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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Hi same I want to try your recipe asap but can I use heavy cream instead of milk?
Hi Cynthia! I think it could work but you may need a splash more cream since it’s not as thin as milk. Let me know how it turns out for you!! 😊
These are delicious! So delicious that I need to know how many calories I ate today (Probably WAY too many)… Do you have the nutrition info? Thanks!
Hi Abby! I am so glad you enjoyed them! I currently only have the calories (350 per roll) but I hope to have it updated soon. 🙂
I’ve made this a couple of times now. It’s very simple and delicious. I alter it a bit. Instead of making a paste and spreading it on the dough I put the the sugar mixture down then pour the butter mixture on in zig zag lines. Then I roll and cut the rolls. I grease my pan and then put the cut rolls in. After I pour about 1/4 cup of room temperate cream on top of all the cinnamon rolls enough to LIGHTLY coat the bottom on the dish. Then I cook for 25 minutes.
For the frosting I use less sugar only about 3/4 of a cup and a cream instead of milk. The rolls are so sweet already I like to have a frosting that balances out the sweetness of the rolls. Don’t get me wrong the frosting is still very sweet.
I am so glad that you have enjoyed the recipe, Katrina! I appreciate your feedback. 🙂
Could I make this dough and then save it in the fridge overnight?
Hi, Lupita! Yes, you can. You want to be sure that they are well wrapped. Enjoy! 🙂
Made this subbing coconut oil for the butter and oat milk for the milk. Turned out great. Not sure how they compare to your rolls but they are gooey and delicious.
I am so glad that the substitutions worked out well for you and you enjoyed them, Lenny! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
How can I store the leftovers?
Hi Mollie! You can store them at room temperature in an air tight container. 🙂
What are these “leftovers” you speak of?
Can Almond Milk be subistuted for regular milk and does the quantity need to be different from what is called for above? I know on some recipes like soup the amount needs to be less.
Hi Meghan! I am not familiar with substituting almond milk here, maybe someone else who has tried it can chime in, or if you try it I would love to know how it goes. 🙂
Wow, this are amazing! I made these yesterday and they’re delicious! I’ve never made a dough before and this recipe was not difficult. I was really impressed with the recipe and myself after making this. It made me feel very professional. The only tweak I made to the recipe was in the filling I added milk to make it more like a paste. Thank you for the recipe Sam!
I am so glad you enjoyed it Isabelle! 🙂
I made the cinnamon rolls yesterday morning and give them a 10/10! Easy to make and delicious…they are soft and flaky. This was my first time making homemade cinnamon rolls. Thank you for the easy recipe! I’m going to check out your other recipes.
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Lori! 🙂
I have made these three times during the pandemic, including the time that these cinnamon rolls were the ONLY thing my FIL requested for Father’s Day. These are always a huge hit and are gone within hours. Thanks for making me look like a master baker every time I trot these out! 🙂
I am so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Madeleine! 🙂
Love this recipe, the first time, it was a bit too sweet for me (everyone else didn’t care) so we halved the sugar for the filing, everyone still loved them and I definitely loved them second time round. Definitely a new family favourite. Thank u for the recipe
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed it, Tisa! Thank you for trying my recipe. 🙂
Amazing recipe! I was worried at first that not having yeast would result in flat, sad rolls, but I was pleasantly surprised! Fluffy but still wonderfully moist, not too difficult, and I even added some chopped apple and cinnamon to a batch and they tasted just like apple fritters!
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Madi! 🙂
Hi Sam
For steps 1-5 , do I use a stand mixer or just hands will do . Thanks
Hi Serene! You will just want to mix it by hand here. 🙂
Tried this twice now. Turned out great both times. We can have fresh cinnamon buns for breakfast! I do a lot of cooking but very little baking (takes too much time). This I can do. The only change I make is taking the cream cheese out of the frosting. I know that is sacrilegious, but we don’t keep that in the house and I decide to make them last minute.
I am so glad you enjoyed them so much, Ryan! 🙂
I tried this recipe today for my husband who loved cinnamon buns and he absolutely loved it!! First time making cinnamon buns too! 😊
I’m so glad to hear this! Thank you for commenting and letting me know how they turned out, Nandy! 🙂
I’m making these now! My main concern is that the filling always comes out when there cooking, is that normal? Am I doing something wrong?
I’m so sorry this is happening Lizzy! Make sure you roll your dough tight enough, that should prevent this from happening. 🙂