These easy cinnamon rolls are perfect for yeast beginners because they only require 1 rise. Each cinnamon roll is extra soft with the most delicious cinnamon swirl!
This cinnamon roll recipe makes classic, home-style cinnamon rolls. They’re fluffy, soft, and topped with vanilla glaze. It’s taken me some time to develop quick cinnamon rolls that maintain all the flavor of traditional overnight cinnamon rolls. I have the winner for you right here and I baked two batches just to be sure. š
Yeast Beginners Rejoice!
Do you love homemade cinnamon rolls, but are nervous to bake with yeast? Join the club. I was too! But this recipe changed everything for me. They’re perfect for anyone who wants to learn how to bake with yeast. Unlike overnight cinnamon rolls that requireĀ hours of rise time, plus a 2nd rise time after the rolls are shaped, this easy cinnamon rolls recipe only requires 1 rise.
Here’s my #1 tip:Ā I recommend using a strong and dependable yeast.Ā Red Star Platinum YeastĀ is an instant yeast, which cuts down on rise time. Its careful formula strengthens your dough and makes working with yeast simple. And simple is always good, right?
Baking with Yeast Guide
How to Make Easy Cinnamon Rolls from Scratch
Bakery style goodness for beginners!
- Make the dough: The ingredients are pretty standard: flour, sugar, salt, yeast, water, milk, butter, and 1 egg. Heat the butter, milk, and water together. Next, stir the butter mixture into the dry ingredients, then add the egg. At this point, your dough is ready to knead!
- Knead the dough: You can use your mixer or hands to knead the dough. Want to learn more about the process of kneading? I study this helpful guide often.Ā When you’re finished kneading, cover the dough and let it rest for a few minutes so the gluten settles. During this time, get your filling ingredients ready: butter, cinnamon, and sugar.
- Shape the cinnamon rolls: Roll the dough out into a 14×8 inch rectangle. Spread the butter on top, then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Tightly roll up the dough and cut into 11-12 pieces. Place in a greased round pan and get ready to rise.
- Rise: Let the shaped rolls rise for 60-90 minutes. Remember, this is the only rise time for the rolls.
- Bake: After the cinnamon rolls are nice and puffy, bake until golden brown.
The TRICK to Easy Cinnamon Rolls
Let the dough rise in your oven!
Here’s what I do: I heat the oven to 150Ā°F (66Ā°C). Turn the oven off. Place the rolls inside. Leave the oven door cracked open for about 30 minutes, then shut it closed. There, that’s it!
After baking, the rolls are ready for a finishing touch. You can serve with vanilla icing or salted caramel, but I love drenching these easy cinnamon rolls in coffee icing. Simply mix 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar with 2 Tablespoons of strong coffee.
These cinnamon rolls are completely irresistible and they take half the time.Ā If you’re looking for that perfect cinnamon roll recipe, this is the winner.
More Shortcut Homemade Recipes
- Homemade Biscuits
- Pizza Crust for Beginners
- Easy Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Homemade Brownies (only 1 bowl, no mixer!)
- Easy Banana Bread
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:
Cuisine:
Print
PinDescription
These easy cinnamon rolls are perfect for yeast beginners because they only require 1 rise. Top with vanilla icing or my favorite coffee icing below.
Ingredients
Rolls
- 2 and 3/4 cups (345g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Red Star Platinum YeastĀ or any instant yeastĀ (1 packet)
- 1/2 cup (120ml) milk
- 1/4 cup (60ml) water
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
Filling
- 3 Tablespoons (45g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
Icing
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2–3 Tablespoons (30-45ml) strong coffee or milk
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the milk, water, and butter together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave or use the stove and heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm to touch (about 110Ā°F). Pour into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and stir until it forms a soft dough or use your mixer.
- On a lightly floured surface using floured hands, knead the dough for 3 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I use non-stick spray), cover loosely, and let rest for about 10 minutes.
- Fill the rolls:Ā After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 10-12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan or pie dish.
- Rise: Loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free environment for 60-90 minutes. See blog post above for my trick to this step!
- Bake the rolls: After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375Ā°F (190Ā°C). Bake for 25-28 minutes until lightly browned. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and continue baking.
- Make the icing: Whisk the confectioners’Ā sugar, vanilla extract, and coffee/milk together. Drizzle or spread over warm rolls.
- Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions:Ā This dough canĀ be made the night before through step 4.Ā Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight.Ā The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow toĀ rise in a warm environment, about 1 hour. Continue with step 6.
- Freezing Instructions:Ā 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 atĀ 375Ā°F (191Ā°C). Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and put into the refrigerator a few hours before serving. Then, finish baking them.
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Another awesome recipe! So glad I found this site. Iām definitely a yeast beginner and these turned out soft and fluffy, so thrilled! Thank you Sally!!
★★★★★
Hi Sally! Do you think I can use your ‘raspberry sweet roll’ filling with this roll recipe? I want to make raspberry sweet rolls but I will only have time for one rise.
Yes, absolutely!
My daughter and I made these today. We used real butter because we never have unsalted and they were so good! The entire family enjoyed them. Thank you for sharing and helping beginners like my daughter and I!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you tried them and that your family enjoyed them, Rachel!
I made these today but the oven seemed too hot at 375. They seemed overlooked. They were good when warm but hardened.
★★★★
What a great looking recipe! I’d like to make these in advance for an event next weekend. For the freezing instructions where you bake for only 10 minutes, should the icing be added before baking? After freezing and defrosting in the refrigerator for a few hours, must more icing be added? Also, how long to bake the defrosted rolls that have already had their 10 minutes in the over prior to freezing?
Hi Shirley! Happy to clarify. Add the icing only after they are fully baked and ready to serve. Bake the defrosted rolls for the remaining time, about 15 minutes or until browned on top.
Do I have to use milk to make this?
Yep! I recommend whole milk.
Only thing I did different was I substituted half of the regular sugar in the filling for maple sugar and add some finely chopped walnuts. They were delicious!
★★★★★
Can i subsitute the yeast with something? Or just not use yeast at all?
Yummy but slightly crunchy on the outside. Maybe I didnt let them rise enough? They wouldn’t double in size after 90 minutes.
★★★★★
I have used this recipe twice so far. The 1st time, they were fabulous!! The 2nd time i used the overnight method. When i baked them the next morning, they turned out very dark and hard. Haven’t figured out what went wrong. Both batches were exact in every detail except the latter was chilled overnight. Help???
★★★★★
Hi Richard! Same baking time, oven rack position, and temperature? If they were dark and hard, it sounds like they were over-baked!
Hi Sally,
Found the problem.
I tried the recipe a (couple LOLOL) more times.
Let’s just say that it was operator error…
If i remember correctly, there is an ongoing story about men never asking(or reading) the directions…
★★★★★
Absolutely love this recipe! Can I double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 pan?
Definitely!
Just made this today – I realized I ran out of milk and had only heavy whipping cream – mmmm, very rich! And I baked the rolls in a cast iron skillet – made nice texture on the outside. I also took someone elseās idea and used brown sugar for the filling – mmmmmm! I like raisins in my cinnamon rolls but my son doesnāt so I put raisins on one side before rolling – really tasty! Great, simple recipe!
I bet they were SO rich! I love raisins in my cinnamon rolls too. š
I’m new to making bread and this is the first time I’ve made Cinnamon Rolls. I can’t believe how easy it is. They actually look good(a very rare occurrence for me)and I still can’t believe I made them. Thank you for sharing a great recipe!!
★★★★★
Way to go! I’m so happy you tried something new š Thanks for your positive feedback, Sarah!
I love these! I switched out AP flour for bread flour and kneaded for longer but it’s so good! Also used Earth Balance butter and oat milk for a great dairy-free cinnamon roll.
★★★★★
Wow. New to yeast so I thought I would give this a try. So amazing!!! Thank you. Will definitely be making these again.
★★★★★
Hi Sally,
What am I missing? The dough was really sticky and I had a bit of it every where! How much flour should we use to keep the stickiness away. Also coz it was sticky I couldnāt cut it to look as nice ad yours- and then transferring to the baking tray some got stuck on my hands. Iām certain your recipe is great but is there a trick to getting a firmer dough that could be easier to manage?
Hi Sangeeta! I recommend adding no more than 1/3 cup extra flour. Was it a particularly hot and humid day when making this dough?
Hi Sally, it wasnāt very hot indoors. But hv to say they tasted amazing though. The first batchās all gone! Iām gonna try again today to see if Itās as sticky. I used brown sugar and the top browned really quick so had to cover loosely with aluminium foil while baking. Iāll bring the tenperature down to 180 degrees maybe?
I made these scrolls but substituted white sugar for brown! Very very tasty and super simple.
★★★★
So happy you loved these, Erin!
These are GOOD! I had to run some errands and left the unrolled dough in the fridge for about six hours. When I got home, it rolled out like a dream. The dough was soft and pliable-exactly what you’re looking for. The cinnamon rolls baked up to tasty perfection. I would use this dough for caramel pecan rolls too!
★★★★★
I’m so happy you loved this recipe! Caramel pecan rolls sound amazing š
So, by popular demand I made another (double) batch of these cinnamon rolls today. I found that refrigerating the dough for a couple of hours yielded a much more pliable and manageable roll out. If you have some time to let it rest in the fridge, I think it’s worth it.
★★★★★
Hi Sally! Pardon the stupid question but your directions have me a bit confused. In the blog post you say to add 1/3 cup more flour to the dough after the egg has been mixed in. Is this in addition to the 2 3/4 cups listed in the recipe? Or should I separate 1/3 of that amount for use then? Please let me know! Iād like to try this recipe for the first time to get comfortable working with yeast so I can try out so more of your recipes.
Thanks so mich š
Hi Alex! How I worded it was certainly confusing, sorry about that! Ignore the extra 1/3 cup of flour. I fixed the recipe so it’s a little clearer. Use 2 and 3/4 cup total.
Hey Sally, can I double the recipe? What would I change?
Hi Kat! For best results, I recommend making 2 separate batches of dough instead of doubling.
So pre rise, you instructed to lightly cover. Just a towel over the bowl or lightly wrap in plastic wrap?
Looks delicious..canāt wait to try!!
Can I use lactose free milk for this recipe?
TIA
Yes, that should work great!
I am attempting to make these right now, just waiting for the dough to rise. However, I have a niece who has Celiac Disease (allergy to gluten, malt, etc) do you think this recipe would work if I substituted the regular flour with Bobās Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free flour? All other ingredients are naturally gluten free so it would just be the flour substitution!
Hi Heather! I donāt have much experience with gluten free baking, so Iām not the best person to ask! Here are some of my naturally GF recipes: https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/category/gluten-free/
Thanks so much Sally! BTW the regular rolls turns out delicious! First time using yeast and just like you said, it was super easy! I am trying the Gluten free ones now. Iāll let you know how they turn out! Iām just a little worried that it might need to call for a little bit more milk and water as the dough is not very pliable, broke when rising and doesnāt seem to be creating the āfluffinessā like the regular one do. But trial and error right. Gluten Free dough is definitely harder to work with.
Can I use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast?
Sure can! The rise time will be a little longer.
Have you tried this recipe using almond milk and vegan butter? We have a kiddo with a severe dairy allergy so we substitute as needed but I was worried how it would affect the recipe.
I have not tried this with dairy free substitutes – please let me know if you do!
Dairy free was a success! We used Silk soy milk and Earth balance butter and while I could tell the difference, the kids just knew that they were delicious.
Thank YOU for making a recipe that is easy to follow, kid friendly and allergen swapping friendly!!! This was the first time he had a cinnamon roll that he could eat so some major props to you!
★★★★★
I forgot to let one batch rise for 10minutes will that be a problem.
A quicker way to proof yest doughs in the oven is to simply use hot water.
Place one rack as low as it will go. Pour hot water into a casserole dish, cake pan, or pie plate and carefully put that on the lowest rack. While you are making the dough it will heat the oven for you. If you forgot to preheat it, no sweat! simply put the hot water in at the same time as the dough being proofed. It might take a little longer that way, but still effective.
These were AMAZING and so easy to make. I followed the directions to the letter. Next time I am going to try brown sugar and a bit more cinnamon. Not sure if I could improve on perfection but I will try!!!
★★★★★
These are amazing! It was my first time making cinnamon rolls from scratch and it was super easy! I did substitute almond milk for whole milk and they were still the best cinnamon rolls Iāve ever had!
★★★★★
This was my first time baking with yeast, and it was an incredible success! The rolls are moist and full of flavor. Thank you for the easy to follow directions! I did reduce my baking time, as the rolls looked ready after about 18 minutes in the oven.
★★★★★
These were amazing and very easy!
★★★★★