These homemade cinnamon rolls are absolutely delicious and made with a pillowy soft dough swirled with a delicious cinnamon filling, baked to golden perfection, and topped with a light and fluffy cream cheese icing. The ultimate comfort dessert recipe the whole family will enjoy.
If you love cinnamon rolls, then this is the recipe for you. I’m a big fan of cinnamon rolls. Those huge, fluffy restaurant cinnamon rolls make me feel like I’m in Heaven, but for years, I just made refrigerated cinnamon rolls at home. Although they weren’t huge and fluffy like the restaurant varieties, they were easy, and I’ll admit that I was a bit afraid of trying to make my own. I quickly learned that these sweet breakfast treats and snacks are actually far easier to make than you might think. I’ve been making homemade cinnamon rolls ever since, and after you give this recipe a try, that’s the only kind you’ll make, too!
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
These delicious cinnamon rolls start with an incredibly simple dough that comes together quickly and requires just an hour of rising time. I roll out the dough and top it with a classic cinnamon roll filling made with cinnamon, sugar, and butter, and bake the rolls until they rise and become golden brown. After that, I top them with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting for the ultimate homemade cinnamon roll experience. These are so good, and they’re perfect for breakfast, brunch, afternoon snacking, or dessert. There’s never a bad time to serve them!
Why You’ll Love These Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
- The combination of pillowy soft dough, a cinnamon filling, and a light and fluffy cream cheese icing is simply irresistible.
- They are homemade and absolutely delicious and are worth every minute of time spent making them.
- The cream cheese icing melts into the crevasses and is the perfect balance with the richness of the cinnamon filling.
Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients
This classic cinnamon roll recipe uses basic baking ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen right now. Anything you don’t have can be found at any grocery store! Below are the ingredients needed and the exact measurements are in the recipe card towards the bottom of the post.
- Instant yeast
- Whole milk, divided
- Granulated sugar
- All purpose flour
- Butter
- Salt
- Large eggs
- Brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
This recipe might take a few steps, but it’s incredibly easy to make. It just takes a little mixing, rolling, and baking. That’s really all there is to it!
Step 1: Make the Yeast Mixture
Heat milk for 35 to 40 seconds in the microwave until warm – about 100 degrees. Then, stir the yeast, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of milk in a small bowl. Let the mixture sit for 4 to 5 minutes until the mixture becomes foamy.
Step 2: Make the Dough
Add the flour, butter, eggs, salt, remaining milk and sugar, and yeast mixture to a mixing bowl with the dough hook attachment. Then, mix the dough on medium speed until it forms a ball. Add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
Step 3: Let the Dough Rise
Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough doubles in size.
Step 4: Make the Filling
While the dough rises, combine softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until well incorporated.
Step 5: Roll Out the Dough
Transfer the dough to a floured surface and form it into a rectangle. Then, roll it out into a large rectangle about ¼-inch thick.
Step 6: Top the Dough
Spread the cinnamon mixture evenly over the entire surface of the rectangle.
Step 7: Roll and Cut
Roll the dough into a log shape and pinch the seam closed to make the dough log. Then, slice the log into 8 to 10 rolls with a very sharp knife or pastry thread.
Step 8: Let Rise
Place the rolls in a greased 9×13 baking dish, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes until doubled in size.
Step 9: Bake
Bake for 20 to 22 minutes at 350 degrees until golden brown.
Step 10: Make the Icing
Using a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl until creamy and well incorporated.
Step 11: Ice
Cover the cinnamon rolls with icing immediately after baking and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- One of the best places to let your dough rise is inside the oven. Set it to 200 degrees for a couple of minutes, then add the bowl of covered dough and turn off the heat.
- A stand mixer with a hook attachment is HIGHLY recommended to make this dough.
- Your dough doesn’t have to be a perfect rectangle with 90-degree corners. Just make a rough rectangle and roll it out.
- Add the icing while the cinnamon rolls are nice and hot so it melts and gets into all the nooks and crannies.
Variations
- Sprinkle raisins over the cinnamon filling before rolling up the cinnamon rolls.
- Try adding chopped pecans or walnuts to the filling before rolling up the cinnamon rolls.
- Top your cinnamon rolls with fresh berries before serving.
What to Serve with Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Enjoy these cinnamon rolls with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea as a sweet breakfast or afternoon snack. You can pair them with all your favorite savory breakfast options as part of a larger breakfast, as well. Finally, try adding some fresh berries or other fruit to the plate when you serve them.
Recipe FAQ
It’s normal for cinnamon roll dough to be tacky to the touch. If your dough is too sticky, just add a bit of flour.
If the dough appears to have doubled in size, give it a gentle press with two fingers. If indentations remain in the dough, it’s risen enough.
If your cinnamon rolls come out dry, the most likely culprit is that you didn’t give the dough adequate time to rest and rise before baking it. All that sugar and butter in the dough makes it harder for the yeast to work its magic.
Don’t roll your cinnamon roll dough tightly. Simply roll it so the surfaces touch. This gives the cinnamon roll dough room to expand while proofing and baking.
Cinnamon roll filling is made with a mixture of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
There are three major causes of cinnamon roll dough not rising. First, yeast that is too old. Second, placing the dough in a place that isn’t sufficiently warm. Third, using a liquid that is too hot to activate the yeast.
How to Store and Freeze Leftover Cinnamon Rolls
Store the cinnamon rolls in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator. For longer storage, chill the cinnamon rolls, wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then freeze them for up to a month in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
Defrost the cinnamon rolls overnight and microwave them at 30-second intervals until warm.
Try These Delicious Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing Today
These soft, rich, sweet cinnamon rolls are as easy to make as they are delicious. As long as you follow the directions, you’ll end up with soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls that everyone comes back for again and again. Whether you serve them for breakfast, brunch, or as an afternoon snack, everyone will love them, and you’ll love how simple they are. Give them a try, and I know you’ll be making them for years to come.
More Delicious Dessert Recipes You’ll Enjoy
This delicious Butter Pecan Pound Cake is a delicious pound cake recipe packed with chopped pecans and frosted with cream cheese frosting.
Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 package instant yeast, 2 ¼ teaspoons
- 1 cup whole milk, divided
- ½ cup granulated sugar, divided
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons butter, softened and cut into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
For the Filling
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
For the Dough
- Heat milk for 35 – 40 seconds in the microwave or until warm (100 degrees F).
- In a small bowl, stir together yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, and 1 tablespoon milk. Let yeast mixture sit for 4 – 5 minutes or until the mixture becomes foamy.
- Using a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment, place flour, butter, eggs, salt, remaining milk and sugar, and yeast mixture into a bowl.
- With speed on medium, knead dough until a ball forms. Add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed.
- Once the dough ball is formed, transfer into a lightly oiled mixing bowl, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Once dough has risen, transfer onto a floured surface and shape into a rectangle.
- Using a rolling pin, roll dough out into a large rectangle about ¼ inch thick.
For the Filling
- In a medium size mixing bowl, add softened butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Use a hand mixer to beat butter and sugars together until well incorporated.
- Spread mixture over rolled out dough making sure the entire dough is covered.
- Roll dough into a log shape and pinch together the end to create a seam and seal the dough log.
- Slice into 8-10 rolls using a very sharp knife or thread.
- Place rolls in a greased 9×13 baking dish and cover with a towel. Set in a warm place until doubled in size, about 30 – 40 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350.
- Once rolls have risen, bake in preheated oven for 20 – 22 minutes or until golden brown.
Cream Cheese Icing
- In a medium mixing bowl, add cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Beat with a hand mixer until creamy and well incorporated.
- When rolls are taken out of oven, immediately cover with icing.
Notes
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I’ve tried quite a few recipes trying to find the best one… this one is by far SOOO GOOD! This will be my definite go to when someone wants them in my house!!
Hi Spencer,
Thank you so much for your comment and for the 5-star rating! We are so happy you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂