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.
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:
Reader Kristine says: “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. ★★★★★“
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)
- 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 up to 2 days 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.
- Freezing Instructions: Baked rolls can be frozen up to 2–3 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 6 for only about 10 minutes at 375°F (190°C). Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze. To serve, take the pan of rolls out of the freezer and put into the refrigerator a few hours before serving. Then, finish baking them for the remaining 15–18 minutes.
- 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.
Keywords: easy cinnamon rolls from scratch
Thank you, Sally! Just made these as written and they turned out great!
★★★★★
I made these and they came out perfect! I’m wondering if the recipe can be adapted to make a loaf? I’m thinking of French toast…
★★★★★
EXCELLENT idea!!!
U mentioned to put aluminum foil on the cinnamon rolls to make them rise? Before I put them in the oven?
Hi Patricia! In step 6 we say to cover the rolls with foil or plastic wrap while they rise. It doesn’t make them rise, it just keeps the dough from forming a dry skin from being exposed to air while they rise. The yeast is what makes the dough rise. Hope this helps!
Very soft, fluffy and fulfilling!!!
★★★★★
Phenomenal recipe! Works so well. I forgot to add the egg when I started mixing the dough, but added it at the kneading stage and just added a bit more flour so that the egg would bind. It’s a very forgiving recipe! Worked a treat. I’ve shared this link with so many friends and am prepping for Christmas morning today! THANK YOU!!!
★★★★★
I only have Strong Bread flour in and wanted to know if I could the all purpose flour for this?
Hi Sanj, yes that substitution will work for this particular dough. (Same amount.)
Super easy to make and the results are great! I made the dough and refrigerated the night before a breakfast party and then finished in the morning; they came out perfect.
★★★★★
I saw a reply that using powdered sugar in the filling would have it melt into the dough, would that be a problem? Would it melt to the bottom and cause a problem or just preference?
You’re going to want to stick with granulated sugar for cinnamon rolls. Happy baking!
These are AMAZING! Smelled soooo good, when baking. Yum!
Am I able to leave the dough in the fridge for 2 days before baking?
Hi Alli, we only recommend leaving the dough in the refrigerator overnight at the longest. See recipe notes for more details.
how long am I supposed to put the butter in the microwave? Also, do I put the butter on top of the dough than in the microwave?
I’ve been making cinnamon rolls with store-bought dough for 10 years. It’s one of my favorite breakfast pastries. This was my first time working with yeast and they turned out SO GOOD! I brought them to work for my one-year anniversary, and my coworkers loved them along with three of my other favorite treats (sugar cookies, pumpkin muffins and snickerdoodles). This was easy to follow as well!
★★★★★
WOW! Delicious. Although i only had 2% milk, it still was satisfying. I’ll try whole milk next time. Appreciate you sharing your recipe. Ive tried so many other recipes, but this is a winner for me.
Btw: Hubby was very very happy!
Thank you!
★★★★★
I would like to make a batch big enough for a regular size cake pan. Could I just double the recipe?
Hi Kristy, You can double the recipe, but we always find that the taste and texture are better when making two separate batches. The rise time as well as the bake time would be longer if doubling (same oven temperature) but we’re unsure of the exact times needed.
Has anyone tried using buttermilk instead of whole milk?
Hi Jessica, for best results, we recommend sticking with regular whole milk here.
I tried and failed. 375 is too much. Burnt my rolls in 25 minutes lol! Maybe I will try 350 or 325 next time
I am an experienced baker. I make bread several times a week. Wanted cinnamon rolls for a treat as my husband loves them. This recipe is perfect. Easy to follow and no waiting to rise the second time to bake.
Wish I had seen this years ago. Thank you
★★★★★
Dear Sally! I have been absolutely craving cinnamon rolls for an year now. This is the best and the EASIEST recipe ever! All i did was follow your instructions that you write so well and the cinnamon rolls are perfectly soft, sugary and fluffy!
Many thanks!
So glad you loved them!
Is instant yeast the same as rapid rise yeast? I’m worried that it might not rise.
Yes, they’re the same 🙂
Terrific. Great easy recipe.
★★★★★
So….. I made this recipe for the first time and they came out beautiful! I did have to loosely cover them with foil , the end result was a terrific cinnamon roll. Thanks ill be making these from now on.
this has got to be the softest dough I’ve ever kneaded..amazing texture..tastes just as amazing after it’s baked..however my 1st trial got a little too brown..but rectified using the aluminium foil the next time..
Great recipe! First time I’ve made dough of any kind from scratch to be honest. They were absolutely delicious! Baked for 25 minutes at 180 fan. Covered them with foil about five minutes before I took them out the oven to stop any further browning!
★★★★★
I mean… stop it! I LOVE pretty much every recipe I try from your blog! My first time attempting cinnamon rolls and your recipe definitely made it seem super easy! Absolutely delicious. Covered with cream cheese frosting, huge hit for my 4 boys at breakfast! Thank you!
★★★★★
I’ve tried these again and again failed. This time they puffed up in the oven, in fact the center snaked out. I iced them after a bit and let them fully cool. When I returned to them later they had sunk, shrinking to half their size when they came out of the oven and were too gooey, as if under baked even though I was getting some browning on the edges. Not sure what went wrong.
★★★
This was a GREAT recipe. I would only charge one thing; I would put the rolls on a cookie sheet so that they don’t touch. It was difficult to separate them. Other than that they were perfect. The recipe is very easy and my family LOVED them.
Thank You
★★★★
Made these today. First time making anything like this, and haven’t used yeast much in recipes, but this was a winner. Easy and delicious!
★★★★★
Just baked these! tasted amazing and turned our really well!!!
First time ever using yeast so was a little nervous but super happy with how they turned out and how they taste!!!
read someone complain the dough is very very sticky, I found it sticky but it goes when you knead it, i just needed to knead it for longer than 3mins till it was the right consistency. took me about ~10min kneading but this is also my first time doing a bread/yeast recipe so knew it would take more time to do this step.
overall really good tasting recpie!
★★★★★
Hi I made these and they were awesome! My only complaint would be that while rising they lost their shape-any tips on getting them to stay till shaped??
Hi F, tightly rolling is the best way to help the rolls keep their shape!
Can i use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar in filling of dough?
Hi Nabiha! Powdered sugar will melt into the dough, we recommend sticking with granulated sugar.
An unmitigated disaster. The dough was a sticky mess even after I added probably an extra 1.5 cups of flour. I had to hose everything down with baking spray – the work surface, the knife, and it STILL stuck to everything. It’s rising right now because I refuse to give up, but it’s going to be more like monkey bread.
I love the site, but the recipe isn’t a keeper for me! It left me wishing I’d bought the canned Pillsbury’s rolls!
★
No problem with the dough sticking to anything for me and this is the first time I made these. You must not of followed the directions.
★★★★★
I’m not sure what happened to yours, but it’s just about the best dough recipe I’ve ever used. In fact, I was concerned that my dough wasn’t sticky enough.
Barely needed to flour my parchment paper to roll it out.
This cinnamon roll recipe was the first one I tried, they were amazing! ! I am on a low sodium diet so I left out the salt, as I have found doesn’t change the taste of many recipes. I’ve tried no yeast cinnamon roll recipes which are ok, but I always find myself making this recipe. I made cream cheese frosting every time but I made sour cream frosting last time and oh my they were so yummy! Thankyou sally for your recipes you are a baking genius !
★★★★★
Wonderful and easy recipe! First, I like that it was scaled down from the traditional large pan of cinnamon rolls- 9in pie plate was just the right size. Second, followed the recipe as instructed- steps 1-6, overnight in the fridge and then the remaining steps. The rolls doubled while in the fridge overnight and let them rest 30 minutes while preheat oven. Third, I did change up spice profile to pumpkin cinnamon rolls with orange icing idea from orange cinnamon rolls (same recipe as this one). It’s October it’s all about pumpkin spice ! They are awesome!!
Now, to the naysayers. This is a bread recipe and you do have to be a little intuitive to know that you may have to flour the counter, the rolling pin and your hands! You may even have to dust a little extra flour on the dough itself. If your rolls don’t rise that isn’t a recipe issue that is a yeast issue and it is old/dead or your proofing liquid was to hot and you killed it. Not a Sally problem.
Thank you Sally Team for the recipe ❤️
★★★★★