When we say this is the BEST cinnamon roll recipe, we don’t say it lightly. This recipe beats Cinnabon (gasp!) any day of the week. These rolls are like little pillows of perfection, with a cream cheese frosting you could eat by the spoon. We can still remember special weekend mornings, waking up to the smell of our mom’s freshly baked cinnamon rolls. They’re easy enough to make on a random morning, but special enough to serve on Christmas morning, and is a must for brunch recipes. Whip up a batch of these best cinnamon rolls for your family this weekend!
Ingredients for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe may seem overwhelming with a lot of steps, but they’re actually very simple! Gather all your ingredients together ahead of time, take it one step at a time and before you know it, you’ll have a baking dish of fluffy, gorgeous cinnamon rolls to share with people you love. Here’s what you need:
CINNAMON ROLL DOUGH:
Warm water – one cup to mix with the yeast Active dry yeast – You can use instant yeast or quick rise Sugar – mix one tablespoon in with the warm water and yeast Warm milk – any kind of milk will work, but I like using whole or 2% milk for this recipe Butter – softened, unsalted butter works great so you can control the amount of salt flavor in the dough Sugar – white, granulated sugar Salt Eggs – two whole eggs Flour – I like using bread flour for this recipe, but all-purpose flour works great too.
CINNAMON FILLING:
Butter – melted White Sugar Ground Cinnamon Brown sugar Walnuts, pecans or raisins (OPTIONAL)
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
Cream cheese – one eight ounce block, softened to room temperature. Butter – also softened to room temperature Vanilla extract Powdered sugar – use a sifter to get the sugar super light and airy
Make Ahead of Time
This cinnamon roll recipe is the perfect thing to make the night or day before, freeing up plenty of time for lazy morning snuggling and relaxing. There are two times you can refrigerate the dough: Cover the shaped dough in plastic wrap (if not making ahead, covering with a kitchen towel is fine) or an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to a day. When you’re ready to bake, remove from fridge and unwrap slightly and let it rise in a warm place until doubled. Then bake til golden brown, frost, and enjoy!
How to Slice Cinnamon Roll Dough
Once you roll up your dough into a “tube” shape you will want to slice off each individual roll (this is actually my favorite part). Don’t do this with a knife if you can help it! It will make it so your dough un-rolls and it will most-likely be uneven. The easiest thing to do is to get about 2 feet of dental floss and place it under the rolled dough, 1 inch from the end. Bring the floss up around the dough and cross it over the top, cutting through the dough and filling. Repeat at 1-inch intervals. WAY easier than using a knife (even a sharp knife or serrated knife). Read Next: 35+ Brunch Ideas
The Best Frosting for Cinnamon Rolls
Arguably, the best part of this cinnamon roll recipe is the creamy cream cheese frosting. Sweet taste but not too sweet, with a rich cream cheese flavor that adds a little protein and calcium and complements the fluffy cinnamon rolls to perfection. And if you frost them while they’re still warm, the luscious icing melts down into the sweet crevices and gives the rolls a softer texture. We always use our famous Cream Cheese Frosting for this recipe (see recipe card below). It is simply scrumptious!
More Recipes with Cream Cheese Frosting
While we’re on the subject, try a few of our most favorite frosting covered treats. You’re welcome.
Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting Coconut Cream Cake with Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting Lemon Buttermilk Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting Pumpkin Roll Nothing Bundt Cakes White Chocolate Raspberry (Copycat Recipe)
More Delicious Cinnamon Roll Recipes
Plus, if you love a little more to your rolls, try a few of these mouthwatering recipes:
How to Make The BEST Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
Lion House Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade Orange Rolls
Biscoff Spread Cinnamon Rolls
Peach Cinnamon Rolls
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