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.
Yeast should read “teaspoons” NOT “tablespoons”!!
Hi Sharon, the amount of yeast is correct.
Can I double this recipe?
Hi Erika, for best results, we recommend making two separate batches rather than doubling.
Can a bread machine be used to make the dough?
Hi Nat, we haven’t tested it ourselves, but other readers have done so with success. Let us know if you try it!
I use my bread machine on the dough cycle to mix and let raise this recipe. Best cinnamon rolls ever and so easy.
Amazing!! Husband said “Impressive “!! Wow good!! I’ve made many of your recipes and love every one. This was very first time making cinnamon rolls. Easy to follow instructions. I love to read all the details before jumping to
recipe! All of those details are so helpful and important! Thank you !!!! Keep um coming.
This was such a delicious treat! I overlooked the “overnight part” but still turned out great!
I have another cinnamon roll recipe that is very similar, however toy pour whipping cream over the rolls before you bake them . Have you ever tried this? Thoughts?
Good morning. I started following Sally about a year ago and honestly every recipe I have tried I love. I am also signed up for emails. This mornings email talks about how if you like a recipe you can save it. When I do this is always sends me to google sign in why? It’s frustrating to me that I have to sign in every time I want to save something. How do I avoid this step and stay signed in obviously if you are sending me emails every morning it’s me on a secure site.
Hi Sharon, I’m sorry for the trouble. It shouldn’t lead you to a google sign-in. A little box may pop up and appear ont he site, and it’s how you can log-in to save your recipes. Are you using a different browser each time?
I did the overnight rise, left them sit on the counter for 2 hours this morning, and they haven’t risen at all. The first rise doubled in size within 2 hours, and now they won’t rise again. I tried putting them in the oven with just the light on, which didn’t help at all except to make my filling start to melt. Any suggestions?
Hi Emily, did they rise in the refrigerator at all? And how was the 1st rise? Did it double in size?
The Baking tip was extremely helpful! I’m an African (Nigerian) and your blog is by far the most helpful I have come across. Very detailed and explanatory. Thank you.
Looking forward to trying this recipe. I have a proofing setting on my oven, can I use that instead of it sitting on the counter? If so, about how long?
Hi Mikala, the rise time may be a bit shorter using that method. For the first rise, you’ll want to let the dough rise until double in size. For the second rise, until the rolls are puffy. Keep a close eye on your dough to ensure it doesn’t over proof. Hope you enjoy the cinnamon rolls!
These came out perfectly! Easy to follow directions and will definitely make them again.
I’m making these to freeze as a gift. Could I also make up a packet of cream cheese icing and freeze that in a ziptop bag so my dad doesn’t have to make his own icing when he goes to bake these?
Hi Lisa, absolutely! Frosting can be frozen and then thawed overnight in the refrigerator before using. You may need/want to place it in a bowl and re-mix/whip again before using.
Can I just double the ingredients for the icing recipe?
Sure can!
i made these for christmas eve breakfast this past year and they were phenomenal. i have substituted granulated sugar for coconut and it works so well!! i’m typing this as i just put my second try into the fridge for my husbands birthday!! Sally, was wondering what you think about not precutting the rolls when using the overnight option? solely for space saving purposes in the fridge thanks for all your awesome recipes. i keep coming back!
This recipe is AWESOME! I made these a couple of days ago to bring to work for an offsite meeting this week, and as I type this message there are 4 rolls left…with only 4 of us eating them. I followed the recipe exactly and everything worked as indicated in the instructions. I may add a little bit more cinnamon the next time because I used dark sugar in the filling, which may have overpowered the cinnamon a bit, but still delicious nonetheless! THANK YOU for being a site I can continue to count on for all my baking endeavors!
Everyone loved these rolls. I made this once before and it was great. This time I took a note from another recipe and whoa! I added half cup of warm heavy cream and poured it over the rolls before baking. They come out super fluffy and moist like Cinnabon rolls. Again this recipe is perfect as is but if you’re looking for that extra fluff and moist texture I suggested giving it a try. Love this recipe Sally!
I use a piece of floss to cut the log into rolls- works perfectly! I also like to pour a bit of warmed heavy cream over each roll before popping them in the oven. It makes the filling extra gooey!
Have you ever tried a gluten free version of these? I have Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour, would this work in place of the all purpose flour?
Hi Kelly, we haven’t tested a GF version of these cinnamon rolls, but other bakers have reported doing so with success. Let us know if you try!
I read on a gluten free site that Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 isn’t intended to be used in yeast recipes, and that Pillsbury or Better Batter is a better choice. That said, I’ve used 1 to 1 to make sandwich bread (with yeast) many times and it turns out great. 1 to 1 is my favorite gf flour. I just wanted to make you aware of these other flours that might possibly work better – if you’re like me you’re always wanting to learn about new gf flour options & what works best for different applications. 🙂 Happy Baking!
Thank you! I just successfully made yeast cinnamon rolls for the first time! They look awesome and taste better than bakery cinnamon rolls!
First timer here! My rolls did not expand whatsoever while I had them in the fridge overnight or even after allowing them to sit out on the counter for an hour. What did I do wrong and will these still be edible?
Hi Stephanie, I’m sorry to hear that! Did the dough rise as expected during its 1st rise?
The perfect cinnamon roll recipe!
I made this on a snowy day, following the overnight method. I woke early to finish and my family devoured them.
What a wonderful introduction to yeast baking!! Thank you!!
Hi. I love your recipes they’re so easy to follow for a newbie like myself.
Would a longer first rise ruin these. I’m trying to plan them for breakfast, but with sports and such my evenings are filled. Then my mornings (the next morning) is games!
Help a busy multi sport momma!
Hi Carrie, it’s best to stick with the rise times as written. Letting dough rise for too long can cause the dough to over proof, and the rolls will likely collapse and become quite dense when baked. See recipe notes for a few different make ahead options, though!
Sally
Can I use my sourdough discard instead of yeast?
Hi Jen, we haven’t tested it that way, but let us know if you do!
Is storing frosted (cream cheese) rolls at room temp advisable like it says? Seems risky!
Hi Katie, you can definitely store these in the refrigerator to be on the safe side.
I love this recipe! But it will be hard to make… But Sally’s Baking Recipes will help me out! :3
How thick should the dough be when you roll it out?
Hi Cara, I’m not sure of the exact thickness, but we roll the dough out to be a 12×18-inch rectangle. Hope this helps!
Random question:) can I add half and half to the pan ( the TikTok gone viral video ) to this dish? If so, any changes in baking time? Thank you 🙂 love your site and sweets
Hi Ashley, absolutely; I can’t see why that wouldn’t work. I’ve had many readers so the same with heavy cream.
I’m hoping to make these this weekend and was wondering if a 28x23cm (11×9) glass baking pan would work OK. I have a bigger pan but it is ceramic.
On a separate note, is there an advantage to doing the kneading step by hand over using the stand mixer?
Hi Katherine! An 11×9 may be a little snug, you can use ceramic, but add a few minutes to the bake time since it usually takes longer to bake than glass. We like to knead by hand so we can get a feel for the dough, which you just miss when using a mixer, and you can over-knead in a mixer. But it certainly is easier! Here’s our post on how to knead dough if you’re interested in reading more.
My 1st time & they came out delicious! The instructions were clear. I accidentally used bread flour, I had to add a tiny more milk but they still came out soft & yummy!
Hey! I grab half and half instead of heavy whipping cream can I use that instead??
Absolutely.