This recipe yields a pan of buttery soft, gooey cinnamon sweet, and extra fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls topped with tangy cream cheese icing. It’s been a reader favorite recipe for years and I love it so much that I turned this rich dough into apple cinnamon rolls, pecan sticky buns, maple cinnamon rolls, and even a cinnamon roll wreath. You can make the cinnamon rolls within a few hours or get started the night before using the overnight preparation option.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
This cinnamon rolls recipe has lived on the site since 2014. After making countless more batches since I published the recipe plus answering readers’ comments and questions, I thought it would be beneficial to update the post with more helpful information and success tips. Homemade cinnamon rolls are a popular breakfast choice, so I want to make sure you have all the resources you need for this classic recipe.
By the way, if you love this dough, be sure to try it as raspberry sweet rolls or strawberry sweet rolls with lemon glaze next. Or for a sprinkle loaded treat, my birthday cake cinnamon rolls use the same dough, too!
Tell Me About These Homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Texture: This is one of my richest homemade doughs, so you’re already promised a soft, springy, and fluffy texture. I usually use all-purpose flour, but if you use the optional bread flour, your rolls will be a little chewier. I find that these homemade cinnamon rolls are even fluffier than my easy 1 rise cinnamon rolls (and that’s because there’s the additional rise here!).
- Flavor: The smell of warm cinnamon rolls is oh-so-irresistible and inviting. Once you take that first bite, you’ll enjoy a fresh homemade dough that’s swirled with endless pockets of (Cinnabon style!) sweet and gooey cinnamon.
- Ease: Homemade dough and shaped breads require more precision and effort than making say, a coffee cake. But the dough is pretty straightforward and simple to shape, as long as you have enough flour nearby for your hands, work surface, and rolling pin.
- Time: This dough requires 2 rises. Once you understand the assembly process, the prep moves pretty quickly. Set aside at least 4-5 hours from start to finish or divide between 2 days with the overnight option. Whichever method you choose, keep in mind most of that time is hands off as the dough rises.
If you are craving cinnamon rolls right now, and just can’t wait for dough to rise, try these no yeast cinnamon rolls!
What Readers are Saying:
“I HAD to come and leave this rave review. I just baked and iced these cinnamon rolls ay 9:05 am. It’s now 10:55 am in a household of only 3 people only two are left. This recipe is the best I’ve ever tried. ★★★★★” – Chelsea
“Delicious and easy to follow! This was my first time cooking with yeast and my first time making homemade cinnamon rolls and this was a great recipe to start with. Everyone at brunch was blown away. ★★★★★” – Hannah
“Delicious! I have tried many cinnamon roll recipes, and this is my new favorite. I prefer a roll that is large, more fluffy than dense/gooey, and buttery without being overly sweet. This fit the bill! ★★★★★” – Brice
Are You a Yeast Beginner?
This Baking with Yeast Guide is a wonderful starting point for beginners. I answer many common yeast FAQs in easy-to-understand explanations, so you can learn the basics before beginning.
7 Crucial Ingredients in These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Feel free to skip straight to the recipe. But if you’re new to making bread, the following explanations are points that I’ve learned over the years and will be massively helpful.
- 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 2% or 1% milk, but do not use nonfat milk.
- Sugar: You need 2/3 cup of white granulated sugar in the dough. Use 2 Tablespoons in step 1 below (the proofing step), then add the rest in step 2.
- Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast. Follow the directions exactly as written regardless of which you choose. You’ll still proof the yeast in warm milk with some sugar even if you use instant yeast. This step ensures that the yeast is active and not expired. Most yeast these days is already active, but it’s a quick 5-10 minute step that prevents you from wasting your time just in case the yeast has expired. If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be a little longer. For the past 10+ years, my go-to brand has been Red Star Yeast. I always recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star.
- Butter: This is a rich dough, meaning it has fat to help guarantee softness. Use 1/2 cup of softened butter and to help it blend easier, cut it into 4 pieces before adding.
- Eggs: Like butter, eggs promise a softer, richer dough.
- Salt: Dough is bland without salt.
- Flour: Flour is the structure of the dough. You can use either all-purpose flour or bread flour. You’ll notice the rolls are a little chewier if you use bread flour. It’s not a huge difference, so don’t worry if you only have all-purpose flour. (That’s what I usually use!)
Note: You’ll notice that I use more yeast in this recipe compared to my easy cinnamon rolls. Why? These are much fluffier and larger—about twice the size.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here’s what you’re looking for after you let the warm milk, some of the sugar, and yeast sit for about 5-10 minutes. The top will be a little foamy:
After the dough comes together, it will be a little soft and sticky—that’s normal. As explained in step 3 below, knead the dough on a floured counter or keep it in the mixer for kneading. If you’d like a visual of how to knead the dough by hand, you can watch the full video tutorial in my post on how to knead dough.
What If I Don’t Have a Stand Mixer? If you do not own a mixer, you can mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.
Let the dough rise until doubled in size:
Punch the risen dough down and roll it out.
Baker’s Tip: If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
Spread softened butter on top, then sprinkle on a mixture of cinnamon and sugar (brown sugar or white granulated sugar).
Roll it up:
Use a very sharp knife to cut the roll into 12 rolls, each about 1.5 inches. Arrange in your greased baking pan, cover, then let the rolls rise until doubled in size and puffy, usually about 1 hour. The left photo is before rising and the right photo is after rising:
Bake the rolls and then make the tangy cream cheese icing to smother on top. If cream cheese isn’t your favorite, you could top the rolls with vanilla icing, the brown sugar icing from these pumpkin donuts, maple icing from maple cinnamon rolls, or even the caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls. Lots of options!
5 Success Tips
- Use brown sugar or granulated sugar in the filling: I used to use granulated sugar in the cinnamon sugar filling, but recently switched to brown sugar for extra flavor. Brown sugar doesn’t necessarily make the filling more moist—there’s so much butter, so it’s moist and gooey either way. Use whichever sugar you prefer.
- Best pan to use: I recommend a 9×13-inch glass pan or metal pan. Avoid ceramic pans. If you must use ceramic, keep in mind that the rolls will likely take longer to bake through.
- Evenly baked cinnamon rolls: These are extra big and fluffy cinnamon rolls, so to help guarantee the centers AND tops cook evenly, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the rolls after about 15 minutes in the oven. This will protect the tops from browning too quickly before the centers can cook.
- Don’t have all morning to spend on this dough? Feel free to prep the dough the night before. This is a wonderful way to save time in the morning so you can wake up and eat sooner. See my make-ahead/overnight instructions in the written recipe below.
How to Freeze Homemade Cinnamon Rolls So They Still Taste Fresh
Let me share a tip I’ve learned after working with this dough for several years. You can prep the rolls and freeze them ahead of time so they still taste fresh.
- Here’s how: Bake the rolls in step 9 for only about 10 minutes. Cool completely, then cover and freeze. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Once thawed, finish baking them for about 15-20 minutes.
I often use this method when I gift cinnamon rolls to others—just copy/paste or write these freezing instructions down. This method is also helpful if you have company over, want to cut down on time, or are entertaining. I like to make these cinnamon rolls ahead when I’m hosting holidays like Easter. See more Easter brunch recipes, like savory quiche and frittata, to complete your menu.
PrintHomemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes (includes rises)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 4 hours (or overnight)
- Yield: 12 rolls
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This recipe yields a pan of buttery soft, gooey cinnamon sweet, and extra fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls topped with tangy cream cheese icing. You can make the cinnamon rolls within a few hours or get started the night before using the overnight preparation option.
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 100°F (38°C)
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (14g) active dry or instant yeast (2 standard size packets)*
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 and 1/2 cups (563g) all-purpose flour or bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons canola, vegetable, or olive oil for bowl (or use nonstick spray)
Filling
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (135g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and the yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy on top. *If you do not own a mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*
- On medium speed, beat in the remaining sugar (which should be 1/2 cup/100g) and the softened butter until it is slightly broken up. Add the eggs and salt and beat on medium speed until combined. The butter won’t really be mixing into the mixture, so don’t be alarmed if it stays in pieces. Switch the mixer down to low speed and with it running, add 1 cup of flour at a time, making sure it’s fully incorporated before adding the next. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. After 4 cups have been added, add the last 1/2 cup and beat until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. Dough will be soft.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if you used the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter and it takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Grease the bottom and sides of a metal or glass 9×13-inch baking dish (glass or metal) or line with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick. If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
- For the filling: Spread the softened butter all over the dough. The softer the butter is, the easier it is to spread in this step. (Microwave it for a few seconds to soften if needed.) In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle evenly over the butter. Tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch-long log. If some filling spills out, sprinkle it on top of the roll. With an extra sharp knife, cut into 12 even rolls, about 1.5 inches each. Arrange in the prepared baking pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the rolls tightly and allow to rise until puffy, about 1 hour. (Or use the overnight option in the Notes below.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake for about 25–28 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top. After about 15 minutes, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan to prevent the tops from browning too quickly. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes as you make the icing.
- 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 medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cream/milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 1 minute. Spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.
- Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions – Overnight: To prepare the night before serving, prepare the rolls through step 7. Cover the rolls tightly and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. (16 hours max. 8–12 hours is best, but 16 hours is OK if absolutely needed. Do not exceed 16 hours.) The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise on the counter for 1–2 hours before continuing with step 9.
- Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: Baked rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up before enjoying. You can also freeze the unbaked rolls and here’s how: bake the rolls in step 9 for only about 10 minutes. Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Once thawed, finish baking them for about 15–20 minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl with Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Rolling Pin | 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan or Metal Baking Pan | Cooling Rack
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk for the best, richest-tasting dough. You could also use buttermilk. Reduced-fat, low-fat, or nondairy milk works in a pinch. Do not use nonfat milk.
- Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast in this recipe. Follow all of the same instructions. If using active dry yeast, the rise times are usually slightly longer. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Other Icing Options: Instead of cream cheese icing, you can top the warm rolls with vanilla icing, the brown sugar icing from these pumpkin donuts, maple icing from maple cinnamon rolls, or even the caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls.
- Gluten Free: We have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so we are unsure of the results.
Hi, Sally!
Would it be possible to cut the recipe in half or in 1/4? Thank you!
Hi Kylie, You can cut this dough recipe in half. The 1st rise time will be shorter since there’s less dough. For the 2nd rise, the rolls can still rise overnight or– if not making overnight– just let them double in size and puff up before baking. Bake time will be a little shorter too.
Hi Sally,
If I put 8 rolls in a 9×13 dish will they expand and fill the dish when they rise the second time? (I also plan on making the other 4 in a separate dish).
Hi Karen, We recommend putting all 12 rolls in a 9×13 inch pan. If you only put 8 rolls in the same size pan they will likely begin to unroll as they expand as they will have too much room.
I made these for my brother’s birthday. The dough was perfect and easy to work with. The only change I made to the process was that I mixed the filling ingredients and spread it on the dough. They did turn out bigger than I thought, but we’re delicious. I bake often but had never made cinnamon rolls from scratch, will continue to use this recipe. It was easier than I thought.
Wonderful rolls! Two hours in crockpot and delicious, brown rolls magically appeared. Easy to make and eat. One modification I made, due to my misreading the recipe, was to mix the softened butter, sugar and cinnamon together to make a filling paste. It spread easily and evenly.
Hi Sally, could I make the dough in my bread machine? It has a dough function. Thanks!
I can’t see why not, Lindsay. Enjoy!
Made these for a workplace breakfast and they were a hit! I did substitute 100 g flour for whole wheat and use only 1/2 cup sugar in the dough. Rolls were still quite tender and sweet enough for me. Such an easy dough to work with! Mine also took 1 1/2 hours to rise the next morning. Thank you!
Hi I’ve read pouring cream on the rolls while it’s baking is it ok to do it for your recipe 10 minutes into baking
I tried that, they turned out amazing. I poured half a cup right before baking, after the second rise. They were gooey at the bottom-just like a fresh cinnamon.
Hi Sally,
I’m planning to bake this tomorrow. Had a quick question- for the filling, do I need to powder the granulated sugar or not?
Thanks!
Made these for breakfast today. LOVED IT! they came out perfect and the cream cheese frosting wasn’t too sweet which was on point.
Thank you for the great recipe.
Hi Katie, I’m just seeing your question now. I don’t recommend refrigerating them for longer than 8-12 hours. If over-proofed, they will likely deflate in the oven and/or have a sour or unpleasant yeast aftertaste.
Hi Sally, could these rise in the refrigerator for 16 hours or so? I need to make them in the afternoon, but won’t be able to bake them until the next morning. Wasn’t sure if the extra 4-5 hours would mess them up.
Hi Casey, The longer the rolls rise past about 12 hours, the more over-proofed they’ll be. They can deflate and have an off flavor. I don’t recommend going much past 12 hours, 16 would be the most!
Best cinnamon roll recipe I’ve tried thus far. I used brown sugar for the filling and sprinkled in some pecans! Thank you for sharing!
Just made these as a special Sunday breakfast in quarantine. This dough is an absolute dream!! Since I am avoiding going to the store too much right now, I only had skim milk, which is not recommended for this recipe. I decided to add an extra 2 tablespoons of butter to replace the milk fat and it worked great. The dough is so silky and easy to work with. I also didn’t have cream cheese, so I made a maple brown sugar icing. I really appreciated all of the detailed instructions because this was my first time making anything other than challah with yeast. Worth the time and effort for sure!
Delicious and easy to follow! This was my first time cooking with yeast and my first time making homemade cinnamon rolls and this was a great recipe to start with. Everyone at brunch was blown away.
Grandpa tried sour dough bread – twice with NO success. So, we decided to jump off the edge and try these yeast cinnamon rolls – neither of us had ever done yeast breads! Your tips – softening butter AND the oven method for rising the dough were BOTH fabulous. We were so so proud of the outcome. We used brown sugar versus white and added raisins. We shared with others in our building. WE were quite the hit:) Since finding this website I’ve tried several new recipes and all have turned out perfectly! THANKS
Grandma
Would love to try this recipe but can only find fresh yeast. Is there a way I could make this recipe using fresh yeast instead?
Hi Kealey, I haven’t tested this dough with fresh yeast, but here is a very helpful conversion chart if you make the swap: https://redstaryeast.com/yeast-baking-lessons/yeast-conversion-table
Recipe looks delicious, I am new to baking and the only yeast I could find was instant. Do I just add this along with the sugar to the milk without proofing. Thank you
Hi Crystal, I use instant yeast so you can follow the recipe exactly as written. Enjoy!
This rating is for your jalapeno cheddar bread as I haven’t made the cinnamon buns yet, but want to thank you so much for such a detailed recipe for novices like myself. I have tried to make bread 4 times and was leery to waste flour on another disaster, but your recipe worked and everyone loved the bread. Also, thank you for your quick reply to my question. I will be following a lot of your recipes in the future.
Love this recipe! New to baking with yeast and this turned out really well. One exception, the bottoms totally burnt! I didn’t even keep them in the full 25 minutes because I smelled burning–I used a buttered, glass baking tray with advised temp. Any advice on avoiding this in the future? Would parchment paper have prevented this?
Hi Jenny, The butter on the bottom of the pan could have been what was burning. Next time try lightly spraying the pan with non-stick spray or simply use parchment paper.
I had the same problem, however I used parchment paper, is it not the sugar and butter dripping to the bottom and kind of burning and at the same time crystallizing, I have tried many recipes as well and I encounter the same thing I’ll probably try to place the glassware more on the top in the oven.
I made this recipe as written, but cut in half. Worked great, fit exactly right into a pie pan. This was my first time making cinnamon rolls, so here’s what I have learned: roll the dough with the recommended rolling pin. I just pressed it flat, and while this looked right *before* the rise, there wasn’t much of a spiral afterward. Roll it thinner than you think. Also, as mentioned in the recipe, tent the top to prevent deep browning. It’s a sweet dough and browns quickly. Thank you Sally, this recipe makes cinnamon rolls much more doable!
Would I be able to put these into a round cake pan or pie dish? If so, what size do you recommend and would time in the stove change?
Hi Sarah! These rolls will fit into 2 9-inch cake pans. The bake time will be similar, maybe a couple minutes shorter.
Simply the best recipe I’ve ever tried! I do use brown sugar in the filling instead.
This was by FAR the best cinnamon roll recipe we have ever tried. Made them exactly as directed for Mother’s Day weekend. They were the fluffiest cinnamon rolls I’ve made. Forever our new favorite recipe and very well explained.
These are AMAZING! Just curious – can these be made with bread flour, with the same amazing results? Just asking because I have quite a bit!
I made these the first time and they were enormous! I froze another batch in freezer.
After defrosting, I left them out to rise and they never rose. I even tried placing a pan of warm water under the roll pan and covering. Still no rise. Do you have any solutions?
Hi Nicole, Are you following the freezing instructions in the recipe notes? If so, they won’t rise again after being partially baked and then frozen.
Hi Sally
I did not cook the batch I froze. I made the roll and kept in a log form. I wrapped with plastic wrap and then an outer layer of foil and froze. Never baked the second batch. I defrosted the roll. Then sliced and placed on the pan. I left out for several hours and expected them to have risen like the first fresh batch I made. No go. Same size.
I wish we had cream cheese for the icing. Since I don’t want to make an unnecessary trip to the store, are there any alternate glaze suggestions? Thank you!
Hi Susan, a few options— I recommend vanilla icing, coffee icing used on my easy cinnamon rolls, or even this maple icing used on my maple brown sugar cookies.
These are delicious! Made them for a special quarantine cheer-up breakfast, and they’re some of the best cinnamon rolls my family has had. The ratio of butter and cinnamon to roll is perfect, and the dough itself was easy to work with, flavorful, and tender. Highly recommend!
Hi! Hoping to try this today for tomorrow’s breakfast. Can you 1/2 the recipe? Holding onto my flour stash tightly and we honestly don’t need more than 6 rolls so I was curious if anyone had tried it? Thx!
These came out WONDERFUL! Instead of cinnamon, I used pistachios and cardamom (it’s my husband’s birthday and those are his two favorite flavors). They were delicious. I will for sure be making these again!
Hi! Can you please elaborate more on your substitution? I also want to try it! Thanks!
My 9 year old grand daughter just made these. We happened to have yeast bough lt before COVID 19. Our Germsn Au Pair was absolutely thrilled. She said that were just like home! The 9 year old said that this was not a fake recipe!
So disappointed. Followed every step exactly. The oven method was too warm and made the dough hot, which I think dried it out. It also made it impossible for the dough to set once in cinnamon roll shape, so they deflated and look pathetic. Also, after I got them out of the fridge, they were rock hard.