These easy cinnamon rolls from scratch are perfect for yeast beginners because they only require 1 rise. Each cinnamon roll is extra soft with the most delicious cinnamon swirl! The rolls freeze beautifully, so this is a great make-ahead recipe, especially for planning ahead for holidays or the next time you need a special breakfast. Choose from a few easy icing flavors to top the warm & gooey rolls.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
I originally published this recipe in 2013 and have since added new photos, a video tutorial, and a few more success tips. I also added one additional step to the recipe that yields even softer, fluffier rolls. This is reflected in the printable recipe below.
This easy cinnamon roll recipe is one of the most popular recipes on my website, for good reason.
These are classic, homestyle cinnamon rolls. It took me lots of recipe testing trial-and-error to develop quick cinnamon rolls that maintain all the flavor and texture of traditional overnight cinnamon rolls. But THIS. IS. IT. And I promise, making these easy cinnamon rolls is 100x more satisfying than that feeling you get from popping open a store-bought can of ready-to-bake rolls.
Here’s Why You’ll Love These Easy Cinnamon Rolls
- All the deliciousness of traditional homemade cinnamon rolls, but in half the time
- Soft and fluffy
- Gooey cinnamon sugar swirl
- Only 1 rise time
- Easy enough for yeast beginners
- Great make-ahead, freezer-friendly recipe—making it an excellent addition to your menu of Easter brunch recipes!
Lately, I’ve had even more success with the dough when I let the yeast dissolve in the warm milk/butter mixture, instead of whisking it into the dry ingredients. The rolls turn out even fluffier and softer, and I know you’ll appreciate that, too! The recipe below includes this small change.
Here’s what some readers are saying about this recipe:
One reader, Kristine, commented: “This recipe is perfect in every way. It is simple to execute and requires a very reasonable amount of time. … The best part for me, however, is that they tasted just like my grandmother’s cinnamon rolls. I have her recipe but it requires hours and hours and I rarely have that kind of time. Tasting these warm from the oven brought back a flood of happy memories and made me feel like I was right back in her kitchen. ★★★★★“
Another reader, Lana, says: “I admit, I was very skeptical about my cinnamon rolls rising in 90 minutes. And I was nervous about making cinnamon rolls because I didn’t think that I could make anything close to what my grandma used to make. But I’ve made other recipes from your site and have been successful so I gave it a try. Let me say, the cinnamon rolls are amazing! And easy! ★★★★★“
Just like grandma used to make! Is there a better compliment than that? I doubt it.
Yeast Beginners Rejoice: Only 1 Rise!
Do you love homemade cinnamon rolls, but are nervous to bake with yeast? You’re not alone! But if you’re curious about learning how to bake with yeast, this recipe is a perfect one to start with. No yeast cinnamon rolls are quick and tasty, but the Fluffiness Factor (I should trademark that) is simply unparalleled when it comes to yeast rolls vs. no-yeast rolls.
Unlike these homemade overnight cinnamon rolls that require hours of rise time, plus a 2nd rise after the rolls are shaped, this easy cinnamon rolls recipe requires only 1 rise, for just 60–90 minutes. And, honestly, they’re every bit as delicious. Bakery-style perfection for beginners!
Are You a Yeast Beginner?
This Baking with Yeast Guide is a wonderful starting point for yeast beginners. I answer many common yeast FAQs in easy-to-understand explanations, so you can learn about the basics before beginning.
Key Ingredients to Use for the Dough
Here’s my #1 tip: I recommend using a strong and dependable yeast. Platinum Yeast from Red Star is a premium instant yeast, which cuts down on rise time. Its careful formula contains natural dough strengtheners and makes working with yeast simple. And simple is always good, right? See recipe Note if using active dry yeast instead.
Here’s the rest of the lineup of ingredients for this rich dough:
- Flour: Flour provides the dough structure. All-purpose flour is best for these cinnamon rolls. You could also use bread flour—the rolls will be chewier.
- Sugar: You need white granulated sugar in the dough, both for flavor and to feed the yeast.
- Salt: Flavor.
- 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 low-fat milk, but avoid using nonfat milk.
- Butter: This is a rich dough, meaning it has fat to help guarantee softness.
- Egg: Like butter, egg promises a softer, richer dough.
These Step-by-Step Photos Will Help
The first step is to mix your dry ingredients together in a big bowl and this includes the flour, sugar, and salt. After that, warm the milk and butter together, and then whisk in the yeast until it has dissolved. Then you know it can start working its magic in your dough!
Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients, add the egg and then mix everything together. You do not need a stand mixer for this recipe, though you could certainly use one if desired.
Transfer dough to your work surface (below, left), and then knead by hand for 3 minutes until a soft dough forms (below, right). If you’re new to yeasted doughs, my how to knead dough post and video can help with this step.
Let the dough rest for 10 minutes as you prepare the filling—this gives the dough’s gluten a chance to settle and relax, which will make rolling out much easier.
3 Ingredient Filling
- Butter: Use super-soft butter for the filling—not too hard, not too melty. If the butter is too hard, it won’t be easy to spread it evenly over the soft dough. If it’s too melty, it will seep into the dough, and we don’t want that either. Butter that’s had time to soften to room temperature should be just right. If you forgot to get it out of the fridge earlier, here’s my trick for how to soften butter quickly.
- Brown Sugar: Using brown sugar in the filling gives these cinnamon rolls an extra-delicious depth of flavor.
- Cinnamon: You can’t have cinnamon rolls without it!
Roll out the dough and then top with softened butter and the brown sugar & cinnamon mixture.
Many readers have asked about using different fillings. Try using this raspberry cake filling instead—it’s delicious! Or if you love lemons, these lemon sweet rolls use this same dough.
Roll up the dough and then use your sharpest knife to cut into 10-12 rolls.
Why Are My Cinnamon Rolls Not Fluffy?
There are a lot of variables that go into the consistency of dough, even down to the weather and humidity. But the most common reason cinnamon rolls don’t turn out fluffy is because the dough didn’t have enough time to rise. In this particular recipe, with only 1 rise, it’s imperative the shaped rolls double in size in step 5 below. See the next photo? You want a pan of puffy-looking rolls even before baking.
Additionally, be sure to add only as much flour as you need to make a workable dough. This is a soft and tacky dough and it’s not supposed to be tough and hard. Too much flour will give you stiff, dense, dry cinnamon rolls.
Arrange your rolls in a lightly greased 9-inch or 10-inch pan. I appreciate that this recipe makes a slightly smaller batch than most other cinnamon roll recipes.
Here are the rolls before and after rising. This is the only rise! They’re ready to bake after they have nearly doubled in size.
Why Do My Cinnamon Rolls Rise Unevenly When Baking?
Sometimes the centers of the cinnamon rolls can pop up whack-a-mole-style while baking. This is caused by either rolling them too tight, or if the pan is too small/crowded. It’s happened to me many times before. But this is really easy to fix! Pull the pan out of the oven and use the back of a spoon to gently press the overly risen parts back down.
You Have Options for the Icing
I use the same luscious cream cheese icing here that I use for raspberry sweet rolls. It takes just a couple quick minutes to make, and you only need cream cheese, a little butter, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. For something even easier, try a vanilla (or even coffee) icing like we use on coffee cake. Simply whisk confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and a little milk or strong coffee together until smooth. The video tutorial in the recipe below shows both icing options.
Spread or drizzle your icing on the warm rolls before serving—both icings seep right into every gooey swirl! The finished rolls pictured above have cream cheese icing, and here is the vanilla icing batch:
These easy cinnamon rolls from scratch are completely irresistible and they take half the time. If you’re looking for that perfect cinnamon roll recipe that doesn’t require 4+ hours, this is the winner.
Success Tips for Making the Best Cinnamon Rolls
- Don’t add more flour than you need. You can add a little more flour to bring the dough into a knead-able consistency, but adding too much will give you dense, dry rolls.
- Don’t kill the yeast. If your butter/milk mixture is too hot, it will kill the yeast and you won’t really notice until you’re far into the recipe… when the rolls won’t rise! Keep the temperature warm to the touch, around 100–110°F (38–43°C). An instant read thermometer is a handy tool for this baking recipe and many others.
- Use your sharpest knife to cut the rolls, so they don’t squish down.
- Use the correct size pan. This recipe makes 10–12 rolls, which fit in a 9- or 10-inch pan. If the pan is too small, they’ll be overcrowded. You can use a 9- or 10-inch pie dish, round cake pan, or square baking pan. If you want larger rolls, check out this recipe for jumbo cinnamon rolls!
- Let the rolls rise in a warm, draft-free environment. Here’s my favorite trick: Preheat your oven to 150°F (66°C), then turn it off. Cover the shaped rolls with aluminum foil and place the pan inside the warm oven. Leave the oven door cracked open for about 30 minutes, then close it and let them finish rising (another 30–60 minutes) in the oven with the door closed. Just don’t forget to take them out of the oven before you preheat it to bake them!
Easy Cinnamon Rolls (from scratch)
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes
- Yield: 10-12 rolls
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These easy cinnamon rolls are perfect for yeast beginners because they only require 1 rise. You have a few options for toppings. The recipe below includes a simple cream cheese icing, but we also love these with the coffee icing or vanilla icing that’s included in the recipe Notes below.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter
- 2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star or any instant yeast (1 standard packet)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
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 block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the milk and butter together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave or use the stove and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 110°F/43°C, no higher). Whisk in the yeast until it has dissolved. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and stir with a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon OR use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed. Mix until a soft dough forms.
- Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. You should have a smooth ball of dough. If the dough is super soft or sticky, you can add a little more flour. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I use non-stick spray), cover loosely, and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes as you get the filling ingredients ready.
- Fill the rolls: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8-inch (36×20-cm) rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Roll up the dough to make a 14-inch log. Cut into 10–12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round cake pan, pie dish, or square baking pan.
- Rise: Cover the pan with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the rolls to rise in a relatively warm environment for 60–90 minutes or until double in size. (For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Bake the rolls: After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 24–27 minutes, or until lightly browned. 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 a day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: This dough can be made the night before through step 4. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise in a warm environment, about 1 hour. Continue with step 6.
- Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: You can freeze the rolls for up to 3 months, and I recommend a few different methods. The first method is to freeze them after shaping, before they rise (before step 5). Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let rise for 1.5–2 hours at room temperature before baking. The second method is to par-bake the risen rolls for 10 minutes, let cool completely, then cover and freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. Finish baking at 375°F (190°C) for around 15 minutes. You can also freeze fully baked rolls. See How to Freeze Cinnamon Rolls for more details about all of these methods.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Electric Stand Mixer or Glass Mixing Bowl with Silicone Spatula/Wooden Spoon | Rolling Pin | 9- inch Round Cake Pan, 9-inch Pie Dish, or 9-inch Square Baking Pan | Instant Read Thermometer | Cooling Rack | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) for icing | Icing Spatula
- Yeast: I highly recommend instant yeast. If you only have active dry yeast, you can use that instead. Active dry and instant yeast can be used interchangeably in recipes (1:1). Active dry yeast has a moderate rate of rising and instant dry yeast has a faster rate of rising; active dry yeast will take longer to raise the dough.
- Milk: This recipe used to call for 1/2 cup (120ml) milk and 1/4 cup (60ml) water. The rolls taste much richer using all milk, and that is what I recommend. Whole milk or even buttermilk are ideal for this dough. If needed, you can substitute 3/4 cup (180ml) lower-fat or nondairy milk.
- Coffee Icing (or Vanilla Icing): Whisk 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar, 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and 2–3 Tablespoons (30–45ml) strong brewed coffee together until smooth. Or swap milk for coffee for regular vanilla icing. Drizzle over warm rolls.
- Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Why are my cinnamon buns hard and stale as soon as they cool down?
Hi Faith, it sounds like the flour may have been over measured, causing the dough to become hard and dry. For next time, be sure to spoon and level (or use a kitchen scale) to ensure the amount of flour is just right. Be careful not to over knead the dough, too, which can also cause it to turn out dense. Thanks for giving these a try!
My scrolls didn’t rise 🙁
Whilst the recipe worked, thanks. Having to scroll through huge amounts of reviews etc to get to the info I needed was tedious to say the least on a phone. The layout felt extremely disorganised.
This is my go to cinnamon roll recipe , I keep reading elsewhere to add heavy cream to the pan before baking , would you recommend doing this with your recipe ? I mean they are already soft and gooey I’m wondering if the cream would just make them dissolve LoL let me know 😉
Hi Lin, We haven’t tested it ourselves, but some readers have reported success using this method. Let us know if you try it!
My mom judged my dough it looked like it wouldn’t work but I threw them in a nice warm oven for half an hour before setting to temp she ate 3 and said she’s never had a cinnamon bun so soft
If I used salted butter will my cinnamon roll taste better
Hi Erma, this Salted Butter vs Unsalted Butter in Baking might be helpful! It’s best to use the type of butter called for in a recipe. But here’s a general rule: reduce or add 1/4 teaspoon of salt per 1/2 cup (1/4 lb; 115g; 1 stick) of butter.
Hi, I love your recipes.
My question is can I use powered whole milk, or Evaporated milk for this recipe?
Hi Reby, for best results, we recommend sticking with whole milk in this recipe. Thank you for trusting our recipes!
For me, they started baking and turning brown way too quickly-way before the 24 min mark. I followed the recipe exactly and made sure to match the dimensions of both the roll and the pan size. It may be my oven though! I would also have preferred a little more cinnamon in the filling. But other than that, they were great.
I never comment on anything (anything!!) but I just had to comment here—this may be my absolute favorite recipe ever.
easy recipe, buns turned out nicely. i will double the filling recipe as there wasn’t enough cinnamon flavour.
I’m an absolute terrible baker (snd there’s proof) so this receipe surprised me when I actually succeeded for once!
It was so delicious the kids a asked for more.
My son has an egg allergy. Think this recipe would work with an egg substitute? TIA
Hi Jessica, we haven’t tested any egg substitutes in this recipe, but let us know if you do.
Turned out fantastic! I doubled the recipe last minute-dough was sticky but fixed by slowly adding more flour until just right. Everyone’s faces at the first bite were worth a million. Thanks as this was a birthday morning breakfast surprise and i did have time or space to proof dough overnight.
Hi, this is my first time making cinnamon rolls, so I’m just looking for a little help XD My dough didn’t rise at all, and the finished product was thin and not fluffy. Any ideas as to what I may have done wrong?
Hi Rosie, If the dough hasn’t risen in 4 hours, they yeast may be dead. Did you use a thermometer to check the milk temp? That helps ensure the milk isn’t too hot. A warmer spot for the dough to rise can sometimes help as well.
Ok! I tried preheating the oven to a low temp, because my kitchen isn’t very warm and I’d heard people suggest that. I’m thinking it was the yeast? Will it go bad if it gets too cold?
When I use my oven to help dough rise I set it to the lowest temp and only preheat for 5 or so minutes and turn it off. You don’t want it to start baking. As far as I am aware Yeast doesn’t die in the cold it more goes dormat. I store mine in the freezer to last longer. It sounds to me like your Yeast either died from age or the milk was too hot and killed it.
I have made this recipe a few times and absolutely love it! Is it possible to make this in smaller disposable pans to give away? Or will it not turn out well if not made in the regular size? Thank you!
Hi Lizzy! You can definitely bake these in smaller pans.
Can this recipe be made two nights before through step 4, instead of just the night before?
Hi Mackenzie, no, that is too long for the unbaked rolls to rest and rise.
Hey, where does it say the measurements for how much you need of each ingredient?
Hi Alex, You can scroll to the bottom of the page to see the full written recipe (with a gray background). Or to get there faster you can use the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the page.
Tried this without a stand mixer before and it worked. Just bought a stand mixer and dont really want to get my hands dirty. Is it possible to knead entirely using the stand mixer and skip the 3-5 min knead by hand?
Hi Ruth, You can knead with a mixer for about 5 minutes, but use the bounce-back or windowpane test to ensure it’s ready (see How to Knead Dough for more details).
Tried these out for the first time. While the icing turned out great, my cinnamon rolls after baking had a hard outer layer. The inner layer was soft and cinnamony. But the outer layer was hard. Am I doing something wrong?
Hi Kiki, we’re happy to help troubleshoot. If your dough was hard, there could have been too much flour in the dough. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post. It could also be that they were overbaked just a bit. For next time, you can try reducing the bake time by a few minutes and tenting your pan with foil to ensure the tops don’t brown too quick;y. Hope this helps!
Thank you! I tried the recipe again. This time I reduced the baking time to 20 min and it worked. They taste amazing!
Divine! They were so tender, gooey and just plain delicious. Plus the kitchen smelled amazing. Love this recipe! thank you Sally.
Yum! We loved these. Increased the amount of cream cheese slightly in the icing (we love cream cheese) and they were fabulous! Perfect amount of sweetness. Will be baking again. Sally’s recipes never disappoint!
I’m quiet a young baker and even this was pretty easy for me, I get extremely stressed when baking and was able to glide through this ok. The end product was so tasty I was actually really surprised, took me a few hours but very worth it!!
Thank you for an amazing and easy recipe. Most recipes are way too many rolls. This is perfect! I love your easy to understand instructions. I’ve made many of your recipes and each one is a hit. So happy to discover this one.
Confusion! The recipe is very disorganized. I had to keep going back and forth to find what I needed. Why not put the ingredients (not just we what but how much) and directions all in one place so as to in save frustration? I don’t have a printer
Hi Judy, are you viewing the recipe card? The ingredients are right above the instructions. So sorry if you are having trouble viewing it.
We are just two, can you freeze these unbaked, then defrost/rise to bake when needed? I’d rather not freeze them cooked…
Hi Stacy, here’s everything you need to know about how to freeze cinnamon rolls.
Everything went together so nice and easy they are now raising so can bake them and frost. Now if I could find an easy and small doughnut recipe. We are older and only need smaller amounts. I would like a bread recipe for one loaf too. I used to make cinnamon rolls and it was enough for all the neighbors and so much work. This was pretty easy and great directions. Now trying to decide which frosting to make lol. Thank you
Hi Donna, here is our doughnut recipe and our recipe for 1 loaf of sandwich bread (we have a single loaf of whole wheat bread, too). We hope you love the cinnamon rolls!
What an excellent recipe! After reading the comments, I was tempted to double the filling and also use bread flour, but decided to stick with Sally’s original recipe. I am glad that I did… The filling was just right and the rolls tasted perfect. Thank you. Both my wife and I loved them. This is a keeper recipe!
Do I need to bake them immediately after the rise, or can I wait a bit between those two steps? (They’d be on the counter or the fridge)
Hi Jennifer, you can place them in the refrigerator for up to overnight between the rise and the bake. See recipe notes for more detailed make ahead instructions. Enjoy!
The rolls were so soft and moist. I loved them! Only issue was that the sugar became too much, I ended up eating them alone, lol . I even checked to see if I had used more than the required amount.
Anywayyyyy, great recipe! This will be my go-to recipe (with reduced sugar ofcourse)
10/10
The best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had! Even added my own twist, adding thin slices of pear in between the layers which adds depth of flavor and warmth. Now I am known as the cinnamon roll lady
Best cinnimin Rolls ever this is are second time making them and I hope we make them again Bear said that son of Kristina
These are super easy and so good.
I tried this recipe for my first try at baking cinnamon rolls and they turned out delightful! The recipe has so many great little tips that really helped me. The icing too… My god it’s so good