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Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (The Best Ever)

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4.74 from 15 votes

These are the best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls in the world! Soft, fluffy and easy for anyone to make. Swirled with a delicious, gooey cinnamon sugar filling and topped with a classic cream cheese cinnamon roll frosting!

PIN Homemade Cinnamon Rolls to try later!

These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are made with the fluffiest dough that has hints of cinnamon because you can’t have enough cinnamon in these rolls! The dough is rolled up and swirled in the gooiest filling and then topped with a light and fluffy cream cheese frosting. 

If you’re cinnamon roll obsessed like I am, do yourselves a favor and make my Cinnamon Roll Cookies, Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls, Cinnamon Roll Bake and Cinnamon Roll Oatmeal Bake. 

Cinnamon Rolls are my all-time favorite breakfast and dessert and these rolls are by far the best I’ve made! These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are so delicious and incredibly easy to make! You don’t need to be a genius to make these because they require minimal work! 

These easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls make a delicious breakfast for Christmas morning, a birthday, Holiday brunch or any day that you are craving a good old fashioned cinnamon roll!

I top each fluffy cinnamon roll with a classic cream cheese frosting that is super light, airy and creamy. You just can’t have the cinnamon rolls without it!

There’s nothing better than the smell of fresh cinnamon rolls baking in the oven, especially when they are made from scratch and super easy to make.

HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS

Lots of cinnamon: There is a lot of cinnamon in this recipe because it makes this recipe perfect. I even add cinnamon to the dough and extra in the filling.

Frost the cinnamon rolls immediately: the frosting on the cinnamon rolls will slightly melt into the rolls making them extra delicious and gooey! They will be perfect. 

Yeast: This recipe calls for double the standard amount because it makes these rolls extra fluffy! 

Let the rolls get cozy in the baking pan: let the rolls touch on all sides of the baking dish. When they rise for the second time they should get so puffy they touch- this will ensure that all of the centers and sides are nice and soft. Making them gooey!

INGREDIENTS

  • Milk
  • Quick rise or active yeast
  • Sugar
  • Egg + egg yolk
  • Butter
  • Bread flour
  • Salt
  • Brown sugar
  • Cinnamon

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE CINNAMON ROLL FROSTING

  • Cream cheese
  • Butter
  • Powdered sugar
  • Vanilla extract

HOW TO MAKE EASY HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS

  1. Make the dough: the key to making these cinnamon rolls extra fluffy is the yeast. The other ingredients are standard and you probably already have them in your kitchen. It’s important to make sure the yeast is activated into the dough by kneading the dough (mentioned in step 2 of recipe instructions).
  2. Knead the dough: this will allow the yeast to activate and the dough to rise and become fluffy. You can use a stand mixer or your hands (make sure your muscles are ready to work).
  3. Let the dough rise: you can’t skip this step!
  4. Roll the dough out: you’ll need a rolling pin to do this. 
  5. Add the filling: make sure the filling doesn’t leak out when rolling, if it does gently press it back into the dough. Trust me you want all that delicious filling! 
  6. Form the rolls and let them rise again: time to make your pretty cinnamon swirls and let them get puffy again before baking. 
  7. Bake, frost and serve! the best part!

MAKE THESE EASY CINNAMON ROLLS THE DAY BEFORE

If you want to save a few hours during the day, you can make these cinnamon rolls the day or night before.

  1. After completing steps 1-5, cover the baking pan that your sliced rolls are in and place them in the refrigerator.
  2. When you are ready to bake the cinnamon rolls, remove cinnamon rolls from the oven and bring them to room temperature so they can rise for the second time. Make sure to cover them with a warm damp towel. 
  3. Once they are at room temperature bake accordingly to the instructions in the recipe. 

To bring the cinnamon rolls to room temperature: leave them on the counter for 30-45 minutes before baking. 

HOW TO FREEZE 

  1. Tightly wrap the assembled cinnamon rolls, completing steps 1-5. Cover the cinnamon rolls in the baking pan with plastic wrap, foil or a lid. 
  2. Place the cinnamon rolls in the freezer up for up 2 months max.
  3. When ready to bake, remove the cinnamon rolls from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature overnight. They will need to complete the second rise. Place a warm damp towel over the rolls when they rise for the second time. 
  4. Bake according to the recipe instructions and make the frosting.

LEFTOVERS

These Cinnamon Rolls make great leftovers for the next morning! Simply cover the cinnamon rolls with plastic wrap or transfer them to an airtight container and store them at room temperature for 2-3 days. If you want to store them longer, place them in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven on 350 degrees F for a few minutes. 

LOOKING FOR OTHER FAVORITE BREAKFAST OR BRUNCH RECIPES? TRY THESE!

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Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

These are the best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls in the world! Soft, fluffy and easy for anyone to make. Swirled with a delicious, gooey cinnamon sugar filling and topped with a classic cinnamon roll frosting!
4.74 from 15 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 9 large rolls

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 3/4 cup warm milk; whole or 2% (110 degrees F)
  • 2 1/4 ounce packages quick rise or active yeast
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 whole egg; room temperature
  • 1 egg yolk; room temperature
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter; melted
  • 3 cups bread flour; plus more for dusting
  • 3/4 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon

For the cinnamon roll filling

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
  • 2 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter; softened

For the cream cheese frosting

  • 4 oz. cream cheese; softened
  • 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter; softened
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Warm milk to around 110 degrees F. Make sure it isn't too hot and it should feel like warm bath water. I highly recomend using a food thermameter. Transfer the milk to a bowl of a stand mixer and add yeast. Whisk together until combined and then add sugar, egg, egg yolk and butter. Mix until well combined.
  • Add the flour, salt and cinnamon to the dough and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough begins to form. Place the mixing bowl on the stand mixer and knead the dough with a dough hook for about 8 minutes until a dough ball is formed, scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. The dough will be slightly sticky but shouldn't stick to your hands. If it is too sticky add 2 tablespoons of flour. If you don't have a stand mixer you could use your hands and knead the dough on a well-floured surface.
  • Transfer the dough ball to an oiled bowl, cover with a warm damp towel and let dough rise for an 1 – 1 1/2 hours, or until it has doubled in size. The time will vary depending on the humidity and temperature in your home. To make your towel warm, place the damp towel in the microwave for 30 seconds.
  • After the dough has doubled in size, transfer to a well-floured surface and roll out to about 14×9 inch rectangle. Spread softened butter over the dough. Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and then sprinkle the mixture over the buttered dough. Gently press the cinnamon sugar mixture down with your hands into the buttered dough.
  • Tightly roll up the dough, starting at the 9 inch side. Cut into 9-10 even rolls and place the rolls on a lightly greased 9×9 baking pan or round 9 inch cake pan. Cover the rolls again and place a warm damp towel on top. Let rise for another 30-45 minutes. They will get a little puffy and rise a bit.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until just slightly golden brown on the edges. You want to under-bake them a little so they stay soft and gooey in the middle.
  • While the cinnamon rolls are cooling, add all of the frosting ingredients together and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, light and fluffy. Spread the frosting over cinnamon rolls and serve immediately. Enjoy!
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Notes

*Make sure to check the blog post on all of my recipe notes, tips, tricks and more information about this recipe!
4.74 from 15 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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30 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These look fantastic! That icing especially is so simple and so dangerous, I bet that would taste amazing on just about anything!

  2. 5 stars
    I am always wanting to make cinnamon rolls, but never do it because I feel like it takes too long. But yours look so good, it may be convincing me to reconsider !!

  3. 5 stars
    Who knew cinnamon rolls made from scratch could be this easy and delicious! I will be making these for Sunday Funday this week.

  4. 5 stars
    These cinnamon rolls look so good! I have never made them, have always been intimidated, and don’t trust my baking skills but you give me hope with your beautiful recipe! I will attempt my first time ever cinnamon rolls, with your guidance. I have to because they look so tempting and delicious. Thank you so much!

  5. These rolls are totally irresistible! Love all that frosting on top. It’s the best part! I think you mean refrigerator here, instead of oven. 🙂 When you are ready to bake the cinnamon rolls, remove cinnamon rolls from the oven and bring them to room temperature so they can rise for the second time. 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    Wow! I needed this recipe so much! We have hot chocolate at home on the 25th of December, and I was looking for a great and yummy breakfast to serve with it. Thank you so much, keeping this recipe 🙂

  7. 5 stars
    These luscious cinnamon rolls remind me of the days when I’d eat breakfast at Cinnabon – if I’d known how easy these were I’d have made them instead!

  8. 5 stars
    I am so going to surprise my hubby with these cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning! He loves them but I never make them! I actually thought they’re more difficult than they are. Your recipe looks easy to follow!