Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting (VIDEO)
Published Dec 23, 2022
Updated Mar 05, 2024
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My Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting are unlike any cinnamon rolls you’ve had before! Cinnabon does not come close! Fluffy, pillowy dough meets the warm, fragrant spice of cinnamon, all enveloped with an irresistible whipped cream cheese frosting. It is the perfect balance of sweetness, spice, tanginess, and creaminess.
After making cinnamon rolls countless times, here is my perfected and updated cinnamon rolls recipe. This recipe is perfect for breakfast on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or when you just want some really good cinnamon rolls!
My kids absolutely love these fluffy rolls. My husband often requests I bake some for him to take to his co-workers at work. And my friends keep talking about them! Add this recipe to your recipe rotation because it’s a great one!
For more holiday-friendly recipes, see my Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting, My Favorite Hot Cross Buns, and Pineapple Upside Down Pound Cake.
Table of Contents
- Why This Recipe Works
- Ingredients For Cream Cheese Frosting Cinnamon Rolls
- How To Make Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting
- Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Variations
- Cinnamon Rolls Expert Tips
- More Great Breakfast Recipes
- Watch How To Make Cinnamon Rolls
- What To Serve With Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
- It is easy to follow: I have taken time to write and update this recipe for clarity so even if you are not familiar with baking, or you have never worked with yeast, you can master making cinnamon rolls. It is beginner-friendly and approachable.
- Fluffy rolls: These rolls are irresistible fluffy, thanks to the technique of adding one tablespoon of softened butter to the dough at the end. This technique infuses the dough with buttery goodness, yielding brioche-like rolls which are good on their own, even without frosting!
- Cream cheese frosting: Then there is the cream cheese frosting that is not overwhelming sweet so you can actually taste the lovely tanginess of the cream cheese and the hint of vanilla extract. It’s the perfect finish to these rolls.
There’s a reason why my friends swoon over these cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. They are simply the best! Almost every time I bring them to someone, they request for the recipe.
So, welcome to cinnamon rolls perfection!
Ingredients For Cream Cheese Frosting Cinnamon Rolls
Here are the ingredients needed for cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. For the dough you need:
- Whole milk. Use whole milk for richer rolls. For even more richness, replace the whole milk with evaporated milk. You can substitute the whole milk with 2% milk.
- Instant yeast or active dry yeast. The yeast helps the dough rise, giving the rolls their coveted fluffiness. I use both types of yeast interchangeable with great results!
- Butter. For rich flavor and a soft dough. I recommend good quality butter like Kerrygold.
- Egg. Adds richness to the dough.
- Sugar: You need just enough granulated sugar to slightly sweeten the dough.
- Salt: Salt helps balance all the flavors. Don’t skip the salt.
The ingredients you need for cinnamon rolls filling are:
- Butter. I love using a high quality rich-flavored butter here. My favorite is Kerrygold (not sponsored but I would love to work with them!) The butter should be at room temperature so it is easily spreadable.
- Brown sugar. For the rich brown color and the slight depth of flavor that brown sugar provides. Dark brown sugar or light brown sugar would work here.
- Ground Cinnamon. Because these are cinnamon rolls and you need cinnamon in them. See some flavor variations below.
For irresistible cream cheese frosting, you need:
- Cream Cheese. Use full-fat block cream cheese if possible and not those sold in the tub. The cream cheese sold in tubs makes frosting that is runnier than block cream cheese.
- Butter: Adds butteriness and tampers down the tang of the cream cheese.
- Vanilla Extract. Use good quality vanilla extract so that vanilla flavor can shine through. I used my homemade vanilla extract and the flavor intensely good!
See the recipe card below with a detailed list of ingredients and instructions.
Softened butter is essential for this recipe. If you need to soften butter quickly, follow this guide on how to quickly soften butter.
How To Make Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting
- First, mix all the ingredients for the dough together to form a nice soft dough.
- Then, knead the dough until smooth. A soft dough ensures soft fluffy rolls.
- Let the dough rise until doubled in size then punch the dough to take out extra air.
- Roll the dough into a rectangle.
- Next spread softened butter on the dough.
- Then, sprinkle brown sugar and ground cinnamon over the dough.
- Now roll the dough into a log and trim the ends so each roll will have neat edges.
- Once the ends are trimmed, cut the log into 12 equal pieces. First, cut the log into 4 equal pieces then cut each of the 4 pieces into 3 pieces to make 12. You could also cut the dough into 16 pieces for smaller cinnamon rolls.
- Place the rolls into a buttered 9 by 13 baking dish.
Allow space between the rolls when putting them in the baking dish so they have room to rise.
- Let the rolls rise for a second time then bake until golden and cooked through.
- Whip together the ingredients for the frosting and as soon as the rolls come out of the oven, spread the frosting over them so the frosting can slip into the crevices. Pure heaven!
When rolling out the dough, aim for an even thickness throughout. This ensures more uniform rolls and even baking.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you absolutely can freeze cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting. Just allow the rolls to cool completely, place them in a freezer safe container with a tight-fitting lid or wrap the container with plastic wrap then freeze.
Store cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat each roll in the microwave for about 15 seconds before serving. The rolls get fluffy again when reheated in the microwave but be careful not to microwave them for too long or they will get tough. To reheat in the oven, preheat the oven to 300℉ and let the rolls heat up in the oven for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
To store in the freezer, place the rolls in a freezer-safe bowl with a tight-fitting lid or wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cream cheese frosting is rich, luxurious and the tang it provides adds more flavor than other kinds of icing or frosting for cinnamon rolls. Plus, cream cheese pairs well with cinnamon.
Variations
You could switch up your cinnamon rolls by trying these variations:
- Lemon Rolls – To make lemon rolls, swap the ground cinnamon in the filling for lemon zest, then swap the vanilla extract in the cream cheese frosting for freshly squeezed lemon juice.
- Orange Rolls – To make orange rolls, swap the ground cinnamon in the filling for orange zest, then swap the vanilla extract in the cream cheese frosting for freshly squeezed orange juice.
- Pumpkin Spice Rolls – To make pumpkin spice rolls, swap the ground cinnamon in the filling for pumpkin spice.
Cinnamon Rolls Expert Tips
- Choose good quality ingredients: Choose good quality flour, yeast, butter, and cinnamon for the best cinnamon rolls. Choose organic cinnamon powder for a better cinnamon flavor to set your rolls apart.
- To make the rolls ahead, follow all the steps up to placing them in the buttered baking pan. Omit the first rising time. Wrap the pan with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise in the refrigerator overnight. Bring to room temperature for an hour, then proceed to bake and frost as the recipe stipulates.
- Be patient and let the rolls rise properly before baking. A good indication the rolls have risen well is if they have about doubled in size and are touching each other.
- If the middle parts of some rolls rise above the other parts of the rolls while baking, gently push them back in once the rolls are out of the oven.
- Frost cinnamon rolls as soon as they come out of the oven. This allows the frosting to seep into the hot rolls, making for more delicious rolls!
More Great Breakfast Recipes
- Easy Quiche Recipe
- My Favorite Hot Cross Buns
- Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
- Banana Bundt Cake
- Potato Frittata
- Challah Bread Pudding
Watch How To Make Cinnamon Rolls
Here is a step-by-step video on how to make Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese frosting. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you haven’t done so yet.
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Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or Bread Machine For mixing dough
Ingredients
Rolls
- 1½ cups whole milk sub with 2% milk
- 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast or active dry yeast
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Kerrygold brand is highly recommended
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 4¾ cups all-purpose/plain flour plus 1 Tablespoon more for dusting surface
- 1 Tablespoon softened butter
- 2 Tablespoons more softened butter to butter mixing bowl and grease the baking pan
Filling
- 8 Tablespoons butter softened at room temperature and spreadable
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar or light brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
Frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 8 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
Rolls
- Proof the yeast: Heat the milk in a small pot on medium heat or for about 1 minute in the microwave to be slightly warm. It should be about 110° F – 115℉. Pour the milk into a large mixing bowl (if mixing by hand), the bowl of a stand mixer, or the bowl of a bread machine (I use the dough function of my bread machine or my stand mixer). Add the yeast to the milk and one tablespoon of granulated sugar. Stir to combine, and let it rest for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, the yeast should form a creamy foam on the surface. This means the yeast is active.
- Make and knead the dough: To the milk/yeast mixture, add the remaining 2 Tablespoons of granulated sugar, melted butter, egg, salt, and flour. Mix everything using a stand mixer (with the dough hook attached and set on low speed), bread machine (set to dough setting), or with your hands to form a dough. Then set the stand mixer to medium speed and continue kneading the dough for 2 minutes. Keep kneading for 2 minutes with the bread machine if that's what you're using. If making the dough by hand, knead the dough on a clean and floured working surface until smooth and elastic while sprinkling on tiny bits of flour as needed. It's okay for the dough to be a little sticky as that will yield soft cinnamon rolls. Add 1 tablespoon of softened butter and keep kneading the dough on medium speed until the butter is incorporated.
- Let the dough rise: Butter a large mixing bowl and place the dough inside. You could remove the dough from the bowl of your stand mixer and butter the stand mixer. Turn the dough around to ensure the butter coats all the sides. Keep in a warm place to rise until doubled in size. It takes about 1 hour. I love turning on my oven for about 2 minutes and then turning it off. Then, I'll place my dough in the oven to rise. It works perfectly every time! You could also leave the dough in the oven to rise with the oven lights on (the oven should be turned off).
- Grease pan: While the dough rises, butter a 9 by 13 baking dish.
- Roll out the dough: Once the dough has risen, punch it in the middle to remove excess air. Flour a clean working surface. Place the dough on the floured working surface and shape it with your hands into a rectangle. Use a rolling pin to further roll out the rectangle to be about 10 by 18 inches.
- Fill the dough, roll it, and divide it into rolls: Dot the dough with the butter for the filling. Spread the butter over the dough using a butter knife, ensuring it is evenly distributed across the dough while leaving a 1-inch border around it. Sprinkle the brown sugar and ground cinnamon as evenly as possible over the butter spread. Roll the dough into a log. Trim the ends of the log so the ends look neater (save the trimmed dough to bake later). Using a sharp knife or a dough scraper, cut the log into 12 equal-looking portions,
- Let the rolls rise: Place the 12 portions into the buttered baking dish. Cover them with a clean kitchen cloth and let them rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes or until they are about double in size. You could use your oven again with the lights turned off to help the rolls rise faster.
- Preheat oven. While the rolls rise, or after they have risen (remove the rolls from the oven if they were rising in the oven), preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Bake. Place the risen rolls in the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and the outside of the dough is firm to the touch and not doughy.
- Make the cream cheese frosting. While the rolls bake, place all ingredients for the cream cheese frosting into a medium mixing bowl. Whip them together using an electric handheld mixer on medium speed until well combined and smooth. Keep beating the cream cheese frosting until it becomes fluffy and has a whipped look. Alternatively, you can use the stand mixer with the whisk attachment fitted. With the stand mixer, start by beating the cream cheese, butter and sugar on low speed until combined, then increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is whipped.
- Frost the cinnamon rolls. As soon as the cinnamon rolls are out of the oven, evenly spread the cream cheese frosting on them.
- Serve. Enjoy cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting while still warm. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Reheat each cinnamon roll in the microwave for 15 seconds or until soft. Or reheat in the oven at 300℉ for 10 minutes or until warmed through. See the freezing instructions below.
