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Who needs buns of steel when you could have buns of cinnamon? These are the World’s Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls and once you try them you’ll never go back.
This post is going to be full of pictures, and not much else because who needs stories about Mom bribing us with cinnamon rolls to get us to eat the potato soup which later turned into a tradition? No one, because everyone really just wants the recipe so let’s get on with the world’s best cinnamon rolls. Boom!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- Tips for the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
- How to Make Cinnamon Roll Filling Gooey
- How to Make Soft Cinnamon Rolls
- How to Cut Cinnamon Rolls
- What Can You Substitute For Buttermilk?
- How Many Times Do Cinnamon Rolls Need to Rise?
- How Long Will Cinnamon Rolls Keep?
- Can You Freeze Frosted Cinnamon Rolls?
- More Sweet Breakfast Options:
- World’s Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
This ingredients list might look long at first glance, but several of the items overlap between the three different components and most of the items will be things you already have at home. Here is what you will need:
For the Dough
- Warm Water: helps activate the yeast, should be between 105° and 115°F
- Heavy Cream: adds to the squishiness of the rolls, whole can be substituted
- Instant Yeast: I prefer instant yeast over active dry yeast and would recommend not substituting it.
- Sugar: feeds the yeast to active it
- Buttermilk: adds to the fluffiness of the rolls
- Sea Salt: enhances all the flavors in the cinnamon rolls
- Eggs: provides structure to the rolls and helps binds all the ingredients
- Canola Oil: adds a little more fat while helping the cinnamon rolls stay tender
- Butter: adds richness to the dough
- All Purpose Flour: provides the structure for rolls
- Soy Lecithin: and emulsifying agent that helps fat and water stay together that helps create the most perfect rolls, can be omitted if needed but it really makes a difference!
For the Filling
- Unsalted Butter: don’t melt it, leave it at room temperature
- Brown Sugar: adds richness and pairs well with cinnamon
- White Sugar: adds additional sweetness
- Cinnamon: adds that signature warm flavor to cinnamon rolls
- Cornstarch: helps keep the filling thick and extra gooey
For the Frosting
- Cream Cheese: adds a delicious tang to the frosting
- Unsalted Butter: adds richness to the cream cheese icing
- Vanilla Extract: adds flavor
- Corn Syrup: helps the frosting looks glossy
- Powdered Sugar: adds the sweetness and structure to the frosting
The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.
Tips for the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Alright, first a few tips. Make sure you know and understand what is the difference between instant yeast and dry active yeast.
Number 1: Instant yeast (or bread machine yeast) is best. Don’t substitute. And let it “proof”. That means let it get all foamy. You see, instant yeast works faster, but I’ll let you click our link above to read more about the difference.
Number 2: These babies want to give you fat pants, and that’s ok, so let’s go ahead and add a little heavy cream into the rolls. It will make them squishy, just like our thighs after eating these. You can use whole milk as a substitute if you need to.
Number 3: Soy Lecithin can be skipped if you must but I promise it creates the perfect roll.
And yes, the soy lecithin is like honey but totally gets added straight to the flour. I don’t know why, and I don’t really care as long as these keep turning out bomb.com.
How to Make Cinnamon Roll Filling Gooey
Number 4: I don’t melt the butter. My mom didn’t, so I don’t. I actually think it makes for a better filling too. When it’s at room temperature, you can smear it by hand or spatula all over the rolled dough. Press the cinnamon sugar filling into the dough as much as possible which is best done by working fast with the softened butter, even using a spatula if needed to ensure all the butter goes on the dough and isn’t stuck between your fingers.
Number 5: Yes, I do use brown sugar and white sugar, Maeser taught me and he is king of the cinnamon rolls so just do it all Nike style. We have tested recipes for a little over 6 years and while there are some I just plain don’t like, there are others that I think are fantastic. I add cornstarch. It really does make a difference.
How to Make Soft Cinnamon Rolls
Number 6: One thing I’ve learned is to not go tooooo thin when rolling out the dough because the layers end up too weak to hold in the filling and you end up not sinking your teeth into a big ol’ soft bite. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to about 1/4″ thick. I wouldn’t go any thinner than that.
Number 7: Now, this next part is totally up to you. I like our rolls soft, so while you have to be careful not to under bake I prefer to put them close together in a baking pan versus way spread apart so that the sides stay soft. Then I gently press the outer layers down a little so I create a more rounded top and can see all of the cinnamon goodness.
Which makes them turn out like this! Aren’t they beautiful? They really are The World’s Best Cinnamon Rolls!
Number 8: In testing I learned that all brown sugar recipes didn’t get that gooey cinnamon thing going on as well even when flour or cornstarch was added. When we pulled them out of the pan there was never any gooeyness left behind which became a sign to us that the recipe wasn’t just right. These rolls leave a little something in the pan, aka awesomeness.
See how beautiful and soft they turn out? And really, if the saying is true that you are what you eat then you will be beautiful for eating these. #Fatpants and all. 😉
How to Cut Cinnamon Rolls
My preferred method is to use dental floss or thread to cut cinnamon rolls. If you use dental floss, make sure that you use flavorless floss. You don’t want a little lingering minty flavor on your rolls!
Slide the floss carefully under the rolled up dough about 1-1.5 inches from the end of the roll, bring both ends of the floss up, cross them in an X over the top of the roll, switch both ends of the floss to the other hand and cross the floss through the dough roll. Using floss helps the cinnamon rolls stay round and not smashed.
If you don’t want to use floss, a sharp knife can also be used to cut the cinnamon rolls. Be very gentle when slicing through the dough, you don’t want to smash it!
What Can You Substitute For Buttermilk?
For each cup of buttermilk, use 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar and add enough milk to make 1 cup.
How Many Times Do Cinnamon Rolls Need to Rise?
Cinnamon roll dough will need to rise twice. Once the dough is made, it will rise for 1-2 hours. Then you form the cinnamon rolls and they will need to rise for another 1-2 hours. Each dough rise is critical to get the fluffiest cinnamon rolls.
How Long Will Cinnamon Rolls Keep?
Cinnamon rolls will keep for 2 days at room temperature.
They should be wrapped in plastic or foil so they don’t dry out.
Cinnamon rolls will keep for an additional week in the refrigerator.
Can You Freeze Frosted Cinnamon Rolls?
You can freeze cinnamon rolls unfrosted, thaw them and warm them and add frosting before eating. Or, you can freeze cinnamon rolls already iced.
Just freeze them and then wrap tightly in foil or plastic wrap and keep frozen till ready to eat. Uncover and thaw before serving.
Homemade cinnamon rolls are what dreams are made of and what fill my fat pants! Good gracious this is the best cinnamon roll recipe in the whole world and that cream cheese frosting is perfection!
More Sweet Breakfast Options:
- Buttermilk Pancakes
- Apple Pie Slow Cooker Oatmeal
- Dutch Baby Pancakes
- Orange Sweet Rolls
- Classic French Toast
- Waffles
- Cinnamon Rolls
- Blueberry French Toast Bake
- Homemade Yogurt
- Cinnamon Roll Pigs in a Blanket
- Peach Coffee Cake
- Liege Waffles
- Slow Cooker Overnight Steel Cut Oats
- All our BREAKFAST RECIPES!
World’s Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream, *may substitute whole milk
- 4 1/2 teaspoons Instant Yeast
- 1 Cup Sugar, divided, plus 2 teaspoons
- 1/2 Cup Buttermilk, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt, fine grain
- 1/3 Cup Canola Oil
- 1/3 Cup Butter, melted, we like Land O Lakes
- 2 Large Eggs, lightly whisked
- 7-8 Cups All Purpose Flour, We use Lehi Roller Mills or Gold Medal
- 2 Dime Sized Circles Soy Lecithin, see note
For the Filling
- 10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 1/2 Cups Light Brown Sugar, packed, plus 2 Tablespoons
- 1/3 Cup White Sugar
- 4 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon
- 3 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
For the Frosting
- 6 Ounces Cream Cheese, at room temperature
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 1/2 Tablespoon Corn Syrup, light karo syrup
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2- 2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
Instructions
- In a glass measuring cup, add the water and cream.1 Cup Warm Water, 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
- Heat in the microwave until warm, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Make sure it’s warm and not hot.
- Add the yeast and 2 teaspoons of sugar.4 1/2 teaspoons Instant Yeast, 1 Cup Sugar
- Allow to foam for 5-10 minutes.
- In another measuring cup, add the buttermilk and warm as well. Making sure it’s luke warm, add it to the yeast mixture.1/2 Cup Buttermilk
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, add the remaining sugar, salt, oil, butter and eggs, whisking to combine.2 teaspoons Sea Salt, 1/3 Cup Canola Oil, 1/3 Cup Butter, 2 Large Eggs, 1 Cup Sugar
- Add to the yeast mixture in a standing mixer.
- Stir with a dough hook to combine.
- Add the flour over the top and the soy lecithin.7-8 Cups All Purpose Flour, 2 Dime Sized Circles Soy Lecithin
- Mix until the dough begins to form a ball then mix for 3 minutes, adding an additional 1/4 cup flour if you were too light handed with the first measurement and it needs more. I never do, but everyone measures differently.
- Remove the dough hook and place a towel over the bowl to rise for 1-2 hours in a warm spot.
- Very lightly flour the counter and roll the dough into a large, even rectangle.
- Spread the soft butter all the way to the edges.10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, sugar and cinnamon with the corn starch.1 1/2 Cups Light Brown Sugar, 1/3 Cup White Sugar, 4 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon, 3 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- Sprinkle liberally over the butter, all the way to the edges.
- Roll into a tight log and using floss, slice the rolls by sliding it under the dough, bring it up and make an “x”, pull it tight to cut through and set it in the lightly greased cookie sheet.
- Repeat until all of the rolls are in the pan and then drape with a towel to rise for 1-2 hours.
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 20-22 minutes, watching the tops because as soon as they are golden the rolls are done and you DO NOT want to over bake.
- Remove from the oven, cool for 2 minutes and top with frosting while hot.
- Sneak into another room to enjoy one all alone before the husband and kids find you.
For the Frosting
- In a bowl, with a handheld mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter together until softened.6 Ounces Cream Cheese, 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- Add the corn syrup (karo syrup) and vanilla a beat again.1 1/2 Tablespoon Corn Syrup, 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Finally, slowly beat in the powdered sugar until desired consistency.2- 2 1/2 Cups Powdered Sugar
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Could you please add a photo of the rolls when they first come out of the oven, so we can see what you mean by “not brown”? And a photo of a plain roll fresh from the oven where you have taken a fork to open one up a bit, to give me a better idea of lightly baked and still soft, not crusty, vs under done and doughy?
Thank you!
With no icing
Hi Donna,
The photo in the post of the batch of rolls, lightly golden is fresh from the oven. Unfortunately I don’t have time right now to make a new batch, photograph and edit photos of cutting into one, but I’ll try to remember to in the future. As long as you follow the baking times and they aren’t dark brown on top you should be good to go. All ovens are different so give yourself a couple tries to figure out exactly how long your oven needs to bake them perfectly. I hope you love them as much as we do!
Where can you get the soy lethicin?
Most specialty food stores carry it, like Sprouts, Good Earth, Whole Foods, not typically found in a normal grocery store, but specialty stores tend to carry it. It is also great to use in any bread, roll, recipe.
Yes, we love it in our regular breads too!
Can I refrigerate rolls after step #5 and then pull out to bake in the morning? There’s nothing like a fresh baked roll in the morning!!!
Hi Suzanne,
As long as they are wrapped lightly so the dough doesn’t turn crispy in the fridge and you give yourself a good hour sitting on the counter in the morning I’m sure it would be fine. Just as long as they aren’t baked cold. 🙂
Great! I’ll report back!!!! Want to start Spring Break early tomorrow with a festive roll!!!
I love that idea!
I had a hankering for cinnamon rolls this past weekend and was in search for a worthy recipe. It just happened that you posted this at the perfect time. I made them today! Regrettably, while the dough was riding, I realized that I completely forgot to add the soy lecithin. With my hopes for outstanding rolls mostly dashed, I carried on. But, do you know what, they were still very scrumptious. The baking time was right on (I also prefer a soft, “ungolden” texture),
This recipe is a winner and will be more so the next time as I will be sure not to forget the soy lecithin. Thank you!
I’m so thrilled!! Yes, those dark brown, crusty cinnamon rolls are not my thing at all.
These cinnamon rolls look perfect! Love how covered in glaze they are!
Thank you so much!
Is the cornstarch add to the sugars to keep it from running all over the bottom of the pan when baking the rolls. In the past I have had that problem.
Hi Debbie,
Yes, it helps to thicken everything up!
Can I substitute soy lecithin with something else and if so what would you suggest?
Hi Heather if you can’t find it anywhere you can always skip it. The rolls wont be as tender, but they will still be delicious. 🙂
Omigoooodness these cinnamon rolls really do look perfect! Pinning!
Thanks girl!
Is the Soy Lecithin something easy to find in the grocery store? Never heard of it before, thanks 🙂
Hi Meg! All of our grocery stores here in Utah carry it, but organic stores nationwide should. Or you could always buy it on amazon or I’m sure that brand has a site. It’s so awesome to use in bread and pizza dough too so it’s totally worth it!
What department would I look in to find Soy Lecithin? I’ve checked Wal-Mart and Smiths and didn’t find it.
Natalie, if you’re in Utah Macey’s sells it in the baking section or look at specialty stores like sprouts and whole foods.
i went to both sprouts and whole foods in los angeles (quite a few) looking for soy lecithin and neither carry it. they carry the granules but not the liquid. seems like this is a tricky item to track down. called a few other local health stores and they don’t carry it either. they have sunflower lecithin, can i sub that instead? Thanks.
Oh shoot! How annoying! It must be Utah that loves to carry it everywhere. I haven’t used the sunflower lecithin so I can’t be sure of it’s results. If you need to you can try it or skip the lecithin and they will still be fantastic. 🙂
Wonderful, I have always wanted to make a sheet tray of cinnamon bun rolls. I don”t because I will eat them all, but I want to!