Impossibly Soft Cinnamon Rolls (with Cream Cheese Frosting)
Updated Dec 19, 2024
This cinnamon roll recipe makes ultra soft, squishy cinnamon rolls. They’re 10/10 foolproof and always tender with my 4 pro tricks!
Soft, Tender Cinnamon Roll Recipe
This is my ultimate tested-till-perfect cinnamon roll recipe for soft, tender cinnamon rolls.
A swirl of soft bun, gooey buttery brown sugar and cinnamon filling, and my fluffy cream cheese icing recipe. Is there anything better than a cinnamon roll hot from the oven?
Done exactly as written, these homemade cinnamon rolls turn out heavenly every time. This is my go-to recipe for Christmas and Easter morning, and many, many mornings in between.
A few simple tricks are what sets this recipe apart from the pack. You’ll never look back.
4 Science-Backed Tips for the Softest Cinnamon Rolls
- Use a stand mixer. The dough is very wet and sticky, won’t form an actual ball, and kneading by hand will be difficult without adding more flour. More flour will dry out your buns.
- Weigh the flour, as the few extra tablespoons added by scooping compacted flour straight from the bag can also change the final product.
- Don’t overbake. The buns will be about 190ºF. I use a meat thermometer to check. No sweat if you don’t have a thermometer. As long as they aren’t sticky-doughy, they’re done.
- And my FAV. I’m obsessed with this LIFE-CHANGING tip for FOOLPROOF deliriously-soft cinnamon rolls: Pour some extra milk into the bottom of the pan after you place the rolls in. The milk adds moisture, keeping the buns soft and squishy as they bake. It creates steam so that an outer crust doesn’t form too quickly and the dough can expand to it’s ✨maximum volume and fluffiness✨. The dough slurps up the extra milk as it bakes. None will be left in the pan. You’re simply left with the most pillowy-soft cinnamon buns of your life.
Want to make your cinnamon rolls in advance so you can just pop them in the oven in the morning? You can definitely do it! But to make them as perfect and delicious, use my tricks.
There are two problems with making cinnamon rolls in advance. The first is that even though yeast is still active in the fridge, the dough is such a rich one that the rise is slow. The rolls won’t rise as much overnight as they would on the counter.
The second problem is that cold dough will bake unevenly. The tops will be very dark brown while the middle rolls are still raw and doughy. Gross.
The TRICK is to bring the rolls to room temperature quickly and allow them to finish their second rise in the morning before you bake them. See below.
How to Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Prepare the dough up until the second rise. After placing the rolls in the pan and covering with a clean towel, transfer them to the fridge.
- In the morning, lift the parchment out of the baking pan and separate the unbaked cinnamon rolls on the counter. Taking them out of the cold pan and separating them massively speeds up the time to get them to room temperature and finish rising. Plan for 1 hour on the counter to achieve this.
- Once the rolls are at room temperature and doubled in volume from yesterday (take a pic of them before you refrigerate if you’re unsure), put them back in a parchment-lined baking pan and bake as usual. The time will be the same.
Can I Freeze This Cinnamon Roll Recipe?
Baked cinnamon rolls freeze extremely well. Separate them (unfrosted) and freeze in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once firm, pack into airtight storage bags or containers for up to 2 months.
Pop one in the microwave for 20-second intervals, flipping upside down then right-side-up, until warm.
Alternatively, freeze the whole unfrosted pan of baked cinnamon rolls and rewarm in a 300ºF oven, covered tightly with foil, until warmed through (expect about an hour).
TIP: tap the “metric “ button in the recipe card to see the cinnamon roll recipe with weight measurements.
Impossibly Soft Cinnamon Roll Recipe (+ Cream Cheese Frosting!)
Ingredients
For Cinnamon Roll Dough:
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ tsp instant yeast (see notes to substitute active dry yeast)
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup warm milk 110°F – 120°F
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
For the Filling:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 ½ tbsp ground cinnamon
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
Cream Cheese Frosting (Optional)
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- ¼ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
Additional:
- ¼ cup milk for baking pan
Instructions
To Make the Dough:
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, stir together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. TIP: tap the “metric “ button in my recipe card to see weight measurements.
- In another bowl, mix the warm milk, melted butter, and eggs.
- Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir it together to form a shaggy dough.
- Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 7-10 minutes by hand or 4 minutes with a stand mixer with a dough hook attached on medium-low speed. The dough will initially be sticky; refrain from adding more flour as it will absorb moisture while resting.
- Let the dough rise in a greased, covered bowl in a warm place for about 30-45 minutes.
To Make the Filling:
- Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a bowl.
To Assemble:
- Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a 12×16-inch rectangle.
- Spread the softened butter over the dough, then evenly sprinkle with the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture.
- Roll the dough tightly from the long edge and cut into 8 even slices.
- Place in a greased 9×13-inch baking pan and cover with plastic wrap. Let them rise again for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
To Bake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Just before baking, remove the plastic wrap and pour ¼ cup of milk around the rolls into the bottom of baking dish.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, covering with foil or parchment after 20 minutes to prevent over-browning. Bake until golden brown and they reach 190ºF with a meat thermometer.
To Make the Frosting (Optional):
- Beat the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and a pinch of salt in a bowl until smooth.
- Spread the frosting on warm buns for a melty, gooey frosting, or wait until completely cool if you prefer frosting not to melt.
Notes
Overnight Option:
Prep the rolls up to the second rise, then cover the pan and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, lift the parchment out and separate the cold rolls on the counter so they warm up and finish rising. Once they’re puffy and at room temperature, put them back in the pan and bake as usual.To use active dry yeast instead of instant yeast:
- Replace the 2 ¼ tsp of instant yeast with the same amount of active dry yeast.
- Dissolve the active dry yeast in the warm milk (110°F – 120°F) and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes frothy.
- Then, proceed with mixing the warm milk and yeast mixture with the melted butter and eggs. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and continue with the original instructions to form the dough, knead, and let it rise as directed. This extra step ensures the yeast activates properly.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I forgot to mention, you are now my go to for cinnamon rolls, they are soft, perfect cinnamon to brown sugar ration and the topping puts it over the top. The milk trick is spot on for fluffy rolls. Thanks Again
I always used Pioneer Woman recipe, but your approach with the Instant yeast sounded easier. I had a couple of issues: I used a thermometer to test doneness, and the outer part of the rolls were 190, let them sit about 10 minutes, but the texture was still chewy toward the center not fluffy. Second, I made two batches and the milk was too hot, I let it cool to 120 But the rise was not as good. Not sure if the milk was the cause or not. Lastly, how do we reheat the rolls, I tried in a warm oven but that dries them out…microwave? Maybe 10 seconds?
Hi Sharon, Thanks for your questions! If your middle buns weren’t quite there yet, it might have been the pan you used. Some glass/ceramic pans retain heat so effectively that the parts in direct contact cook much more quickly. Try a light-colored metal pan next time – they are best for even baking since they heat quickly and evenly. Or to use the one you used last time, lower the oven temp by 25°F and bake a bit longer for more even baking.
Re: the rise, assuming you used the same batch of yeast, the issue might be in the kneading or shaping. If the dough wasn’t kneaded enough, the gluten structure might not have developed fully, affecting the rise. Over-kneading could also make the dough tight and restrict the yeast’s ability to expand. I literally set a timer for the kneading step.
To reheat, cover tightly with foil and heat at 300F until just warm or microwave individual buns for 10-15 seconds wrapped in a damp paper towel.
I would like to make these the day before so they could be ready to bake for breakfast. Could I make them up and refrigerate? I’m thinking they may rise some overnight and be ready to bake maybe after half hour being at room temperature? Suggestions?
Hi Sonia! Yes you absolutely can. I wrote a detailed section in the article on how to make them the day before. Here’s a direct link to that section.
Absolutely delicious! Very easy to make and are now a family favorite. You have to try these!!!
Can I ask what setting I should put the stand mixer on when mixing? I just put it on level one, and I’m wondering if that’s where it went wrong. It did not rise, and continued not to rise the second time around as well. I’m going to try it again today, but wanted to make sure I do everything correctly this time around. Thank you!
Here are some reasons your cinnamon rolls didn’t rise:
1. Old yeast: Check the expiration date and if using “Active Dry” instead of “Instant” yeast, you need to proof it separately in warm liquid first.
2. Water temperature: Ensure the water is not super hot or it can kill the yeast. Instant yeast and active dry yeast can be killed at temperatures above 140°F.
I suspect old yeast or the wrong type of yeast used if they didn’t rise at all!
Your directions in step 1 & 2, and the notes part for the milk addition are confusing. I just want to make sure I do it correctly. So the rise of the cut rolls is not done in baking dish since milk is added at bottom of baking dish before risen rolls are put in per step one? Step 2 you say to take off plastic wrap, but at this point the rolls have already been removed from second rising under wrap. Third confusion is in notes area you say to pour milk on-top of risen rolls once in baking dish. So when do I actually add the milk? I love to bake and these look so darn amazing I want to make sure I get it right.
Thanks for pointing out the confusion, Kim! I hopefully just made it more clear. Let me know if you still have questions.
I see that the recipe calls for instant yeast. I have active yeast in a packet. Would that work the same with same measurements? Would I need to tweak the recipe or find instant yeast?
Thanks!
Hi Heather, you don’t have to change the quantity.
To adapt this recipe to use active dry yeast, replace the 2 ¼ tsp of instant yeast with the same amount of active dry yeast.
Dissolve the active dry yeast in the warm milk (110°F – 120°F) and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until it becomes frothy. Then, proceed with mixing the warm milk and yeast mixture with the melted butter and eggs.
Add this mixture to the dry ingredients and continue with the original instructions to form the dough, knead, and let it rise as directed. This extra step ensures the yeast activates properly.
Delicious but absolutely “American sized” buns. We could only manage half a bun each. Next time, and there will be a next time, I will make them smaller and reduce the baking time slightly.
I like big buns and I cannot lie 😁
These are ridiculously good! I have an adored recipe I have been making for my family for years- and this just replaced it! The dough is STICKY. I was a little worried when forming the roll but trusted the process and they turned out great. I think I’ll try them on a lower rack in the oven next time to see if we can keep the moisture but maybe caramelize the bottom a bit, otherwise this recipe is perfection!
Ridiculously good is my FAVOURITE kind of good! Yay!
These were absolutely delicious! I followed the directions exactly as they were written and they truly were the softest cinnamon rolls I have ever head. They were a little time-consuming, but rolls this good are worth the wait. My family absolutely loved them, and they are already asking when I will make them again!
Hi Maria,
This makes me so happy! Thank you so much for coming back to comment. 🥰