Julie Clark
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Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
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Discover the secret to the best homemade cinnamon rolls with our foolproof recipe! Learn our heavy cream trick that makes a gooey caramel sauce on the bottom of the rolls.
It’s been over 7 years since we first unveiled our homemade cinnamon roll recipe. And since that first day the recipe made its appearance on Tastes of Lizzy T, you all have loved it.
We thank you so much for your support and excitement for this recipe. We love hearing from you about the many ways these easy homemade cinnamon rolls find their way to your table, bringing your family together just as it has ours for over 23 years.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
There’s nothing quite like the cherished tradition of eating homemade cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving, Christmas morning or other special occasions.
With a pillowy soft dough, a rich cinnamon filling, and melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese frosting, these are often called a Cinnabon Copycat Recipe. I spent the first 5 years of my marriage researching (and taste-testing 😋) cinnamon roll recipes and cracked the code that made everyone beg for the recipe.
Our cinnamon rolls were the first to feature the secret of heavy cream. Yes, we’ve been pouring cream over unbaked cinnamon rolls for 23 years. This secret ingredient transforms the base into an irresistible caramel sauce that’s the hallmark of the gooey cinnamon roll.
It’s THE trick that makes the BEST cinnamon rolls.
What readers are saying:
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Sara says, “I made these about 5 times already, and each time they turn out SO perfect. i followed the recipe EXACTLY as written and had no issues at all! I find that depending on the size of the pan i use, the baking time varies (which is normal and expected) – so just watch them after the 25 minute mark carefully. Sooooo yummy and always a hit! Thank you!”
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Nina says, I have wanted to make cinnamon rolls for awhile, but couldn’t find the right recipe, until now! This is easiest recipe, absolutely perfect. My friends & family devoured them in literally minutes! Thank you so much for this amazing recipe… I’m going to try the pumpkin rolls tomorrow, can’t wait!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Amy says, “I wanted Cinnabon this morning, but was unwilling to leave the house. I made these instead and I can 110% say it was worth the effort. I will NEVER eat Cinnabon again. “
I love that last comment by Amy. Is this the official Cinnabon recipe? No, but it is better than the original. And I’ll teach you exactly how to make them.
Ingredients for Cinnamon Rolls
- Milk. 2% milk is what I traditionally use for the dough. Whole milk or non-dairy almond or coconut milk works too.
- Yeast. I have much success with instant yeast. You can also use active dry yeast.
- Eggs. Large eggs are standard. I have not tried any replacement for eggs in this recipe.
- Butter. The original recipe called for ⅓ cup butter, but since I’ve made it over the years, one tweak I made was to increase the butter to ½ cup. See this in the notes I made in the recipe card. I highly recommend it!
- Sugars. Granulated sugar goes in the dough. Brown sugar is in the filling. Dark brown sugar is also delicious.
- Salt. Although we use salted butter, we still add 1 teaspoon of salt to the dough.
- Flour. Bread flour will help the rolls have a fluffier, chewy but sturdier texture. If you don’t have bread flour, use all-purpose flour.
- Cinnamon. Use Saigon cinnamon in this filling.
- Heavy cream. Heavy cream is what gives the best results. Evaporated milk, whole milk or half and half works too. Don’t skip this! It’s what makes gooey cinnamon rolls.
- Cream cheese. Full fat cream cheese is for the frosting.
- Powdered sugar.
- Maple or vanilla extract. I love, love maple flavor for my yeast cinnamon rolls, but vanilla extract works just as well.
Before You Start: Tips on How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
- Be sure that your milk is warm to activate the yeast, but not too hot so that it kills the yeast (115º Fahrenheit is perfect). You’ll also want to warm the butter so it is soft and mixes in easily. But again, the butter should not be over 110º Fahrenheit. I use salted butter, but unsalted butter works well too.
- Bring the eggs to room temperature also by placing them in a glass of warm water before adding them to the mix. If the ingredients are not cold, they’ll help the yeast to do what it needs to do quickly and give a beautiful rise to your cinnamon rolls.
- In the video I use a stand mixer to mix the dough. If you have bread machine, use the dough cycle to make this extremely easy. Or, go the old-fashioned route and get those hands working by kneading the bread without a mixer. If you decide to knead by hand, be careful not to add too much flour. The dough is supposed to be tacky, which is what keeps these rolls soft.
Make the Cinnamon Roll Dough
- Pour the warm milk (115ºF) in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast overtop. Allow this to sit for 3-4 minutes. The yeast will get a little frothy to show it is activated.
- Add the eggs, butter and sugar. Mix until combined.
- Add in salt and 4 cups (save the other ½ cup and add only if you need it) of flour and mix using the beater blade just until the ingredients are barely combined. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes so the flour has time to soak up the liquids. Scrape the dough off the beater blade and remove it. Attach the dough hook.
- To knead, beat the dough on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, adding in up to ½ cup more flour only if needed to form a dough. The dough should be elastic and smooth. **The dough should be tacky and will pull away from the sides of the bowl but may stick slightly to the bottom. That’s ok! Don’t be tempted to add more flour at this point. We generally add about 4 ¼ cups, but start with 4 cups.**
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Use a rubber spatula to remove the dough from the mixer bowl and place it in the greased large bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or wax paper.
- Set the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until nearly double. If the house is cool, turn on the oven to the lowest setting for 1-2 minutes. Then turn off the oven and place the dough to rise in there. It normally takes about 30 minutes for the dough to rise. Do not allow the dough to rise too much or your cinnamon rolls will be airy.
Read our tips on all about how to get dough to rise.
Cinnamon Roll Filling
We use three ingredients in our homemade filling: butter, brown sugar and cinnamon.
Soften the butter and mix the sugar and cinnamon with it to spread over the rolled out dough. Or simply spread on the softened butter, then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the top.
And if you love raisins, chopped pecans or walnuts, sprinkle them over this filling, then roll up.
How to Roll Cinnamon Rolls
After you let the dough rise, you’re ready to roll. Use a pastry mat sprinkled with flour or other lightly floured surface to keep the dough from sticking.
Remember…the dough will be tacky and this is the point where it is ok to add flour on the pastry mat and on top of the dough itself for easy rolling. You’ll find this dough is very easy to roll out. If it is too much of an arm workout, you’ve most likely added too much flour.
After you’ve rolled the dough, spread the cinnamon mixture on top and roll-up jelly-roll style.
Use a sharp, serrated knife or a steel dough cutter to cut into as many rolls as you’d like. 12 rolls fit in a 9×13″ pan (which end up deliciously large) or for smaller rolls, 15 rolls in a 10×15″ baking pan.
Pro Tip for cutting cinnamon rolls:
Use unflavored dental floss! It makes a perfect cut without squishing the dough.
The Secret to the Best Cinnamon Rolls
Heavy cream has been our trade secret to the best cinnamon rolls for over 23 years. It has since gone viral over and over on social media, and we’re thrilled that so many of you love it! It really is the best part and makes for gooey rolls.
Here’s what to do. After the cinnamon rolls are rolled into their pretty swirls and you’ve allowed them to set in the pan while the oven is heating, warm heavy cream in a small bowl.
Why warm the cream? Because your rolls have risen in warmth and you don’t want to add refrigerator-cold cream to your unbaked rolls. Adding warm (not hot!) heavy cream will keep the rolls rising as they should during baking.
Pour the heavy cream over the top of the unbaked cinnamon rolls and watch that rich cream soak in and around the rolled dough.
Can you make these rolls without heavy cream? Yes.
Will they be good? Yes.
Will they be as gooey and have a luxurious caramel sauce on the bottom? No.
Pro Tip
If you don’t have cream, use half and half, coffee creamer, evaporated milk, whole milk or coconut cream. Any of these will work. Even 2% milk will work, but we prefer a higher fat milk.
Bake the Rolls
Bake the rolls at 375º for 20-22 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the center rolls are cooked through.
A note about baking cinnamon rolls
The time will vary based on how big the rolls are, what type of pan, how close the rolls are packed, etc. They could take up to 30 minutes. Check the rolls at 20 minutes. If they are getting too browned, cover loosely with foil for the remaining baking time.
For consistent results, test the temperature with an internal probe thermometer. It should read 190ºF in the center roll.
Cinnamon Roll Frosting
After the homemade cinnamon rolls have baked and look like cinnamon heaven, it’s time to frost them. Use a simple powdered sugar glaze or a store-bought fluffy white frosting. But we prefer our homemade cream cheese frosting.
This frosting contains butter, powdered sugar, cream cheese and extract (either vanilla or maple). You could even throw in a touch of cinnamon to make a cinnamon glaze. We’ve done it all!
Spread the icing over the warm rolls and allow it to soak in, or for a pretty frosted look, spread the cream cheese icing on when the rolls are at room temperature.
And that my friends, is the BEST cinnamon rolls ever. My girls were hesitant to share our family secret ingredient, but so many of you have asked, they reluctantly agreed because they love you and want to see you happy. 😊
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make overnight cinnamon rolls?
We often make the cinnamon rolls and get them to the point of the second rise (when they are rolled out, cut up and put in the pan). Cover and refrigerate until morning.
The next morning, pull them out of the refrigerator. They may have doubled in size in the fridge overnight. If they have, let them sit for 30 minutes to get the chill off, then bake.
If they did not rise in the fridge overnight, allow them to rise at room temperature. Plan about at least an hour for this. Then pour on the cream and let them bake.
Can you freeze cinnamon roll dough before baking?
Yes! Make the cinnamon rolls and get them to the point of the second rise (when they are rolled out, cut up and put in the pan). Place them on a pan (not touching) and put them in the freezer for about 1 hour. Then place the rolls in a zippered bag and freeze.
When you’re ready to bake the rolls, plan ahead and put the rolls in the fridge to thaw overnight. Then pull them out of the refrigerate and allow them to rise the morning you want to bake them. Plan about at least an hour for this so you aren’t waiting too long! Allow them to do their second rise, then bake as normal.
Why aren’t my cinnamon rolls fluffy?
If you didn’t end up with fluffy cinnamon rolls, chances are the yeast did not activate and they didn’t rise properly. Also, use bread flour for more fluffiness.
Homemade Cinnamon Rolls (Cinnabon Copycat Recipe)
The best homemade cinnamon rolls ever! If you love gooey cinnamon buns, THIS is the recipe with the secret ingredient that makes all the difference.
Servings 12
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 22 minutes
Rise Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 59 minutes
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1 cup warm milk (115 degrees F)
- 2 1/2 teaspoons instant dry yeast* (I like Red Star Platinum Baking Yeast)
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/3 cup salted butter** (Melted or very softened, but make sure it isn't over 110º Fahrenheit.)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour (divided)
For the Filling:
- 1/2 cup salted butter (almost melted)
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup heavy cream*** (for pouring over the risen rolls)
For the Frosting:
- 6 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- 1/3 cup salted butter (softened)
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon maple extract (or vanilla)
Instructions
- Pour the warm milk (115ºF) in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast overtop. Allow this to sit for 3-4 minutes. The yeast will get a little frothy to show it is activated. 1 cup warm milk, 2 ½ teaspoons instant dry yeast*–
- Add the room temperature eggs, butter and sugar. Mix until combined. 2 large eggs, ⅓ cup salted butter**, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add in salt and 4 cups (save the other ½ cup and add only if you need it) of flour and mix using the beater blade just until the ingredients are barely combined. Allow the mixture to rest for 5 minutes so the flour has time to soak up the liquids. 1 teaspoon salt, 4 ½ cups bread flour
- Scrape the dough off the beater blade and remove it. Attach the dough hook.
- To knead, beat the dough on medium speed for 5-7 minutes, adding in up to ½ cup more flour only if needed to form a dough. The dough should be elastic and smooth. **The dough should be tacky and will pull away from the sides of the bowl but may stick slightly to the bottom. That's ok! Don't be tempted to add more flour at this point. We generally add about 4 ¼ cups, but start with 4 cups.
- Spray a large bowl with cooking spray. Use a rubber spatula to remove the dough from the mixer bowl and place it in the greased large bowl. Cover the bowl with a towel or wax paper.
- Set the bowl in a warm place and allow the dough to rise until double. I like to turn on the oven to the lowest setting for 1-2 minutes. Then turn off the oven and place the dough to rise in there. It normally takes about 30 minutes for the dough to rise. Do not allow the dough to rise too much or your cinnamon rolls will be airy.
- While the dough is rising, prepare the cinnamon filling. In a medium bowl, combine the soft butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, mixing until well combined. Set aside. ½ cup salted butter, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- Sprinkle a pastry mat or work surface generously with flour. Turn out the dough onto the surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with additional flour.
- Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough to about a 24×15" rectangle. (the size of the rectangle can vary…it does not have to be exact!)
- Use a rubber spatula to smooth the cinnamon filling over the whole dough rectangle.
- Starting on the long side, roll the dough up tightly jelly roll style.
- Cut into 12 slices and place in a greased 9×13 baking pan.**** Cover the pan and allow the rolls to rise for 20 minutes while the oven is preheating.
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF.
- Warm the heavy cream until the chill is off. Don't make it hot…you just don't want it cold. It should be warm to the touch. Once the rolls have risen, pour the heavy cream over the top of the rolls, allowing it to soak down in and around the rolls. ½ cup heavy cream***
- Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes, until the rolls are lightly golden brown and the center rolls are cooked through. Note…the time will vary based on how big the rolls are, what type of pan, how close the rolls are packed, etc. They could take up to 30 minutes. Check the rolls at 20 minutes. If they are getting too browned, cover loosely with foil for the remaining baking time.
- While the rolls are cooling, prepare the cream cheese frosting.
- In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese and butter using a hand mixer. Blend well. 6 ounces cream cheese, ⅓ cup salted butter
- Add in your favorite extract and the powdered sugar. Beat until combined. Spread the frosting over the cooled rolls. ½ tablespoon maple extract, 2 cups powdered sugar
Video
Notes
Notes:
*One packet of yeast is 2 ¼ teaspoons. If you have packets rather than bulk yeast, it is completely fine to just use one packet of yeast. Different yeast calls for slightly different proofing methods. We follow Red Star Platinum’s temperature guidelines. Please check your yeast packet to see what temperature the milk should be at.
**A note about the butter, we have used ½ cup of butter instead of ⅓ cup many times. We feel it keeps the rolls softer. Give it a try!
***If you don’t have cream, use half and half, coffee creamer, evaporated milk, whole milk or coconut cream. Any of these will work. Even 2% milk will work, but we prefer a higher fat milk.
****For smaller rolls, cut the dough into 15 slices and use a 10×15″ baking pan. The larger pan will also allow the rolls to rise more evenly.
Our original recipe called for all-purpose flour, but we make them exclusively with bread flour now. Either will work, but bread flour yields a fluffier, sturdier roll with a slightly chewy texture. All-purpose flour gives a softer, more tender roll.
Overnight Instructions
We often make the cinnamon rolls and get them to the point of the second rise (when they are rolled out, cut up and put in the pan). Cover and refrigerate until morning.
The morning you want to bake them, pull them out of the refrigerator. They may have doubled in size in the fridge overnight. If they have, let them sit for 30 minutes to get the chill off, then bake.
If they did not rise in the fridge overnight, allow them to rise at room temperature. Plan about at least an hour for this. Then pour on the cream and let them bake.
*The Calorie count shows the amount with ALL of the frosting used. There will be less calories in the rolls if you don’t use all of the frosting at once. Calories are per roll with the recipe making 12 frosted rolls.
Nutrition
Calories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 109mg | Sodium: 427mg | Potassium: 145mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 47g | Vitamin A: 965IU | Calcium: 89mg | Iron: 2.6mg
These turned out incredible! Everyone went back for seconds, some even thirds. Hands-down my favorite roll recipe! ☺️
I live in Amsterdam and when I was younger I had a fantastic exchange year on a US university. Eager to soak and fit in my new environment, a US student introduced me to cinnamon buns and since then I am addicted to them. Now years later I was craving for a proper cinnamon bun and made these. Love it! The video was very helpful especially to see the consistency of the dough. The frosting is delicious! I had to throw away the left over frosting because I could not stop eating it. Thank you for this great recipe! It… Read more »
A couple notes: – I never have dairy milk on hand. Rather than substitute with my unsweetened almond milk, I did 1/2 cup almond milk and 1/2 cup half & half for the dough. I used 1/2 cup half & half for pouring over the rolls. – I never measure my flour. I weighed it, using 120g for each cup, and then sifted. – I microwaved the cinnamon* sugar mixture to make it a bit more gooey–but not totally melted–as when I first tried spreading it, it didn’t want to cooperate and I was really starting to mess up the… Read more »
Wonderful cinnamon rolls. Thank you for this recipe!
This is my go to cinnamon role recipe. I have tried several and this one is moist and turns out great every time. I would say this recipe yields more than my family can eat, so we often make a pan to give away as well. This one is going in the recipe book for years to come.
I added 2% milk instead of cream and they turned out fantastic and moist. I’ll definitely pick up cream the next time I make them. I think that extra liquid is the just the thing missing from every other recipe I’ve tried, so soft and moist. I used my bread machine. I did the initial mix by hand and after the 5 minute rest. Ran the dough cycle for about 10 minutes with the pre-heat disabled. The option to display the recipe in metric is helpful. I prefer measuring most ingredients by weight which is faster and less messy. They… Read more »
Can you use evaporated milk instead?
Amazing
The dough was quite soft and tasty! One critique is that the inside of the little cinnamon swirls were dry and more so added little specks of cinnamon and brown sugar rather than coated in that gooey and flavorful cinnamon goodness, despite following the correct amounts of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon and ensuring that the butter was softened, not melted to combine with the dry ingredients. When baked, the filling could also not be found sunk at the bottom of the cinnamon rolls either. It’s like it dried up. What could I have done wrong?
These turned out great, very tasty and fluffy! I got 14 large rolls out of this recipe and cooked them for 22 mins. I would say these are easy to make but they do take some time to throw together. And your baking supplies needs to be fairly stocked with the standard supplies (I.e. brown sugar, heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla might not always be on hand in my kitchen unless I plan to bake!) I started this process at 5:15 and pulled them out of the oven at 7:30 to cool and get ready to ice. They were… Read more »
What is the best way to store them to keep them moist
Luv the cinnamon rolls. They are the best
Great recipe! However, the dough never rises. I’ve followed your recipe to the letter doing every step in your video with you, checked the temp of milk etc. It just never rises. I even found a store who sells red platinum and used that. It comes out just fine but I’d love to know why or never rises. 🙂
oh my god. These are AMAZING. Actually better than Cinnabon. I found the icing a touch sweet, so I would reduce the sugar to 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar. I will definitely be using this recipe when I teach my high school students cinnamon buns … although I am tempted to not share the recipe with them and just look like a genius.
Excellent recipe! This will be a family favorite 😍. Thanks!
These are excellent! A family favorite! Perfect to make ahead for Christmas morning. After making these making more than a dozen times, I have tweaked for our preferences. I reduced the cinnamon in half in the filling as we find 2 tablespoons to create a bitter flavor. I also reduce the frosting by about 1/3. The recipe is delicious AND makes a lot. This is a highly requested recipe that I recommend! Thanks you for the recipe and all the tips! Much appreciated and highly recommended!