The ultimate soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls! Gooey, soft, tender and pretty much perfect.
If I had to choose one food to eat for the rest of my life, it would be a big, fat, fresh out of the oven, warm cinnamon roll. There is just nothing in the world like it! I have another recipe on my site for cinnamon rolls, but I basically took that recipe and re-vamped it to make the absolute ultimate pan of giant delicious cinnamon rolls ever. Don’t let the task of cinnamon roll making freak you out because it really is so easy. You just need a lot of patience! The end result is so, so, soooo worth it. Just trust me on this. What you get is the softest and gooiest cinnamon rolls ever doused in a creamy sweet cream cheese frosting.
These soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls come out so tender and doughy, they’re just perfect. Think: Cinnabon. My taste testers went nuts over these and may or may not have said that these put Cinnabon to shame! True story. Cream cheese frosting is my favorite kind of frosting so you know I made sure there’s more than enough to go around in this recipe!
Ingredients needed to make this homemade cinnamon rolls recipe:
- Active dry yeast: It helps the dough to rise and makes the cinnamon rolls puff up as they bake.
- Milk: You want the milk to be lukewarm (not hot). I recommend 2% or whole milk.
- Granulated sugar: This is used to sweeten up the cinnamon rolls and it also helps to activate the yeast.
- Unsalted butter: You will need butter for the dough, filling and frosting recipes. I like to use unsalted in most of my baking recipes so I can control the amount of sodium.
- Eggs: I use two eggs and 1 yolk in my recipe. The extra egg yolk ensures a nice rich dough.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
- Brown sugar: I like to use light brown sugar in my recipe but you may use dark. Make sure whichever you use, that it is packed well.
- Cinnamon: Flavor!!
- Corn starch:
- Cream cheese: I recommend using full fat cream cheese fo a richer taste.
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls
- Proof the Yeast: To activate yeast, you need to dissolve it in the warm milk and 1 tbs of measured out sugar from the amount needed in the recipe. Allow to sit for 10 minutes or until foamy on top. If your yeast doesn’t get foamy, don’t move forward. Your yeast is dead and cannot be used in this recipe – the cinnamon rolls will not rise properly.
- Make and knead the dough: Stir in remaining sugar, melted butter and beaten eggs until combined. Add 3 cups of flour first and then gradually add the rest, kneading until you have a workable dough. The dough WILL still be sticky so do not over-flour your dough! It should be sticky but not sticky enough where it sticks to your hands.
- First Rise: Shape dough into a large ball and place into a greased bowl. Set t in a warm place to rise until doubled, about an hour. Pro tip: Turn oven to 170 degrees and then turn it off, it creates the perfect warm environment!
- Roll out dough and prepare Filling: Flip the bowl over and dump the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Pat it down lightly to release the air inside and roll it with a rolling pin into a very large rectangle, about 12 x 24. Smear the butter on into an even layer and sprinkle the filling on top. Pat it down lightly to pack it down.
- Shape rolls: Roll the dough up very tightly into a long log. Cut into 12 or 16 cinnamon rolls. 12 for a large 9×13 pan or 16 for two round 8″ baking pans (8 rolls in each). Grease your pan of choice extremely well and place cut cinnamon rolls into prepared pan.
- At this point, if you are preparing these for the next day, wrap them TIGHTLY with saran wrap (you do not want any air to get in and dry out the dough) and refrigerate until you are ready. Remove from the refrigerator and set back into warm environment for the second rise.
- Second rise: Allow them to rise in a warm place one more time until puffy, about thirty minutes.
- Bake: Once risen, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
- Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth with no lumps. Add in powdered sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt and mix until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting onto the warm rolls.
Recipe Tips:
- I use a stand mixer to mix the dough. You can use a bread machine if you have one set to the dough setting to make this even easier. If you’re using your hands – get those muscles ready! – then just be sure not to add too much flour to your dough as you want it to be a little tacky. That is what makes the cinnamon rolls soft and fluffy. If too much flour is added, they will be dense, tough and dry.
- Don’t overheat your milk. You want it to be between 105-115 degrees F. If your mil is any hotter, there is a chance you will kill the yeast. Which means the cinnamon rolls will not rise and all of your hard work will go to waste. That would be a BUMMER for sure.
- The consistency is NOT like that of pizza dough. It should be slightly sticky but it shouldn’t be overly sticky that you can’t handle it without it sticking crazily to your fingers. If that makes sense.
- I like to set my oven to the lowest setting (170 degrees F) and place it in there until risen for my ‘warm place’ to rise.
- If you would like to have those big, fat and round cinnabon-like cinnamon rolls, then you will need to cut 12 cinnamon rolls and space them out onto a 9×13 pan.
Go ahead and slather on some cream cheese frosting and dig into the most gloriously gooey and delicious cinnamon roll ever.
Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 standard packet active dry yeast 2 1/4 tsp
- 1 cup warm milk
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 egg yolk lightly beaten
- 4 1/2 – 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
Filling
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter very soft
- 1 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 2 1/2 tbs cinnamon
- 1 tbs corn starch
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt optional
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, Add yeast, warm milk and 1 tbs of measured out sugar. Stir together lightly and allow to sit for 10 minutes or until foamy on top. Stir in remaining sugar, melted butter and beaten eggs until combined.
- Add 3 cups of flour first and then add one tablespoon at a time until you have a workable dough. The dough WILL still be sticky so do not over-flour your dough! It should be sticky but not sticky enough where it sticks to your hands. Also note that your dough may not completely stop sticking from the bottom of the bowl so don't base your flour additions on that.
- Place dough into a lightly greased bowl and set into a warm place to rise until doubled, about one hour. I like to turn my oven onto 170 degrees and then turn it off, it creates the perfect warm environment.
- In the last minutes of the dough rising, gather your ingredients for the filling. In a small bowl, stir the brown sugar, cinnamon and corn starch until thoroughly incorporated. Take the risen dough and don’t punch it down just yet. Flip the bowl over and dump it out onto a lightly floured surface.
- Pat it down lightly to release the air inside and roll it with a rolling pin into a very large rectangle, about 12 x 24. Smear the butter on into an even layer and sprinkle the filling on top. Pat it down lightly to pack it down.
- Roll the dough up very tightly into a long log. Cut the log into 12 or 16 cinnamon rolls. 12 for a large 9×13 pan or 16 for two round 8″ baking pans (8 rolls in each). Grease your pan of choice extremely well and place cut cinnamon rolls into prepared pan.
- At this point, if you are preparing these for the next day, wrap them TIGHTLY with saran wrap (you do not want any air to get in and dry out the dough) and refrigerate until you are ready. Remove from the refrigerator and set back into warm environment for the second rise.
- Allow them to rise in a warm place one more time until puffy, about thirty minutes.
- Once rolls have done their second rise. preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange the rack into the center of the oven. Bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
Cream Cheese Frosting
- Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth with no lumps. Add in confectioner's sugar, vanilla and optional pinch of salt and mix until smooth an creamy. Spread the frosting onto the warm rolls.
Notes
- These Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls will stay fresh for up to 1 week stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
- I always store mine at room temperature and have never had an issue. If you are concerned about the cream cheese, store in the refrigerator.
- They are perfect warmed up in the microwave for a few seconds! Just like a fresh cinnamon roll right out of the oven.
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Oh my word. Now I just HAVE to have cinnamon rolls!! These look perfect!!!
These cinnamon rolls truly do look like the best ever!!
Please teach me how to make cinnamon rolls!! These are amazing!
What ever you do, do NOT add all 4 1/2 cups of flour into your mixer at once. The actual conversion if you switch the recipe to metric is 4 1/3 cups. All that aside…
Start our the mixer at around 3 cups of flour and mix thoroughly.
Keep in mind, this particular dough should be sticky at the end of mixing. If this your first time making dough, it’s hard to explain in words how it should look and feel. If you’ve made bread dough, you’ll know what I mean when you I say you don’t want bread dough too sticky. – Well, with this dough, you do want the dough to be sticky. It may even be safe to say, it should ooz (for lack of a better word) a little bit. – it should slump or settle as it is dump on a counter surface.
Word of warning.. If you value your mixing machine,, Do Not add all the flour at once. It will burn out smaller machines. I’ve learned the hard way,, you should really weigh your ingredients and not trust American measuring practices. Get a decent scale and rid yourself of disappointment after disappointment. Failed recipes are not always your fault. Ingredients like flour dramatically changes with the environment, taking on more or less moisture. Dryer flour in dry climates takes less than moist flour in humid climates. Weighing ingredients really does improve accuracy. Although your accuracy will be improved always and ingredients like flour gradually, or rather most at once, adding more throughout the mixing processes. This will save you some disappointment and help preserve you machine.
Happy baking!
Girl! These cinnamon rolls look PERFECT! You’ve got me craving these NOW 🙂
I’m a sucker for a good cinnamon roll! These look delicious and totally do-able! Thanks for sharing.
If there is one thing I miss from my gluten-eating days, it is the big, amazing cinnamon rolls from Cinnabon. You’ve got me drooling with these! I’m still trying to perfect a gluten-free version, so I’m definitely going to keep your tips in mind when I try next!
Honestly, there is nothing like cinnamon rolls! I don’t treat myself to them nearly as often as I should…..I guess I’ll have to try this recipe to fix that!!! 🙂
These cinnamon rolls look absolutely beautiful. I want to use them for a pillow.
Haha!! This cracked me up this morning. Thanks, Renee! 🙂
Wow … the cinnamon is awesome. I will give a try on this. However need to find out on the butter. Is it 1/2 cup or 2 cups ? Typo error ? Just wanna confirm the exact measurements 🙂
Thanks and looking forward to hear from you soon
Thanks so much for pointing that out, Shirley! The recipe should read 1/2 cup unsalted butter. The recipe is updated with the correct measurements. Enjoy them!
Have you ever made these in advance and stored in the freezer?
In the dough recipe, how much sugar is needed? It just says 2/3 and doesn’t indicate whether its cups, TBS or tsp. Please help
Thanks so much for catching that! It’s supposed to read 2/3 cup of granulated sugar. I have edited the recipe to read that as well.
Can we make these the night before we want to serve them? Can we store in the refrigerator overnight, let them rise a second time the next morning and then bake them?
Yes, exactly!
Thanks for asking this. That was my question! (And thanks Jessica for confirming that this works. That’s what I’m going to do. Yeast is activating in the milk and 1 Tbsp sugar right now. Can’t wait to see/smell/taste how these turn out!
Awesome!! Glad you found the answer. I hope they came out great!
– Jessica
Made these today…the best I’ve ever had!
Woo! Thanks, Jessica!
Hello,I log on to your new stuff named “Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls – Sprinkle Some Sugar” daily.Your writing style is awesome, keep up the good work! And you can look our website about proxy list.
Is the four sifted? If so, do you measure the amount needed before or after sifting?
No need to sift.
What is the corn starch for? Does it make them softer?
OOps! never mind, I thought the cornstarch went in the dough, I see it goes in the frosting, I gather for thickening?
Scratch that, it goes in the filling, for stablizing? Wow way to read a recipe Reni. I was so dazzled by these couldn’t read right. I am so going to make these. Yum!
Lol! Glad you figured it out. 🙂
I moved from South Africa to Austria last year and had never in my life made Cinnamon rolls myself. We had something called a Chelsea Bun, which is similar but with raisins. One Saturday afternoon I was feeling homesick and had a craving, so jumped on Pinterest and found this recipe. They are literally the best I have ever had! I have now made them about 5 different times and shared them with so many people. I have now even added raisins to the filling and they are soooo amazing!
Thank you for sharing! X
OMGGGGGGGG!!!!! Jessica, I am super excited about this recipe, I have been seeking a recipe that I think I would enjoy making and I am sure this is the one. I just saw it today and you can bet your last dollar I am doing it today. When I am done, I am sure to send before and after photos. *Dancing, Dancing, Dancing.
Ok, so, I may not be able to post pics, but guys, I made a batch of 15 medium sized buns from this recipe today as I said I would. They.Were.Awsoooome!! Great gooey stuff, I will never purchase another cinnamon roll at the store. Wow!!!! I made a few mistakes, however, I will correct them and perfect them next time around. I rolled the dough a little too thin and so it was a bit challenging to wrap, I got it done though with a little more time and they were a little too brown so I will bake for 18mins next time, I did 20mins.
Great recipe Jessica
Oh my goodness, you are too funny Angiene! Your comments totally made my day 🙂 I am so happy you loved the cinnamon rolls and with practice, you’ll get them perfect! 🙂 If you have social media, you can post the photo to my ‘Sprinkle Some Sugar’ Facebook page, or tag #sprinklesomesugar on instagram – I’d love to see!
Hey! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after browsing through
some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless,
I’m definitely happy I found it and I’ll be book-marking and checking back often!
These look awesome, but there’s no salt in the dough?? I don’t think I’ve ever seen any dough recipe that didn’t have ‘some’ salt in it!
Nope! You can feel free to add a pinch or two if you’d like.
I have just tried this recipe looks good so far waiting to bake 2morow
Hope they came out amazing!
I made these tonight, wanting to try a new recipe. They were nice and soft but the flavor seemed to be off. Not sure what was missing. They looked delicious though! After I figure out the flavor component that was missing, I’ll give it another shot.
Hm, I’m not sure what you mean. Maybe add more cinnamon to yours – I love them the way they are. 🙂 I hope you figure out what works best for you!
Charmaine (or anyone who can help), did you figure out the flavor issue? I tried them today and have the same problem. Beautiful but the flavor is off, to me. They look like the ones we had at school in the 80s but don’t taste like the school cinnamon rolls or store bought. Not awful just not wonderful like the other bakers’ comments.
Just made these tonight and could not be happier. They were the perfect homey, cozy kind of tasting cinnamon rolls that reminded me of my moms 🙂
Made them twice. Both times they have turned out amazing. I’m very impressed . I have tried so many recipes and nothing has turned out as fluffy and full of flavor as these have. Truly one to share and keep in the recipe book for years to come. Thank you. Your brilliant.
Do you use 1 or 2 packets of yeast?
I accidentally killed the yeast but went a head with the process. I hate wasting food, is there any hope for salvaging this recipe?
Yep**LOVE THEM!!! MAKING SOME TO SHARE WITH NE IGHBORS THIS MORNING!!!!????????????⛲❇?????
Love love this recipe!! It’s one of my favorites, and I am a sucker for cinnamon rolls!! Have you ever tried to make these and put in refrigerator overnight after they have been rolled and placed in pan? I was wondering if you have tried and how it tasted!
Approximately, how large should the rectangle of dough be after I rolled it out or what thickness should the dough be after rolled out? I saw in a comment someone rolled it out too thin and I don’t want to make the same mistake.
Hi Jessica .. I made ur rolls with bread flour and overall they were good but I wanted them a little higher in height … how would I make that happen?
Sorry another question .. what would adding more yeast do to a recipe like this? If u use instant yeast is it the exact same measurements?
I wouldn’t recommend adding more yeast as too much yeast could cause the dough to go flat by releasing gas before the flour is ready to expand. I generally use this conversion when substituting instant yeast for active dry yeast: 1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons) = 1 2/3 teaspoons instant yeast. I hope this helps!
I will be honest with you and say I don’t have too much experience using bread flour, but I would say that this had something to do with protein content as bread flour has a higher protein content than all-purpose flour. How did the rolls do during the rise time? Did they get puffy before baking and the go flat? Or you had a hard time getting them to rise period?
Hi! Is this dough just for sweets or would it work for savory as well, like to roll up some ham and cheese?
Should work just fine!
I too would like a clarification on the yeast. You state one packet but then end the sentence with the nu.ber 2. Please clarify. Thank you
I made these today.. What an awesome recipe and a good dough to work with. Thanks for recipe on my “keeper” List ? also I made this on dough cycle of bread machine had multiple projects going on in kitchen ?
Good to know about the bread machine! So glad they turned out great for you, Debbie! 🙂
I made these today for the first time and they are absolutely delicious! Thanks for sharing.
So happy to hear that! 🙂
– Jessica
Finally! I fell in love with a cinnamon roll recipe on pickycook.com but the site disappeared and so did our Christmas tradition! Booo hoooo! But I do believe your recipe is about as close as I have been able to find. YAY! Guess Doug will get two Chirstmases this year as I try this recipe!
Wooo! These are the best 🙂
Hey SGS, I just tried these out with 1:1 Gluten Free flour for my Celiac wife and they turned out great! Thank you!
That’s great to know! Thank you for sharing and I’m so glad they came out great for you guys!
– Jessica
These are great so far. Mine are in for the 2nd rise. Dough is velvet. Can not wait to eat. Happy Easter All. I am having Cinnamon Rolls and Tator Tot Breakfast Casserole. Diet tomorrow.
Lol! Yes, diet starts tomorrow! 😉
These were perfect. Best cinnamon roll recipe I’ve tried (and I’ve tried a lot) so I deleted all my other ones. My go-to recipe from now on. The versatility of the dough has me thinking of all kinds of other ways to use it. Bravo!!!
That’s so great to hear, Mia! 🙂 Yes, this dough is definitely super versatile!
– Jessica
Can this be done without a mixer? Aka by hand
Sure! Just be warned that you will need lots of elbow grease! 😉
Can I still make this with out a mixer?
Yes, just use a bowl with spoon to mix it together and knead by hand. Prepare for a workout! Lol
Hey Jessica! These are sooooooooo DELICIOUS!!!!! Seriously the best recipe I have ever made. Someone gave me sourdough starter and now i use a cup of that and only 1/2 or 1 tsp of yeast. It works out great and stays super fluffy. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! I love these rolls! I make them weekly! We’re totally addicted!!! 😀
You are so welcome! Haha, they are addicting, aren’t they?!
Approximately how large is the rectangle once it is rolled our?
You’re so very welcome, Alex! So happy you and your family enjoy these!
I have officially made these more than 10 times !!
This is my saved recipe for life! I have made them cinnamon or Nutella or cream cheese with berries or custard, apple and walnut or custard and pecans! Absolutely love the Scroll dough.
I have made them cooked and into freezer or rise dough and freeze.. all works perfectly. It’s been a hit !! Thanks for sharing .. big love from down under!
Thanks so much for sharing! I am so glad you love these. All of your combinations sound delicious!
I made these today by the recipe exactly as written and they are delicious. My only *problem*…they are like cake! I made the dough in my stand mixer (I’m an absolute beginner with dough). The dough was very soft but rose beautifully and was not too hard to work with in the rolling and cutting process. But it seems there are no gluten strands like most cinnamon rolls I’ve had, where they are soft but with some stretch to the bread. These are indeed fluffy and soft, but definitely more like cake. Any comments are welcome! We will definitely eat every last crumb of these, and will use this recipe again. I would just prefer a more bread-like texture. Thanks for a great recipe! Hubs loves them!
Hmm, I’m not sure what happened, but they should have been be a bread-like texture like a classic cinnamon roll! I am glad they are still delicious though!
Try using White Lilly bread flour. It has lots of gluten and gives a chewy texture to bread. I know what you mean about being a cake texture. Mine have turned out that way when I used all purpose flour.
I made these for Christmas morning, and they were fantastic! I couldn’t find the recipe that my mom always made, so I tried something new and so glad I did!
I used WhiteLily light baking flour, salted butter and homemade brown sugar for the inside… And they were next level ?. I was nervous about how sticky the dough was, but they turned out so light and fluffy and absolutely perfect!
This will be my go to recipe from here on out! Thank you!
Oh, that’s so amazing to hear! I am so happy they were enjoyed. 🙂
2 + 1/4 tsp! 🙂
These were so delicious!! Also, they were so soft and just wonderful with every bite.
Just made these and WOW! So fluffy so good!
Can’t wait to make them again cuz I know they will be even better!
I tried this recipe 3 times and each time was better . The rolls are indeed soft and fluffy. Highly recommended!
Thank you so much!
I made these today! Only had 2 cups of flour… so I ground up some oatmeal and made oat flour! Texturally different yes, but still turned out delicious! Will make them that way again! Thanks!