These easy cinnamon rolls are perfect for yeast beginners because they only require 1 rise. You have a few options for toppings. The recipe below includes a simple cream cheese icing, but we also love these with the coffee icing or vanilla icing that's included in the recipe Notes below.
Recipe by Sally on October 27, 2022
Prep time: PT1H40M
Cook time: PT25M
Total time: PT2H5M
Rating
4.7 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
easy cinnamon rolls from scratch
Ingredients
2 and 3/4 cups (344g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter
2 and 1/4 teaspoons Platinum Yeast from Red Star or any instant yeast (1 standard packet)
1 large egg, at room temperature
3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, extra softened
1/3 cup (67g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 ounces (113g) full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
2 Tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup (80g) confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Categories
Breakfast
Cuisine
American
Steps
Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
Combine the milk and butter together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave or use the stove and heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is warm to the touch (about 110°F/43°C, no higher). Whisk in the yeast until it has dissolved. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and stir with a sturdy rubber spatula or wooden spoon OR use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed. Mix until a soft dough forms.
Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Using floured hands, knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. You should have a smooth ball of dough. If the dough is super soft or sticky, you can add a little more flour. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I use non-stick spray), cover loosely, and let the dough rest for about 10 minutes as you get the filling ingredients ready.
After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14×8-inch (36×20-cm) rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and brown sugar. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Roll up the dough to make a 14-inch log. Cut into 10–12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9- or 10-inch round cake pan, pie dish, or square baking pan.
Cover the pan with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the rolls to rise in a relatively warm environment for 60–90 minutes or until double in size. (For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 24–27 minutes, or until lightly browned. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely tent the pan with aluminum foil and continue baking. If you want to be precise about their doneness, their internal temperature taken with an instant read thermometer should be around 195–200°F (91–93°C) when done. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a wire rack as you make the icing. (You can also make the icing as the rolls bake.)
In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add the butter and beat until smooth and combined, then beat in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla until combined. Using a knife or icing spatula, spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.
Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reviews
Dan on 2025-09-26 (1 stars): Followed to a “T”. Horrible
Bekah on 2025-09-27 (3 stars): Wondering if 1/3 cup brown sugar for the filling was a typo? I used more than what was called for in the recipe and it still didn’t seem like enough to get a yummy filling in the rolls. The rolls themselves turned out great! But definitely tasted more like a sweet bread than a cinnamon roll because of the lack of filling
EP on 2025-09-30 (1 stars): This recipe is terrible. I wasted a bunch of ingredients making these buns. They are hard and dry because it doesn’t call for blooming the yeast first. Use a difference recipe if you want tasty soft buns.
Adele on 2025-10-01 (5 stars): Thank you this simple but delicious recipe. My husband loved it.
Susan H. on 2025-10-07 (5 stars): Excellent cinnamon roll recipe! Absolutely the best! Thank you so much for sharing this. I did 2 things differently, but didn't change any ingredients or the amounts. First, for the dough, I always put the sugar in the milk and butter mix. This gives the sugar a little help in dissolving. Second. I use dental floss to cut the slices from the log. I roll up the dough with sugar, butter and cinnamon mixture to form the log. Then I take about a 12 inch piece of plain dental floss, raise up one end of dough and place the floss under the dough where I want to cut. I will pick up the ends of the floss, one end in each hand, and cross each end simultaneously over the log and pull tight. This cuts the slice very easily. Repeat this until all of the log is in slices. If you need to, you can mark where you want each slice cut by indenting the dough to make a mark. Again, thank you very much for this recipe. Yummy!
Jenn on 2025-10-04 (3 stars): The taste is fine with these, but the dough is just way too dense. These don't really rise and I think part of it is the butter fats are interfering with the active yeast when you put the butter and milk together with the yeast. It might work better with just letting the yeast activate in warm milk first before adding anything else? This site is usually my go to for Saturday baking recipes, but this one didn't quite hit.
Alexandra Rowland on 2025-10-05 (5 stars): Made yesterday and still delicious today! I did leave to rise for 2 1/2 hours after making just the dough simply because I ran out of time before I had to go out for lunch, and then I didn’t realise I was as low on cinnamon as I was so had to also used my mixed spice seasoning from my pumpkin spice loaf last year, however overall it came out delicious and the additional spices made it great for October can’t wait to make again
Jill on 2025-10-05 (5 stars): Literally the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever eaten, especially if you add a cinnamon butter topping before baking. My dad tried one and agreed with me 10/10 do recommend.
