My take on Amish cinnamon rolls yields pillowy soft, unbelievably melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls that rival any you’ll find a a farmer’s market. The secret? A simple pantry staple that makes all the difference. Recipe includes a how-to video!
The BEST Amish Cinnamon Rolls
I’ll be honest, this recipe was never supposed to make it onto the blog. I started working on my “secret ingredient” cinnamon rolls several years ago, and since I already have a classic cinnamon roll recipe, overnight cinnamon rolls, a no-yeast cinnamon roll and… well, quite a few more, I hadn’t intended on adding another version to the website, and I’d planned on making it a cookbook exclusive.
Well, obviously, that didn’t happen. Once I finally cracked the recipe for these Amish cinnamon rolls, they were honestly too good not to share immediately. They’re soft and tender, insanely pillowy, covered with the most luscious cream cheese frosting, and made in traditional Amish style, meaning we’re adding mashed potatoes (yes, mashed potatoes, trust me!) to the dough.
Why This Recipe WORKS
- Amish-market perfecton, but at home. Just like the rolls from an Amish farmer’s market or bakery they’re big, buttery, ultra-soft, and topped with just the right amount of icing (a lot!).
- Secret ingredient: mashed potatoes (yes, really!). This is an old fashioned trick that’s used in many bread doughs like my potato buns or sweet potato dinner rolls. The starches in the potato hold onto moisture and yield a softer, more tender crumb that stays soft for days (not that these will last that long…).
- Softened butter = better rise and texture: While melted butter works, it can also make the dough a bit heavier. Softened butter, added gradually, makes the dough more tender and encourages a higher rise (for fluffier rolls).
- Make-ahead and freezer friendly! These rolls can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning; I include instructions for this in the recipe notes. They also freeze well!
Jump to:
Ingredients
Let’s chat about a few of the key players before we dive in.
- Bread flour. A higher protein bread flour really is best for the ideal (think chewy) cinnamon roll texture, but all-purpose works in a pinch. You need at least four cups, but have more on hand as the amount you will need to add will vary depending on your kitchen.
- Active dry yeast. Make sure your yeast is alive and active (it needs to develop a foamy cap once it’s mixed with the warm liquid); if it’s not, the recipe won’t work! You could try to make this recipe with instant yeast, but I have found it doesn’t make too much of a difference time-wise.
- Mashed potato. Don’t use leftover mashed potatoes that were made with butter, cream, etc. You want plain, unseasoned potato, and it’s best if it’s room temperature or even slightly warm. I typically use a russet potato that I’ve microwaved (simple, detailed instructions in the recipe notes below).
- Brown sugar & cinnamon. Regular granulated sugar enriches and sweetens the dough, but for the filling I like light brown sugar. If you only have dark brown, that will work too. Or, make your own light brown sugar using the instructions in my post on how to make brown sugar.
- Cream cheese. Stick with full-fat, block style cream cheese for the best results. Using low-fat or spreadable could result in a frosting that’s too runny.
As always, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: While I usually use melted butter in my homemade cinnamon rolls, I’ve found that softened butter can actually make a really positive difference. While melted butter works (and well), the gradual addition helps with the gluten development and makes for a crumb with higher lift, ensuring more moist, fluffy, and soft results. We’ll form the dough first, add most of the flour, and get all that flour hydrated before adding the butter a tablespoon at a time.
How to Make Amish Cinnamon Rolls
- Step 1: Activate the yeast. The milk and water need to be warm, but not too hot, aim for 115F (stir before temping!). Add the yeast and a pinch of sugar, stir everything together, and let it sit until you have a nice foamy cap on the liquid. This should take 5-10 minutes, if you’ve waited longer and there’s no activation, your yeast may just be bad (or maybe you made the mistake I once did and added a pinch of salt instead of sugar — whoops!). Regardless, if you don’t get the foam you’ll have to start over.
- Step 2: Make the dough. Add the remaining sugar as well as the mashed potato, eggs, salt, and just 3 cups of the flour. Add softened butter a tablespoon at a time (helps encourage proper gluten development and the softest, pillowiest results), then gradually add additional flour until the dough clings to itself.
- Step 3: Knead well. Exactly how long this takes will vary, but it’s typically 5-10 minutes and you’re looking for a smooth, elastic dough; I like to run this one past the the windowpane test. Basically, if you pinch off a large piece you can gently stretch it to be thin enough that you can see light through it if you hold it up to a light source. And speaking of kneading… I prefer a mixer because you don’t need to add as much flour (the dough can get a bit sticky when kneading by hand, requiring more flour to be added), so the rolls usually end up softer and more pillowy if you use a stand mixer. But, let’s be real, the Amish aren’t using stand mixers so you can certainly make these without one. 😉
- Step 4: First rise. Transfer the dough to a lightly greased (I just use olive oil, but any cooking oil works) bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in a warm spot until doubled in size. This is usually a 1-2 hour wait for me.
- Step 5: Add the filling. Deflate the dough (one of the most satisfying moments of this whole process), then roll it out into a rectangle. Spread softened butter evenly over the dough, leaving a small border unbuttered. Sprinkle the filling, then roll the dough into a tight log, pinching the ends together to make a seam (otherwise they come undone, totally intentionally illustrated in some of these photos).
- Step 6: Cut into rolls. Some people use dental floss, some use a sharp knife, I like a serrated bread knife to gently and evenly saw through the dough without squishing it. Slice the dough into 12 even pieces, then arrange them into a generously buttered 9×13″ pan (I prefer glass or ceramic, metal will bake for less time).
- Step 7: Second rise. Cover and let the rolls rise again until puffy and most of the gaps between them have been filled. In my kitchen this is typically pretty fast, about half an hour, so have your oven preheating in the meantime.
- Step 8: Bake & frost. Uncover the rolls and bake until the tops are just starting to turn light golden brown, about 30 minutes. You can frost the pretty much right away if you’d like, the icing will be more thin and glossy this way, or for a thicker icing let them cool. If you don’t like cream cheese frosting, try my cream cheese-less classic cinnamon roll icing, instead.
SAM’S TIP: To be sure that they are baked all the way through, I like to use a thermometer to check the internal temperature of my rolls (look for 180-185F).
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Amish cinnamon rolls so good?
Not only are they huge, Amish cinnamon rolls have a uniquely tender and moist texture unlike any other. They get this texture from mashed potatoes–more on this below!
What’s the secret to Amish cinnamon roll dough?
Mashed potatoes! Sounds weird, but the potatoes are what makes all the difference here. Potato starch holds moisture better, making the dough more pillowy, tender, moist (not gummy!) and smooth. The rolls are also taller as a result, making them look as incredible as they taste!
Can I use a different frosting?
Absolutely! You could use the topping from my sticky buns, or try one of my cake frostings (you’ll need much less, either quarter or halve the recipe!) like my caramel frosting, coffee frosting, or peanut butter frosting. If you don’t care for cream cheese, you could also try my classic cinnamon roll icing (no cream cheese!).
More Penn-Dutch Recipes
If you’re a cinnamon roll lover, I hope you give this recipe a try and let me know how you like it! 💕
Enjoy!
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Amish Cinnamon Rolls
Pillowy soft Amish cinnamon rolls have a sneaky secret ingredient (that's probably already in your kitchen!) that makes them unbelievably plush and melt in your mouth tender. Recipe includes a how-to video!
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Servings: 12 cinnamon rolls
Calories: 395kcal
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
For activating the yeast
- ½ cup (120 ml) whole milk
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- 2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
For the rest of the dough
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (210 g) mashed russet potato (unseasoned/unsalted, room temperature or slightly warm – see note!)
- 2 large eggs room temperature preferred
- 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter softened and cut into Tablespoon-sized pieces
- 4 cups (500 g) bread flour + additional as needed
Filling
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar firmly packed
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 4 Tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter softened
Icing (see note)
- 2 oz (56 g) cream cheese softened
- 2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon milk
Recommended Equipment
- 13×9” (33x23cm) baking dish
Instructions
- Activate the yeast. Combine milk and water in a small microwave-safe bowl and warm to 115F (46C) (stir before checking the temperature).½ cup (120 ml) whole milk, ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- Pour warmed liquid into a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, and sprinkle yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar into the warmed milk mixture. Stir to combine, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until yeast is foamy (if yeast doesn’t foam, the liquid may have been too hot or the yeast may be expired, you will need to start over).2 ½ teaspoons active dry yeast, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- Make the dough. Add the sugar, mashed potato, eggs, salt, and about 3 cups (375g) of the flour. Stir until combined.⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, 1 cup (210 g) mashed russet potato, 2 large eggs, 1 ½ teaspoons table salt
- Add the butter. Add butter, 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring after each addition and not adding the next until the first is fully incorporated.6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter
- Switch to the dough hook attachment if using a stand mixer and gradually add the remaining flour. Stir until dough starts to pull away from the bowl while mixing (note that you may not need all the flour, or you may need more than indicated. Dough should be soft and slightly tacky, but not sticky)
- Knead the dough: If using your stand mixer: Knead with a dough hook attachment until dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes).If kneading by hand: Transfer dough to a clean lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary (this will take about 10 minutes).
- First rise: Lightly grease a large bowl, transfer dough to bowl and turn all over to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in size (about 1-2 hours, will vary depending on the warmth of your kitchen). While the dough is rising, you can prepare your filling.
- Prepare the filling: In a small mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon table salt
- Butter should be soft enough to easily spread, if it’s not you can briefly microwave it to make it softer. Set aside.4 Tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
- Lightly grease the sides and bottom of a 13×9” (33×23) baking dish, set aside.
- Assemble the rolls: Punch down your dough to deflate and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Roll out to a 20×8” (50x20cm) rectangle.
- Spread the softened butter evenly over the surface, leaving a ½” (1.5cm) perimeter. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the surface, gently pressing into the butter.
- Roll into a log: Start with a longer end and roll the dough tightly into a log, then use your fingers to pinch a seam at the end (helps prevent unraveling). Use a sharp knife to cut the log into 12 even slices, then transfer the slices to prepared 13×9” (33x23cm) baking dish into four even rows of three, spacing rolls evenly.
- Second rise: Cover dish with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place until puffed, about 30 minutes. While rolls are rising, preheat oven to 350F (175C).
- Bake. Once rolls have puffed, transfer to 350F (175C) preheated oven and bake for 27-30 minutes, until top begins to turn a very light golden brown and the internal temperature of a center, second-row cinnamon roll reaches 180-185F (84C).
- Make the icing: Combine cream cheese and butter in a medium-sized bowl and stir until smooth and creamy, then gradually stir in the powdered sugar until completely combined. Stir in vanilla extract and milk until creamy and fully combined.2 oz (56 g) cream cheese, 2 Tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter, 1 cup (125 g) powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 Tablespoon milk
- Allow cinnamon rolls to cool for at least several minutes in their pan before spreading icing over each roll (I add the frosting while they’re still warm, but it will be thicker if you allow the rolls to cool completely first). Enjoy!
Notes
Mashed potato
Mashed potatoes should be plain (no milk, salt, etc), unseasoned, and room temperature or slightly warm (not cold, it’s hard to incorporate them that way). I recommend baking a russet potato or two (I “bake” mine in the microwave – scrub, dry, pierce all over with a fork and microwave for 5 minutes, flip, and bake another 3-7 as needed until soft/tender all the way through when pierced with a fork), then scraping out the inside and mashing. Measure the potatoes after mashing.Icing
If you don’t care for cream cheese, try my classic vanilla cinnamon roll icing instead.Storing
Best enjoyed warm, so slightly reheat leftover rolls before serving (I heat mine in the microwave, 10-15 seconds). Otherwise, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.Making in advance
Assemble the rolls in the baking dish (after the first rise and assembly), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight and up to 18 hours. The next day, remove from the fridge and allow to sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes, until slightly puffed (preheat your oven to 350F/175C during this time), then bake as indicated To freeze: Assemble the rolls, cover tightly, and freeze in the baking dish for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then allow to rise at room temperature until puffed before baking as indicated. Baked rolls may also be frozen (iced or not) for up to 2 months, thaw and warm before serving.Nutrition
Serving: 1cinnamon roll | Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 64mg | Sodium: 375mg | Potassium: 153mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 474IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Sue Moyers
Wonderful
Sam Merritt
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Sue! I’m so glad it was such a hit! 🙂
Esther Ishmael
Thank you! Best recipe. My family & friends love them.
Sam Merritt
You’re welcome, Esther! Thank you so much for trying my recipe! I’m so glad they were such a hit! 🙂
Gregg Gusta
please talk to me like i am 7. How do I prepare the mashed potatoes?
Sam Merritt
Hi Gregg! I have a note below the recipe that should help. 🙂
Kimberly
Made these tonight and they were amazing!! I have made several of your recipes and they always turn out so good. Thank you ☺️
Sam Merritt
Thank you for trusting my recipes, Kimberly! I’m so glad they were such a hit. 🙂
Lorie
I’m telling you this is the best cinnamon roll I’ve ever ate. And I can a test to how forgiving they are, bc everything that could’ve went wrong did go wrong. 8:00pm and I just finished. For starters I hadn’t watched the video right before preparing, like I usually do. Second, my yeast was bad (even though the expiration was several months away) so I had to use rapid rise yeast instead. I proofed it, then read that the pkg said, don’t do that just mix it in. So I googled whether or not I ruined the rapid rise yeast, Google thought I was ok. Then my butter wasn’t quite softened enough so I had to work on that, to hurry up to get it in the dough, ended smashing it between my fingers some.And I just grated the butter over the rolled out dough &called that good enough. And guess what, THEY WERE ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! As is all 100 recipes of your that I’ve tried. I’m taking them to my Sunday school class tomorrow with two missing bc my husband had to have one, then two!!!
Sam Merritt
I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lorie! Thank you for trying my recipe. 🙂
Renee
Love that I found this video! Thanks and wish me luck!
Sam Merritt
I hope you love them, Renee! 🙂
Ted
I’m EXCITED to try this!! I bake some and this hits everything right. I appreciated all of your ‘extra’ commentary! Good knowledge that’s hard to put together. Bad timing! New Year, New LOW Carb diet, or I’d be all over this one!!
When I do it, I will add an extra step to chill the dough over night before rolling it out. I find rolling cold dough lets me go thinner adding more swirls. Then after adding the filling, I can decide to either cut 12 strips with a pizza cutter and roll them individually, (Nice enough results to be worth the effort…Or roll into a log and slice traditionally. Awesome recipe, Tremendous training video!
Sam Merritt
I hope you love them, Ted! I’m glad the video was helpful. 🙂
SueV
Beats my old recipe by a landslide. Would not change one thing, they are perfection. Made this morning, instructions you provide are easy to follow, I always cook by weight finding you can duplicate the recipe developers recipe as they intended it to be. Came out just as they did in your video, light, fluffy, and big. I shared with 8 and they all said it was the best homemade cinnamon roll they ever had. Thank you I will be making these again and again.
Sam Merritt
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Sue! I’m so glad you enjoyed them so much! 🙂
Mary
I’ve made these cinnamon rolls before but lost my recipe so just wanted to say thank you for sharing
Sam Merritt
You’re welcome, Mary! Enjoy! 🙂
Donna
Can I prepare in a breadmaker then proceed with the rest of the recipe
Sam Merritt
Hi Donna! I’m not familiar with breadmakers so I’m hesitant to say, but if you just are using it to make the dough I don’t see that being an issue at all. Hoping someone else who is a bit more familiar with this machine can chime in 🙂
Tonia
These Cinnamon rolls are Amazing! super soft, fluffy and tasty. a couple of questions…1) is ok if I add vanilla bean paste to the dough? 2)with the cream cheese frosting, is it OK to leave a room temperature for a couple of days?
thanks again for sharing this recipe:)
Sam Merritt
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Tonia! I’m so glad they were such a hit! I don’t see any issue with adding vanilla bean paste to the dough. I wouldn’t recommend leaving the frosting out of refrigeration for more than a day maybe 2. 🙂
Patty Mastroianni
Ok–first you need to put 10 stars up there so I can click on 10 for THE BEST CINNAMON ROLLS WE HAVE EVER EVER EVER TASTED—bar none!!!!!!!!Well, the Amish have it all over Cinnabon on this one!!!!! We have NEVER had fluffier, tastier, softer, pillowier, yummy cinnamon rolls from scratch–or EVER for that matter. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The dough was so easy to make and roll out and all your proportions were perfect!
Also-I love that way how you put the ingredients right underneath each instruction so you don’t have to keep scrolling up to the ingredients 20 times while you’re reading the instructions!! I pray blessings over your family and keep up the good work. You don’t know how appreciative people are. God bless you.
Sam Merritt
This review just made my day, Patty! I am so happy to hear you enjoyed them so much, and thank you for trying my recipes!!! I really appreciate the kind words (and prayers!) and feedback, God bless you too and have a wonderful day!! 💕
fred baldwin
Can you use instant mashed potatoes?
Sam Merritt
Hi Fred! I haven’t tried it. I think you potentially could, but I’m not sure how. Maybe someone else who has tried it can chime in. If you do try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Dean
I am curious if you have ever experimented with using potato flakes directly in the recipe. Rather than creating a mashed potato from them, I would like to inquire if you have tried adding them directly to the dry ingredients, along with a small amount of liquid to compensate for the absence of additional moisture. Dean
Sam Merritt
Hi Dean! Unfortunately I have not experimented with potato flakes so I cant say for sure how it would work.
Debra Wilmeth
They look Beautiful going in the oven❣️We can’t wait to taste them.
Thanks so much for the recipe
Sam Merritt
Thank you so much for trying my recipe, Debra! I hope you love them! 🙂
Jan
Hi, what happens if I dont use bread flour?
Sam Merritt
Hi Jan! A higher protein bread flour really is best for the ideal (think chewy) cinnamon roll texture, but all-purpose works in a pinch.