refined coconut oil, it doesn’t have a coconut taste. I also haven’t tried refrigerating them overnight. I think it might work as long as you let them come to room temp before baking. I can’t say how it would affect the baking time.
I did just make these the night before and after rolling them and putting them in the pan I just popped the pan in the fridge overnight. I pulled them out and placed them in a warm spot for the second rise then baked them the morning we wanted them. They turned out great!
I used canola oil and it worked great!
Any chance you’ve tried making these with gluten free flower? They look amazing!
Hi Ashley, I haven’t – I don’t think they’d be great swapping with a 1:1 store-bought blend. I’d recommend searching specifically for a GF recipe.
Thank you!
Let me know how they turn out with the GF flour!