These are the BEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls that you will find to make. They are made with simple pantry ingredients to get delicious fluffy warm rolls covered in homemade cream cheese icing.
The overnight cinnamon rolls are great for when you want a simple but tasty breakfast on Christmas morning, but the fluffy cinnamon rolls are truly great for any weekend when you want the perfect cinnamon rolls the next morning,
If you have never tried a homemade cinnamon roll recipe, then this is a great one to try. They are easy homemade cinnamon rolls that are perfect for beginners and will turn out amazing gooey cinnamon rolls for a tasty breakfast.
Ingredient Notes
Rolls
- Yeast: use active dry yeast for this recipe
- Sugar: you will need granulated sugar
- Eggs: eggs beaten before combining with other ingredients
- Milk: lukewarm whole milk (or what you have on hand but warm milk is key)
- Butter: unsalted butter needs to be melted in order for it to mix appropriately into the dough
- Salt: kosher salt is preferred for this recipe
- Flour: all-purpose flour works great, no need for bread flour
Filling
- Butter: butter softened to room temperature
- Sugar: brown sugar or coconut brown sugar for the filling
- Seasoning: cinnamon will give you that delicious taste for the cinnamon rolls
Frosting
- Cheese: your favorite brand of cream cheese softened
- Sugar: powdered sugar is the best choice when making cream cheese frosting
- Extract: vanilla extract is preferred unless you want a different flavor profile
- Butter: butter should be soft if not melted to get the right consistency
- Seasoning: a pinch salt helps cut the sweetness slightly
- Milk: the amount of milk may vary based on the consistency you want
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to make Classic Cinnamon Rolls:
- Mix yeast, sugar, eggs, milk, butter and salt together in a large bowl, all at once.
- Add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix well with a spoon, cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise 4-6 hours on counter or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Do not knead the dough.
- Roll out dough into a long, thin rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
- Spread on softened butter.
- Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon, and spread evenly over the dough.
- Tightly roll into a jellyroll shape, starting at the long end of the dough.
- Use a string or floss to cut dough into 1-inch pieces and place into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan (I placed 15 rolls in a 9×13-inch pan so the rolls were touching).
- Cover and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375℉ and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a bowl, mix together frosting ingredients and spread over baked rolls.
Storing Instructions:
- Fridge: Store these overnight cinnamon rolls in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge for the best results.
- Freezer: These Cinnamon Rolls freeze fairly well. They of course are best served fresh, but you can easily freeze them.
Make and bake them according to the recipe’s directions. Then freeze them in an airtight container, or wrapped in multiple layers of saran wrap. You can make these for a special occasion, take them to a neighbor, or eat them as a weeknight treat – they’re delicious any time of year!
FAQ about Classic Cinnamon Rolls
You most definitely could. We recommend using two packets to get the 1 Tablespoon measured out.
We recommend using active dry yeast.
You can find the yeast on the baking aisle at the grocery store, near the flour and baking soda.
There are a few reasons why your cinnamon rolls might not be fluffy, but here are the most common issues when it comes to making the best cinnamon rolls:
The yeast is old and not active any more.
There was not enough sugar to feed the the yeast.
The yeast did not activate and get foamy before adding the dry ingredients.
The dough did not rise enough before baking the cinnamon roll dough.
More sweet rolls you might like
- Cinnamon and Sugar Sticky Buns Recipe
- Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
- Quick Caramel Sweet Rolls Recipe
- Easy Lemon Pull-Apart Rolls
Classic Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Rolls
- 1 Tablespoon active dry yeast
- ½ cup sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup milk, lukewarm
- ½ cup butter , melted
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- ¼ cup butter, softened to room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons cinnamon
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup butter , melted
- pinch salt
- 2 Tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Mix yeast, sugar, eggs, milk, butter and salt together in a large bowl, all at once.
- Add 4 cups of all-purpose flour. Mix well with a spoon, cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow dough to rise 4-6 hours on counter or overnight in the refrigerator.
- Do not knead the dough.
- Roll out dough into a long, thin rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
- Spread on softened butter.
- Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon, and spread evenly over the dough.
- Tightly roll into a jellyroll shape, starting at the long end of the dough.
- Use a string or floss to cut dough into 1-inch pieces and place into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan (I placed 15 rolls in a 9×13-inch pan so the rolls were touching).
- Cover and let rise for an additional 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375℉ and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.
- In a bowl, mix together frosting ingredients and spread over baked rolls.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Questions & Reviews