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These are the BEST fluffy cinnamon rolls – perfectly filled, slightly gooey and NEVER doughy. But don’t just take my word for it, trust the 3.9 MILLION people (and counting) who have made and loved them.
What Makes This the Best Cinnamon Roll Recipe?
I have been the designated cinnamon roll baker in my family for decades. And in those years, I’ve worked out all of the potential problems a cinnamon roll can run into and figured out a way around them.
This homemade cinnamon roll recipe includes my ultimate troubleshooting guide that will help you confidently bake the best cinnamon rolls you have ever had in your life! Light, fluffy, perfectly filled, and evenly baked – these cinnamon rolls from scratch will absolutely change the way you think about dessert for breakfast.
My Cinnamon Roll Troubleshooting Guide
How to Prep Cinnamon Rolls in Advance
Here are step-by-step instructions for making cinnamon rolls in advance so you can have your sleep and eat well, too.
Here’s what you need to know if you’re making your cinnamon rolls up to 24 hours in advance:
1. Mix and assemble your cinnamon rolls like normal. Once you have rolled out the individual rolls, place them in your baking dish, cover and place in the fridge overnight.
2. Pull the pan out of the fridge 30-40 minutes before you’re ready to bake, allowing them to come up to room temperature while the oven preheats.
3. Bake like normal. Frost & enjoy!
If you’re making them more than 1 day in advance, follow these steps:
1. Mix and assemble your cinnamon rolls like normal. Once you have rolled out the individual rolls, place them on a cookie sheet and cover. Place the entire cookie sheet in the freezer.
2. The night before you’re ready to bake, pull the rolls out of the freezer.
3. Place your still-frozen rolls in your desired baking dish, cover, and leave out at room temperature all night long.
4. When you wake in the morning, preheat your oven and bake as normal!
How to Cook the Center of Your Cinnamon Rolls (without burning the tops!).
While we LOVE a slightly gooey center, you never want the middles to be doughy. Here’s the secret to getting fluffy cinnamon rolls without burning the tops: when your rolls look golden brown, test the temperature in the center of the roll. If it is 200°F, the rolls are ready! If the centers aren’t quite at 200°F yet, cover the tops with tin foil and pop them back in the oven for a few more minutes.
Homemade Cinnamon Roll Ingredients
I typically have all of these ingredients on-hand, and it’s likely you do, too!
Dough
- Milk – You can use whatever type of milk you’d like, I typically use 2% because that is what I have on hand.
- Salted butter, cold – Yes! Keep the butter cold. And while you technically can use unsalted butter, I always use salted!
- Dry, active yeast – I keep this yeast in my freezer and just pull it out when I’m ready to bake!
- Warm water – For optimal yeast growth, you want your water to be between 105° F- 113° F. If your water is too hot or too cold, your yeast (and your cinnamon rolls!) will not rise properly.
- Granulated sugar, divided
- Salt
- Eggs
- Flour – I use regular all-purpose flour here!
Filling
- Salted butter, melted – Again, salted butter! You could use unsalted and add a pinch of salt to the mixture, if needed.
- Brown sugar, packed – I like to use light brown sugar but dark would work as well!
- Cinnamon
Icing
- Salted butter, room temperature
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla – I like to use clear vanilla because it will make your frosting bright white instead of being kind of murky.
- Heavy cream – You can substitute regular milk here, if desired. You will just need significantly less.
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
- Microwave the milk until it’s nearly boiling, which typically takes about 1-2 minutes.
- Place a cold stick of butter into the hot milk, allowing it to melt. Stir the mixture and let it cool until it reaches an almost room temperature.
- In a separate bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Allow the yeast to activate while the milk is cooling. Look for a bubbly appearance, indicating that the yeast is alive.
- Pour the now room temperature milk and the activated yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add 3 cups of flour and briefly mix the ingredients together.
- Incorporate the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and eggs. Mix until the ingredients are well combined.
- Add an additional 3 cups of flour and mix slowly until combined. Gradually introduce the last cup of flour; the resulting dough will be quite tacky.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface and gently roll it into a large rectangle, approximately 12 inches by 24 inches.
- Brush the dough with melted butter, then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top. Ensure there’s an inch strip at the top left bare; this will be used to seal the roll and prevent unwinding during baking.
- Use a rolling pin to press the filling into the dough.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips. For large rolls, cut into 12 two-inch strips and arrange in a greased 9×13 pan. For thinner rolls, cut into 24 one-inch strips and arrange in a greased cookie sheet (half sheet, 18”x13”).
- After shaping the cinnamon rolls, cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for an additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) during the last stages of the rolls’ second rise.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls at 375°F for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown and the internal temperature of the rolls reach 200°F. If the rolls are golden on top and still underbaked inside, place a piece of tin foil over the rolls to prevent further browning.
- For the Vanilla Buttercream Icing, start by creaming the butter until it’s smooth.
- Alternate the addition of the remaining frosting ingredients, incorporating one cup of powdered sugar at a time and then adding liquid (vanilla and heavy cream) until all ingredients are used. Add the liquid gradually until you reach your desired consistency.
- Mix the icing on low speed until it becomes smooth and creamy.
- Frost the still warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
How long to bake Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch
You’ll bake these scratch-made cinnamon rolls for 25-30 minutes or until they are golden brown and the internal temperature of the rolls reach 200°.
What is the Best Icing for Cinnamon Rolls?
I LOVE topping these cinnamon rolls with vanilla buttercream icing (outlined in this recipe). But if you’d like to further enhance these, you could try making my brown butter frosting (yum)!
Storing Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Store your frosted cinnamon rolls in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Note: the longer they are in the fridge, the more they will lose moisture and dry out!
Can you freeze Cinnamon Rolls?
Yes! You can. I recommend placing your completed cinnamon rolls on a sheet pan and freezing for about an hour until they are hard. Then, place your rolls in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe FAQs
Why are my cinnamon rolls not light and fluffy?
Your cinnamon rolls may have a dense texture if you overmixed / overshaped the dough or you did not let them rise long enough.
Why do my cinnamon rolls taste doughy?
Make sure your cinnamon rolls have an internal temperature of 200°. If the rolls are golden on top and still underbaked inside, place a piece of tin foil over the rolls to prevent further browning. This will make sure your cinnamon rolls are completely cooked and not doughy inside!
More Recipes to Love:
BEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups (472g) milk
- 1/2 cup (111g) salted butter, cold
- 2 tbsp dry, active yeast
- 1/2 cup (118g) warm water
- 1/4 cup (58g) + 1/2 tsp granulated sugar, divided
- 1 tbsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 6-7 cups (912g – 1064g) all-purpose flour
Filling
- 4 tbsp salted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups (369g) brown sugar, packed
- 4 tsp cinnamon
Vanilla Buttercream Icing
- 1/2 cup (111g) salted butter, room temperature
- 3 cups (321g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla, I like to use clear vanilla
- 1/4-1/2 cup (60mL – 120mL) heavy cream
Instructions
- Microwave the milk until it's nearly boiling, which typically takes about 1-2 minutes.
- Place a cold stick of butter into the hot milk, allowing it to melt. Stir the mixture and let it cool until it reaches an almost room temperature.
- In a separate bowl, combine warm water, yeast, and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Allow the yeast to activate while the milk is cooling. Look for a bubbly appearance, indicating that the yeast is alive.
- Pour the now room temperature milk and the activated yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Add 3 cups of flour and briefly mix the ingredients together. Incorporate the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, salt, and eggs. Mix until the ingredients are well combined.
- Add an additional 3 cups of flour and mix slowly until combined. Gradually introduce the last cup of flour; the resulting dough will be quite tacky.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour or until it has doubled in size.
- Turn the risen dough out onto a floured surface and gently roll it into a large rectangle, approximately 12 inches by 24 inches.
- Brush the dough with melted butter, then sprinkle brown sugar and cinnamon on top. Ensure there's an inch strip at the top left bare; this will be used to seal the roll and prevent unwinding during baking.
- Use a rolling pin to press the filling into the dough.
- Use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into strips. For large rolls, cut into 12 two inch strips and arrange in a greased 9×13 pan. For thinner rolls, cut into 24 one inch strips and arrange in a greased cookie sheet (half sheet, 18”x13”).
- After shaping the cinnamon rolls, cover the pan with plastic wrap and allow them to rise for an additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) during the last stages of the rolls' second rise.
- Bake the cinnamon rolls at 375°F (190°C) for 15-20 minutes or until they are golden brown and the internal temperature of the rolls reach 200°F (93°C). If the rolls are golden on top and still underbaked inside, place a piece of tin foil over the rolls to prevent further browning.
Vanilla Buttercream Icing
- For the Vanilla Buttercream Icing, start by creaming the butter until it's smooth.
- Alternate the addition of the remaining frosting ingredients, incorporating one cup of powdered sugar at a time and then adding liquid until all ingredients are used. Add the liquid gradually until you reach your desired consistency.
- Mix the icing on low speed until it becomes smooth and creamy.
- Frost the still warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
I have been making these for a few years and everyone absolutely loves them!
I’ve made the cinnamon rolls 3 times and they are always perfect. Family and friends love them.
This by far is the best cinnamon roll recipe I e ever made!!! Absolutely amazing!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!
Do you think this recipe would turn out using dairy free milk and plant based butter?
Hi Bre, I’ve never tested it but I think it should work! You’ll have to let me know how it turns out.
I made this for Father’s Day for the first time and while mine took a little longer to cook, the wait was worth it. My husband loved them and my 3 year old ate an entire roll!
They turned out great we all loved them they are the best!!!!!
Made these today for the first time. I ended up having to bake them for almost double the amount of time in order to get to 200 degrees. They were good, but the edges are quite crunchy where they were against the pan. I eventually covered them with foil so they wouldn’t get too dark but wondering what I did wrong. Other than the crunchy sides they tasted really good!
Hi Emi! It might have to do with your oven’s temperature. If it isn’t quite up to temp, it may take longer for the rolls to bake.
When you prep overnight do you wait till baking to pour on the heavy cream? Bout how long do need to be out in morning to put in oven
Hi Paula! You’ll add the heavy cream when you pull the rolls out of the fridge in the morning. You will want to allow them to rest for about 30-40 minutes before baking as normal.
If make nite before – do you add heavy cream in morning before baking
Yes! Just add the heavy cream when you pull them out of the fridge. Let it sit while the oven is preheating and bake like normal.
Made these today! They were amazing! We couldn’t get over how soft they were! This is the only cinnamon roll recipe I will use!