Easy Cinnamon Rolls (no yeast required!)
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These no yeast cinnamon rolls are the easiest homemade cinnamon rolls you’ll ever make. With no dough-punching & no waiting for the dough to rise, the hardest thing about these cinnamon rolls is waiting for them to come out of the oven!
This is one of my older recipes on the blog (originally published April, 2015), and also one of my favorites. My old pictures didn’t do justice to these amazing easy cinnamon rolls, so I’m updating the pictures and re-publishing today. Originally I was going to re-write the whole post, but instead I’m leaving about 90% of the original writing, because it just didn’t feel right to change it. I left the old photos at the very bottom of the post, too, in case you wanted to have a laugh.
I present to you: The lazy girl’s cinnamon roll recipe.
No yeast. No dough-punching. No two-hour rise time followed by another hour of rise time.
Nothing but cinnamon-y, gooey, need-a-fork-to-eat-it goodness <3.
I (obviously) enjoy baking, and considering that you’re reading this I assume you don’t hate spending time doing it either. I’ve even previously posted a recipe for orange sweet rolls that require all of those heinous, time-consuming things mentioned above, taking over 3 hours from start to finish.
However… if you want cinnamon rolls for breakfast on a Saturday morning, you shouldn’t have to get up at the crack of dawn just to have them ready before it’s actually lunch time. These cinnamon rolls can be ready in less than one hour (probably faster if you spend more time actually baking and less time sampling the cinnamon filling… or is that just me…).
Since these rolls don’t use yeast they have a softer, flakier texture to them, which is perfect for those of us who love melt-in-your-mouth cinnamon rolls that require a fork to enjoy.
And wait! We haven’t even discussed the frosting yet!
That lovely, crowning cream cheese-based, sticky frosting that any cinnamon roll would just be sad and naked without. Pour this cream cheese frosting on heavy over these cinnamon rolls while they’re still warm, and enjoy!
If you try these out, I’d love to know how you like them! Please leave a comment or tag #sugarspunrun on Instagram!
Easy Cinnamon Rolls (no yeast required!)
Ingredients
Rolls
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 Tablespoons (38 g) sugar
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, + additional 2 Tbsp butter for baking
- ¾ cup (178 ml) milk
Filling
- ⅔ cup (133 g) brown sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (38 g) white sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Icing
- 1 oz (28 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter, softened
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup (63 g) powdered sugar
- ½ Tablespoon (7 ml) milk
Instructions
Rolls
- Preheat oven to 375F (190F).
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, 3 Tablespoons (38 g) sugar, 1 Tablespoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt
- Use a box grater to grate 5 Tablespoons of butter into the dry ingredients (alternatively use a pastry cutter to cut in the butter).5 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, + additional 2 Tbsp butter for baking
- Add milk and stir until all ingredients are just combined.¾ cup (178 ml) milk
- Transfer dough onto a very well floured surface and use your hands to work the dough together until it forms a cohesive ball. Continue to flour the surface you are working with as needed.
- Generously sprinkle flour on the top of the ball of dough and use a rolling pin to roll dough out to roughly a 10x12" rectangle. Set aside and prepare your filling.
Filling
- Prepare your filling by combining brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon and then stirring in butter and vanilla. This mixture will be very much like a paste.⅔ cup (133 g) brown sugar, 3 Tablespoons (38 g) white sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 4 Tablespoons salted butter, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Spread the filling over the rectangle of dough, leaving about ¼" of space as a perimeter around the filling.
- Carefully roll dough starting with one of the 12" ends and rolling tightly. Press the edge of the roll into the dough so that it sticks.
- Cut into 10 slices. If the log is not holding its shape well, transfer it to your freezer for about 10 minutes and then try to cut again (it should hold it's shape this way so you will have mostly round cinnamon rolls)
- Place the reserved 2 Tbsp of butter into a 9" pie pan and set it in your preheating oven for a few minutes until the butter has melted. Remove from oven.
- Place your cinnamon rolls in baking dish, they do not need to be touching, they will spread to fill their surrounding area.
- Bake on 375F for 28-30 minutes (beginning to lightly brown around edges). Prepare your icing while the rolls are baking.
Icing
- Use an electric mixer to cream together softened cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract.1 oz (28 g) cream cheese, 1 Tablespoon salted butter, ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- Gradually add sugar, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.½ cup (63 g) powdered sugar
- Add milk, stirring until combined.½ Tablespoon (7 ml) milk
- When cinnamon rolls are finished, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before spreading icing over rolls.
- These cinnamon rolls are nice and soft. Keep in mind that the warmer they are, the harder it will be to separate one from the other. But if you go in for one cinnamon roll and end up with one and a half, it's really not the worst thing that could happen, right?
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
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Sam, these were awesome, and my family loved them. I had some trouble getting the cinnamon filling to spread out over all of the dough. I think next time I need to make more of the filling. Overall this recipe was a home run. Thanks for posting it!
(It’s actually the second one of your recipes that I made. The first was the candied pecans. I think I’ve made five batches of those and they were wonderful.)
I’m so glad to hear that you and your family enjoyed them (and the candied pecans!), David! Thank you so much for commenting to let me know! 🙂
These are mind blowingly amazing! I am 8 months pregnant and woke up this morning CRAVING cinnamon rolls! I had no time to mess around with yeast and I’m not a morning person so to Google I went. I was so hopeful when I realized I had all the ingredients! So easy to whip together (especially since I made my husband do the dough work). They are the best cinnamon roll’s ever! PERFECT ooey gooey rolls. We will be making them for Christmas morning. My only suggestion is that the recipe makes WAY a lot of icing. We used about half of it and it was still too much – will know next time. Eternally grateful! You are a genius! 🙂
Oh yeah, most of my recipes really ought to have a warning in bold saying: “CAUTION, THE AUTHOR OF THESE RECIPES REALLY, REALLY LIKES ICING”, whoops! But I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls so much, thank you for commenting!! 🙂
Oh there is a warning about cutting the icing in half, I just didn’t do it because how can you ever have too much icing? Now I know to trust you. Haha. How do you think these would hold up if prepared to right before baking and then frozen? Wondering if I could make a couple batches for the freezer, pull out thaw and bake later? I’ve never really gotten into freezing things but with baby #2 on the way it seems like a good idea.
I’ve never tried this, but I think it would work just fine if they were wrapped tightly before freezing. If you do try it, I’d love to hear how it works out!
Baking your cinnamon rolls has filled the house with a delicious smell – too delightful for words. I approached this recipe with some trepidation as I’d never made rolls before but this was easy in preparation and beautiful in outcome. You have a gift for the delicious: thank you for sharing it.
I replaced the cream cheese with sour cream as I had no cream cheese in the house. It isn’t as thick but it does add a certain something if you don’t mind getting your fingers dirty as the sourness is appealing to my taste buds.
I also have made your worst chocolate chip cookies a few times – I just love them, as does everyone else I feed them to.
Is there any possibility of you publishing a book? It would be the perfect Christmas gift.
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls so much, Lucy. I love the sour cream substitution, I think I would like the flavor of that very much. Glad to hear that you have enjoyed the chocolate chip cookies as well!! I currently have no plans for publishing a book, but perhaps sometime in the future. If I do, I’ll definitely let you know! 🙂
These are fantastic!! I didn’t even need the frosting they’re perfect by themselves adding the frosting would make them completely sinful.. I’ve never made them before but now that I have it will be a special treat for my kids on holiday mornings.
I’m so glad to hear it, Karey! Thanks for commenting and letting me know how you liked them, it means a lot to me!! 🙂
My sister and I made these today, we definitely making these again. They are amzining. We also use dough for ham and chesse buns also strawberry buns all turn our great. Thank you so much. As person who is allergic to yeast, this opens many doors for me to bake now.
I’m so glad you liked them! Great idea to use with the ham & cheese buns, too! So glad that you enjoyed the recipe, Courtney, and thank you for coming back and commenting! 🙂
Oh my!! I think my 10 year old grandson and I will make these Sunday morning as he spends Saturday night with Nana!! He is learning to bake with me, and neither of us have the patience to wait for yeast rolls.. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.. 🙂
I hope you both love them, Pauline! Also, I love your name — Ninja Nana! Your grandson must have a lot of fun with you 🙂 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Hi! I found you off Imgur and I made these this morning. They’re delicious! Didn’t take too long to make and were just amazing! Thank you!
That’s awesome! I’m so glad you liked them, and thank you for commenting 🙂 🙂
I had thee hardest time actually rolling it into the rolls. I had flour everywhere and it still stuck to the counter. So thie morning we called them cinnamon globs. I probably just needed more flour im sure, but they smell amazing and the icing is perfect!
Yikes! Sorry it was so sticky, sometimes I find if my butter isn’t cold enough it needs a lot more flour. I’m glad you enjoyed them otherwise! Thank you for commenting!
They were wonderful! The icing was enough for two batchs of rolls so i froze the rest and will try them again! I cant wait for my husband to get home to try the one i saved from the kids! Thanks!
Fantastic! Thank you so much for letting me know how you liked them! 🙂
I am looking for a loaf roll, no yeast, that I can bake WITHOUT cutting it into the “rolls”- I want to cut it after it is baked, would this recipe work?
Hi Rachel,
I’ve never tried it that way so I can’t say for sure, unfortunately. It would probably be a bit messy, but i think any recipe baked this way might be. If you do try it, it would have to be baked for longer, for sure, to make sure that the center gets baked and isn’t gooey. Sorry I can’t be more helpful in this scenario, but if you do try it this way I would love to hear how it turns out!
I just made this for a late night snack and it turned out great!!!!!! I will use this recipe for many different things now. I always love trying new things and this is one recipe that I will keep and pass on to others. Thank You so much for posting this.
It is a very versatile dough, for sure, I’m currently developing another recipe with it now, even. I’m SO glad that you liked it, Hope, thank you so much for commenting!! 🙂
Made these for a potluck and they came out just perfect! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
I’m so glad you loved them! Thank you for commenting, Anne! 🙂
Hi Sam, I just found your recipe and I’m hoping it will save me. I started a batch of cinnamon rolls to to have ready for Valentine’s Day breakfast, and accidentally added the yeast to a too-hot milk mixture, and killed the yeast! And now I am all out of yeast. So I am going to try these tomorrow morning. I actually do have a question…can these be made the night before and refrigerated un-baked?
Thanks!
Hi Leah,
Oh no, I’ve had way too many similar experiences with yeast, so I feel your pain! These should be fine made the night before and refrigerated unbaked. I hope you love them!
I just tried these with GF flour and they came out dry. I think next time I’ll add a little milk and that *should* solve the problem.
Can I use gluten free flour?
Hi Z, unfortunately I have never used gluten free flour and so I can’t say for sure how this would affect the outcome of the recipe.
Hi! I am a mother of 7. We had supper pretty early and of course the kids and my husband were craving for something. I got to the kitchen, searches for a recipe of cinnamon rolls without yeast and alas! I found yours on the top of the list. I started at 8h00 and the cinnamon rolls were cleaned up by 9h15. You are a lifesaver! As a beginner baker thee were easy and delicious. Well done! I have soooooo pinned this recipe. Thank you!
Woohoo! So glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe, Tasmeen! Thank you for the kind feedback! 🙂
This recipe sounds pretty easy and delicious. Only one question, does it require baking powder or baking soda? In the ingredient list it says powder, in the actual directions it says soda. Since I know they react differently, I want to make sure I use the correct ingredient. Thank you!
Hi Alyssa! These require baking POWDER. Thank you for catching that for me, I will fix it in the recipe immediately! Hope you love these cinnamon rolls as much as I do! 🙂
Good evening: Sam.
Every time I’ve made a yeast bread it turns out to be better used as a door stop, now my church wants me to make two desserts for a Christmas party, I’m going to use your cinnamon roll recipe. I haven’t yet figured out what the other dessert will be, but both have to be ready by Dec. 20 Th. wish me luck.
Harold, your comment about your bread being a door stop made me laugh out loud! I have confidence you won’t have that problem with this recipe! Best of luck, please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions about the recipe that I may be able to help you with, and I hope you’ll let me know how it turns out for you! 🙂