Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are soft, fluffy, and the perfect baking project! Make the cinnamon roll dough in advance, cut the rolls, then pop in the fridge and bake when you’re ready. Top with sweet glaze or cream cheese icing and dig in! These rarely last longer than 30 minutes!

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls in a baking dish with glaze on top.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

I should call these “award winning cinnamon rolls”, because so many readers have won baking contests using this recipe! Made with basic pantry staples and a tested and perfected baking technique, they’re basically foolproof. Even newbies to yeasted doughs can master this recipe!

And it’s a recipe worth mastering. These cinnamon rolls are soft, fluffy, stuffed with gooey cinnamon sugar, and topped with sweet glaze. They’re a Christmas morning tradition in our house… and so good with a big cup of coffee. Or a big cup of milk, if you’re like my two-year old.

Cinnamon Roll Dough Ingredients

Milk: For best results, I suggest using whole milk. In a pinch, lesser fat milks and even plant based milks will work. Although the dough will be less soft and flavorful due to less fat in the milk.
Butter: Unsalted butter is preferred, but if you only have salted butter on hand, use it. And simply reduce the amount of salt called for by 1/2. Or omit completely if you know your butter is very salty.
Flour: All-purpose flour is the only flour I can guarantee will work for these cinnamon rolls. Some readers have reported great success using 1 for 1 GF flour. So you could use that in the dry ingredients if you’re up for experimenting.
Active Dry Yeast: Make sure to use fresh yeast that has not expired. I don’t suggest rapid rise yeast or instant yeast because it works too fast for the methods used in this recipe. And do not try subbing baking powder for yeast, it won’t work.
Sugar: You’ll need three varieties of sugar for this recipe. Granulated sugar for the rolls, brown sugar for the filling sugar mixture, and confectioners’ sugar for the glaze.
Salt: This ingredient enhances all of the flavors in the recipe while also balancing sweetness.
Egg: Be sure to use a large egg that’s been brought to room temperature.
Spices: Ground cinnamon and just a touch of cloves add warmth and depth of flavor the cinnamon roll filling. If you don’t have cloves, feel free to just use cinnamon.
Heavy Cream: This is used to make the sweet icing, but in a pinch, milk will also work. Start with a smaller amount of milk as it’s thinner than cream so it will alter the texture.
Vanilla Extract: You can add vanilla extract to the frosting as an optional ingredient.

How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Roll Dough: You’ll use the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook to make the cinnamon roll dough. Once you combine all the ingredients, beat the cinnamon roll dough for 5 minutes. Keep an eye on your stand mixer, as it might move around a good amount. Then knead the dough by hand for a minute or so.
Let the Dough Rise: Form the dough into a ball and place it inside the prepared bowl. Tightly cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside until it doubles in size. Yeasted doughs require patience, don’t rush this step.
Pan Prep: Generously grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set it aside until you’re ready to bake. If you use a ceramic or glass pan, your rolls may take longer to bake than if you use a metal pan.
Roll the Dough: Punch down the cinnamon roll dough, then turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Use a rolling pin (or wine bottle lol) to roll it into a large rectangle that’s evenly thick.
Fill the Dough: Using a small spatula or the back of a spoon, spread the cinnamon sugar filling combination over the dough. Leave about a 1/4-inch boarder around the dough so it doesn’t ooze everywhere when you roll it up.

Cinnamon rolls baked but not frosted in the baking pan.

Cut the Rolls

Roll the Cinnamon Roll Dough: Tightly roll up the dough then slice the log into 12 even cinnamon rolls. Pro-tip: use unflavored dental floss to do this! The floss method is so much easier and neater than using a knife. But a sharp knife will work if you don’t have floss.
Transfer to Baking Pan: Then place the rolls in the prepared baking pan.
Second Rise: This is where you come to a crossroads with the rolls rising. You can either cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours. This is the overnight cinnamon rolls option. Or, you can cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for another hour, or until they’ve doubled in size.

Cinnamon rolls in baking pan topped with sweet glaze.

Ready to Bake?

Bake your Cinnamon Rolls: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees about 20 minutes before baking. If you chose the overnight option, remove the pan from the fridge and let the rolls rise in a warm place until they’ve puffed up and almost doubled in size, about 2 hours. If you chose to rise at room temp, you can simply bake right away.
Glaze: Spread the warm cinnamon rolls with sweet glaze, or whip up a batch of cream cheese frosting and use that instead. Serve while they’re still warm to the touch, or cool completely. No matter how you serve them, they’ll be delicious.

Can I Use Cream Cheese Frosting?

Of course, you can use cream cheese frosting instead! I prefer the glaze because it’s less sweet and dominating than cream cheese frosting. But if cream cheese frosting is your jam, use your favorite cream cheese frosting recipe or you can use store-bought cream cheese frosting.

Spread it on after the rolls have cooled a little if you prefer the frosting to hold it’s shape. Or spread it on the rolls while they’re hot for a gooey cream cheese glaze.

Cinnamon rolls in baking pan with glaze on top.

How to Avoid Burnt Cinnamon Rolls

If you find your rolls are browning too much, you can cover them loosely with aluminum foil halfway through the baking process. Personally, I like my rolls with a good amount of color so this doesn’t bother me.

But just be sure you bake them for at least 22 minutes, otherwise they could be raw or undercooked in the middle. If you remove the rolls from the oven and see any raw looking dough, place the pan back in the oven for another 5 minutes, then check again.

Tools for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Stand Mixer with Dough Hook Attachment: Unfortunately a handheld mixer won’t work for this. In a pinch, you can knead the cinnamon roll dough by hand. But be ready to pump that elbow grease working the dough.
Digital Kitchen Scale: The best way to measure flour – and all ingredients – is with a digital scale. If you don’t own one, fluff your flour first then lightly spoon it into the measuring cup. Never pack your flour into a measuring cup.
Baking Dish: A 9×13 inch baking pan works best, but a large skillet will also work. Just remember the material of your baking pan will alter the baking time, so keep an eye while your rolls are baking. Thicker pans require more time while thinner pans will require less time.
Rolling Pin: Every baker should have a trusty baking pin! But in a pinch, use a clean wine bottle.
Small Bowls: These are great for measuring out spices or making the glaze.
Plain Dental Floss: This might sounds strange, but unscented and unflavored floss is actually the best way to slice cinnamon rolls. I swear by this method for cutting the cinnamon roll dough and I think you will too after trying it.

Cinnamon roll on dessert plate with a cup of coffee on the side.

Next time you have a free afternoon in the kitchen, put on your apron and give these overnight cinnamon rolls a try! You can bake them all at once, or use the overnight method, which lets you make them partially in advance. Once they’re in the oven, sit back and enjoy the delightful smell of brown sugar and cinnamon filling your kitchen. No scented candle required!

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