These easy cinnamon rolls from scratch are perfect for yeast beginners because they only require 1 rise. Each cinnamon roll is extra soft with the most delicious cinnamon swirl! The rolls freeze beautifully, so this is a great make-ahead recipe, especially for planning ahead for holidays or the next time you need a special breakfast. Choose from a few easy icing flavors to top the warm & gooey rolls.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and a few more success tips. I also added one additional step to the recipe that yields even softer, fluffier rolls. This is reflected in the printable recipe below.
This easy cinnamon roll recipe is one of the most popular recipes on my website, for good reason.
These are classic, homestyle cinnamon rolls. It took me lots of recipe testing trial-and-error to develop quick cinnamon rolls that maintain all the flavor and texture of traditional overnight cinnamon rolls. But THIS. IS. IT. And I promise, making these easy cinnamon rolls is 100x more satisfying than that feeling you get from popping open a store-bought can of ready-to-bake rolls.
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Easy Cinnamon Rolls
- All the deliciousness of traditional homemade cinnamon rolls, but in half the time
- Soft and fluffy
- Gooey cinnamon sugar swirl
- Only 1 rise time
- Easy enough for yeast beginners
- Great make-ahead, freezer-friendly recipe—making it an excellent addition to your menu of Easter brunch recipes!
Lately, I’ve had even more success with the dough when I let the yeast dissolve in the warm milk/butter mixture, instead of whisking it into the dry ingredients. The rolls turn out even fluffier and softer, and I know you’ll appreciate that, too! The recipe below includes this small change.
Here’s what some readers are saying about this recipe:
One reader, Kristine, commented: “This recipe is perfect in every way. It is simple to execute and requires a very reasonable amount of time. … The best part for me, however, is that they tasted just like my grandmother’s cinnamon rolls. I have her recipe but it requires hours and hours and I rarely have that kind of time. Tasting these warm from the oven brought back a flood of happy memories and made me feel like I was right back in her kitchen. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Lana, says: “I admit, I was very skeptical about my cinnamon rolls rising in 90 minutes. And I was nervous about making cinnamon rolls because I didn’t think that I could make anything close to what my grandma used to make. But I’ve made other recipes from your site and have been successful so I gave it a try. Let me say, the cinnamon rolls are amazing! And easy! ★★★★★“
Just like grandma used to make! Is there a better compliment than that? I doubt it.
Yeast Beginners Rejoice: Only 1 Rise!
Do you love homemade cinnamon rolls, but are nervous to bake with yeast? You’re not alone! But if you’re curious about learning how to bake with yeast, this recipe is a perfect one to start with. No yeast cinnamon rolls are quick and tasty, but the Fluffiness Factor (I should trademark that) is simply unparalleled when it comes to yeast rolls vs. no-yeast rolls.
Unlike these homemade overnight cinnamon rolls that require hours of rise time, plus a 2nd rise after the rolls are shaped, this easy cinnamon rolls recipe requires only 1 rise, for just 60–90 minutes. And, honestly, they’re every bit as delicious. Bakery-style perfection for beginners!
Are You a Yeast Beginner?
This Baking with Yeast Guide is a wonderful starting point for yeast beginners. I answer many common yeast FAQs in easy-to-understand explanations, so you can learn about the basics before beginning.
Key Ingredients to Use for the Dough
Here’s my #1 tip: I recommend using a strong and dependable yeast. Platinum Yeast from Red Star is a premium instant yeast, which cuts down on rise time. Its careful formula contains natural dough strengtheners and makes working with yeast simple. And simple is always good, right? See recipe Note if using active dry yeast instead.
Here’s the rest of the lineup of ingredients for this rich dough:
- Flour: Flour provides the dough structure. All-purpose flour is best for these cinnamon rolls. You could also use bread flour—the rolls will be chewier.
- Sugar: You need white granulated sugar in the dough, both for flavor and to feed the yeast.
- Salt: Flavor.
- Whole milk: Whole milk is ideal for the richest-tasting cinnamon rolls. Buttermilk works just as well without any changes to the recipe. Many readers have successfully substituted nondairy milks. In a pinch, you can use low-fat milk, but avoid using nonfat milk.
- Butter: This is a rich dough, meaning it has fat to help guarantee softness.
- Egg: Like butter, egg promises a softer, richer dough.
These Step-by-Step Photos Will Help
The first step is to mix your dry ingredients together in a big bowl and this includes the flour, sugar, and salt. After that, warm the milk and butter together, and then whisk in the yeast until it has dissolved. Then you know it can start working its magic in your dough!
Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients, add the egg and then mix everything together. You do not need a stand mixer for this recipe, though you could certainly use one if desired.
Transfer dough to your work surface (below, left), and then knead by hand for 3 minutes until a soft dough forms (below, right). If you’re new to yeasted doughs, my how to knead dough post and video can help with this step.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes as you prepare the filling—this gives the dough’s gluten a chance to settle and relax, which will make rolling out much easier.
3 Ingredient Filling
- Butter: Use super-soft butter for the filling—not too hard, not too melty. If the butter is too hard, it won’t be easy to spread it evenly over the soft dough. If it’s too melty, it will seep into the dough, and we don’t want that either. Butter that’s had time to soften to room temperature should be just right. If you forgot to get it out of the fridge earlier, here’s my trick for how to soften butter quickly.
- Brown Sugar: Using brown sugar in the filling gives these cinnamon rolls an extra-delicious depth of flavor.
- Cinnamon: You can’t have cinnamon rolls without it!
Roll out the dough and then top with softened butter and the brown sugar & cinnamon mixture.
Many readers have asked about using different fillings. Try using this raspberry cake filling instead—it’s delicious! Or if you love lemons, these lemon sweet rolls use this same dough.
Roll up the dough and then use your sharpest knife to cut into 10-12 rolls.
Why Are My Cinnamon Rolls Not Fluffy?
There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity. But the most common reason cinnamon rolls don’t turn out fluffy is because the dough didn’t have enough time to rise. In this particular recipe, with only 1 rise, it’s imperative the shaped rolls double in size in step 5 below. See the next photo? You want a pan of puffy-looking rolls even before baking.
Additionally, be sure to add only as much flour as you need to make a workable dough. This is a soft and tacky dough and it’s not supposed to be tough and hard. Too much flour will give you stiff, dense, dry cinnamon rolls.
Arrange your rolls in a lightly greased 9-inch or 10-inch pan. I appreciate that this recipe makes a slightly smaller batch than most other cinnamon roll recipes.
Here are the rolls before and after rising. This is the only rise! They’re ready to bake after they have nearly doubled in size.
Why Do My Cinnamon Rolls Rise Unevenly When Baking?
Sometimes the centers of the cinnamon rolls can pop up whack-a-mole-style while baking. This is caused by either rolling them too tight, or if the pan is too small/crowded. It’s happened to me many times before. But this is really easy to fix! Pull the pan out of the oven and use the back of a spoon to gently press the overly risen parts back down.
You Have Options for the Icing
I use the same luscious cream cheese icing here that I use for raspberry sweet rolls. It takes just a couple quick minutes to make, and you only need cream cheese, a little butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. For something even easier, try a vanilla (or even coffee) icing like we use on coffee cake. Simply whisk confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a little milk or strong coffee together until smooth. The video tutorial in the recipe below shows both icing options.
Spread or drizzle your icing on the warm rolls before serving—both icings seep right into every gooey swirl! The finished rolls pictured above have cream cheese icing, and here is the vanilla icing batch:
These easy cinnamon rolls from scratch are completely irresistible and they take half the time. If you’re looking for that perfect cinnamon roll recipe that doesn’t require 4+ hours, this is the winner.
Success Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Rolls
- Don’t add more flour than you need. You can add a little more flour to bring the dough into a knead-able consistency, but adding too much will give you dense, dry rolls.
- Don’t kill the yeast. If your butter/milk mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast and you won’t really notice until you’re far into the recipe… when the rolls won’t rise! Keep the temperature warm to the touch, around 100–110°F (38–43°C). An instant read thermometer is a handy tool for this baking recipe and many others.
- Use your sharpest knife to cut the rolls, so they don’t squish down.
- Use the correct size pan. This recipe makes 10–12 rolls, which fit in a 9- or 10-inch pan. If the pan is too small, they’ll be overcrowded. You can use a 9- or 10-inch pie dish, round cake pan, or square baking pan. If you want larger rolls, check out this recipe for jumbo cinnamon rolls!
- Let the rolls rise in a warm, draft-free environment. Here’s my favorite trick: Preheat your oven to 150°F (66°C), then turn it off. Cover the shaped rolls with aluminum foil and place the pan inside the warm oven. Leave the oven door cracked open for about 30 minutes, then close it and let them finish rising (another 30–60 minutes) in the oven with the door closed. Just don’t forget to take them out of the oven before you preheat it to bake them!
Easy Cinnamon Rolls (from scratch)
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 rolls
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These easy cinnamon rolls are perfect for yeast beginners because they only require 1 rise. You have a few options for toppings. The recipe below includes a simple cream cheese icing, but we also love these with the coffee icing or vanilla icing that’s included in the recipe Notes below.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star or any instant yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
Filling
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, extra softened
- 1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the milk and butter together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave or use the stove and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 110°F/43°C, no higher). Whisk in the yeast until it has dissolved. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and stir with a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon OR use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed. Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. You should have a smooth ball of dough. If the dough is super soft or sticky, you can add a little more flour. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I use non-stick spray), cover loosely, and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes as you get the filling ingredients ready.
- Fill the rolls: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8-inch (36×20-cm) rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Roll up the dough to make a 14-inch log. Cut into 10–12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round cake pan, pie dish, or square baking pan.
- Rise: Cover the pan with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the rolls to rise in a relatively warm environment for 60–90 minutes or until double in size. (For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Bake the rolls: After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 24–27 minutes, or until lightly browned. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil and continue baking. If you want to be precise about their doneness, their internal temperature taken with an instant read thermometer should be around 195–200°F (91–93°C) when done. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a wire rack as you make the icing. (You can also make the icing as the rolls bake.)
- Make the icing: In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the butter and beat until smooth and combined, then beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until combined. Using a knife or icing spatula, spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.
- Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: This dough can be made the night before through step 4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise in a warm environment, about 1 hour. Continue with step 6.
- Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: You can freeze the rolls for up to 3 months, and I recommend a few different methods. The first method is to freeze them after shaping, before they rise (before step 5). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let rise for 1.5–2 hours at room temperature before baking. The second method is to par-bake the risen rolls for 10 minutes, let cool completely, then cover and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Finish baking at 375°F (190°C) for around 15 minutes. You can also freeze fully baked rolls. See How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls for more details about all of these methods.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl with Silicone Spatula/Wooden Spoon | Rolling Pin | 9- inch Round Cake Pan, 9-inch Pie Dish, or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Instant Read Thermometer | Cooling Rack | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) for icing | Icing Spatula
- Yeast: I highly recommend instant yeast. If you only have active dry yeast, you can use that instead. Active dry and instant yeast can be used interchangeably in recipes (1:1). Active dry yeast has a moderate rate of rising and instant dry yeast has a faster rate of rising; active dry yeast will take longer to raise the dough.
- Milk: This recipe used to call for 1/2 cup (120ml) milk and 1/4 cup (60ml) water. The rolls taste much richer using all milk, and that is what I recommend. Whole milk or even buttermilk are ideal for this dough. If needed, you can substitute 3/4 cup (180ml) lower-fat or nondairy milk.
- Coffee Icing (or Vanilla Icing): Whisk 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 2–3 Tablespoons (30–45ml) strong brewed coffee together until smooth. Or swap milk for coffee for regular vanilla icing. Drizzle over warm rolls.
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Hi Sally,
Can I use greeks yoghurt instead of milk for this cinnamon roll recipe?
Kind regards
Leen
Hi Leen, we haven’t tested it, but wouldn’t recommend that substitution here.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but these turned out great and they were so quick and easy. I used the overnight proof method and they were delightful for breakfast.
Sally, wow these cinnamon rolls are amazing. Perfectly flavored and so fluffy. As always, your directions are clear and easy to follow. This is my new go to cinnamon rolls recipe. Thank you!
hey, Can I use sweetened cocoa powder instead of ground cinnamon?
Hi Kathy, for a chocolate sweet roll, we’d recommend using our chocolate sweet roll recipe.
How long does it take to make this?
Hi Josias, about 2 hours total.
Can I use a bread machine to knead the dough?
Hi Daisy, yes, that should be fine. Hope they turn out great!
Getting chilly here in Moses Lake was. use to make this all the time, now the kids are all grown. My hubby said I’m still here. Just popped some in the oven I know it will taste great. Thanks for the wonderful short cut.
After baking they came out hard
Hi Natalia, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. If your dough was hard, there could have been too much flour in the dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post. It could also be that they were over baked just a bit. For next time, you can try reducing the bake time by a few minutes and tenting your pan with foil to ensure the tops don’t brown too quickly. You may also find it helpful to review our Baking with Yeast Guide. Hope this helps!
Hi! I’m in a bit of a bind and I was wondering if I could swap the egg for anything else in order to make the recipe work?
Hi Suhanyah, we haven’t tested this recipe with any egg substitutes, so we’re unsure what might work best here. Let us know if you give anything a try.
Love the recipe. I made it for my husband and he loved it !
To make 18 servings, do you recommend just 1.5x the recipe, or are there any other adjustments to be made?
Hi NK! We would make two batches (multiplying dough can be tricky) you can always freeze the extras!
can i substitute the whole milk for 2% ?
You can in a pinch, Franny! Whole milk is best for an extra tender dough.
Oh my goodness this recipe is a keeper! No more prepared ones for me. I made these today and boy are they delicious! Thank you very much!!!!
I forgot to mention that the one thing i did different was after putting the filling on i cut the strips with a pizza cutter and rolled each cinnamon roll individually.
Dental floss works wonders!! This is my method of cutting the individual rolls!
Literally the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever eaten, especially if you add a cinnamon butter topping before baking. My dad tried one and agreed with me 10/10 do recommend.
Made yesterday and still delicious today! I did leave to rise for 2 1/2 hours after making just the dough simply because I ran out of time before I had to go out for lunch, and then I didn’t realise I was as low on cinnamon as I was so had to also used my mixed spice seasoning from my pumpkin spice loaf last year, however overall it came out delicious and the additional spices made it great for October can’t wait to make again
The taste is fine with these, but the dough is just way too dense. These don’t really rise and I think part of it is the butter fats are interfering with the active yeast when you put the butter and milk together with the yeast. It might work better with just letting the yeast activate in warm milk first before adding anything else? This site is usually my go to for Saturday baking recipes, but this one didn’t quite hit.
Hi Jenn, I really appreciate your thoughtful feedback, and I’m sorry these rolls didn’t turn out as light as expected! You’re absolutely right that enriched doughs (with butter, milk, and eggs) can be a bit trickier for yeast to lift since the fats slow fermentation. It might help to adjust when the butter is added, and that’s something I’ll revisit. Adding the melted butter after the milk and yeast have proofed can make a big difference. Thank you for the honest feedback—it’s so helpful as we work to improve recipes so more bakers can have success with them.
For 17 weeks I made Lemon Blueberry Scones using your recipe for our Church to sell st the local farmers market. They were a huge success. I did use scones molds because I needed them uniform and able to fit into a plastic pie slice container to sell. I also made the triple chocolate, and I made strawberry cream cheese and raspberry cream cheese. Those were also a hit but it didnt come close to t h e Lemon blueberry ones. Im now trying your cinnamon roll recipe. I was challenged and I decided your recipe sounds the best. Thank you for all the great recipes you share with us and all the tips and notes also.
I made these but burnt the bottom of all the rolls 🙁 the rolls were yummy and fluffy though. I kept it for 24 mins.
You may want to try a different position in your oven next time! We usually bake in the lower third of the oven.
Easy recipe, but needs way more cinnamon and needs to be rolled thinner to make more swirls.
Excellent cinnamon roll recipe! Absolutely the best! Thank you so much for sharing this. I did 2 things differently, but didn’t change any ingredients or the amounts. First, for the dough, I always put the sugar in the milk and butter mix. This gives the sugar a little help in dissolving. Second. I use dental floss to cut the slices from the log. I roll up the dough with sugar, butter and cinnamon mixture to form the log. Then I take about a 12 inch piece of plain dental floss, raise up one end of dough and place the floss under the dough where I want to cut. I will pick up the ends of the floss, one end in each hand, and cross each end simultaneously over the log and pull tight. This cuts the slice very easily. Repeat this until all of the log is in slices. If you need to, you can mark where you want each slice cut by indenting the dough to make a mark. Again, thank you very much for this recipe. Yummy!
Thank you this simple but delicious recipe. My husband loved it.
I made it twice ! I couldn’t believe it …
The first time I thought it was just luck , but they came as beautiful the second time as the first one … my family love it! Thank you from Greece , Athens .
Now I gonna try your blueberry muffins recipe.
This recipe is terrible. I wasted a bunch of ingredients making these buns. They are hard and dry because it doesn’t call for blooming the yeast first. Use a difference recipe if you want tasty soft buns.
Not sure what went wrong here- followed the recipe to the letter. Dough was FAR too wet, sticky and very soft. Didn’t want to add too much flour as per tips but did add some to get to a kneadable consistency. Rolled out after resting to described size and this was far too thick, didn’t roll very tightly and kept coming undone at the end as it was not made clear how to avoid this. Would try again knowing what I do now, but wouldn’t stick closely to this recipe.
Hi Heather! Did you watch the video tutorial? That should give you a nice visual of what you’re looking for.
Wondering if 1/3 cup brown sugar for the filling was a typo? I used more than what was called for in the recipe and it still didn’t seem like enough to get a yummy filling in the rolls. The rolls themselves turned out great! But definitely tasted more like a sweet bread than a cinnamon roll because of the lack of filling
Hi Bekah! The sugar amount is correct. Did you make any other changes to the recipe? Thank you for giving these rolls a try!
Some of the instructions were unclear.
I think the parts need to be broken down more.
As a first time yeast user… I had put my yeast in while it was on the stove.
The instuctions need to be more clear there.
Followed to a “T”. Horrible
I made this recipe and my family really enjoyed it. My son did comment they were a bit denser and not as fluffy as the ones i’ve baked before (I am a very seasoned baker), but that stands to reason without the extra rise.
These were absolutely a good alternative for a quick cinnamon bun if you don’t have time to do a double rise.
I did add vanilla bean paste to the milk/butter mixture which I think enhanced the flavor of the “bread” part. Also I think the flecks of vanilla in the dough are just beautiful!
I’m definitely going to try making this recipe soon, but I am thinking of dividing the recipe into two 8×8″ foil pans (6 buns per pan), par-baking one of them for 10mins and then freezing so I can easily bake them at a later date, and fully bake the other so we can enjoy them now. Is this something I could do, and if so, will I need to bake for less time or still bake for the full 24-27mins?
Hi Eryn! This may not make enough dough to fill two 8×8 pans, but our Overnight Cinnamon Rolls recipe would. Here’s how to freeze cinnamon rolls with par-baking instructions!