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This easy cinnamon roll recipe is smothered with homemade cream cheese frosting. They’re super soft, gooey, and quick—made in just one hour!
Whether you make them for breakfast or brunch, this recipe will be well-loved, just like our Mini Cinnamon Rolls and Nutella Cinnamon Rolls.
Made in 1 Hour!
My entire family is OBSESSED with Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. My mom has been making them for as long as I can remember.
Our classic recipe takes a little more time, so we wanted to master an easy cinnamon roll recipe that was more simple and could be made in an hour and we love them just as much!
Here are all the reasons why we love them:
- Quick. With less rise time, they’re made in just an hour!
- Delicious. The rolls are soft and so yummy and are great for holidays like Easter, Christmas and New Years.
- Frosting. We added cream cheese to the cinnamon roll icing for extra thickness and a little tang, and it’s absolutely perfect!
IngredientS
- warm water – If the water is too cold the yeast will not bloom properly. If the water is too hot it could kill the yeast.
- buttermilk – or make your own buttermilk. Must be at room temperature so that the yeast can work its magic.
- unsalted butter
- sugar
- rapid rise yeast – or an equal amount of instant yeast or active dry yeast. Be sure the yeast is fresh, old yeast doesn’t work as well and you wont get light and fluffy cinnamon rolls.
- large eggs
- salt
- bread flour – All-purpose flour also works well for this recipe, but bread flour works best. To make your own, add 1½ teaspoons of vital wheat gluten to a 1 cup measuring cup then fill the cup the rest of the way up with all-purpose flour. Sift the contents.
- granulated sugar
- light brown sugar – or dark brown sugar
- unsalted butter – melted
- ground cinnamon
- powdered sugar
- cream cheese – softened
- milk – or half-and-half
- vanilla extract
How to Make Easy Cinnamon Rolls
- MIX. In a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook) stir together water, buttermilk, sugar, melted butter, and yeast. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
- REST. Add in salt, eggs, and flour (for flour, be sure to spoon in and top off and start with 4½ cups – you want the dough to be sticky). Mix for 10 minutes and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- FILLING. Prepare your filling by mixing together melted butter, brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon. Set aside the cinnamon sugar mixture.
- ROLL OUT. On a floured surface, roll dough into a 12 x 16-inch rectangle using a rolling pin. Spread your filling over the top and roll it up.
- BAKE. Cut into 12 large rolls (or 18 smaller rolls). Place rolls in a large, greased baking dish or jelly roll pan. Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes.
- FROSTING. While baking, mix together the frosting ingredients in a small bowl. Spread a layer on top of the cinnamon rolls while they’re warm, and then spread another layer of frosting once they have cooled.
Variations
- Sprinkle raisins, chopped nuts (like walnuts or pecans) or even chopped bacon onto the brown sugar mixture before you roll the dough to be cut.
- Use a simple powdered sugar glaze on top.
- Use your favorite frosting. Maple and vanilla frosting both taste great.
Recipe Tips
- No proofing. You’ll notice the reason that this one hour cinnamon rolls recipe takes a fraction of the time is that the dough doesn’t need hours to rise. The dough rises a bit in the oven and they come out fluffy and delicious.
- Best way to cut the dough. You can use a serrated bread knife to gently saw through the dough, but even that can cause the slices to squish and pinch together.
- The best way to cut the dough is to use a long piece of unflavored dental floss or sewing thread. Gently place the floss under the spot you wish to cut. Bring the floss up, cross it over the top then pull the ends so it slices right through the dough.
Storing Info
- STORE. Place cinnamon buns on a plate and cover tightly with plastic wrap or foil, or place in an airtight container. They should keep at room temperature for 2-3 days.
- FREEZE. Freeze rolls unfrosted or frosted. Wrap the pan, or individual rolls, with plastic wrap and again with aluminum foil and put in the freezer. Let them thaw overnight and warm them in the oven for a few minutes.
- To freeze unbaked: shape the rolls and freeze them before you bake them. Be sure to wrap them tightly and they should be able last for 6-8 weeks in the freezer. Allow several hours for them to thaw before you put them in the oven to bake.
For more of our favorite sweet rolls, try:
Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipe
These easy cinnamon rolls are smothered with homemade cream cheese frosting. They're super soft, gooey, and quick—made in just one hour!
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Frosting
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 3-4 tablespoons milk or half-and-half, as needed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer or large bowl using a wooden spoon, mix water, buttermilk, melted butter, sugar, and yeast. Allow to sit for 15 minutes.
- Add eggs and salt, then mix in flour one cup at a time. Mix for 5 minutes, then allow to rest for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your filling. Mix granulated sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a large baking dish or jelly roll pan (or a 9-x-13-inch baking dish if you are fine with your rolls touching).
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-x-16-inch rectangle. Spread filling over the surface of the dough, leaving a ½-inch border all around. Roll the dough into a log starting at the long edge, making sure the seam is on the bottom.
- Use a long piece of unflavored dental floss or sewing thread to cut the roll into 12 large rolls or 18 smaller rolls. Gently place the floss under the spot you wish to cut, then bring the floss up, cross it over the top, and pull the ends so it slices right through the dough.
- Place rolls cut side up in the prepared pan. Bake for 17–20 minutes.
- While rolls are baking, mix all frosting ingredients together in a large bowl, starting with 3 tablespoons milk and adding more as needed to reach a spreadable consistency.
- When rolls come out of the oven, immediately spread a layer of frosting on warm rolls. Add another layer of frosting once cooled.
Video
Notes
Flour. Bread flour is our preferred choice for this recipe for super soft rolls, but you can substitute all-purpose flour as well.
Make ahead of time. To freeze rolls unfrosted or frosted, wrap the pan, or individual rolls, with plastic wrap, then with aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, let thaw overnight, then warm the rolls in the oven for a few minutes.
Variations. Sprinkle raisins or chopped nuts, like walnuts or pecans, over the filling before you roll the dough. Use a simple powdered-sugar glaze on top instead of the cream cheese frosting. Swap in your favorite frosting—maple and vanilla frosting both taste great.
Nutrition
Serving: 1roll, Calories: 609kcal, Carbohydrates: 106g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 69mg, Sodium: 357mg, Potassium: 145mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 62g, Vitamin A: 554IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Recipe adapted from Your Homebased Mom.
So Quick and fun! GReat for holidsy go to!
Agreed!! Thank you so much!
I made these last night and they were so delicious!! They really only took an hour! FAst and yummy are my type of recipes! Oh and they tasted just as good the next morning!!
They are my type of recipes, too!! Thank you so much for trying them 🙂
Fast and delicious just like the recipe says!
Thank you so much!
These are absolutely amazing!!!! I was very intimated in making cinnamon rolls from scratch. But this is what my husband wanted for his birthday. Yes it is a lot if work but oh so worth ut!! I’ve never seen him smile so much over something I made. This is already on the menu for Thanksgiving morning.
I agree..so worth it!! You can do it 🙂 I am so glad you tried & I am so glad it made him happy!!
I’ve made these twice now.
1st time followed to a T. 2nd time I used slightly wateted down sourcream to replace the buttermilk OMG they were amazing.
The folks my husband works with love when I make them for work, my question is, is there a way I can make these Sugar Free so no one is left out?
making 2 pans won’t be a problem.
I am so glad to hear that!! I haven’t tried making them sugar free, but I am sure you could somehow. You’d just have to find sugar free ingredients or substitute.
I LOVE these! So easy to make and so yummy! They are my go to breakfast for conference!
Same here!! Thank you for letting me know!! Good thing conference is coming up 🙂
This recipe is so amazing and quick. Who doesn’t love a fresh hot cinnamon roll in half the time! LOVE THEM!
Right??!! Thanks so much!
I had always bought pre-made cinnamon rolls because I was intimated by the thought of making my own. But I tried this recipe & it was easy to follow along with, not to mention they were amazingly delicious!!!!
I am so glad you tried them! See, it’s not too bad! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂
This recipe is such a great one for quick cinnamon rolls. I’m a slow baker so it was more like 2 hours for me, but all the instructions for bread flour, yeast, and rising/mixing time are spot on and fool-proof! To make the filling less grainy, I smoothed softened butter over the dough after rolling and then patted the filling into it which helped, I would recommend not using all the filling as a lot of it caramelized at the bottom of the pan. I got 14 large cinnamon rolls out of my dough. Great tasting recipe! Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing that! I am glad you liked them, as much as we do 🙂
I absolutely LOVE this recipe. I have tried so many different recipes and have had varying amounts of success. But all the rises! Sheesh. You’d have to start at 4am to make them! Not with these rolls! I have used this recipe 3 times in the last couple of months, and every single person who has eaten them has absolutely raved about my cinnamon rolls. A few notes: I’ve only used all purpose flour and they have turned out beautifully. I read from several people that the filling was grainy, so I sprinkled 1/4 sugar and 1 TBSP of cinnamon over melted butter for the filling. I used 4 packets of active dry yeast. It’s been perfect over and over again and I’m going to experiment with different fillings next time I bake them!
I am so happy to hear that!! Aren’t they the best!? They would be great with different fillings for sure! Thank you for letting me know!