These quick and easy homemade cinnamon rolls are ready in just one hour! Packed with ooey, gooey cinnamon goodness and topped with creamy icing, they’re perfect for a weekend breakfast or an afternoon treat!
My kids LOVE homemade cinnamon rolls, and this Overnight Cinnamon Rolls recipe is our go-to for special occasions.
But why should cinnamon rolls be just for special occasions like Easter or Christmas?
And while that overnight cinnamon roll recipe is easy, what if I want homemade cinnamon rolls in just one hour?
Quick and easy homemade cinnamon rolls to the rescue! I think these easy to make cinnamon rolls have just earned a spot in our Saturday morning breakfast rotation…
1-HOUR HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS
When I told my kids we would have home made cinnamon rolls ready in 1 hour, they looked at me like I had lost a marble or two.
Could you really get light, fluffy, gooey cinnamon rolls in a fraction of the time it would normally take? Absolutely, yes!!
Weekend brunches have never been the same with homemade cinnamon rolls that are:
- Soft and pillowy
- Light and fluffy
- Ooey, gooey, and packed with cinnamon flavor
- Topped with a creamy, homemade icing
And what mom wouldn’t love the fact that this recipe is freezer-friendly and can be easily doubled to feed a crowd?! I think this might win for best cinnamon roll recipe!
EASY CINNAMON ROLLS RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Cinnamon rolls are a variation of yeast bread, so you’ll find the usual suspects of flour, yeast, and salt. Add in milk, butter, and egg for a rich dough, delicious lightly sweetened cinnamon sugar filling, and a smooth cream cheese frosting, and you’ve got a winner!
- Milk (dairy milk, almond milk, oat milk, etc.)
- Butter
- Flour (either all purpose flour or all-purpose einkorn)
- Granulated sugar and light brown sugar (how to make your own brown sugar)
- Salt
- Instant yeast (this works faster than active dry yeast, which is a must when making 1-hour cinnamon rolls!)
- Egg
- Cinnamon
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla extract (how to make your own)
- Powdered sugar (how to make your own)
Psst! Not all salts are made the same! I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because it doesn’t have microplastics (gross, right?) and it’s SO GOOD! Plus, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt (just pay shipping and handling!).
HOW TO MAKE QUICK HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS
The exact steps and amounts are detailed in the recipe below, but here’s an overview:
Step 1: Warm the milk and melt the butter in a mug or small bowl.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough paddle, or a large bowl if you’re working the dough by hand, stir together the warmed milk and butter with the sugar and yeast. Add the flour and egg and mix on medium-low until a dough starts to form. Add additional flour if needed.
Step 3. Continue beating until the dough is no longer sticky (you should be able to poke the dough with your finger, remove it without the dough sticking to your finger, and the indentation stays). Let the dough rest.
Step 4: Mix together the two sugars and cinnamon and set aside.
Step 5: When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it into a large rectangle with a rolling pin. Spread softened butter over the dough, then sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.
Step 6: Slice the rolls and place them in a greased baking dish.
Step 7: Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let the rolls rise. Preheat the oven.
Step 8: Prepare the cream cheese icing. Whisk together cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Add milk if the icing is too thick.
Step 9: Bake the cinnamon rolls until golden brown and cooked through. Cool briefly before icing.
Step 10: Drizzle with icing and serve warm.
Store leftover cinnamon rolls in an airtight container to prevent the rolls from getting hard.
Freeze baked cinnamon rolls before adding the icing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then warm in the oven for a few minutes before topping with icing.
TIPS FOR EASY TO MAKE CINNAMON ROLLS
- Use a thermometer to test the temperature of the milk and butter. You want it between 105F and 110F. Any warmer and you’ll kill the yeast. Any cooler and the yeast won’t activate. I recommend microwaving the milk and butter in 5-second intervals.
- If you use all-purpose einkorn flour, reduce the milk to ¾ cup. Einkorn flour takes longer to absorb liquid than regular all-purpose flour, so we reduce the liquid up front.
- You can use coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar and brown sugar. It’s one small step towards a healthier cinnamon roll.
- Use room temperature softened butter, but not melted, to spread on the dough before adding the cinnamon sugar mixture. Melted butter will leak out when the rolls start baking, and you’ll lose some of the gooey goodness to the bottom of the pan.
- Preheat the oven while the cinnamon roll dough rests. Once the dough is ready, these easy to make cinnamon rolls come together fast. You’ll be all set if you start the oven a bit early.
- Slice the cinnamon rolls using unflavored dental floss for a super clean cut. A sharp knife will work but could smoosh the rolls.
- Trim the ends of the rectangle and the ends of the rolled dough if you want perfectly even cinnamon rolls.
- A pie plate will fit 11 cinnamon rolls, and a 9” x 13” rectangle baking pan will fit 12 rolls.
FLAVOR VARIATIONS FOR QUICK HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS
- Add peanut butter or Nutella: Use in place of the softened butter spread on top of the dough before rolling.
- Mix nuts into the filling: Sprinkle your favorite finely chopped nut (pecans, walnuts, slivered almonds) over the cinnamon sugar before rolling up the dough. Sprinkle a few chopped nuts over the homemade cinnamon rolls after icing as well.
- Make orange cinnamon rolls: Make these just like the canned orange cinnamon rolls by zesting an orange over the cinnamon sugar before rolling up the dough, then juicing the orange and substituting the juice for the milk in the icing.
- Not a fan of cream cheese? Make a simple glaze by mixing powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk, and drizzle over the finished sweet rolls instead of the cream cheese icing.
EASY CINNAMON ROLL RECIPES FAQS
Why are my cinnamon rolls so hard?
Freshly baked cinnamon rolls should be soft. If they’re hard, it means the dough was over-kneaded OR the cinnamon rolls were over-baked.
How do you make cinnamon rolls rise?
Cinnamon rolls rise using yeast. The yeast is activated using warm water and sugar.
How do you keep cinnamon rolls from getting hard?
Store leftover cinnamon rolls in a container with a lid. The fluffy cinnamon rolls will get hard if they’re left out for a while or stored with a loose-fitting cover (i.e. aluminum foil or plastic wrap).
Is bread flour or all-purpose flour better for easy cinnamon roll recipes?
Bread flour has a slightly higher protein content, which helps give structure to bread as it rises. In a roll recipe that includes butter and sugar, like these cinnamon rolls, all-purpose flour gives a fluffy texture, so bread flour isn’t necessary. However, both will work, so use whatever you have on hand!
MORE YUMMY BAKED BREAKFAST RECIPES
- Chocolate Chip Scones
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Sheet Pan Pancake
- Caramelized Banana Bread
- The Best Breakfast Sandwich Recipe
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Sign up for my FREE Fight Inflation Workshop and learn simple strategies to save money, even with rising food costs!Quick 1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
These quick and easy homemade cinnamon rolls are ready in just one hour! Packed with ooey, gooey cinnamon goodness and topped with creamy icing, they’re perfect for a weekend breakfast or an afternoon treat!
- Prep Time: 55 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 12 Rolls 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- ¾ – 1 cup milk (I used almond milk)
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened
- 3 – 3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (I used all-purpose einkorn)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons Instant Yeast (1 envelope)
- 1 egg
For the Filling:
- ¼ cup granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp butter, softened
For the Cream Cheese Icing:
- 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 ½ Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1–2 tablespoons milk (if needed)
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup of milk (¾ cup if using einkorn) and 4 Tbsp butter in a small microwave-safe bowl or a mug. Microwave in 5 second intervals, stirring well each time. The butter should melt and the mixture should reach 105F – 110F (use a thermometer to be sure). If the temperature is warmer than 110F, the yeast will die. Stir while blowing on the mixture to cool it down.
- In the bowl of a stand-mixer fitted with a dough paddle, or a large bowl if you’re working the dough by hand, combine the warmed milk and butter with the ¼ cup sugar and yeast; stir well. Add 3 cups of flour, 1 egg, and salt and beat on medium-low speed until the dough becomes a ball and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. If you need to add additional flour, add it 1 Tbsp at a time and use no more than 3 ½ cups total.
- Continue beating the dough for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is no longer sticky (you should be able to poke the dough with your finger, remove it without the dough sticking to your finger, and the indentation stays). Remove the dough, form it into a ball with your hands, and place it in a greased bowl. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the dough rest in a warm area for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the granulated sugar and brown sugar with the cinnamon and set it aside. Grease your baking dish using either butter wrappers or cooking spray.
- When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Using a rolling pin (floured if needed), roll the dough out into a large rectangle (about 9” x 13”). Use a butter knife to spread 4 Tbsp of room temperature butter* evenly over the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture over the butter.
- Starting at one the long 13” edges, roll the dough tightly and pinch the final seam together to seal the filling. Use a very sharp knife to cut the dough into 11 pieces for a pie plate, or 12 pieces for a 9” x 13” rectangle baking dish.
- Place the cinnamon rolls into your greased baking dish, cover with a kitchen towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 25 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F.
- While the dough is rising, whisk together the cream cheese icing ingredients in a small bowl. If the icing is too thick, add milk 1 Tbsp at a time.
- When the rolls are done rising, remove the kitchen towel and bake the cinnamon rolls for 15-20 minutes, until they’re golden brown and cooked through. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before icing.
- Drizzle with the prepared icing and serve warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container to keep the cinnamon rolls soft and prevent them from getting hard.
Notes
- Use a thermometer to test the temperature of the milk and butter. You want it between 105F and 110F. Any warmer and you’ll kill the yeast. Any cooler and the yeast won’t activate. I recommend microwaving the milk and butter in 5-second intervals.
- If you use all-purpose einkorn flour, reduce the milk to ¾ cup. Einkorn flour takes longer to absorb liquid than regular all-purpose flour, so we reduce the liquid up front.
- You can use coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar and brown sugar. It’s one small step towards a healthier cinnamon roll.
- Use room temperature softened butter, but not melted, to spread on the dough before adding the cinnamon sugar mixture. Melted butter will leak out when the rolls start baking, and you’ll lose some of the gooey goodness to the bottom of the pan.
- Preheat the oven while the cinnamon roll dough rests. Once the dough is ready, these easy to make cinnamon rolls come together fast. You’ll be all set if you start the oven a bit early.
- Slice the cinnamon rolls using unflavored dental floss for a super clean cut. A sharp knife will work but could smoosh the rolls.
- Trim the ends of the rectangle and the ends of the rolled dough if you want perfectly even cinnamon rolls.
- A pie plate will fit 11 cinnamon rolls, and a 9” x 13” rectangle baking pan will fit 12 rolls.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Roll
- Calories: 145
The directions never say when to add the sugar, salt and egg.
Hello Jennifer,
The recipe has been updated, thanks! We’re so glad you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls! 🙂