These cinnamon rolls are perfectโsoft, 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, theyโre easy to prep aheadโmake 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 (100-110ยฐF): Temperature is the most important thing here. If the milk is too hot, it can kill the yeast; if itโs too cold, the yeast wonโt activate properly. Use a thermometer if youโre 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 doesnโt 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 itโs 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, itโs 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. Itโll take some elbow grease, but the effort is worth it. Hand-kneading gives you full control over the doughโs texture, helping you achieve that perfect softness for your cinnamon rolls. Just keep going until the dough springs back slightly when pressed with your fingersโthatโs when you know itโs 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. Youโll know youโre on track when the dough feels soft and pillowy to the touchโthatโs 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 youโre 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 thickerโjust 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 350ยฐF 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 weโve 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.
Absolute perfection!
The recipe turned out great for me, everybody loved them. I used the dough-only cycle of my bread machine which turned out to be a little confusing because the bread machine also has rise cycles. I ended up taking the dough out before the last rise cycle ended. When I took it out, it was very sticky so I had to add quite a bit of flour a little at a time and just kneaded it in by hand. At this point I thought this dough was not going to work out (had never done this before), but it did. I just had to be patient until it became the right consistency which took a bit. I think with the bread machine I could have added flour after the first cycle, but it looked/felt fine at the time. So a little mess up there. I ended up baking mine for 20 minutes because it was hard to tell what a kiss of brown looked like….’is that cinnamon, or a kiss of brown?’ I think I could have gotten by with 18 minutes. I did use a glass pan since glass was used in the demonstration. I wonder if that’s why everyone is having different results and having to cook them a lot longer. I also softened all my butter and had accidently used the 1/4 cup for the filling. This proved to work out okay. To compensate I did add a little extra melted butter into the cracks before baking. I had never made anything like this before, so consider it a practice round, but a very good practice round. I think it’s hard to mess these up. Will definitely use this recipe again.
Thank you for this recipe, Rachel. Itโs the best cinnamon roll recipe Iโve ever tried! I see the new hack for pouring a little warmed heavy cream over cinnamon rolls after rising, but before baking. Iโve been wondering about this, and wanted to see if youโve ever tried it? You recipe is so good, I wouldnโt want to mess it up! Love your site. ๐
I make this recipe with my 11 yr old son who enjoys baking. Just use 1 cup of powdered sugar with the icing and it was perfectly sweetened.
Made 3 timesโฆfriends and fam raved!!! Tripled recipe today!!! Selling them to help support rescue pups now!
THANK YOU!!!
These are GREAT! Easy to make and several options of making ahead, etc. I’ve made these off & on since 2017.. so YES, they are good….
Hi! me again, I just realized that I only have bread flour instead of all purpose flour. Can I use that instead of the all purpose?
You sure can!
This is the first cinnamon roll recipe that has actually worked for me. The rolls were so soft. I accidentally mixed all of the filling Ingredients together but it still worked out great.
Hi,
Self and my daughter followed your recipe and it came out really well.
Hoping to make it many more times.Thank you for the yummy cinnamin rolls.
could we add nuts or raisins ?
Absolutely! Sprinkle onto the cinnamon sugar layer!
My very favorite cinnamon roll ever. I’ve made them many times because they are easy and never fail me! I’m not sure why, but I always have to bake almost 25 minutes but that is fine. Must be the humid Florida weather! I even like it better than the Swedish cinnamon rolls my grandma from Sweden use to make. Hmmmm…. I wonder if I should try putting a little cardamon in to taste like hers!