The Best Homemade Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

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These Cinnamon Rolls are the ultimate Cinnabon clone. Chewy, soft, and completely homemade. Throw out your old recipes because you’ll never need another Cinnamon Roll Recipe again! Delicious served with oven baked bacon and my Overnight Breakfast Casserole.

My FAVORITE Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Ok guys, HERE IT IS, my CopyCat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls Recipe! I’m pretty sure this is the most anticipated recipe I’ve hyped up in a very long time–and for good reason! These Cinnamon Rolls are absolutely heavenly and I’ve been working hard, making over 200 cinnamon rolls, trying to get this recipe as delicious as possible. SO SO thrilled to be sharing this recipe with you all today!

Basic Ingredients Needed for Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Okay, friends, let me get you ready for this. While this list may seem a little long, it truly is the bare basics. Lots of pantry staples! Most of you will already have the main ingredients needed for Homemade Cinnamon Rolls. Here’s what you’ll need:

For the Dough

• warm water + active dry yeast– since this is an enriched dough, I like to give the yeast a head start by proofing it in some warm water.
• granulated sugar– to keep the dough sweet and help the yeast rise
• buttermilk– Out of all the ‘cloned’ recipes I looked through online, NONE of them had buttermilk!! If you search Cinnabon secret ingredient on YouTube, you’ll find the creator talking about her ingredient. She never says what it is, but buttermilk fits the bill of everything she was saying!
• egg– used for structure
• canola oil– adds a soft texture to the cinnamon roll dough
• all purpose flour+ salt– every yeasted bread product out there absolutely needs flour for the gluten (chewy texture!) and salt for flavor.

For the Cinnamon Sugar Filling

• softened butter– Cinnamon rolls are filled with ridiculous amounts of butter and my recipe is no different. It’s what makes them so good.
• light brown sugar– dark brown sugar will work here, but I prefer light.
• ground cinnamon– I love the spiciness of Saigon cinnamon, but if you have plain old cinnamon in your cupboards, use that. (Did you know that Cinnabon sources and imports their own cinnamon?)
• cornstarch– a bit of a weird ingredient for cinnamon rolls, I know, but it helps with keeping the cinnamon roll filling in the roll as they bake.

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

• cream cheese -use at room temperature so it blends in perfectly with no lumps!
• softened butter (or butter)- salted butter pairs really well with the cream cheese in this frosting.
• vanilla extract– for delicious flavor!
• corn syrup– makes our frosting really shiny
• fresh lemon juice – adds a little extra zing that you can’t get from cream cheese alone.
• powdered sugar– for a non-granular sweetness that melds in beautifully to this cinnamon roll icing.

How to Make Cinnamon Rolls

The biggest thing you need to remember when making homemade Cinnamon Rolls is to have patience. Nothing about this recipe is hard per say, but there are a lot of steps. Keep with it! You can absolutely follow this recipe and end up with a pan of Cinnamon Rolls just as beautiful as mine! I give you lots of directions below, but there is a whole lot more in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Step 1: Make the Dough

Start by proofing the yeast in warm water with a sprinkle of sugar. Next, add in half the flour, more sugar, buttermilk, canola oil and egg. Knead by hand or use the dough hook attachment on your stand mixer.

Once everything is incorporated, slowly add in more flour bit by bit until the dough pulls away from the sides and the bowl looks clean. You might not use all the flour and THAT’S OK!! The dough should be sticky but not sticky enough to stick to your fingers when touched. You might use the full 4 1/2 to 5 cups of flour or you might not. Just keep watching for these visual cues.

Knead 5 minutes on low speed. Once the dough is all kneaded, transfer dough to greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and a dishtowel and rise 2 hours or until it has doubled in size. It is a very enriched dough, so it might take longer for it to rise. That is fine and normal!

A Note About Enriched Dough

This Cinnamon Roll Recipe uses a highly enriched dough. What is enriched dough? Basically a bread dough that is made with more than just the basic water, yeast, salt and flour. The additions of butter, buttermilk, sugar and eggs make this an enriched dough. Why is that important to know? Enriched doughs inhibit yeast growth which means this dough will take longer to rise than a typical bread dough. It will grow! It will just take longer. I recommend either using rapid rise yeast or doubling your active dry yeast to get things going.

Step 2: Filling and Forming Cinnamon Rolls

Once the cinnamon roll dough has doubled in size, roll it out on a floured work surface to be a 20×30 inch rectangle…or as close to it as possible.

Stir brown sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch together in a small bowl. This will be your filling.

Spread softened butter across the flattened dough, leaving a 1-inch strip across the bottom untouched. Dump the filling onto the butter and spread it around to create an even layer. Lightly press the sugar into the butter with a rolling pin. Roll the dough towards you, ending with the plain dough on the bottom of this log.

Cut log into 2-inch cinnamon rolls and place into greased baking pans. Cover and rise 1-2 hours or until they are double in size again.

Step 3: Bake and Frost your Cinnamon Rolls

Bake at 350 degrees for 17- 20 minutes. You’re going to want to watch these so they don’t over bake. Once the tops start to brown, they should done.

While rolls are baking, make the cream cheese frosting by mixing all ingredients together until smooth and shiny.

Pro tip: If you want your frosting to look more like Cinnabon, whip it 5-7 minutes or until it lightens in color.

Once cinnamon rolls are done baking, slather on about half the frosting to the warm rolls. After they have cooled, slather them again with remaining frosting. HEAVEN!

Do these not look incredible?! Picture perfect rolls….and my house smelled amazing!! I dove face first into this entire pan and ate every last morsel. TO.DIE.FOR. Super sweet, chewy, light, fluffy, cream cheesey. Mmmm….heaven!

Cinnamon Roll FAQ’s

Can I make Cinnamon Rolls ahead of time?

Yes, you can!  Follow the directions up until letting the dough rise after filling and rolling them. At this point, you can store them in the fridge overnight if you are making them ahead of time.

To make them the next day, bring them up to room temp and let them rise before baking. (After I took the pan out of the fridge, I let them rise 4 hours. It takes a while to take the chill off.) After that, prepare the icing and follow the directions as normal.

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes!

If you enjoyed this recipe as a breakfast treat, you’re going to love my other sweet breakfast recipes! Here are some of my favorites:

• Easiest Belgian Waffle Recipe– I love a good waffle, and these are so simple to make and taste amazing!
• The Best Crepe Recipe – Seriously, the best recipe! Nearly fail-proof.
• Perfect French Toast Casserole – a great make ahead breakfast for the weekend.
• Brioche French Toast (my current favorite I am crushing on!)
• Chewy Soft Cinnamon Rolls– this recipe uses a simpler bread dough that gives a huge and puffy cinnamon roll.

So, there you have it! The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls! Hopefully, you’ll all find a few hours to make these! They are TOTALLY worth the wait! 🙂 Have a great day! 🙂

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4.90 from 288 votes

The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

These Cinnamon Rolls are the ultimate Cinnabon clone. Chewy, soft, and homemade, you'll never need another Cinnamon Roll Recipe again!

servings 15 rolls

Prep Time 6 hours hrs

Cook Time 17 minutes mins

Total Time 6 hours hrs 17 minutes mins

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

for the dough-

• ▢ 3/4 cup warm water
• ▢ 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast use rapid rise (*see notes below)
• ▢ 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1/3 cup canola oil or vegetable oil
• ▢ 4 1/2-5 cups all purpose unbleached flour

for the filling-

• ▢ 1/2 cup butter softened (or margarine)
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ 2 tablespoons cornstarch

for the frosting-

• ▢ 2 oz. cream cheese at room temperature
• ▢ 1/4 cup butter softened (or margarine)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 tablespoon corn syrup
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

Make the Dough-

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, pour in water, yeast and 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar. Stir and proof 5 minutes. 
• Once the mixture looks bubbly and frothy, pour in remaining sugar. Stir on low for 15-20 seconds. In a small bowl, measure buttermilk, oil, and egg. Whisk ingredients together until egg is incorporated to other two ingredients. Pour contents into the water and yeast mixture. Stir another 20 seconds in the mixer. 
• Pour 2 cups of flour and salt into mixer and stir on low until incorporated. Sprinkle flour in by 1/4 cup increments until dough cleans the sides and bottom of the bowl. **You may not use the entire amount of flour to get to this stage. THAT'S OK! When the dough is tacky but not sticky enough to stick to your hands when touched, it's perfect. Once it has reached this stage, knead for 5 minutes. 
• Remove dough from bowl, grease and replace back into same mixing bowl {since it’s practically clean anyways.} Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel. Rise 1-2 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.

Filling and Cutting Rolls-

• In a medium-size bowl, stir brown sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch together until combined. Set aside. 
• Punch down dough. Flour a large clean table liberally with flour. Lightly flour dough as well. Roll dough out to be a 20×30 rectangle {or as close to that as possible} while moving dough around to ensure it’s not sticking to your work surface. If it’s a little short or uneven, feel free to cut off the edges to even it all out.
•  Spread softened butter over dough, being sure to go right to the edges leaving a 1-inch strip untouched on one of the longer sides of dough. Dump brown sugar mixture onto the middle of the dough and spread with your hands, creating an even layer over top of the butter, still leaving that 1-inch strip of dough untouched. If you have any filling that falls off the sides of the dough, use a bench scraper to replace. Lightly press the sugar mixture into the butter using a rolling pin.
• Roll the dough up into a tight log, finishing with the plain dough on the bottom to seal the entire thing together. Cut off the uneven ends to even out the log. Score log every 2 inches and then slice your rolls using those marks. Place onto parchment paper lined, butter greased pans. 12 into a 9×13, 3 remaining into a loaf pan, or 8×8 with the small ends. Cover pans with plastic wrap and dish towels. 
• Let rolls rise another 1-2 hours or until they are touching and have risen almost double. If you are not using quick rise yeast, have added too much flour or are working in a chilly kitchen, it may take 3-4 hours for your rolls to rise. 

  My rolls always spread out more than up, so just be aware that they will most likely spread out more than up. Bake in a preheated 350 degree for 17-20 minutes, or until tops start to brown. Watch them carefully!!

Cinnamon Roll Icing-

• While the rolls are baking, whip cream cheese and butter together. Stir in vanilla, corn syrup and lemon juice. Scrape sides and mix again. Pour in powdered sugar and stir slowly until it starts to incorporate. Then mix on high for 5 minutes or until frosting starts to lighten in color. Scrape sides and mix again briefly. 
• Once rolls have been removed from the oven, frost using half the amount made. Then after they have cooled a few more minutes, frost again with remaining frosting. The first frosting will melt down into the rolls and the second layer should stay put. Serve warm.

Video

Notes

*I use Red Star Platinum Yeast (rapid rise kind). Feel free to double the yeast in this recipe to ensure a good rise, especially if you’re working in a drafty kitchen.

-See step by step photos for more details.

-If your frosting isn’t quite ready after you pull the rolls out of the oven, cover with foil so the tops don’t dry out and get crispy.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 432kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 290mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 485IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2.1mg

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: breakfast, cinnamon roll recipe, cinnamon rolls, Easy Cinnamon Roll Recipe, how to make cinnamon rolls