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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Original photos:
After the butter is melted in the pie pan, what do you do with it? It’s not mentioned
Hi, Denise! Once the butter has melted in pie pan (Step 12), you will then place your cinnamon rolls in the baking dish (Step 13). I hope that you enjoy them! 🙂
Great taste. But my scrolls turned out biscuity. Not sure what I did wrong.
Thanks
I am so sorry to hear that you experienced an issue, K. If they are dense and on the drier side, my best guess would be that too much flour was added. The most common mistake in baking is overmeasuring flour. I have created a guide on how to measure flour properly that others have found helpful and is a great reference for the future. I am sorry that this happened, but I am glad to hear that they tasted delicious. 🙂
Hi, Sam!
I made these for Easter Sunrise. What a wonderful treat! I adjusted just a tiny bit for high altitude and they were perfect! Thanks so much!
Deb
I am so glad you enjoyed them and that they made such a wonderful treat on a special day. Thanks for trying my recipe, Deb! I appreciate your feedback. 🙂
I made these, on a whim, Easter morning. No planning ahead, and no grocery shopping. So easy and tasted AMAZING. 1000% better than store bought rolls. My husband claimed it was my best baking yet. Thank you!
I love that you had everything on hand and whipped these up as a special treat for your family, Rachel. I am so glad that everyone enjoyed them. Thank you for commenting. I can’t wait to see what recipe you try next! 🙂
Good lockdown recipe. I had no yeast but was craving something sweet. Down 24 pounds so have to be careful. Couldn’t resist. Great recipe. 5 stars.
Congrats on your weight loss, Bev! I am so glad that you enjoyed this recipe and it was the perfect sweet treat!
Thank you for this delicious and simple recipe! I took a chance and made the dough in the food processor with the steel blade and it turned out to be a nice little short cut.
I am so glad that it worked so well, Christina, and you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Great taste. But my mixture turned out biscuity. Not sure why? Thanks
These turned out amazing! First time making cinnamon rolls not from a pillsbury dough canister haha!! I didn’t have cream cheese so i used icing powder, butter and milk for the icing and turned out yummy! Happy baking to all!
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Angelina! Thank you for trying my recipe! 🙂
Very easy! Taste delicious! They turned out way better than I expected!!!
I am so glad that you enjoyed them and found them easy to make, Katie. Thank you so much for trying my recipe and for commenting. I appreciate the feedback. 🙂
This recipe is delicious and super easy! Thank you so much for sharing!
I am so glad that they were a hit and you found them easy to make, Holly! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
I only got 8 rolls, and not as big as yours😬 I overbaked them as well but nonetheless really good, gave them a nice crunch on the outside😂
Oh no, I am so sorry that you overbaked them but glad you enjoyed the extra crunch, Maria! 😂
Omg the BEST rolls. So easy too, and I had all the ingredients. Honestly was the best during this lock down too because I didn’t need yeast or eggs. And I just made powdered sugar by blending two cups of granulated sugar with two tbs cornstarch until soft. I put in the fridge to keep and they microwave great for breakfast or are even delicious cold. And the icing was the perfect amount. Covered the whole things.
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Rita! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Mine didnt turn out it looked like to much filling they dont look to appealing but smell good
I hope they still taste good, Lyn!
Hi I made these this morning. They were so quick and easy. Love the texture of the dough – it was soft even though there is no yeast! Amazing. The filling is on the sweet side so I will tweak it next time. Thanks for the recipe
I am so glad that you enjoyed them, Sophie! Thanks for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Hey i loved d recipe but i have a doubt.. u used granulated sugar or powdered sugar to make d dough/rolls
Hi, Ishika! Granulated sugar is used to make the dough and the filling inside of the roll. Powdered Sugar is used in the icing. I hope that helps! 🙂
You can make powdered sugar by blending two cups sugar with 2 tbs corn starch until soft. Otherwise the sugar for your icing will have a grainy texture.
I make everything from scratch but for some reason I have never made cinnamon rolls! I didn’t have yeast on hand & I’m surprised how well they turned out. They were awesome! Great recipe, thanks! My boyfriend doesn’t like cream cheese frosting so I substituted for some plain glaze & they were still great.
Thank you for trying my recipe, Nat! I am glad that you both enjoyed them. 🙂
Such a great recipe ! I subbed the butter for nuttelex and milk for almond milk to make them vegan and it worked perfectly. Very light and fluffy which i was concerned about with the lack of yeast. I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top rather than icing them. Very tasty, i’ll definitely be using this recipe again !
Thank you for the feedback on the substitutions, Maggie! I am so glad you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls so much. 🙂
These were delicious! I made these for my daughters this morning and my four year old said, “Mom! You nailed it!!!!” Joy to my ears!
We have “leftovers” so would you recommend putting them in the refrigerator? That is what we did.
Thank you!
Way to go, Mom! I am so glad that they were a hit, Brooke! Thank you for trying my recipe. Storing in the refrigerator is perfect. 🙂