Let me teach you how to make the softest, fluffiest lemon sweet rolls covered in a tangy lemon cream cheese frosting. These rolls use my quick sweet roll dough, which only requires 1 rise! You know what they say: when life gives you lemons, you should definitely make lemon sweet rolls.
This recipe is brought to you in partnership with Red Star Yeast.
I originally published this recipe in 2014 and have since added new photos and more helpful success tips.
Is there anything better than the smell of warm cinnamon rolls baking in the oven? Obviously not! (Though the case could be argued for the smell of warm chocolate chip cookies.) At least that’s what I thought before I smelled the sunshine-sweet aroma wafting through my kitchen as these fluffy lemon rolls baked.
These are simply springtime in a pan. Happiness in a fluffy spiral. Lemon cream cheese frosting, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and soft buttery dough… all in one pan!
One reader, Elizabeth, commented: “Oh. My. These are so delicious! Sally made me feel brave enough to make homemade cinnamon rolls with her super easy 1-rise recipe. Those turned out amazing. When I saw this variation, I knew I had to try it. These lemon rolls are heaven. I just devoured 2 and am going back for more… ★★★★★“
So Much to Love About These Lemon Sweet Rolls
- Rolls are soft and fluffy, with a gooey lemon-vanilla sugar swirl that *caramelizes* on the bottom… tastes like candied lemons!
- Topped with creamy lemon cream cheese frosting
- Only 1 rise time!
- Easy enough for yeast beginners
- Great make-ahead, freezer-friendly recipe
Yeast Beginners, Rejoice: Only 1 Rise!
If you are a yeast beginner, I have good news for you! These lemon sweet rolls use my quick-method sweet roll dough, which I tested extensively to create my easy cinnamon rolls. A typical homemade sweet roll recipe requires 2 rises. My favorite raspberry swirl sweet rolls require a first rise of about 1–2 hours, and then a second rise for another 2 hours. (But one bite of that fluffy dough and juicy filling and you’ll agree that the prep time is worth it!)
However, I have since developed a quicker dough recipe. A dough recipe with all the soft fluffiness you’re craving, but with only 1 rise time. Because of this shortcut, my homemade sweet roll dough is perfect for the baker who wants to learn how to work with yeast for the first time. Plus, it’s a perfect starting point for any sort of sweet roll you want to make… like blueberry sweet rolls or this giant cinnamon roll cake.
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 lemon sweet 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: For flavor, and to balance the sweet.
- Lemon Zest: A little lemon zest adds flavor to the dough.
- Whole milk: Whole milk is ideal for the richest-tasting sweet 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, an egg promises a softer, richer dough. It also works to bind ingredients together.
New to Baking With Yeast?
If you’re a bread beginner, reference this Baking With Yeast Guide for helpful, easy-to-understand answers to many yeast FAQs.
How to Make Lemon Sweet Rolls
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 the dough to your work surface, and then knead by hand for 3–5 minutes until it’s soft and smooth. My video tutorial for How to Knead Dough is helpful here.
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.
Lemon Vanilla Filling
Grab these ingredients:
- Butter: Use super-soft butter for the filling—not too hard, not too melty. If you forgot to get it out of the refrigerator earlier, here’s my trick for how to soften butter quickly.
- Sugar: Use white granulated sugar in this filling, which sweetens without overpowering the delicate flavors of lemon and vanilla.
- Fresh Lemon Zest: Zest 1–2 medium-size lemons to yield 1 packed Tablespoon of zest. (Set aside the lemons because you’ll need lemon juice for the icing.)
- Vanilla Extract: A little vanilla extract adds impeccable flavor. If you have it, you can use vanilla bean paste instead.
Mix together the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla in a small bowl. It will form a sandy mixture. The sugar will help the lemon zest excrete some liquid, so the mixture will be fairly moist. This lemon-sugar combo results in the most incredible caramelization on the bottoms of the rolls after baking!
Roll out the dough, spread with softened butter, and sprinkle the lemon-vanilla-sugar mixture all over the top.
Roll the dough up tightly, use a sharp knife to slice the log into 10–12 rolls, and arrange them in a lightly greased pan (I typically use a 9-inch pie dish sprayed with nonstick spray). Loosely cover the pan of lemon sweet rolls, and let rise for 60–90 minutes until about doubled in size.
Just wait till you smell them baking!
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
While you’re waiting for them to bake, distract yourself by making the lemon cream cheese frosting to slather all over the warm rolls. You need:
- Cream Cheese: Use the brick-style cream cheese, not the spreadable kind that comes in a tub. (Save that for homemade bagels!)
- Butter: To help smooth out the cream cheese. Between the dough, filling, and icing, this recipe requires 1 stick (8 Tablespoons/1/2 cup/113g) of butter total.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: Just enough to balance out the tart lemon and tangy cream cheese.
- Lemon Juice: Give 1 of the zested lemons from earlier a good squeeze!
Beat the ingredients together with an electric mixer, then slather the icing all over the top of the baked rolls while they’re still warm. The creamy frosting will melt into each and every nook and cranny of these delicious lemon sweet rolls.
If you prefer a lighter topping, use the lemon glaze from my strawberry sweet rolls recipe instead.
See more sweet rolls recipes. I have plenty published like these pumpkin cinnamon rolls, birthday cake cinnamon rolls, and chocolate sweet rolls. But if you love lemon, these are a must make!
Soft & Fluffy Lemon Sweet Rolls
- 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 soft and fluffy lemon sweet rolls are like a spring and summer version of classic cinnamon rolls. You’ll love the caramelized lemon sugar inside and under the baked rolls! Covered in a simple lemon cream cheese frosting, these rolls use my quick sweet roll dough—only 1 rise.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 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
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, extra softened
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or vanilla bean paste)
- 1 Tablespoon lemon zest (packed Tablespoon, it’s a lot of zest!)
Lemon Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon (14g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (90g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
- optional: extra lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- Make the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon zest 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 silicone 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 nonstick 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 (36x20cm) rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest. 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 nearly doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 24–25 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, the rolls’ 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 lemon juice until combined. Using a knife or icing spatula, spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately. If desired, garnish frosted rolls with a light sprinkling of lemon zest.
- 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 & Overnight 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): Glass Mixing Bowl and Wooden Spoon/Silicone Spatula (or Electric Stand Mixer) | Rolling Pin | Citrus Zester | Citrus Juicer | Vanilla Bean Paste | 9-inch Round Cake Pan or 9-inch Round Pie Dish | Instant-Read Thermometer | 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. Reference my Baking With Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Milk: This recipe used to call for 1/2 cup (120ml) water and 1/4 cup (60ml) milk. 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.
Reader Comments and Reviews
I would love to try theses but can’t eat butter. Could anything be substituted for the butter?
Hi Chris, butter is a main ingredient in this recipe and in each of the separate components, and I fear a substitute just won’t deliver similar results at all. I recommend another recipe. Here are all of my breakfast recipes if you’d like to browse.
Thank you for this great springtime recipe. I pour heavy cream over my cinnamon rolls right before baking for softness. Can I do it with the lemon rolls or will it alter the outcome?
Thank you
Hi Kathy, I’ve done that with cinnamon rolls before but haven’t tried it with these. I’m unsure of the outcome, but let me know if you test it.
I plan on trying this recipe because I love Lemon Loaf cakes and these sound like they would be just as good. I don’t like cream cheese though so could I just do a regular confectionary topping with lemon juice?
Hi Linda, absolutely! You could use this lemon buttercream frosting (halve the recipe) or if you’d prefer more of an icing top, the lemon icing from this iced lemon pound cake would be delicious here.
Hi Sally! I love your recipes. I sadly developed an egg allergy a few years ago. I know you have a page of eggless recipes, but I would love to see recipes like this one with a way to substitute for the egg so I could still make and enjoy them : )
Hi Cassandra, we don’t have much experience with egg substitutions in recipes like this, but if you do any experimenting, please do let us know how it goes!
I decided to go ahead and give it a try and make it eggless. I used neat egg as a substitute for the egg, and then unsweetened vanilla almond milk in place of whole milk and they came out absolutely amazing! Soft, fluffy, and melt in your mouth goodness. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thank you for your amazing recipes, everything I’ve made has always come out a huge success thanks to your tips and tricks. I want to make your Orange Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins and add this icing on top as you suggest. I will need to make them the night before. Shall I put the icing right away and serve the next morning or would it be better to make the icing in the morning?
Hi Maya, icing always tastes best when it’s fresh. I recommend making it that day/morning.
Is there a sub for lemon zest in the filling (lemon juice maybe). My granddaughter loves lemon but not zest.
Hi Caren, the zest sort of melts/bakes down and you can’t taste its texture at all. You can try using a little juice instead if you’d like, though.
I’m a huge cinnamon roll fan and didn’t expect to really like the lemon rolls but with an excess of lemons I gave them a try….NOW A FAVORITE They smell wonderful baking and the entire family loved them. Thank you for the recipe
So glad you enjoy these, Judy! Thank you.
Any recommendations for a gluten-free flour? Would almond flour, or 1 for 1 suffice?
Hi Lyzz, we haven’t tested this recipe with any gluten-free flours. We don’t recommend almond flour as it has very different baking properties than all-purpose flour, and while some readers report using an all-purpose 1:1 gluten-free flour in many of our recipes with success, you should expect slightly different results anytime you substitute ingredients. Let us know if you do give anything a try.
Just wondering why the yeast is mixed in with dry ingredients when the other recipes mix it with milk and sugar?
Hi Brenda, you don’t need to proof instant yeast. Though I normally do anyway, just to be sure, you really don’t have to.
Hi, I really loved this recipe. I was just wondering how to stop the filling caramelizing and getting burnt on the bottom of the dish and rolls.
Thank you 🙂
Hi Caitlin, for next time, you can try rolling the sweet rolls a bit tighter so the filling doesn’t seep out as much. That should help!
Do you think I could use lemon curd in the center? I have some in freezer I want to use up
Hi Rose, lemon curd would be a bit too thin for the centers, but you could absolutely drizzle some on top of the finished rolls. Sounds fantastic!
This looks delicious! Can it be made via the slow cooker method you describe?
Hi Teresa, I haven’t tried this particular sweet rolls recipe in a slow cooker, but you could absolutely test it with the method from these slow cooker cinnamon rolls.
Oh my god oh my god these are delicious!!! Absolutely wonderful!!!! the dough itself was almost spongy and had such a lovely flavour. These are a new fav for sure. cannot state enough how much i loved these.
Hi Sally.
May I begin by thanking you for yet another amazing recipe. I have been baking and following your blog since mid April.
Your sweet scrolls are amazing. Your cinnamon scrolls and your plain cheesecake recipe have become sort after treats at gatherings. People commenting on the amount of technique required etc to create such perfection . The actions are buttery soft yet airy and light. It is amazing how earlier this year I was a home cook who feared yeast . You may laugh but I now have a “daily yeast ritual” where I try new ideas or another of your amazing recipes.
These little babies are now proofing in the perfect environment of the oven ; another amazing tool you gave me.
Anyway…. basically I would like to thank you for making me take risks and love baking. I aLso thank you for taking my sweet treats to hero status at family events. These lemon scrolls will be the next talked about item.
The of reading and trying your recipes is that I have taken my baking skills to the next level.
Sally I want to use my stand mixer, dough hook, do I keep to three to four minutes kneading? This is only my third attempt at yeast. I had 2 successful pizza dough attempts. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes and instructions.
Glad you are loving my recipes! Yes, knead for the same amount of time if using the dough hook attachment.
These rolls are THE BOMB! I’m not sure how this could be improved upon in any way!
Hi Sally, I only have salted butter at the moment.. could I use that and reduce the salt? Thanks!
Hi Miranda! You can use salted butter. I’ve done it with zero changes to this particular dough recipe.
Hi Sally,
I was just wondering if non-dairy milk can be used in this recipe? Thank you!
It should work, Crystal.
Well, holy heck. If you like lemon, these are the rolls you want to make. Like….now. Especially when we are all stuck at home, having this burst of Spring today was especially welcome. I absolutely love these and will be making them again, as soon as I can find lemons!!
Thanks so much for having all of these recipes available. I made these, the sandwich bread, and an herb garlic sea salt skillet rolls (which were amazing as sandwiches!!). I’ll be here a lot while we are down and already have your cookbooks in my cart on Amazon for when money is a bit more fluid. You’re amazing!!
These are so good! I love the tang of the cream cheese and lemon in these sweet rolls-a fantastic balance. Thank you for another winner, Sally!
Have you ever made mini rolls? I wonder if I wanted to make twice as many at half the size…. would I roll the dough into a longer rectangle? Any suggestions for bake time?
Hi Jaclyn! I haven’t, no. You can prepare the dough, cut it in half after it rests, then roll into two smaller rectangles (about half the size). The rolls will be smaller that way. Bake time will be a little shorter, but I’m not sure exactly how long.
Do you think I could use orange/orange zest/etc. instead of lemon? My family likes a certain kind of orange roll but thanks to a celiac diagnoses I have to make them from scratch now and this recipe is closer to the rolls we buy than your actual orange roll recipe.
Hi Kathleen! Yes, you can replace the lemon with orange.
I made these a few months ago, and they were TO DIE FOR! I make sweet treats (specialize in cupcakes) for a living, and I guess u could say that I have a natural knack when it comes kitchen creations. These rolls are outstanding-and I can’t say enough about how they completely trump any roll I’ve ever had (and NY has an AMAZING Cinnabon in NYC- But not THIS good!). They really are easy and delicious, and become a favourite from the very first bite. Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday, and she could request just about anything from me for breakfast….. but she wants THESE. 😉
I tried this recipe today and the resulting lemon rolls were absolutely delicious! I have tried several of your recipes and it’s apparent that you spend a lot of time developing them as they always produce amazing results.
I do have a question though. I’m thinking of doubling the recipe and baking the rolls in a larger pan. Do you have any idea as to how that would affect the baking time?
We made these today and, wow, they were so so good! No complaints1 We´ll definitely make them again and again and again! Thank you!
Hi Sally-
I made these last night for breakfast today. These rolls are amazing-and my ENTIRE Family of 5 loved them!! I was impressed at how easy the dough came together; I put them in my stand mixer and let the dough hook do the kneading for 3 minutes. Even rolling it out was easy. I made through step 5 last night and they doubled nicely this morning rising in a warm oven.
Thank you for another great weekend breakfast recipe!!
This is my first time using yeast! I don’t know why I’ve been so intimidated by it (I felt this way about deep frying too, until I actually gave it a shot). I am looking forward to a delicious lemony treat tomorrow morning!
Never would’ve thought to put lemons in a sweet roll! Can’t wait to try it for a spring tea time. Do you think Meyer lemons would be okay?
Absolutely!
Sally,
I made your Lemon Sweet Roll today. I miss read the part where you butter the dough then sprinkle the filling over it. I added the butter and filling together and spread it over the dough. Was worried but it turned out just fine. They are wonderful and my husband loved them! I am so bless to have found your website. I look forward to discovering all you delicious recipes. It brightens my day! Good Luck on the Cookbook. I gotta put in my order!
Do you think I could use this sweet roll dough instead of the dough recipe used for the raspberry swirl sweet rolls? I made those, and they were divine. The only thing that is keeping me from making them again is the second rise. I usually don’t have that much extra time to put into making sweet rolls.
Definitely, Kelly! But the Raspberry Sweet Roll dough makes a little more, so when you use that filling for this particular dough recipe – you’ll have some leftover. Or just reduce the filling by 1/4. Might be easier to just make the entire filling recipe. Enjoy!
I’ve made your Raspberry Swirl sweet rolls (the first recipe of yours that I tried – I have been hooked to your recipes ever since!) and they were delicious but these looks amazing – picking up some lemons on my way home from work tonight and making these this weekend! Thanks once again, Sally for giving us a special weekend breakfast!
Your site is nice and has great information and recipes. The down side is the incessant pop up ad asking me to sign in or sign up. I usually just causes me to shut the page and read someone else’s blog. I already signed up, I don’t want to sign in. It’s a huge annoyance that makes your site not worth reading.
Hi Donna, we don’t allow pop-up ads on the website. Were you accidentally pressing “save recipe”–where something pops up and asks for your email to save the recipe?