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:
Found myself craving cinnamon rolls but without any canned ones in the fridge (don’t judge 😅). I also didn’t have yeast on hand, but I had almost everything for this recipe so I thought it was worth a shot.
And let me just say, these hit the spot! Gooey centers, crisp edges!
I subbed coconut sugar for the brown sugar (because I had no brown sugar on hand), and I made a double batch of the Coffee Cake glaze because I had no cream cheese or vanilla extract on hand (I’ll definitely be making these in the future with the cream cheese icing though!)
Perfect! Thanks for the recipe! This one will go in the file box for sure!
Thank you so much, Sarah! I am happy that my cinnamon roll recipe hit the spot. Enjoy! 🙂
So sad… they looked amazing and smelled so good while baking. I put them in the oven for 25 mins (oven runs a little on the hot side, so I always shave a bit of time off), and they are like briquettes 🙁 Totally overdone and inedible. I wanted to give this recipe a great review, and can’t understand how nobody else seemed to have this issue, but I feel like I could have baked them for 15 mins and would have been fine.
Hmm, I have not had anyone else have this issue, if they’re overdone it definitely sounds like an oven issue. I would definitely try them for less time for sure.
Not at all like a yeast cinnamon roll. I would describe it as a cinnamon swirl biscuit (texture). Is extremely sweet. Was quick, had good flavor and a wonderful breakfast item with a cup of coffee. Will definitely try it again.
I am so happy that you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls, Bonnie! A perfect pairing with a warm cup of coffee for sure! 🙂
do you think this recipe can be made in advance, refrigerated and then cooked the next morning?
Hello, Debbi! Yes, that should be fine. I would just cover tightly with plastic wrap while they are in the fridge. I hope that you enjoy your cinnamon rolls! 🙂
I love this recipe, my family is always begging for more! Thank you!
Thank you so much, Natalie! I am glad everyone enjoyed the cinnamon rolls so much. 🙂
This only made 8-10 rolls but vs. what is pictured but they were so good! Next time I will double the recipe, my family loved them despite mine not being as pretty 😀 Thank you!!
I’m glad to hear everyone enjoyed the cinnamon rolls, Kristi! Thank you for commenting! 🙂
finally able to make cinnamon rolls without getting out my bread machine! They were great. All my family enjoyed them. I used only 1.5 Tablespoons sugar. Also I used honey instead of brown sugar in the filling and if you do that you only need 1/2cup istead of 3/4cup it run everywhere and ended up having extra. Liked the idea of cream cheese frosting. The added protien helps. They were so good it was hard to quit eating them. Thank you for sharing this recepie.
I’m so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed the cinnamon rolls, Donna! 🙂
i dont like cream cheese so what can i put instead?
You could use a glaze like the one I use here in my coffee cake.
These are amazing!!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls, Chanel! Thank you for commenting 🙂
Foinally! I was able to make soft cinnamon rolls without yeast. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I hated it when my yeast won’t activate/proof. It won’t rise.
Now, i dont have to worry bout making awesome cinnamon rolls with this recipe.
I am so glad you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls! 🙂
Would this work with gluten free flour, or does it need gluten?
I have never tried it, so I don’t know how it would turn out. It may work here. If you try it, let me know how it turns out. 🙂
We substituted the flour with gluten free flour, and it worked like a charm! They’re crunchier than the average cinnamon roll, but that may be for some other reason. They taste great though!
Thank you so much for the feedback! 🙂
Such a wonderful recipe. My family loves them! Thank you for sharing.
I am so glad everyone enjoys the cinnamon rolls. 🙂
These are SO good! I reduced the granulated sugar in the filling by 1tbs, added pecans to the filling, and only used 1 cup of powdered sugar for the icing, and that was plenty sweet for us. I didn’t have any problems with stickiness….they rolled and cut well. The kiddos said they were the tastiest cinnamon rolls they’ve had in a long time! Thanks for this recipe!
Thank you so much, Rebekah! I am glad that your family enjoyed the cinnamon rolls. 🙂
Tried them today! These cinnamon rolls were so delicious to enjoy and share with my family.
I am so glad everyone enjoyed the cinnamon rolls! 🙂
Fantastic Recipe 👍 Best Cinnamon Rolls i ever tasted! Thanx
I am so glad you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls, Billy!
Hi. Can I make these rolls and put them in the refrigerator overnight and bake the the next morning?
Yes that should be fine, just cover tightly with plastic wrap while they are in the fridge. Enjoy!
I thought I’d try these as a break from yeasty rolls I would normally make. They were fast and easy! My husband pointed out the crunchiness of the filling and softer texture of the dough. We enjoyed them a lot. Because we are older I think we prefer a less sugary dough however. I did cut out one T of the sugar from the dough but I think next time I’ll take another out and just use one. Overall, we loved them and he was super surprised to see them waiting on the island for breakfast two days before Valentines day!
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Myrna! 🙂