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.
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Original photos:
so easy and delicious!!!
Can these rest in the fridge overnight to be baked in the morning?
Hi Emily! That should work just fine. 🙂
do you knead this dough like traditional or just being torture mine didn’t look smooth…
In step 5 you will want to work it together until it is a nice cohesive ball. You can watch me do it in the video right above the ingredients if that is helpful. 🙂
These are so delicious! I doubled the icing recipe because I like more frosting. I wasn’t sure about the 2 tablespoons of butter in the pan because it seemed like a lot, but the bottoms of the rolls ended up all yummy and caramelized because of it. Highly recommend!
These were amazing. It took me way longer than 30 minutes to make but that’s because I’m a Cinnamon Roll newbie. I will 100% make these for my family and friends forever. They smell and taste like Fall and a warm hug.
My daughter loves weekend breakfast because she can request whatever she wants, and it’s always something elaborate like cinnamon rolls. This recipe is quick, easy, and so delicious! We always have the ingredients on hand, so these cinnamon rolls are made fairly often in our house! My favorite thing is how you write the recipes. I love that I don’t have to continuously scroll up to see measurements since you include them in each step. Such a lifesaver!
I never bake because my baking usually flops but decided to give these a go. These cinnamon rolls were a really hit, thank you!
These were amazing!! Whole family loved them 🙂
So easy and delicious 🤍
definitely my favorite recipe so far! super delicious and all my siblings love it! thought I messed up at one point but they turned out to be my fav!!! I highly recommend this recipe!
We’re so happy everyone enjoyed them, Kate! Thanks for the 5-star review 🩷
super yummy!! def recommend
We’re so happy you enjoyed them, Tillie 😋
Last night I saw a “cinnamon roll in a mug” recipe and tried it out and of course you know I was disappointed. so this morning, craving unsatisfied I looked for a quick recipe. I made yours. I tweaked a few things because I was lazy and didn’t want to make the topping so I just used powdered sugar and milk. I didn’t make the middle paste just used brown sugar cinnamon and more shaved butter. which by the way was my favorite thing I learned in your recipe. why have I never thought of that?? they turned out amazing. curved my craving. I’m going to save this one for sure. also thank you for putting the amounts of ingredients in the instructions! there is nothing worse than having 6 ingredients to mix and scrolling endlessly up to find out again how much was each one.
We’re so happy it hit the spot, Brittany! Thanks for trying our recipe 🥰
The recipe states 1 oz if cream cheese but in the video you say 3 oz, which one should it be?
Hi Shan! It depends on how much frosting you like. The recipe in the video makes quite a lot, while the written recipe makes less. Following either will be fine 😊
First, I made them the other day and they were delicious. However, they came out flattened. I don’t know if it was rolled out to thin or if my slices were cut too thinly; about an inch or so. I reread the recipe to make sure I didn’t miss anything. What is your recommendation for both?
Hi Tanya! What do you mean they came out flat? Did you bake them in a pie plate? When I make them, I roll about a 12 inch long log and cut that into 10 pieces. That would make each piece really close to an inch thick. They aren’t going to puff up and be really tall.
Excellent results every time. My grand kids think I’m the greatest Nana when I make these during sleepovers. I don’t even bother with icing most of the time because the pan is empty so fast.
That is so awesome to hear, Bev! I’m so glad everyone enjoys them so much! 🙂
You may not see this and that’s okay. I never write reviews. It’s cringe for me to say that because I’ve seen so many who say the same thing. But when I tell you I NEVER write reviews; I find what I’m looking for and move on. If the recipe comes out good, great! If it doesn’t oh well back to the search.
I am a Cinnamon Roll purist. It’s either my perfected homemade recipe or Cinnabon. My husband has been telling me for months, because I wanted to make Rolls last year in June (My birthday month) and during the holidays this past December. But no dice. If I didn’t have everything I needed I wasn’t going to make them. I was going to suffer to not ever have my cinnamon rolls or Cinnabon again (no yeast in the store where I live; and Cinnabon is a commute).
My husband ordered groceries (in secret) and got what I needed to make a basic cinnamon roll, but to my surprise, no yeast! I held firm and I said I wasn’t making them. Long story short he convinced me, and I ended up finding and making this recipe to a T!
When I tell you I almost cried. I’ve never made a non-yeasted Cinnamon Roll…ever. It was so good I wanted to eat the whole pan, but I have to save some for the hubby!
I’m sorry for this long comment, however I wanted to thank you for all you do, and I pray all your ventures come to fruition.
P.S It’s a coincidence we have the same name; it makes me think it was meant to be to find this recipe. 🙂
Warm Regards, Sam
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment, Sam (nice name)! I love hearing that the recipe was such a hit! This comment really made my day and put a really big smile on my face. 🙂 🙂
What a really great recommendation for this recipe!! Happy to see it, as I’m another cinnamon roll purist exactly like you Sam! No more cinnabon in the UK either, unfortunately. So I’m going to try these ones and can’t wait to see how they turn out. Never done a no-yeast roll recipe either, so fingers crossed!
I think you are going to love these! 🙂