These cinnamon rolls are perfect—soft, fluffy, and gooey all at once. Fresh out of the oven, they melt in your mouth, and trust me, they’re so good you might just eat the entire pan in one sitting! With tried-and-true tips to get the dough just right, these rolls turn out melt-in-your-mouth soft every time. Plus, they’re easy to prep ahead—make them the night before or freeze for later. Top them off with a classic cream cheese glaze for that perfect cinnamon roll you’ve been dreaming of.
Love delicious sweet rolls? Try our fabulous coconut rolls or are tasty maple pecan sticky buns.
Why Our Recipe
- Tried and true tips for getting that dough just right so your cinnamon rolls turn out melt-in-your-mouth soft.
- Make-ahead options so you can make them the day before, or freeze for later.
- A classic cream cheese glaze you can make either thin for drizzling or thick like frosting.
My recipe for The Best Homemade Dinner Rolls Ever has been a viral sensation with millions of views and hundreds and hundreds of reviews, questions, and comments. Thousands if we count the ones on Facebook. So many people have asked how I turn that same amazing dough into cinnamon rolls. Your wish is my command because this recipe is my secret to the perfect cinnamon roll.
Ingredient Notes
- Warm Milk (100-110°F): Temperature is the most important thing here. If the milk is too hot, it can kill the yeast; if it’s too cold, the yeast won’t activate properly. Use a thermometer if you’re unsure, but it should be warm to the touch, like a baby’s bath water. Whole milk or 2% works best, but you can get away with milk alternatives as well.
- Instant Dry Yeast: Instant yeast doesn’t need to be proofed in liquid, which makes the process quicker. You can substitute active dry yeast, but be sure to proof it first in the warm milk with a pinch of sugar for about 5 minutes until it’s bubbly, or plan on an additional 10 to 15 minutes of rising time.
- All-Purpose Flour: You can also use bread flour.
- Salted Butter: If you only have unsalted on hand, just add a pinch of extra salt. The butter should be at room temperature and smoosh easily to the touch.
- Brown Sugar: Light or dark brown sugar works fine, though dark brown sugar will give a deeper flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon: The star of the show here!
- Cream Cheese: Make sure the cream cheese is softened to avoid any lumps in the glaze.
- Powdered Sugar: Adjust the amount depending on how thick or thin you want your glaze. Start with the smaller amount and add more to thicken it up.
- Vanilla: Adds a little flavor to the glaze.
No stand mixer? No problem!
You can easily make this cinnamon roll dough by hand. Start by stirring the ingredients together with a wooden spoon or spatula until the mixture becomes too thick to stir. Then, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and knead the dough by hand.
Place the dough on a clean, lightly floured surface and knead it for about 8-10 minutes. You want to work the dough until all the flour is fully incorporated and the dough is soft, smooth, and only slightly sticky to the touch. It’ll take some elbow grease, but the effort is worth it. Hand-kneading gives you full control over the dough’s texture, helping you achieve that perfect softness for your cinnamon rolls. Just keep going until the dough springs back slightly when pressed with your fingers—that’s when you know it’s ready to rise!
Feel of the Dough
The dough should be soft, slightly sticky, and easy to handle. It should just barely pull away from the sides of the bowl without sticking. If you add too much flour, the dough will stiffen, resulting in tougher cinnamon rolls. You’ll know you’re on track when the dough feels soft and pillowy to the touch—that’s the secret to those perfectly fluffy rolls!
Slicing Tips
After rolling up the dough tightly, use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss for the cleanest cuts. For the knife method, gently saw through the dough without pressing too hard to avoid squishing the rolls. If you’re using dental floss, slide it under the roll, bring the ends together at the top, and pull through for a clean cut without smashing the dough.
For uniform rolls, aim for 1-inch thick slices. If you prefer larger, more indulgent rolls, you can make them a bit thicker—just adjust the baking time accordingly. Keep in mind that uneven slices may bake at different rates, so try to keep them as consistent as possible for perfectly baked cinnamon rolls.
Make-Ahead Instructions
Overnight Instructions
After you’ve rolled and cut your cinnamon rolls and placed them into your lightly greased baking pan, cover with plastic wrap and place in your refrigerator. The next day, remove them from the fridge and allow them to come to room temperature (about 45 minutes to an hour depending on the temperature of your house) before baking.
Freezer Instructions
Roll and cut your cinnamon rolls and place several inches apart on a baking sheet to freeze rolls individually. Once frozen, transfer to a resealable plastic freezer bag. When ready to bake, place in a lightly greased baking dish and allow to come to room temperature before baking.
Storage Instructions
- Room Temperature: Store cinnamon rolls in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Refrigeration: If you prefer to store them longer, refrigerate the cinnamon rolls in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Just keep in mind that refrigeration can sometimes dry them out, so warming them up before eating will help bring back their soft texture.
- Reheating: To reheat, pop individual rolls in the microwave for 15-20 seconds, or warm them in a 350°F oven for about 5-7 minutes until heated through.
More Sweet Roll Recipes
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
1 hr 18 mins
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
2 hrs 20 mins
Best Homemade Orange Rolls
2 hrs 20 mins
Baklava Cinnamon Rolls
2 hrs 5 mins
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show. You can find the complete collection of recipes on YouTube, Facebook Watch, or our Facebook Page, or right here on our website with their corresponding recipes.
Non-butter version I was out of butter after making the dough! So I substituted margarine in the filling due to high water content I cooked the filling first (to get the water out) and added 3 tbs of cornstarch- chilled the concoction while the dough was rising shockingly it worked! None of my filling leaked out! For the icing I used coconut oil instead of butter. Note to self BUY more butter!!! I posted this jic a non-dairy person needed tips!
Hi!
I’ve made this about 6 or 7 times. The past three or four times they have deflated. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks
Hi Anna! While not the author, I am a pastry chef- usually if a baked good deflates, it’s overproofed. Try less time on the second rise.
Don’t go by the stated time on the rise’s go by the look of the dough! Look up how to test your dough for readiness (finger poke) I bake ALOT of bread and my rise times are always shorter than stated! Keep practicing
I have made these over and over again. Good recipe, the cinnamon rolls always turn out yummy.
This was my first time making cinnamon rolls and they did not disappoint!! They were delicious!! Thank you for sharing!
My mom used to roll out her dough, put lots of butter and cinnamon and sugars and walnuts and roll it but instead of slicing it into rolls, she formed it into a ring.
She would make a slice with a knife for a couple inches apart for venting. Then when it was done, she would let it cool for 45 minutes to an hour and them make a buttercream frosting. You can get a lot more goodness inside and what bubbles out of thse slits is the the most buttery cinnamony candy. You can snatch it before it hardens in the pan or you could line yur pan with parhment so you gould get it off as a hard candy more easily. You cut the ring in wedges to serve it.
This cinnamon roll recipe is so awesome! No left overs at all😔
Followed the recipe exactly and so very happy with the results. Definitely a keeper and do over!!
These are delicious! I omit the cream cheese and use a simple glaze. I will make these cinnamon rolls again…and again…and again!!
I have made these for years using this recipe and I do love the ratio of dough to filling to frosting. Thank you so much to the creators for posting this, I have recommended it to others who also found success. However, here is what I’ve learned from trial and error:
1) If your rolls are undercooked or taking forever in the oven, they did not rise properly to room temp before you baked them. When I make this, I make the rolls the night before, place them in the greased glass 13×9 baking dish covered with plastic wrap, and put them in the fridge. Then, I get up **4 hours** before I want to bake them, put them on the counter to rise, then go back to sleep. Once I’m up in the morning, they are fluffy in the pan, completely room temp, and bake in the time the recipe says. If you touch the inner rolls in the pan and they’re cold, just know you’re going to have an uneven bake because the outside rolls will bake while the inside rolls will waste heat catching up to room temp.
2) Do not use a stand mixer. If your dough is the right consistency, you’ll likely break or hurt the motor on your Kitchen aid. Just use your hands and accept that you’ll probably use closer to 4 cups of flour to get that tacky texture. Start mixing with a spoon then transition to hand kneading
3) When you’re first making the dough, make sure your milk isn’t more than 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit. You will kill your yeast and you will be sad. Check online, it says that the optimal temp to activate instant dry yeast is 110-120 degrees F. I use a meat thermometer to check this
4) When rolling and cutting the dough, I usually roll it so it is 18 inches instead of 12in. I did it on accident but now I prefer it because I get 12-14 rolls all about 1.5 inches tall or so, and I find it much more satisfying and evenly baked (i.e., soft outsides and insides, instead of crunchy outsides goopy insides). Note that I still only put 12 rolls in a pan, so I just get a baby pan for the extra rolls
5) Use a knife to cut it. Don’t do dental floss. It seems cool, but resist the temptation.
6) Icing should be slightly less than drizzle consistency. Keep in mind it will hit the hot rolls and melt, so if it is already drizzle you’re going to have cinnamon roll soup in your pan
7) If your rolls are coming unrolled pre-bake, I suggest placing them in your pan touching so they push against neighboring rolls to stay coiled. This will not affect rising or baking potential. Further, when you’re spreading the butter/brownsugar/cinnamon mixture, leave a 1cm lip untouched so the dough can stick to dough when you roll it
Your kitchen aide must need servicing. I use mine all the time for rolls and breads and it is not a drain on the motor. She demonstrated in the video so obviously it is not. For people who like to feel the dough in your hands by all means use them but people please know you can once again trust Rachel. You don’t give a reason why we should resist dental floss but if it’s safe in my mouth it must be ok cutting rolls. Unless it’s flavored of course. It saves my pastry mat from knife marks and makes a much neater cut. I agree putting the icing on the top too hot can be messy and not very pretty. I like to hold a little back in a baggie. I clip a corner and swirl it on top before serving so some stands out and the rest is melted in. The best of both worlds.
I love this recipe and so does everyone I share these cinnamon rolls with. The last time I made them I added a tablespoon of heavy cream to each roll right before I put them in the oven. They were a little more moist.
This is my 2nd time making these. I won’t have to search for another recipe – this is a perfect cinnamon roll IMO! I did use just 1 T of cinnamon this time, and both times I’ve used glaze for the icing because that’s my preference. Thank you for all your hard work in giving us this recipe!