The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

These are the ULTIMATE best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. Easy to make and so soft, fluffy and perfect ♡ Slather them in your favorite cream cheese frosting for the perfect special brunch.

There’s not many things I love more than homemade cinnamon rolls. I guess homemade soft pretzels are very high up that list, too, but otherwise? The perfect soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls is where it’s at.

I used to make cinnamon rolls a little differently, but some readers were having trouble with the dough. Some said they added eggs to the dough, so I tested it an now make them with eggs all the time – and actually like it better! So here is my new favorite easy cinnamon roll recipe.

Please note: If you have made the old recipe (made without eggs) successfully and are looking for that, please print it here.

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

If you want to slather your cinnamon rolls with my 1 minute homemade frosting, you’ll also need these:

Ingredient notes

• Sugar: If you prefer, you can use all white OR all brown sugar for the filling. All brown will yield a more caramel-like taste. All white will make the filling sweeter.
• Milk: I prefer whole milk for a richer dough, but feel free to use any fat percentage you have at home.
• Yeast: Use active dried yeast for best results. You can use instant yeast, the dough will rise faster. The rolls tend to have a slightly “yeastier” taste with instant yeast. Organic yeast will rise much slower, so plan accordingly if you’re planning on using that.
• Butter: I recommend using real butter here. If you have to use margarine for any kind of reason, please use stick margarine for best results.

How to make homemade Cinnamon Rolls

1. Start by activating the yeast: Place it in a small bowl with some milk and sugar. Stir well, then let sit for 5 minutes.

If you see bubbles appearing on the surface, your yeast is good to go! If you don’t see any bubbles within 10 minutes, you need to use a new packet of yeast.

2. Next, add all ingredients for the dough to the bowl of your stand mixer. (If you don’t have a hand mixer, you need to knead by hand – stir the ingredients together in the bowl first, then knead on your counter).

You want to knead the dough on medium speed until it’s completely smooth and pliable. You should be able to pull a piece of dough until it’s see-through thin, without it ripping apart. This can take 10 minutes! So be patient.

3. Now, transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. I recommend using a ceramic bowl for best results. You an leave it in the metal bowl from your stand mixer if you must, but it never gives me the same results as a ceramic bowl!

You’ll want to shape the dough into a ball, pinching the bottom together to create a smooth surface on top. Place the ball, seam down, in your prepared bowl.

Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel and let it sit at comfortably warm room temperature until doubled in size.

4. Now, roll the dough into a rectangle on a lightly floured surface.

Spread with butter, then sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

5. Roll the dough up into a firm log and pinch the seam to seal.

6. Slice the cinnamon roll log into rolls. I like using a piece of sewing thread or dental floss for super neat rolls!

7. Place the rolls in a greased 9×13 inch dish, cover and let sit until puffy.

Now just bake, then frost warm in the pan!

Recipe tips

Timing of rise

The exact timing will depend on many factors, including:

• your room temperature (cooler room = slower rise)
• your bowl (really! ceramic bowls are warmer, so if you want your dough to rise faster, don’t leave it in your mixer’s stainless steel bowl)
• your altitude (higher altitude = faster rise)
• your yeast (instant yeast = fast rise; active yeast = regular rise; organic yeast = slow rise)

Note: This stage can also be done in the fridge overnight! Just make sure to remove the dough from the fridge 15-30 minutes before continuing with the recipe, so it can warm up.

Cutting

Now this is where the real magic happens! Ever rolled a beautiful log of cinnamon rolls, only to then destroy their beautiful round shape by running a knife through them?

It’s actually way easier, neater and prettier to cut them with a piece of sewing thread or some unscented dental floss.

Check out my recipe video up in this post or down in the recipe card to see how it’s done!

Baking

Cinnamon rolls are supposed to be soft and a bit gooey, so don’t overbake them – they’ll be dry.

It’s perfectly fine if they turn a light golden on top, but they shouldn’t turn out crispy and dark brown on top.

Be sure to watch them like a hawk! No shame in hanging out in front of your oven just to get that perfect batch of homemade cinnamon rolls 🙂

Frosting

I like to let my cinnamon rolls cool for about 5 minutes, then I frost them warm straight in the pan.

This will keep the top of your cinnamon rolls extra-soft, but the frosting will also kind of sink in as they cool. If you have leftovers and are a huge fan of the frosting, you might need to spread on some more.

Cinnamon Roll FAQs

Make ahead instructions

You can do the first rise in the fridge overnight. Make sure to remove the dough from the fridge about 30 minutes before continuing with the recipe.

I suppose you could try letting the finished rolls do the second rise in the fridge overnight if you know you’ll be short on time in the morning! They may need a few extra minutes to bake, be sure to watch them in the oven.

Freezer instructions

I recommend freezing the baked, unfrosted rolls. I separate them for convenience, that way we can pull out as many as we need.

Flash freeze the separated cinnamon rolls, spaced apart, on a baking sheet for 1-2 hours, until solid. Once frozen, wrap each in foil and place them into a large freezer bag. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months).

To reheat, leave them at room temperature for 10 minutes, then unwrap. Either defrost at room temperature on a wire rack. OR defrost in the microwave.

Warm them in the microwave for 30 seconds, or in the oven at 300°F until warm. Frost them, if you like, then serve.

Serving suggestions

We love these by themselves, but they do go perfectly with a mug of hot chocolate. If you’re looking for a lighter side, try my winter fruit salad!

More homemade baked goods

PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Please note: If you have made the old recipe (made without eggs) successfully and are looking for that, please print it here.

Printable recipe