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!
These were super easy to make and will make anyone who is skeptical about making cinnamon rolls more confident. However, these aren’t your traditional cinnamon rolls. They have great flavor but are more like a coffee cake.
Hi Melissa! You’re right, they do have have the same texture as regular yeast cinnamon rolls. I hope that wasn’t your expectation when trying them! I can make sure that’s clearer. These are not quite as flaky, but still quite soft.
I did this for the August challenge, and it came out well with just a few issues.
1. When I was rolling out the dough, it crumbled at the edges. Similar to my pie dough. I made it work, though.
2. The cream cheese frosting ended up with small lumps of cream cheese. It had plenty of time to soften, yet I still had trouble getting the frosting smooth.
I welcome troubleshooting, especially for item 2.
Hi Amanda, how did you measure your flour? Did the dough seem dry otherwise? Be sure to spoon and level to measure (or use a food scale) to ensure just the right amount of flour — otherwise, too much can cause the dough to be dry and crack at the edges like you mention. It sounds like your cream cheese may just need a few more minutes of whipping to smooth out the lumps. Certain brands of cream cheese will smooth out better than others, too. We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe, Amanda!
Another great recipe. Quick, easy and delicious
It was nice to have a quick recipe to whip up before work this morning, as my brother was visiting from out of town. Definitely does not replace a yeasted bun, but certainly a quick alternative. I halved the icing, and that was just right. I think I would increase the filing though – not enough for me. Will try again!
It was a really good recipe,
Very good taste!!! I love the taste but because there is no yeast there is something left to be desired.
Overall I think it came out very well,
I made this for the baking challenge.
Several years ago we started the tradition of Sally’s Giant Cinnamon Roll Cake for birthday breakfasts. Today is my oldest and youngest’s birthday, and I was excited to try this quicker version. We thought they were delicious and an acceptable variation, and I wasn’t up late the night before or up super early to make the yeasted version. Thanks, Sally!
Like many others, I ended up with more of a biscuit texture but the flavors (and copious amounts of icing) made up for it! I made cream cheese icing and swapped in almond extract for vanilla and it came out superb! Would love to try these in a muffin tin.
These were delicious and so easy to make The dough is so easy to work with. Definitely a keeper!!!
Wow!! I set into this recipe excited for the outcome- and my excitement was rewarded! These cinnamon rolls are deliciously cinnamon-y, evenly coated with the filling, and my whole family lives them!! I’ve now made them twice, and I plan to make them many more times! (Not TOO often, you’ve gotta keep them special). On a more analytical note, the main difference between yeast cinnamon rolls and these no-yeast rolls is that these are much more cakey consistency while the yeast rolls are more of a bread consistency. Both are very delicious though!
These were delicious and so easy to make. Next time I’m adding Bacon!!
Thank you, Sally, for another wonderful and easy to make recipe. I made these the day we came home from a week away and it was the perfect thing to feel home again and not having to wait too much for cinnamon rolls 🙂
That said, most times I don’t mind making yeasted dough for cinnamon rolls, your Easy Cinnamon Rolls have been made countless times in our house and are a family favourite!
I found the dough pretty easy to work with, a silicone dough scraper came in handy when rolling up the dough. – I would halve the amount of icing next time.
Also, I combined softened butter, sugar and cinnamon for the filling into a spreadable paste using a fork. This way, it’s really easy to spread across the dough with a butter knife. I’ve been doing this for all my cinnamon rolls for years since I first read about this technique in a Swedish recipe for kanel bullar. For me, it’s the ultimate technique, I find it so much easier than the one with melted butter and a sugar-cinnamon mixture. It was really helpful with this slightly stickier dough, too.
Did you ever hear of this and have tried it?
Hi Sina, thank you so much for the comment. I’m so glad to read that you enjoyed these and they’re definitely a great option if you’re not in the mood to make traditional cinnamon rolls. Combining the butter, sugar, and cinnamon is always handy. I’ve done it a few times and it can help keep the loose sugar from spilling out!
I was a little worried about making cinnamon rolls without yeast but these turned out delicious! Super easy to put together and held up well in the fridge for a couple days while my boyfriend and I ate through them all. Only tips I would recommend are 1) chill the dough a while before you roll them out, it will help stiffen the dough and mean you don’t need to add as much flour (avoiding dry rolls) and 2) the amount of icing this recipe makes is a LOT, I only used half the amount listed and thought that was the perfect amount
I loved his recipe, I made it with my little neighbour as a baking camp recipe.
He loved it! We chose to make them as muffins for easy manipulation.
Instruction were clear and easy to follow.
Perfect when you want cinnamon rolls today and not tomorrow. They turned out delicious and no one in my family would’ve guessed they didn’t have yeast in them.
Perfect when you want cinnamon rolls today and not tomorrow. They turned out delicious and no one in my family would’ve guessed they didn’t have yeast in them.
This recipe was soft and bisquit-ey. Thanks for sharing!
These were delicious! I will definitely make them again. One of my kids and I decided we would prefer just a vanilla icing but the other three liked the cream cheese. I would add a little more cinnamon in the filling too I think. It’s not as fluffy as a feasted cinnamon roll and reminded me more of a cinnamon biscuit. Overall it got great reviews in our family!
Great recipe! The instructions were clear & I was very happy with how my cinnamon roll muffins turned out 🙂
Delicious! The frosting is addicting, it was fast and easy to make! Perfect great!
I made this recipe for the August Baking Challenge. I’m not the biggest cinnamon roll fan anyway, so I thought this was a good substitute if you’re short on time – but hardcore cinnamon roll lovers might disagree!
The dough definitely was very sticky, but I was able to get it workable after a few minutes in the fridge (while I put together the filling) and ample flour on the counter and rolling pin. I saw a few reviews recommending adding extra filling, so I did the same! One of my family members doesn’t like cream cheese – I made plain vanilla icing, so I can’t speak to the icing originally posted in the recipe.
hi sally i havent made these yet but i cant wait to try them can i make these into a chocolate version like your yeasted chocolate espresso buns?thanks so much!
Hi Emma, that shouldn’t be a problem. However, I would slightly reduce the chocolate filling because it makes more than you’ll likely need.
My family loves cinnamon rolls. Although these don’t taste like “the originals”, I’m saving this recipe for when we’re really craving some and don’t have time for the yeast to rise. It came together fast, felt a little weird to roll out a soft dough but it worked!
These were just “ok”. Like many have said, more cake-like than a yeasted version would be, but that was to be expected. While I’m still going to eat these 😀 , I didn’t think there was enough cinnamon sugar and thought the cream cheese frosting was a bit dull. This is probably just me since I like the cinnamon rolls at Panera which are very sweet and heavy on the cinnamon sugar. Regardless, I enjoyed trying the recipe!
Awesome, quick, and delicious! We made extra icing, because that’s my family’s preference. I have been baking for 53 years, and Sally’s recipes are among the favorites in my collection. Thanks, Sally!
Great quick cinnamon roll recipe! I did the cupcake variation with the brown sugar frosting! Omg that frosting is heavenly!!!
Absolutely delicious! My family devoured everything before it cooled down. Will definitely make it again!
The flavor was very good but could definitely tell they didn’t have yeast. More biscuit or coffee cake like in texture. They went together so fast! Thanks Sally!
What a great recipe! Cinnamon rolls in under an hour! I chose to bake them in a muffin pan and I’m pleased with the results. I think they taste fantastic for a no-yeast roll. Even the icing is yummy!
Absolutely delicious and super easy! Will definitely make them again
Liked having a quick alternative. Definitely not the same as a yeasted cinnamon roll, as it was drier and more like a coffee cake consistency. The filling and icing was delicious though. I agree with my husband when he said “if I think of it as like a coffee cake it’s amazing, if I think of it as a cinnamon roll, I think I’d rather have the real thing.”
I second this. Not the same as a yeast cinnamon roll but definitely a nice alternative. Still unrolls nicely like a real cinnamon roll which is of course the best part of eating one.
I make yeast cinnamon rolls a couple of times a year and my family and friends always ask for more. While I don’t think it’s a good as yeast cinnamon rolls are, this recipe is so much faster to put together and tastes so good that it will be a fantastic replacement recipe for the times I don’t have hours to do yeast rolls.
Thanks for another great recipe.challenge.