These simple do-it-yourself cinnamon rolls are gentle, gooey, and scrumptious! They’re my household’s favourite vacation breakfast. Make-ahead directions included!
This cinnamon roll recipe is my household’s favourite vacation breakfast! Straightforward and scrumptious, it makes the perfect cinnamon rolls I’ve tried. They’ve a gentle dough stuffed with a wealthy brown sugar and cinnamon swirl. A gooey vanilla glaze (or cream cheese frosting!) takes them excessive.
I first shared this recipe in 2019, impressed by the cinnamon rolls my mother made on Christmas morning once I was rising up. Now with over 350 5-star evaluations, it’s since turn out to be a reader favourite! I just lately up to date it with new images, make-ahead and freezing directions, and suggestions for cinnamon roll success.
In the event you’ve by no means made do-it-yourself cinnamon rolls earlier than, you received’t imagine how easy they’re to make from scratch! They’re an ideal breakfast for Christmas, Easter, or any weekend brunch. I hope you’re keen on them as a lot as I do!

Elements in Cinnamon Rolls
Right here’s what you’ll have to make this cinnamon roll recipe:
- Lively dry yeast or instantaneous 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 evenly candy.
- Sea salt – Important for a flavorful dough.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and stage it to keep away from packing an excessive amount of into your measuring cup.
- Darkish brown sugar and cinnamon – They create the scrumptious cinnamon sugar filling.
- Powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and extra milk – For the glaze! It’s candy, gooey, and fast and straightforward to combine collectively. In the event you love cream cheese icing on cinnamon rolls, high them with my cream cheese frosting as a substitute.
Discover the entire recipe with measurements under.
Recipe Variation
Make vegan cinnamon rolls: As a result of this recipe is made with out eggs, you may simply make it vegan! Merely use almond milk as a substitute of standard milk and melted coconut oil as a substitute of butter!

How you can Make Cinnamon Rolls
I really like how simple it’s to make this recipe. No stand mixer required! It has three major steps:
- Making the dough
- Filling and shaping the rolls
- Baking and icing them
Right here’s an outline of every step:
Making the dough
Begin by proofing the yeast. Combine it with heat water and sugar in a small bowl, and set it apart for five minutes, or till the yeast is foamy.
Subsequent, combine collectively the moist and dry components. Mix the melted butter, milk, sugar, salt, and yeast combination in a medium bowl. Place the flour in a big bowl and add the moist components. Stir to mix.

Subsequent, knead the dough. Use your fingers to knead the combination till it comes collectively right into a tough dough. Switch the dough to a evenly floured floor and proceed to knead till it turns into easy.
Then, set the dough apart for its first rise. Kind it right into a ball and place it in a big bowl greased with butter. Cowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and put aside till the dough has doubled in dimension.

Filling and shaping the rolls
After the dough rises, roll it out into a big rectangle. Mud your work floor and rolling pin with flour to forestall sticking.
So as to add the filling, brush the dough with melted butter and sprinkle it evenly with brown sugar and cinnamon.
Then, roll and lower the rolls. Beginning at a brief finish of the rectangle, roll the dough right into a log.
Use a pointy knife to slice the log into 12 even rolls. Place them in a big greased baking pan, lower aspect up. Cowl the rolls and set them apart to rise for 1 hour.

Baking and icing the rolls
After their second rise, bake the cinnamon rolls at 350°F for 25 to half-hour, till they’re evenly golden brown. Take away them from the oven and permit them to chill for 10 minutes.
Whereas they cool, make the glaze. Slather it over them and revel in heat!
Why aren’t my cinnamon rolls fluffy?
In case your cinnamon rolls aren’t fluffy, expired or lifeless yeast is normally the problem.
- At all times proof your yeast earlier than making the dough. This merely refers to mixing the yeast with somewhat heat water and sugar and ready for it to foam earlier than including it to the dough. If the yeast doesn’t foam, discard the combination and begin once more with new yeast. Notice that I like to recommend proofing energetic dry AND instantaneous yeast. Immediate yeast technically doesn’t require proofing, however I feel it’s at all times finest to verify freshness to keep away from disappointment.
- Don’t overheat the proofing water. 105°F to 115°F is the candy spot. If the water is just too sizzling, it might probably kill the yeast!

Cinnamon Roll Recipe Suggestions
- Use room temperature milk. Chilly milk will hinder the rising course of. Heat your milk within the microwave for 20 seconds, or let it sit at room temperature for half-hour, earlier than including it to the dough.
- Let the dough rise someplace heat. Yeast responds to heat, so, for an extra-productive rise, stick the dough someplace heat. We prefer to put ours on a sunny windowsill! I’ve additionally had success placing the dough within the oven with the sunshine on whereas the oven is turned off. The sunshine offers off heat that helps activate the yeast.
- Add the glaze when the rolls are nonetheless heat, however not sizzling. If the rolls are too sizzling whenever you add the glaze, it is going to soften. In the event that they’re too chilly, it received’t unfold and ooze over them. I discover that letting them cool for 10 minutes brings them to the proper temperature. They’ll nonetheless be heat whenever you eat them, and the frosting will soften over them with out fully melting.

How you can Make In a single day Cinnamon Rolls
Get forward on this cinnamon roll recipe by assembling the rolls the evening earlier than you intend to serve them. That approach, you may simply bake them off within the morning!
To make in a single day cinnamon rolls, put together the recipe as much as the purpose of slicing the rolls. Place them within the baking dish and canopy tightly with foil or plastic wrap. As an alternative of letting the rolls rise at room temperature, refrigerate them in a single day. The subsequent morning, take away the rolls from the fridge. Allow them to stand at room temperature for 1 hour earlier than uncovering and baking them in line with the recipe.
Storage Suggestions
Retailer these do-it-yourself cinnamon rolls in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 2 days. For longer storage, I like to recommend freezing them.
How you can Freeze Cinnamon Rolls
Enable the cinnamon rolls to chill fully after baking. Wrap particular person rolls in foil or plastic wrap, or tightly cowl your complete baking dish. Retailer the rolls within the freezer for as much as 3 months. Let thaw in a single day at room temperature or within the fridge. Reheat, wrapped or lined in foil, in a 350°F oven. Add the glaze proper earlier than you eat!

Extra Favourite Brunch Recipes
In the event you love these gentle, fluffy cinnamon rolls, attempt considered one of these brunch recipes subsequent:
Preparing for Christmas morning? Take a look at these 45 Christmas Breakfast Concepts!

Cinnamon Rolls
Serves 12
These gentle and fluffy do-it-yourself cinnamon rolls are good for the vacations or any weekend brunch! Discover make-ahead and freezing directions within the weblog publish above.
Different Frosting Choices (as a substitute of the glaze)
Forestall your display from going darkish
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Grease an 8×11 or 9×13-inch baking dish.
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In a small bowl, stir collectively the water, yeast, and sugar. Put aside for five minutes, or till the yeast is foamy.
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Make the dough: In a medium bowl, mix the melted butter, milk, sugar, and salt. Stir within the yeast combination. Place the flour in a big bowl, then add the moist components and stir till mixed. The combination will probably be sticky. Use your fingers to roughly knead the combination, then flip it out onto a floured floor. Knead the dough for 3 to 4 minutes, or till easy, sprinkling it with extra flour if wanted. Kind the dough right into a ball.
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Brush a big bowl with butter and place the dough inside. Cowl with plastic wrap and put aside in a heat place to rise till doubled in dimension, about 1 hour.
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Make the filling: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
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Punch down the dough and roll it out on a floured floor right into a 20×14-inch rectangle. Brush with 2 tablespoons melted butter and sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar to inside ½ inch of the perimeters.
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Beginning at one of many brief 14-inch ends, roll tightly right into a log, then use a pointy knife to slice the log into 12 rolls. Place the rolls within the baking dish cut-side up, cowl, and let rise for 1 hour.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Make the glaze: In a medium bowl, whisk collectively the powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons milk, and vanilla till easy. If it’s too thick, add extra milk. Alternatively, make this cream cheese frosting recipe as a substitute of the glaze.
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Uncover the rolls and bake for 25 to half-hour, or till evenly golden on high. Take away and permit to chill for 10 minutes, then drizzle the glaze or frosting on high and serve.
Make these cinnamon rolls dairy-free through the use of almond milk as a substitute of standard milk and melted coconut oil as a substitute of butter.
Recipe tailored from Oh She Glows.
