This shortcut recipe for quick no yeast cinnamon rolls makes buttery, homestyle rolls that fluff up beautifully—and in record time! Since you’re skipping the yeast, you can also skip the traditional dough rising and kneading and have cinnamon rolls in about 40 minutes. They’re perfect for the times you crave homemade cinnamon rolls, and don’t want to wait!
You know when you wake up and think, “I wish I could have homemade cinnamon rolls right now,” and then you remember you have to wait a million hours for dough to rise and you cry into your boring bowl of cereal? …No? Just me?
I’ve been on a quest to develop a recipe for quick cinnamon rolls that maintain all the flavor and fluff without the patience and work that yeast requires. (Because, in reality, I’m tired but still want to bake something. LOL.) My homemade cinnamon rolls take about 4 and 1/2 hours, or need to be prepped the night before. Even my easy cinnamon rolls require patience, rising, and kneading.
So if you want from-scratch cinnamon rolls NOW, make today’s no yeast version.
These No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls Are:
- Convenient if you’re busy and tired but still want homemade cinnamon rolls.
- Ready in less than 45 minutes.
- Soft, fluffy, and buttery.
- NOT dense! Surprisingly not dense at all!
- Packed with sweet brown sugar and cinnamon spice.
- Slathered with tangy cream cheese icing.
- Perfect as a special breakfast without all the work and waiting.
Plus, there’s NO kneading, NO rising, and the dough comes together in just 1 bowl. And you can bake them in a pie dish, cake pan, or even as cinnamon roll muffins. This recipe is dynamite.
Key Ingredients & Why This Recipe Works
I used my easy cinnamon rolls dough as the starting point for today’s no yeast version. It’s a popular recipe and I knew it would be perfect as the foundation. From there, I made the following changes:
- Baking Powder & Baking Soda: Since we’re skipping yeast, we need to replace it with another leavener. (Unless you want to eat cinnamon hockey pucks for breakfast!) I tried the dough with only baking powder at first, but quickly learned the dense rolls benefitted from a little baking soda as well. With the crutch of baking soda, the next batch browned a little nicer and fluffed up more.
- More Melted Butter: Like my chocolate chip cookies, this recipe excels with melted butter! The melted butter helps create a chewy bread-like texture, plus it seeps into every nook and cranny so you can really taste the buttery goodness. Compared with my regular cinnamon rolls recipe, I added a little extra butter for more flavor.
- Cold Buttermilk: Since we’re using a little baking soda, we need an acid in the dough. Buttermilk does the job, plus it also adds a little tang, a little fluff, and a little softness. (Like it does in pancakes!) And grab the buttermilk right from the refrigerator because cold milk keeps the otherwise soft and buttery dough workable.
Baking soda, melted butter, and buttermilk are also key ingredients in my no yeast bread recipe.
After a few trials and errors, I was shocked with the final result. These no yeast cinnamon rolls taste similar to the yeasted version and only took me about 40 minutes total. Obviously they’re not as flaky and doughy as the traditional, but I don’t think anyone would EVER notice or complain that there’s no yeast. (My 10+ taste testers ooh’d and ahh’d without batting an eye!)
Here are all of the ingredients you need for the dough & filling:
How to Make Quick No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
You can go from craving to eating warm, gooey from-scratch cinnamon rolls in record time. Here’s how my recipe works:
- Make the dough: Whisk the dry ingredients together, then add in the wet ingredients. The dough should be quite soft, but not overly sticky.
- Shape the cinnamon rolls: Roll the dough into a 10×14-inch rectangle. This measurement doesn’t need to be exact, so don’t stress. Spread butter on top and then sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Tightly roll up the dough and cut into 12 pieces. Place in a greased pan.
- Bake: Bake until the rolls puff up and look golden brown, about 22–26 minutes.
- Make the icing: While the cinnamon rolls bake, make the icing using cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract.
- Eat: Slather the icing on your warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!
Here are step-by-step photos so you know what to expect:
The assembly steps are exactly like regular cinnamon rolls, only without the rise time.
Before cutting, you can mark the 14-inch log with a knife to ensure you have 12 even rolls. That’s what I usually do:
Success Tip: Expect a Soft Dough
Do not incorporate more flour than you need in this dough. I want you to embrace a soft dough. Instead of mixing more flour INTO the dough to make it workable, use extra flour when shaping the rolls. If the dough is sticking to your counter and rolling pin as you work, dust it all with more flour.
Bottom line: Mixing in more flour than you need could result in crumbly, dense rolls. Instead, use it when assembling the rolls.
Cream Cheese Frosting
This cream cheese icing uses a little more butter and a little less confectioners’ sugar than the icing I typically use on cinnamon rolls. But I love that it doesn’t use gobs of confectioners’ sugar; it’s a nice creamy, buttery, tangy blanket for your rolls. You could also try the maple version used on these pumpkin cinnamon rolls, or for a simpler topping, try this vanilla icing instead.
Can I Bake These as Cinnamon Roll Muffins?
Yes! If you love the slightly crusty, chewy exterior of a cinnamon roll that’s been baked closest to the edge of the pan, try baking these no yeast cinnamon rolls as muffins. After cutting your 12 rolls, place them in a greased standard 12-count muffin pan. Each roll gets that crusty edge all the way around, and they puff up beautifully when they bake. Such a fun recipe!
If you ever need an even quicker and easier option, these mini (no yeast) cinnamon buns use packaged crescent dough.
And if you’re on a roll (ha!), try these cinnamon roll cookies too. 😉
See Your No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls!
Many readers tried this recipe as part of a baking challenge! Feel free to email or share your recipe photos with us on social media. 🙂
PrintQuick No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 12
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This shortcut recipe yields a dozen classic, homestyle cinnamon rolls that fluff up beautifully—without any yeast, kneading, or rise time. They’re perfect for the times you crave homemade cinnamon rolls, and don’t want to wait!
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 and 3/4 cups (345g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed for rolling
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup (180ml) buttermilk, cold*
- 5 Tablespoons (71g) unsalted butter, melted & slightly cooled
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 brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a round 9-inch pie dish or 9-inch cake pan. (See Notes for muffin pan instructions.) For extra buttery rolls, I like to grease the baking dish with 1–2 teaspoons of melted butter instead of non-stick spray.
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Add the egg, buttermilk, and melted butter. Mix with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until a dough forms. Dough will be very soft and slightly sticky. If it’s too sticky and wouldn’t roll, add more flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, until dough seems workable. Do not add more flour than you need; a soft dough is good.
- Place dough on a floured work surface and, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 10×14-inch (25x35cm) rectangle.
- Fill the rolls: Spread softened butter (the softer it is, the easier it is to spread!) all over the dough. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle all over the top. Roll it up tightly into a 14-inch log. Using a very sharp knife, cut into 12 rolls; each roll is slightly wider than 1 inch. Arrange rolls in the prepared pan.
- Bake the rolls: Bake for 22–26 minutes, until lightly browned around the edges. 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: If absolutely needed, you can make the dough and assemble the rolls the night before. Cover and refrigerate, then bring to room temperature before baking as directed. The rolls don’t puff up quite as nicely since the baking powder initially activates once wet. For best results, bake right away.
- Freezing Instructions: Baked rolls can be frozen for up to 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up before enjoying.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Pie Dish or 9-inch Cake Pan | Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Wooden Spoon or Rubber Spatula | Rolling Pin | Cooling Rack | Icing Spatula
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe, but in a pinch you can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. Add 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 3/4 cup. Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
- Cinnamon Roll Muffins: You can bake these rolls in a greased standard 12-count muffin pan. No need for muffin liners. Bake time is about 20 minutes.
- Icing Alternatives: 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!
I made your recipe, with my gluten-free flour, and it was a hit! I always look for a no-yeast cinnamon roll recipe, since a traditional one wouldn’t work well without gluten. The frosting is spectacular. My kid asked that nobody talked to him while he was eating it – the highest praise in our home I rolled the dough between plastic wrap, which made it easier. Thank you so much for this! I’ll share my gluten-free version on my blog and give you all the credit for the original recipe.
Very yummy! Thanks!
I love this recipe! It was so quick and easy to make for my husband and son! It was the perfect addition to breakfast for dinner night! I’ll be adding this recipe to my regular bakes!
These cinnamon rolls did taste a bit more like biscuits, but they were delicious nonetheless! Very quick and easy to bake and a good alternative to traditional cinnamon rolls.
My husband has been wanting cinnamon rolls, but I have been putting off making them because of all the steps. When I saw that these were the August Challenge, I figured it was meant to be. They are really good, and have satisfied his craving for the time being. I will definitely be making these again!
My son has been asking for cinnamon rolls, so I had to try these. They were so easy to make and kid approved! Will make again!
Such a fun recipe to try! I have a family recipe for yeasted rolls that I normally bake, but it’s a time commitment. These were really tasty and quick. Hubby said you can never go wrong with a warm cinnamon roll and we both agreed the cream cheese icing was delicious. Thank you Sally!
Think I could make them into caramel rolls instead?
Hi Katie, we haven’t tried these rolls with a caramel filling, but let us know if you do.
Easy and delicious! I served soft, warm, satisfying cinnamon rolls with very little effort. I ended up with 10 rolls, I topped half of the rolls with chopped pecans. They needed to bake about 4 minutes longer, and were soft and perfect. I made an icing using cream cheese and orange zest. Will definitely be making these again, I think next time I will add cinnamon oil to the butter layer in the filling to get a bigger cinnamon punch!
So much fun to make! Loved not having to wait hours for our reward. Icing was “plate-licking” amazing! Thanks, Sally!
YUM! I made these with my kids this morning. It was a lot less time consuming than traditional yeast cinnamon rolls, they were a bit dense and definitely not “fluffy”, but they still tasted great! And that makes these a winner in my book (along with not having to wait all day for breakfast). Thanks for another quick, easy and amazingly delicious recipe!
These are a little different than the fluffier yeast rolls, but they are the next best thing and a great alternative to traditional yeast rolls when you need a quick fix or a late night treat!
A keeper for sure! Thanks, Sally!
The recipe was easy and fast but mine turned out dry and too bready. I only baked for 21 minutes. Was really looking forward to a quick solution for the usual long process of making cinnamon rolls. Maybe I’ll try again but bake at 350 degree oven?
One of the most easiest no yeast no knead cinnamon rolls for beginners. My 11 year old daughter was able to bake this all by herself. Wish I could capture the cinnamon smell to say how flavorful this recipe was. Easy, bready, full of flavor. Icing was an extra touch.
Sally, you keep inspiring my daughter to try new recipes. Thank you!
This cinnamon roll recipe was super simple and had easy to follow directions !
Fantastic recipe for delicious cinnamon rolls in a hurry!!!! Will definitely be making these again…..and often!
Easy, buttery, soft, and cinnamony. Perfect for when you want to quickly satisfy your cinnamon roll craving.
Very easy recipe that hit the spot! I agree the rolls tasted like biscuits. I will definitely be making these again for a sweet breakfast treat!
Quick and easy! Tasted more like biscuits but we enjoyed them!
Can you substitute cream cheese in the icing recipe
See recipe notes for alternative icing options!
I tried this recipe and it was a hit, that much that my fam ended up eating the whole tray in one day.
Thanks you for making such wonderful and delicious recipes!
Do I need to make any adjustments to this recipe for high altitude? I live at 4300 ft.
Hi Cori, I wish we could help, but have no experience baking at high altitude. Some readers have found this chart helpful: https://www.kingarthurflour.com/learn/high-altitude-baking.html
I’m sorry but this recipe wasn’t good at all. I’m used to the cinnamon rolls that I normally make that are moist and fluffy and the filling is ooey gooey good. These were dry and didn’t taste very good. I liked the idea of getting them made quickly but good cinnamon rolls are worth the wait
I shy away from making traditional cinnamon rolls because I’m impatient with my treats. I jumped on this recipe because though I still had to roll the dough, I got to skip all the kneading and rising time. I had cinnamon rolls ready in time for friends coming over mid-morning after discovering this recipe with my morning coffee. Everyone ate every bite, they were delicious and not overly sweet. I did have to bake them a full 35 minutes though to get the centers to 195 as the recipe states.
Good recipe, taste like a biscuit. Very tender, kids enjoyed. I’d make again. Wouldn’t exactly call it a cinnamon roll per say.. didn’t remind me of 1 by either taste or texture. Only reason I give it a 4 star. Love is simplicity though and that it isn’t overly sweet.
Is it possible to substitute whole wheat pastry flour in this recipe?
Thanks
Hi Karen, we don’t recommend it — the texture will be quite a bit different and may require tweaking some of the wet ingredients. For best results, we recommend sticking with all-purpose flour.
Most problematic dough I’ve ever tried to roll. The original proportions for flour gave me a completely sticky dough. I tried adding only two tablespoons of flour and attempted to roll, and it was a nightmare, sticking to the counter, rolling pin, and completely unable to roll. On a second attempt, I added a good deal more flour (about 1/2 cup) and still, the dough was too sticky to roll and when hand rolled, looked like a mushy, defeated slug. The dough did taste amazing, though, so I just plopped it all into the baking pans anyways and baked it as a cake. Disappointed that this didn’t work out! I was really hoping for a workable quick cinnamon roll recipe.
Absolutely incredible! Super easy to make and clear instructions. I am definitely making these again. Thanks Sally for such a great recipe!
No yeasr Cinnamon rolls are easy and tasty. They are not like fluffy traditional Cinnamon rolls but they hit the spot if you don’t have yeast on hand or don’t want to wait for it to rise.
I invited a friend over for breakfast on the patio. I made these cinnamon rolls. They were great for a no yeast roll. I did add more cinnamon. Most cinnamon rolls don’t have much cinnamon in them for me. I will make them again! Perfect for a patio breakfast with a friend. We rate recipes in our family she gave them a 9. They only thing better would be yeast roll.
Hi, instead of regular butter after rolling could I add pumpkin butter?
Hi Reagan, We haven’t tested it but it should work. Let us know if you give it a try!
This recipe was easy and fast to make . The rolls turned amazing! I am new to baking and Sally’s recipes have ben my go to for recipes. I always am happy with the recipe results. Thanks for the recipes!