Easy Cinnamon Rolls – Soft, fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls swirled with a buttery cinnamon sugar filling and topped with smooth cream cheese icing.
These easy cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, and loaded with a rich cinnamon sugar filling. Finished with a sweet cream cheese icing, they’re the perfect bake for breakfast, brunch, holidays, or cosy weekends at home.
Despite looking bakery-worthy, they’re surprisingly simple to make and well worth the effort. One bite of these warm, gooey rolls and you’ll never want shop-bought cinnamon rolls again.
Looking for more breakfast bakes? Check out my Fluffy Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Homemade Malt Loaf, and my Peanut Butter & Jam Muffins.
Ingredient highlights
- Bread flour: Creates soft, fluffy rolls with a slightly chewy texture. Plain flour can be used, but the rolls may be less fluffy.
- Dry active yeast: Needs to be activated in warm milk before using. Instant yeast can be substituted and mixed directly into the flour.
- Light brown sugar: Adds a rich caramel flavour to the cinnamon filling that makes these rolls extra delicious.
- Cream cheese: Gives the icing its tangy flavour and smooth texture. Full-fat cream cheese works best.
The printable recipe card with the full list of ingredients, their measurements, and instructions can be found at the bottom of this post.
NOTE: For best results, I highly recommend using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup measurements. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough, and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Since this recipe uses active dry yeast, it needs to be activated in warm milk before being added to the dough. Instant yeast can be mixed directly into the flour.
The yeast may have expired, the milk may have been too hot, or the dough may not have been left somewhere warm enough to rise.
Yes. Assemble the rolls, cover tightly, and refrigerate overnight. Let them sit at room temperature for 30–45 minutes before baking.
Yes. The rolls will still be delicious, although bread flour produces a slightly softer and fluffier texture.
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Easy Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 ½ cups (360ml) whole milk, warmed to 43C/110F
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoons (14g) dry active yeast
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs + 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
- 6 ¼ cups (780g) bread flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For the Filling
- ½ cup (115g) unsalted butter, partially melted
- 1 cup (200g) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
For the Topping
- 4 oz (113g) cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup (125g) icing/powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Dough
- In a large measuring jug, stir together the milk, sugar, and yeast. Set aside and allow the yeast to foam and bubble up – about 10 minutes.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the milk mixture, butter, eggs, and yolk, and whisk until combined.
- Add the flour and salt, and mix until a sticky dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a well floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth, elastic, and tacky. Your hand will stick to the dough when kneading, but should come off completely clean.
- NOTE: If the dough gets too sticky to knead, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time onto the dough or work surface until it becomes more manageable. Do NOT add more flour than you need because this will result in dry, dense rolls.
- Place the dough into a lightly greased large bowl, cover with clingfilm or a tea towel, and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 – 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- TIP: Preheat the oven to 43C/110F. Once heated, turn the oven off. Place the covered dough inside, and allow to rise in this warm environment.
For the Filling
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon until combined. Set aside.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, gently deflate with your fist and transfer to a lightly floured surface.
- Roll out to a large rectangle, about 1/4-inch thick, making sure the long side is facing towards you. Slice off the edges to make a 12 x 18 inch rectangle.
- Spread the filling all over the dough.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into twelve 1.5-inch-wide strips. Roll up each strip and place them into a greased 9×13-inch baking pan.
- Cover with clingfilm or a tea towel, and leave to rise again in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas 4.
- Remove the clingfilm/tea towel and bake the rolls for 30 – 35 minutes, or until golden brown on top and the internal temperature of the rolls reach 88C – 93C (190F – 200F).
- Allow to cool in the pan on a wire rack whilst preparing the topping.
For the Topping
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese and butter until combined.
- Add the icing sugar and vanilla, and mix until smooth and combined.
- Spread the icing evenly over the warm cinnamon rolls. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information:
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, planning to make this for new years day. Can I use kitchen aid mixer rather than by hands?
Yes, of course! 🙂
Wow! These cinnamon rolls look heavenly.
These look amazing! My family loves cinnamon buns so I will have to try this recipe!
These look so good! The perfect recipe for Christmas breakfast.