Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Strawberry cinnamon rolls have a gooey, sweet strawberry cinnamon filling all wrapped up in the most soft, tender and fluffy homemade dough.

Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls - Sprinkle Some Sugar

Need a special breakfast for you lover on Valentine's Day? This is it! Who can resist a warm cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven? Not this girl. The addition of gooey strawberries is amazingly delicious! These rolls come out super soft, tender, gooey and get slathered in a thick layer of creamy cream cheese frosting. The perfect indulgent breakfast treat!

Homemade strawberry cinnamon rolls or any homemade cinnamon rolls in general are quite the process but trust me, it's so worth it! As soon as you take the first bite you'll know what I'm talking about.

The sweet strawberry filling is homemade and it's super easy. Nothing artificial or fake, just pure strawberry goodness. If you aren't up to making your own filling, you can absolutely use store-bought strawberry preserves or jam.

Table of Contents

Why you'll love this recipe

Easy-to-follow instructions makes the cinnamon roll making process super simple!
The results are SO worth the outcome. You are going to love these ooey gooey strawberry cinnamon rolls!

Ingredients

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.
Salt: A small amount of salt is added for flavor.
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.
Cinnamon + sugar: Flavor!!
Strawberries: A mixture of strawberries, sugar and corn starch + water.
Cream cheese: I recommend using full fat cream cheese for a richer taste.
Powdered sugar
Vanilla extract

Baking with Yeast Beginner Tips

Check the expiration date. Make sure your yeast is fresh! There is nothing worse than going through the process of making homemade cinnamon rolls and the rolls don't puff up after that first rise. You will need to re-start if this happens with fresh yeast. 🙁
Be sure your milk is the correct temperature. When activating the yeast, use warm milk that is about 110-115°F. Liquid that is too hot can kill the yeast, and liquid that is too cold won't activate it.
Proof the yeast. Proofing is the process of activating the yeast before using it in the recipe. To proof the yeast, as directed in the recipe, you'll mix it with the warm milk and a small amount of sugar and let it sit for a few minutes until it becomes frothy. This is how you will know if your yeast is alive and ready to use!

How to make strawberry 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.
Make and knead the dough. Stir in remaining sugar, salt, 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 it 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!

While the dough is rising, prepare the strawberry filling. In a medium-sized saucepan, add the strawberries and sugar. Stir constantly for 5 minutes until they start to release their juices. Mix corn starch and water together and stir it into the strawberry mixture. Allow to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the strawberry filling to cool to room temperature.
In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together. Set aside.

Roll out dough. 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 cinnamon sugar on top. Pat it down lightly to pack it down. Top with a hearty layer of strawberry preserves.
Shape rolls. Roll the dough up very tightly into a long log. Cut into 12 or 16 cinnamon rolls. 12 for a large 9x13 pan or 16 for two round 8" baking pans (8 rolls in each). Grease your pan of choice extremely well.

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.
Time to bake. Once risen, bake cinnamon rolls for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Cream Cheese Frosting. Prepare frosting and spread onto the warm rolls.

Tips to make the best sweet rolls

Don't over-bake your rolls! One of the most important tips in cinnamon roll making is do not over-bake!! You want your rolls to be soft, fluffy and gooey in the center.

Mixing the dough. 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.

Dough consistency. 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 9x13 pan.

Storage

Store strawberry cinnamon rolls at room temperature or in the refrigerator (personal preference) in an airtight container.

To reheat: Microwave for 30 seconds or in a 350 degree preheated oven for about 10 minutes to get your cinnamon rolls wam and gooey again.

Freezing

To Freeze: Freeze unbaked cinnamon rolls right before they have their second rise. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and then a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to use, thaw in refrigerator overnight. Take rolls out and place in a warm environment to rise one more time. Bake as directed in the recipe.

Can I make cinnamon rolls ahead of time?

You can prepare them the night before to make the next morning super easy. I use the same sweet roll dough recipe as my favorite cinnamon rolls. Just prepare the recipe up until just before the second rise. When you place the rolls in the pan, you'll cover the pan with a damp towel and place in the refrigerator over night. In the morning, take them out and place them in a warm environment so they can rise for the second time. Once they are nice and puffy, they're ready to bake!

More recipes you'll enjoy

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a ⭐️ review below and tag @sprinkle_some_sugar on Instagram!