Let us Make Easy, Amazing Cinnamon Rolls (They are Pillowy Soft!)

This easy homemade cinnamon rolls recipe uses a rich, buttery yeast dough, a classic cinnamon sugar filling, and a luscious cream cheese icing for bakery-style results at home. Expect about 30 minutes of hands-on prep, 2.5 to 3 hours of rise time, and a 20 to 25 minute bake, for pillowy, gooey rolls every time.

We are making some easy, amazing cinnamon rolls. And I do mean amazing! If you have ever wanted to recreate that magical, bakery level cinnamon roll experience at home, you are in the right place. I am going to tell you how to make a dough that is so buttery, tender, and pillowy soft, it will blow your mind. Let us get started!

Why You Will Love This Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

Honestly, I do not know if you could do better than this recipe. You will love these because the dough is incredibly rich, the filling is criminally delicious, and the luscious cream cheese icing seeps into every single nook and cranny. Plus, working with this dough is a dream. It is a wonderful tactile moment in the kitchen. The smell of the dough, the butter, and the cinnamon sugar baking together is absolutely intoxicating.

If you love working with soft, yeasted dough as much as I do, you will also love my Blueberry Bagels recipe, another pillowy soft favorite that is worth waking up for.

What You Will Need

Special Equipment

• Stand mixer with a dough hook (or a large bowl and a hand mixer or clean hands)
• Kitchen scale (highly recommended for accuracy)
• Tailor tape measure or clean ruler
• Unwaxed dental floss (for cutting the dough without squishing it)
• 9×13 inch baking dish
• Pastry mat (optional)

For the Cinnamon Roll Dough

• 1 cup (240 ml) warm whole milk (about 110°F)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 package (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast (not instant)
• 4 2/3 cups (560g) all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1/3 cup (73g) light brown sugar (crumble up any lumps!)
• 1 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (or 1/4 tsp cardamom or allspice, if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg (room temperature)
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• A splash of oil (for coating the rising bowl)

For the Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, very well softened (almost melting)
• 1/2 cup (110g) brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

For the Luscious Cream Cheese Icing (Frosting)

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsp milk (to reach desired consistency)

Let us Get Baking!

1. Waking Up the Yeast

First off, you need to wake up your yeast. Pour the warm milk into your stand mixer bowl. If the bowl is ice cold, rinse it with hot water first. Add the granulated sugar and active dry yeast. Mix gently and let sit for 5 minutes until frothed up.

Use active dry yeast for this, not instant yeast, because you want a gorgeous double rise! If you use instant yeast, they just do their job once and say that they are done. If your yeast does not froth up after 5 minutes, throw it out. You literally cannot use bad yeast.

2. Prep the Dry Ingredients

In a large bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, light brown sugar, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. I highly recommend using a kitchen scale for the flour. You want your cinnamon rolls to have as little flour as possible while still holding together, and weighing your flour guarantees the best results. Also, hunt around for those ridiculous brown sugar lumps and crumble them up with your hands so your mixer does not have to work overtime.

3. Mix the Dough

Once the yeast is frothy, add the melted butter, room temperature egg, and vanilla into the mixer bowl. The dough transforms into something magical here. Gradually add your dry ingredients. Turn the mixer on low until a shaggy dough forms, then increase to medium low.

4. Knead and The Tacky Test

Knead for 8 to 10 minutes. The dough is ready when it passes the tacky test. It should feel sticky or tacky to the touch but pull away clean without sticking to your clean fingers.

5. First Rise

Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough into the bowl, turning it over once so the oiled side is on top. Loosely cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.

6. Mix the Filling

In a medium bowl, use a fork to combine the 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon.

7. Shape the Dough

Dump the risen dough onto a lightly floured counter, keeping the slightly dried top side facing down on the counter. Use floured hands and a rolling pin to shape it into a 12 by 24 inch rectangle.

8. Add the Butter and Sugar

When it is time to add the filling, you need the softest butter a cow could make. Seriously, a gust of wind should be able to make an indent in it! Dot the 6 tablespoons of extremely soft butter all over the dough. Gently spread it into an even layer, leaving a 1/2 inch border bare on one of the short edges. Sprinkle your cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the buttered surface.

9. Roll the Dough

Starting from the short end covered in sugar, roll the dough tightly using your hands and forearms.

10. Slice with Floss

To cut the rolls without squishing them, ditch the knife and grab some unwaxed dental floss. Lightly butter a 9×13 inch baking dish. Loop the floss around the dough log, cross the ends, and pull tightly to cut the log into 2 inch slices. You will get clean, beautiful spirals.

11. Pop, Pinch, and Place

If you want them to look like the impossible, picture perfect rolls you see in magazines, you need to use my Pop, Pinch, and Place method. For bakery style domes, push the center of the roll up slightly from the bottom with your thumb, pinch the bottom dough together to seal it, and place it into the buttered dish. Pop, pinch, and place!

12. Second Rise

Loosely cover the dish and let the rolls rise in a warm place for 1 hour until puffy. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).

13. Bake

After one last cozy rise, bake for 20 to 25 minutes until puffed and golden brown throughout.

14. Make the Icing

While the rolls bake, beat the softened cream cheese, softened butter, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low. Drizzle in 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk until you reach a luscious and gooey consistency.

15. Frost and Devour

As soon as the rolls come out of the oven, spread a thin layer of icing over the top so it melts into all the nooks and crannies. Add the rest of the frosting right before serving and devour!

How to Store Cinnamon Rolls

Because the icing is cream cheese based, storage matters a bit more than with a plain glaze:

• Room temperature: Cover tightly and store for up to 1 day.
• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Reheat: Warm individual rolls in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds to bring back that fresh-baked softness.
• Freezer (baked rolls): Freeze unfrosted rolls for up to 2 months. Thaw, then top with fresh icing.

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FAQs

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If this recipe hit the spot, here is where to go next:

• Overnight Oats Recipe: 3 Easy and Healthy Ways, for a lighter make-ahead breakfast option.
• Small-Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies, if you want a sweet treat with a much shorter timeline.
• Air Fryer Biscuit Donuts (Easy 15-Minute Recipe), for a cinnamon-forward breakfast when you do not have 4 hours to spare.

Save

Easy Amazing Cinnamon Rolls

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: Dessert, BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium

Servings

12

rolls

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Calories

420

kcal

Chill time (rise time)

3

hours 

Total time

3

hours 

55

minutes

Bakery-level, criminally delicious cinnamon rolls made easy at home! Pillowy soft dough, a rich cinnamon filling, and a luscious cream cheese icing that melts into every bite

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• Stand mixer (with dough hook)

• Kitchen scale

• 9×13-inch baking dish

• Unwaxed dental floss

• Tailor’s tape or ruler

• Ingredients:
• Sweet Dough

• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk, warm (110°F)

• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

• 2 1/4 tsp (1 package / 7g) active dry yeast

• 4 2/3 cups (560g) all-purpose flour

• 1/3 cup (73g) light brown sugar, packed

• 1 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, melted

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 tsp neutral oil (for greasing bowl)

• Filling

• 6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter, extremely softened

• 1/2 cup (110g) brown sugar

• 1 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon

• Cream Cheese Icing

• 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened

• 2 tbsp (28g) unsalted butter, softened

• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups (240g) powdered sugar

• 1 to 2 tbsp milk

Directions

• Proof the yeast: In a stand mixer bowl, combine warm milk, granulated sugar, and yeast. Let sit 5 minutes until frothy.
• Mix dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, light brown sugar (crumble the lumps!), salt, and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
• Form the dough: Add the melted butter, egg, and vanilla to the frothy yeast. Add the dry ingredients. Mix on low until a shaggy dough forms, then knead on medium-low for 8-10 minutes until tacky but not sticking to your fingers.
• First rise: Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, turn once to coat, cover loosely, and let rise in a warm spot for 1.5 to 2 hours until doubled.
• Prep filling: Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Roll dough: Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Roll into a 12×24-inch rectangle.
• Add filling: Spread the 6 tbsp of highly softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border on one short edge. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the butter.
• Shape and cut: Roll tightly from the sugared short end. Cut the log into 2-inch slices using unwaxed dental floss.
• Pinch and place: Gently push the bottom center of each roll upward with your thumb to create a bakery-style dome, pinch the bottom to seal, and place into a buttered 9×13-inch pan.
• Second rise: Cover loosely and let rise for 1 hour until puffy.
• Bake: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
• Make icing: Beat cream cheese, butter, salt, and vanilla until smooth. Add powdered sugar and milk, beating until luscious and gooey.
• Frost: Spread a thin layer of icing over the hot rolls immediately out of the oven. Add the remaining frosting before serving.

Notes

• The “Tacky” Test: Do not add too much flour. Your dough should feel sticky to the touch but should not leave residue on your clean fingers. Too much flour leads to dry rolls.
• Make-Ahead Overnight Rolls: Assemble, roll, and slice the dough, place it in the baking dish, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Let them sit at room temp for 45-60 minutes the next morning to finish puffing before baking.
• Viral Gooey Trick: For ultra-gooey, Cinnabon-style rolls, pour 1/4 cup of warm heavy cream over the rolls right after the second rise, just before they go into the oven.
• Storage: Room temperature for up to 1 day, refrigerated for up to 5 days. Nutrition values are estimated and will vary based on exact brands and portion sizes used.