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Our family has been making orange rolls for years and years, and they’ve become a holiday and spring staple!
Over the years, we’ve changed them up, and more recently tested them several ways (with different doughs and different icings), until we found the most favorite of all. The winner is the recipe we are sharing today.
They are soft and sweet with an orange filling that has grated orange peel, which adds the perfect amount of freshness, zest and orange flavor! Our favorite part is the orange cream cheese frosting which adds even more citrus delicious-ness to these breakfast rolls.
If you love these homemade orange sweet rolls, be sure to check out our Easy Cinnamon Rolls and Nutella Cinnamon Rolls.
Why we think you’ll love it:
- Twist of flavor. We’ve taken classic Cinnamon Rolls and given them a twist of citrus!
- Prep the night before. The dough can be made the night before and then baked in the morning to save time!
- Holiday tradition. We make these EVERY Christmas Eve! We also love to gift a pan to friends and neighbors – they are always a hit!!
Orange Rolls Ingredients
Dough
- 1 package active dry yeast – approximately 2¼ teaspoons
- ¼ cup warm water – between 105°F and 115°F to properly activate the yeast
- 1 cup warm milk – We used 2%, but whole milk can be used.
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3½-3¾ cups all-purpose flour – see How to Measure Flour
Filling
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened – see How to Soften Butter Quickly
- 2 tablespoons orange zest – see How to Zest
Frosting
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1-2 tablespoons milk, or more as needed – We use 2%, but whole or 1% can be used.
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
How to Make Orange Rolls
STEP 1. DOUGH. Dissolve 1 package of yeast and ¼ cup warm water in a large bowl. Add 1 cup milk, ¼ cup shortening, ¼ cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, and 3 cups of flour to the yeast mixture. Beat until smooth. Stir in the remaining ½-¾ cup flour, enough to form a soft dough.
STEP 2. KNEAD + RISE. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size. Should take about 1 hour.
STEP 3. ROLL. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, ½ cup softened butter, 2 tablespoons orange zest; set aside until ready to use.
STEP 4. Punch the dough down and use a rolling pin to roll it into a long rectangle.
STEP 5. Spread your filling and roll up, starting with a long end. Use a long serrated knife, sharp knife or unflavored unwaxed floss to cut into even pieces, about 12-14.
STEP 6. 2ND RISE. Place cut side down onto a greased 10×15-inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes.
STEP 7. BAKE. Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake rolls for 20-25 minutes. The rolls should be light golden brown.
Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
MIX. While the rolls are baking, make frosting in a medium bowl by creaming together the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, orange juice, milk and orange zest and mix until smooth. Frost rolls while they are still slightly warm and sprinkle on orange zest. Serve warm.
- Double frost rolls if desired before sprinkling on orange zest.
- If the homemade orange rolls are too hot the glaze will melt right off.
Orange Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 package active dry yeast
- ¼ cup warm water
- 1 cup warm milk, 2%
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 3 ½-3 ¾ cups all purpose flour
Filling
- 1 cup sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
Frosting
- 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 cups powdered’ sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 1-2 tablespoons milk, or more as needed
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
Instructions
- Dissolve dry yeast and warm water in a large bowl. Add milk, shortening, sugar, salt, egg and 3 cups of flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour, enough to form a soft dough.
- On a lightly floured surface, knead dough for 6-8 minutes until smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, turning to grease all sides. Cover dough and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (should take about 1 hour).
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine all filling ingredients; set aside until ready to use.
- Punch dough down and roll into long rectangle. Spread your filling and roll up, starting with a long end. Cut into even pieces, about 12-14.
- Place cut side down onto a greased 10×15 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees F. Always check during baking. Rolls should be light golden brown.
- While the rolls are baking, make frosting in a medium bowl by creaming together the softened cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, orange juice, milk and orange zest and mix until smooth.
- Frost rolls while they are still slightly warm and sprinkle on orange zest. Serve warm.
Video
Notes
- The water needs to be between 105°F and 115°F to properly activate the yeast.
- Place the covered dough in a warm environment to help it rise faster.
- We use a serrated knife to cut the rolls. If you like the dental floss method be sure it’s plain and not mint-flavored.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- The water needs to be between 105°F and 115°F to properly activate the yeast.
- Place the covered dough in a warm environment to help it rise faster.
- We use a serrated knife to cut the rolls. If you like the dental floss method be sure it’s plain and not mint-flavored.
Recipe FAQ
If the yeast is not properly activated or the room is too cold the dough will not rise.
If you aren’t paying attention, the dough can rise too high then it will cave in on itself. At this point, it is no longer usable.
Fridge. Follow the recipe and place the rolls on the baking sheet, but do not rise a second time. Instead, cover and refrigerate until the morning. Allow to finish rising (double in size), and then bake.
Freezer. Cover with plastic wrap and again with foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, allow them to finish rising at room temperature, for about 90 minutes, and then bake.
Baked rolls can be kept, covered, at room temperature for 2-3 days, in the fridge for 3-4 days, or wrapped tightly and frozen for up to 3 months.
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This recipe was originally published December 2016.
this recipe is great, im making some the night before to take to work and bake. what is your suggestion to keep overnight for the next morning due to the rising? or do you suggest baking ahead as well?
If making the night before, I’d suggest completing to step 5. After rolling out and placing on the baking sheet, put in the oven rather than letting it do the second rise. Pull it out in the morning and let it finish rising on the countertop (until they are about double the size of when you rolled them). The bake as the recipe states. You can also bake the night before too. They would still be tasty the next day!
I must have done something wrong—they tasted DELICIOUS! But I did the overnight method in the fridge. I let them raise in the morning using the heat to 200 method then turn off method you mentioned. Then turned my oven to 375 and set my timer including the “pre heat” time. Well, 15 minutes in and my rolls were scorched! Good thing I smelled them so they were salvaged. But I’m just curious why they didn’t work at the temperature and time listed? I will definitely do it again and maybe try at 325 for only 15 minutes starter before checking and go from there 🙂
would like to make these but would need metric measures. will try to convert
These look delicious and I can’t wait to try them! Just a quick question – we’re not big fans of the texture of orange/lemon zest, so if I wanted to use a little orange extract instead, would you recommend adding it to the dough or the filling? Thank you so much!
I would just swap out the orange zest for the orange extract. So it would be swapped in the filling. Hope you enjoy the rolls!
Hi, could you give the measurement for how big the rectangle should be before you roll it up?
Yes, you can use your bread machine. I have been doing this for many years and I have made all sorts of things by using my machine. I have even used the machine to make pie crusts. All of this makes it easier and less work. Be sure to read the
instructions if you haven’t. Always start with putting the wet ingredients in first, then flour, then the sugar and yeast, etc.
you should always use bread flour not all purpose. The flour mills have changed how they mill it and bread flour has more gluten to make it rise .
Thanks for sharing!
Made this for the past 4 years it’s better than any cinnamon rolls I’ve tried to date. Soft fluffy melt in your mouth.
Thank you!! I’m so happy to hear that. I’m glad that this is a recipe you come back to time and time again too. Thanks for sharing!
Delicious!
Thank you!!
I made this one time for my family and now it’s a family favorite! I always make them the night before and the only thing I change is letting them rise before I put them in the fridge and then warm a bit before going in the oven and they turn out perfect every time . I tried letting them rise overnight and then in the morning and they didn’t turn out as soft. Also they are pretty easy to make my 4 year old loves helping me roll the dough and then roll the rolls!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thanks so much for sharing your tips on refrigerating the dough! So helpful!
I followed the recipe exactly and they are really really good.
I put mine in the frig overnight before the second rise so they were ready for breakfast.
Give yourself plenty of time to let them go from cold to room temperature. I took them from frig., put them in a different pan that wasn’t so cold, and let them rise for about 90 minutes. It really takes that long to go from cold to warm.
Delicious.
Glad you tried them! Thank you for sharing what you did 🙂
I would like to know can you use Unsalted butter instead of shortening
We loved these orange rolls. They were soft, sweet and the orange filling was excellent! I switched out the shortening for vegetable oil, and used quick rise yeast which allows for a slightly different method, but the result was terrific. I’ll definitely make this one again. Thanks for the recipe.
You are welcome! Thank you for sharing what you did 🙂
Sooo good! Love the brightness from the citrus!!!
amazing recipe, I used lemon juice instead of extract and added a little extra and it turned out great. I would note however that if you cut the rolls too thick the filling comes out of the bottom when you cook them.
Thanks for sharing that!!
I’M so excited to try thEse for mother’s day. For the glaZe, is it 1 And 1/2 teaspoons or is there an extra 1 and it is only 1/2 teaspoon for the lemon juice?
It is 1 1/2 tsps. Sorry, about that. I added a space in there to make it easier to see 🙂 Hope you like them!
This was my first time making orange rolls. They turned out great and were so delicious! I did the alternative of using orange juice instead of lemon extract but other than that followed the recipe exactly. Thank you!
You are welcome!! Thanks for sharing what you did. I am so glad you liked them!
IF your looking for something Other than a cinnamon roll…this is your recipe to trY. Sweet and full of orange flavor.
I love orange rolls but have never made them myself. This is an easy and delicious recipe and one to make over and over again.
These Orange Rolls are an absolute favorite of mine. They are good any time of year! I like to make them as a special breakfast for family on the weekends.
My kids love these! The refreshing taste of orange & lemon in the glaze, is a great way to start the day!
My family loves these for breakfast! The orange flavor is so refreshing & the icing is so smooth & yummy!
Is this gluten free?
I am not 100% familiar with all things that contain gluten, but there isn’t wheat, though I am not sure about the yeast.
I MADE THESE AND TOOK THEM TO MY FAMILY CHRISTMAS AND THEY WERE A BIG HIT!
I am glad they were!! Thank you for letting me know!!
Can you confirm the amount of the lemon extract in the glaze please
It’s 1 1/2 teaspoons 🙂 Hope you like them!
HAHA OK MAKES SENSE NOW I READ IT AS 11/2 NOT 1 1/2
I would have given it a 5 but the butter sugar filling drained into the bottom of the pan and made the rolls glue to the pan…
Oh, I am sorry. Thank you for trying them!
I’ve made these several times. My husband and grandkids love them(as I do too)!! I make lots of bread so I doubled the bath and the first batch was terrific and the second batch didn’t raise as much. Any idea why??
That’s a good question?? If everything was the same..it should have. I am glad you all like them! I wish I knew..I’m sorry!
I’ve been making these rolls for about 3 years and trying other recipes to compare. These ones are always the favourite! They are incredibly soft and they freeze excellent after baking (I make two smaller dishes one for eating fresh the other for lunches). The modification I make is the filling using 1/2 cup of sugar and melding the orange zest with it as long as possible (to maximize flavour) and adding cinnamon. It’s unreal.
Thank you for sharing what you do! Sounds perfect!
This Orange Rolls are so yummy, Just made for my family, and it is not so hard to make it.
I do recommend and you will like it.
Libni
Thank you for sharing! They are super easy! I am so glad you liked them!
Made these last night, put them in the fridge overnight and let them rise this morning for an hour or so. They were soft and wonderful! The only thing I recommend is cutting down on the sugar. One cup of sugar is a crazy amount for filling! I used a 1/4 cup and they turned out sweet and delicious. I also squeezed orange juice into the glaze instead of milk and extract. Tasted fantastic.
Thank you so much for sharing what you did. I am so glad you liked them 🙂
These are my favorite orange rolls!! They are sooo soft and the flavor is perfect! I want to make these for breakfast for guests that we have coming and I was wondering if I could freeze them in the pan before baking and take them out earlier in the morning to defrost, rise, and then bake. Have you ever tried this? Would it still work?
I personally haven’t tried, so I wish I knew for sure that they’d turn out. I’m guessing that would work? I’m sorry that I’m not sure. Let me know if you try it. Thanks 🙂
I tried doing freezing the rolls (after cut, placed on pan, before second rising) twice this holiday. Unfortunately, neither time was that successful. One batch rose higher than the other, but the outcome was not nearly as good when made fresh. Both times I put them in a warmed oven to rise for 45 minutes before baking. Though they did rise, they never filled out the pan like they normally would.
My own Question:
Have you or anyone substituted the butter (assuming unsalted) for salted butter in the glaze and/or filling with better taste results?
Thanks for letting me know how it turned out after freezing! I still have never tried that because I was too nervous it wouldn’t turn out right, so thank you!
I always use salted butter in the glaze and filling. They turn out delicious!
Just so you know if you cover with plastic wrap when youtake out of Freezer and set where not to warm just room temp it works. Thanksgood luck
Absolutely delicious!!!! Will be added to my baking rotation. Highly recommended! (Only slight modification was 1/4 tsp orange extract and 1/4 tsp lemon extract in the glaze for even more orangey flavor. )
Glad you liked them! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing!
Can you use butter in the dough in place of shortening?
I actually use canola oil instead of butter/shortening. I find that it makes them incredibly soft and light and they stay softer longer.
Made these for the first, definitely not the last, time yesterday. Oh my gosh! They were very, very delicious, and turned out perfectly! Thanks so much for the recipe!
We love these!! Thanks so much for letting me know! I’m so glad you liked them:)