Strawberry Rolls

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Strawberries for breakfast in a whole new way! Super soft strawberry rolls with cream cheese and fresh strawberry glaze will melt in your mouth.

Introducing June’s sweet roll recipe: Strawberry and Cream Sweet Rolls.

You go crazy for our glazed strawberry bread. It was time to bring some of that deliciousness to a sweet roll recipe. I think you’ll love it just as much (if not even more) than that sweet bread recipe.

This recipe is bright and beautiful, fresh and flavorful. The strawberry rolls make a great Mother’s Day brunch idea.

spreading frosting on strawberry rolls

Why you’ll love this recipe:

  • lightly sweetened sweet roll dough
  • fresh strawberries inside and in the glaze
  • cream cheese and our secret ingredient: heavy cream
  • powdered sugar glaze with cream cheese and fresh strawberries
  • tips for perfect results, every time!

How to Make Strawberry Rolls

I’ll jump right in and give you tips and tricks for making each step of these rolls perfectly.

Strawberry Roll Dough:

  • You can use active dry yeast, instant yeast or fresh cake yeast with the same results. Read our guide for baking with yeast here.
  • Use bread flour or all purpose flour. We’ve used both and they both work. Bread flour makes a “chewier” roll that reminds me of bakery rolls. All-purpose flour makes a softer roll.
  • Start by adding only 4 cups of flour. Then add more by the tablespoon only if you need it. The dough should be slightly sticky.
  • You can knead this dough in a stand mixer, a bread machine on the dough setting or by hand. Any method will work.

Strawberry Filling:

  • The filling is not overly sweet. We added strawberry jam to boost the strawberry flavor and add a slight amount of sweetness.
  • If you’d like the filling to be sweeter, add 2 tablespoons of sugar while mixing.
  • You can use any strawberry preserves you’d like. And honestly, you can leave it out if you’d like without affecting the flavor too much.

Baking the rolls:

  • We prefer to bake the rolls in a metal 10×15″ pan. This gives the rolls room to rise and bake evenly, keeping a pretty, uniform look.
  • You can use a 9×13 pan, but they will be more crowded and may take 5-8 minutes longer to bake.
  • You can use two smaller 8×8 pans or round pie plates if you’d like. Divide the cream between the two pans if you choose this.
  • Don’t forget the secret ingredient: Heavy Cream! Pour heavy cream over the rolls right before baking. It makes the rolls so soft. We’ve been adding this secret ingredient for 25 years.
  • Check the rolls at 20 minutes. If they are getting too brown, cover loosely with a piece of foil.
  • Every oven bakes differently, every size pan may bake different, so plan for anywhere from 20-30 minutes to bake the rolls.

Fresh Strawberry Glaze:

The key secret to making the strawberry cream cheese icing is to mix the frosting well. We just add everything into a bowl and mix with a hand mixer. At first the ingredients will be very dry and you may be tempted to add cream or butter. But the strawberries will start juicing (the sugar pulls out the juice) making a beautifully colored pink glaze that you can top your rolls with.

So just be patient and keep mixing. If after a few minutes it still isn’t spreadable, add a tablespoon of cream.

strawberries and cream sweet roll on a plate with a fork

Overnight Strawberry Rolls

We prefer baking the strawberry rolls the day we make them. Because they have fresh fruit, that fruit can sometimes get mushy if you let them sit.

However, you can make the sweet rolls and get them to the point of the second rise (when they are rolled out, cut up and put in the baking dish). 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.

strawberries and cream sweet roll on a plate with a bite out of it

Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

Love cinnamon? Sprinkle a teaspoon of cinnamon over the strawberries before roll up the dough. It adds a hint of spice and is great during the holiday season.

Storage Instructions

After the rolls have cooled and you’ve frosted them, cover and store in the fridge. They are best eaten within 24 hours.

overhead view of strawberry rolls
overhead view of strawberry rolls

Strawberry Rolls

4.63 from 141 votes
Strawberries for breakfast in a whole new way! Super soft strawberry rolls with cream cheese and fresh strawberry glaze will melt in your mouth.
Servings 12
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Rise Time 1 hour 20 minutes

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Ingredients
 

For the dough:

  • 1 cup warm milk (about 115 degrees F)
  • 2 1/4 teaspoons instant dry yeast* I like Red Star Platinum Baking Yeast
  • 2 large eggs (at room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup salted butter (Melted, but make sure it isn't super hot. Just barely melted, or even softened, is fine.)
  • 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour** (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

For the filling:

  • 6 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 1/3 cup strawberry jam
  • 2 cups diced strawberries

For the cream bath:

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream** (for pouring over the risen rolls)

For the frosting:

Instructions
 

  • Pour the warm milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast overtop.
  • Add the eggs, butter, salt and sugar.
  • Add in 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.
  • Beat the dough on medium speed, adding in up to ½ cup more flour if needed to form a dough. Knead for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is elastic and smooth. **The dough should be tacky and will still be sticking to the sides of the bowl. That’s ok! Don’t be tempted to add more flour at this point. We generally add about 4 ½ 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 filling. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the cream cheese and strawberry jam until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
  • Sprinkle a pastry mat with flour. Turn out the dough onto the lightly floured work 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 cream cheese filling over the whole dough rectangle. Then sprinkle the diced strawberries evenly over the filling.
  • Starting on the long end, roll the dough up tightly jelly roll style.
  • Cut into 12 slices and place in a greased 10×15" baking pan.****
  • Cover the pan and allow the rolls to rise for 20 minutes or until nearly double.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  • 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.
  • Bake at 375 degrees for 22-25 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 25-27 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 powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract, softened cream cheese and diced strawberries using a hand mixer. At first it won't seem like the glaze is coming together, but don't be tempted to add any liquid. Allow the mix to sit for a minute or just keep mixing on low speed. The strawberries will release juices and the frosting will eventually become spreadable. If for some reason yours is not after you've given it several minutes, add a tablespoon of heavy cream.
  • Spread the frosting over the cooled rolls.
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Notes

*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.
**You can use bread flour if you’d like. The rolls will be slightly sturdier in texture, but they are great with either flour. We find we need just a touch less flour if we use bread flour rather than all purpose.
***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.
****You can use a 9×13 pan if you’d like, but the rolls will not have as much room to rise during baking and may take longer to cook. If you do not have a 10×15″ pan, you can also split them between two pans.
Overnight Instructions
We often make the sweet 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 508kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 400mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 36g | Vitamin A: 714IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 3mg
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Calories 508
Keyword breakfast, brunch, summer

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you use gluten free flour?

We’ve made these rolls gluten free, but you have to allow them to rise much, much longer. Plan for at least double if not triple the rise time, especially on the second rise.

Can I freeze these rolls?

Although you can freeze them if you’d like, we don’t recommend it. The strawberries can sometimes get watery after freezing meaning the sweet rolls might get too wet.

Can I make half a recipe?

Yes, you can halve the recipe, but we recommend using 1 ½ teaspoons yeast if you do this.

Can I add another fruit?

Yes! Fresh berries such as blueberries or blackberries or even raspberries would be delicious. Lemon zest and fresh lemon juice in the frosting would make a great strawberry lemonade roll.

Other Strawberry Recipes

Try one of our popular strawberry recipes!

About JulieJulie Clark

About Julie Clark

I'm Julie Clark, CEO and recipe developer of Tastes of Lizzy T. With my B.A. in Education and over 30 years of cooking and baking, I want to teach YOU the best of our family recipes.

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4.63 from 141 votes (133 ratings without comment)
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Bridget Kendall
6 months ago

5 stars
Hi there. I currently have these rising. (First rise) the dough seems awfully greasy. Is that normal? Also, I had a nice tacky dough, not sticky with just 4 cups flour. Praying these turn out! 🍓

Kelley
1 year ago

I have been searching for a good strawberry roll for a while and these were exactly what I wanted. Great strawberry flavor and not sickly sweet. The lightly sweet filling is such a perfect balance to the topping. Definitely will make this again! One note: I made these for Easter morning so I did need to make them ahead even though it wasn’t recommended. Everyone in my family thought they were amazing and they were not soggy at all. Several days later we are still enjoying them and they still taste great! I also tried freezing some, just to see… Read more »

Kiara Cabrera
1 year ago

Egg substitute please ? Allergic to eggs

Trinity
2 years ago

Exactly the recipe I was looking for, not overly sweet, great balance of strawberry flavor and sweetness. The rolls are nice and fluffy even after keeping them in the fridge. (I finished making them late at night so I refrigerated them for the next day.) I didn’t have strawberry jam so I substituted it with half a cup diced strawberries (which I pureed with a fork) and 2 tbsp of sugar. For the frosting, I just did the same and pureed the strawberries with a fork and mixed with the rest of the ingredients and it was ready in a… Read more »

Kristie
2 years ago

5 stars
Great recipe with delicous glaze!
Thank you for sharing!!

Ana
2 years ago

5 stars
Hello! I loved your recipe, I’m from Argentina, right now here, it’s not the season for strawberries, that makes it very difficult and I can’t get them, my question was if I could replace them with a strawberry jam. And my other question was if I had the values ​​of the ingredients, not in cups, but in grams, please. Thank you very much, they look delicious.

Krystin Pabon
3 years ago

Can I use active dry yeast? I ordered instant yeast from the store and they delivered me active dry yeast instead! 🙁

Kara
3 years ago

5 stars
These were amazing. I made them on my birthday and it was the perfect treat. I even used vegan substitutes and they were seriously divine… so I can imagine it would be even better with real cream cheese! Will definitely make again! These would be so good for a holiday brunch.

Dawn Lusk
4 years ago

5 stars
Another DEEEElicious recipe!