Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls

I’m always excited to share new recipes with you guys because I only share the ones that I think are amazing. However, sometimes I leave the kitchen with something particularly amazing on my hands that is just screaming to be shared. This Quick and Easy Cinnamon Roll recipe falls exactly into that category!

Some other quick and easy cinnamon roll recipes I’ve tried were either made with awfully sticky and difficult to shape dough, which just made a mess (hello, not “easy!”) and resulted in homely looking rolls. Or other quick and easy recipe variations left you feeling like you were just eating pizza dough baked with cinnamon sugar and butter, not bad but not exactly what you want in a cinnamon roll.

This recipe, however, is the answer to any and all of those problems.

If you can make pizza dough you can make this dough, however it’s so much more tender and rich tasting thanks to the milk and sugar.

Those two ingredients are basically the only difference from my favorite pizza dough recipe and we knead this cinnamon roll dough until it’s perfectly smooth. The only difference I noticed from traditional cinnamon rolls is that these are just slightly less fluffy. Hardly noticeable and a perfectly acceptable sacrifice for 1 hour gratification in my book!

I also absolutely overload these rolls with as much butter-cinnamon-sugar filling that can possibly fit. Literally. There’s 3 (!) tablespoons of cinnamon and it may all look like too much filling but it’s what’s going to give these rolls unparalleled taste and texture. Just trust me here!

P.S. – these Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls would be especially perfect for Christmas morning. In our family it isn’t Christmas morning without presents, Christmas music, and cinnamon rolls baking away perfuming the entire house in their intoxicating aroma. ‘Tis the season!

4.60 from 25 votes

How to make

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Inactive Time 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls take just 1 hour from start to finish and are unbelievably ooey, gooey, and sticky and overloaded with sweet cinnamon flavor! You are going to love this one!

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 1 cup lukewarm milk
• 1/3 cup lukewarm water
• 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 3 1/2 cups (15.75 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon fine salt

For the filling:

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon fine salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the icing:

• 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

For the dough:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine all the dough ingredients and stir until combined. Turn the mixer on medium speed and knead for 5 minutes, or until smooth. Remove the dough to a floured work surface, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.

For the filling:

1. In a small bowl combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
2. After the dough has rested, use a floured rolling pin to roll it out into about a 9 by 15-inch rectangle. Brush all over with melted butter. Sprinkle evenly with the cinnamon sugar mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border at the far edge. Roll the dough up, pinching with your fingers to keep it tightly rolled. Press the seam to seal before positioning the log seam side down.
3. Use a very sharp knife to cut off the ends then cut the dough into 11 to 12 equal pieces. Place in greased pie pan or 9 by 13-inch baking pan. At this point you could cover and refrigerate the rolls overnight then let them come back to room temperature for 1 hour before baking. Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.

For the icing:

1. While the rolls cool, whisk together the icing ingredients until smooth. Drizzle all over the warm rolls and serve.

Recipe Notes

To ensure these cinnamon rolls really are quick and easy, stick with the instant yeast (or sometimes called rapid-rise yeast) called for in the recipe.

Course : Breakfast

Cuisine : American

Recipe by Tessa Arias

Author: Tessa Arias

I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)