1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls

This 1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls recipe is quick and easy to make, drizzled with a heavenly cream cheese icing, and absolutely delicious!

Is there anything better in life than a freshly-baked pan of warm homemade cinnamon rolls?

Actually, yes, homemade cinnamon rolls that can be ready to go in just 1 hour! ♡

We’re talkin’ bakery-style cinnamon rolls made with the softest, chewiest, lightly-golden dough, an irresistible buttery cinnamon-sugar swirl filling, and your choice of icing (either traditional or cream cheese icing, you pick!) generously drizzled on top. They are surprisingly easy to make and guaranteed to fill your home with the yummiest, coziest, hygge-ist vibes as they bake. And once that warm pan emerges from the oven, everyone who has tried these cinnamon rolls agrees that they are downright irresistible.

So this weekend, I thought I would bump this cinnamon roll recipe back to the top of the site since it seems like we could also use some extra comfort food in our lives right now. If you’re new to working with yeast and homemade dough, please don’t be intimidated at all! I promise to walk you through each step of the process with clear instructions, and we also have a step-by-step video to give you a visual. I’ve also updated the recipe below with options to either make the dough either by hand or use the help of a stand mixer. Plus I’ve included two different icing options so that you can choose your favorite!

I’m telling you, these cinnamon rolls are simply the best. So grab your rolling pin, and let’s make a batch!

1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients:

Alright, before we get to the recipe, let’s talk ingredients. To make the best cinnamon rolls, you will need:

• Milk: I typically use cow’s milk for the dough (2% or whole milk). But you could also sub in any other type of plain non-dairy milk that you prefer.
• Butter: We will melt some butter for the dough. But then it’s also very important that you have softened butter ready to go for the filling.
• Flour: Just traditional all-purpose flour. (I have not tested this recipe with other types of flour.)
• Sugars: We will use granulated (white) sugar in both the dough and filling, as well as some brown sugar in the filling.
• Salt: Just a touch, to bring out the flavor of the dough.
• Instant Yeast: Also known as “rapid rise yeast.” You will just need one little packet (or 2.25 teaspoons).
• Egg: One egg, for the dough.
• Ground cinnamon: Because…cinnamon rolls!

I have also included two different cinnamon roll icing options for you to choose from:

• Cream cheese icing: Made with cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar and milk.
• Traditional icing: Made with melted butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar and milk.

How To Make Cinnamon Rolls:

Full instructions are included in the recipe below. But as a brief overview, to make this easy cinnamon rolls recipe we will simply:

1. Heat the milk and butter. Heat the milk and 1/4 cup of the butter in the microwave until the butter is completely melted. It’s essential here that the mixture be the correct temperature — lukewarm (110°F, which I really recommend double-checking with a cooking thermometer if you have one — so that the yeast will activate. If the mixture accidentally got a bit too warm in the microwave, no worries, just let it sit out for a few minutes to cool.
2. Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together 3 cups flour (not all of the flour), 1/4 cup granulated sugar and salt until combined.
3. Mix the dough. Then mix all of the dough ingredients together as directed in the recipe below, either using a stand mixer or kneading the dough by hand. Once the dough is ready to go, transfer it to a greased bowl, cover and let it rise for 10 minutes.
4. Mix the cinnamon-sugar filling. Then while the dough rests, make your filling by whisking together the sugars and cinnamon.
5. Roll out the dough. Once the dough is ready to go, turn it out onto a floured work surface and roll it into a 9 x 14 inch rectangle. Spread the remaining butter out evenly over the entire surface of the dough. And then sprinkle the dough evenly with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
6. Slice the rolls. Then beginning at the 14-inch edge (see the video for a visual), tightly roll up the dough and give the final seam a little pinch so that it seals. Slice the dough into 11-12 pieces — 11 rolls fit well in a pie plate, whereas 12 rolls fit in a rectangular pan — either using dental floss (see video) or a knife.
7. Let the dough rise. Place each of the cut cinnamon rolls into a greased 9-inch pie plate or 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Cover with a damp towel and let the rolls rise while you make the icing. Go ahead and turn your oven on at this point too.
8. Make the icing. Whisk together either the cream cheese icing or traditional icing ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth.
9. Bake. Then once the rolls have risen, uncover the dish and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden and cooked through. Remove and let cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.
10. Add icing. Drizzle with the prepared icing and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.

Possible Variations:

Feel free to play around with this recipe and customize it however you might like! For example, feel free to…

• Add nuts: Feel free to sprinkle some finely-chopped slivered almonds or pecans over the cinnamon-sugar mixture, before rolling up the dough.
• Add cardamom: I also love adding a teaspoon of ground cardamom to the cinnamon-sugar mixture, to add some extra depth of flavor.
• Add Nutella: In place of the softened butter spread on top of the dough, you are welcome to substitute Nutella.
• Add orange glaze: To give these rolls extra orange flavor, just sprinkle the zest of an orange over the top of the cinnamon-sugar filling before rolling up the dough. Then use fresh orange juice in place of milk in the icing.

More Favorite Breakfast Recipes:

Looking for more delicious breakfast or brunch inspiration? Here are a few of my favorite breakfast recipes…

• Homemade Granola
• Eggs Benedict
• Healthy Banana Bread
• Buttermilk Pancakes
• Bacon and Cheddar Scones
• Easy Breakfast Tacos
• Mexican Breakfast Casserole

1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls

4.85 from 91 votes

Prep Time: 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Makes: 11 -12 servings

Author: Ali

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This 1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls recipe is quick and easy to make, drizzled with a heavenly cream cheese icing, and absolutely delicious!

Equipment

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  Ground Cinnamon
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  Vanilla Extract
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  Rolling Pin

Ingredients

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Cinnamon Roll Dough Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk (I used 2% milk)
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant ("rapid rise") yeast
• 1 egg

Cinnamon-Sugar Filling Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, softened

Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients:

• 4 ounces (1/2 cup) cream cheese, softened
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1-2 tablespoons milk (if needed)

Instructions

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  Heat the milk and butter. Combine milk and butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat on high for 1 minute, then remove and stir. Continue heating in 20 second intervals, pausing after each to stir, until the butter is melted and the milk is warm to the touch but not hot. (The mixture should be around 110°F -- I recommend measuring the temperature with a cooking thermometer.) If it is too hot, just wait a few minutes for it to cool.
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  Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 cups flour, granulated sugar and salt until combined.
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  Mix the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough-hook attachment, add the warm milk mixture and sprinkle the yeast on top, then give the mixture a brief stir. Add the flour mixture and egg, and beat on medium-low speed until combined. If the dough is sticking to the sides of the bowl, add more flour (up to an additional 1/2 cup), until the dough begins to form a ball and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Continue beating for 5 minutes on medium-low speed. Remove dough and form it into a ball with your hands.  Place it in a greased bowl and cover with a damp towel.  Let rest for 10 minutes.
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  Mix the cinnamon-sugar filling. While the dough rests, make your filling by whisking together the granulated sugar, brown sugar and ground cinnamon together in a small mixing bowl until combined.
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  Roll out the dough. Once the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured work surface. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 9 x 14 inches in size. (If you want all of the edges to be even, you can use a pizza slicer to cut the dough into an even rectangle.) Use a knife or an offset spatula to spread 1/4 cup of the softened butter evenly over the entire surface of the dough. Then sprinkle the dough evenly* with the cinnamon and sugar filling.
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  Slice the rolls. Beginning at the 14-inch edge, tightly roll up the dough and give the final seam a little pinch so that it seals. Use a piece of dental floss or a knife to slice off the two ends of the roll (just 1/2-inch or so on each end, which you can discard) so that the ends are even. Slice the remaining dough into 11 or 12 equal pieces. (11 rolls fit well in a pie plate, whereas 12 rolls fit in a rectangular dish.)
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  Let the dough rise. Place each of the cut cinnamon rolls into a greased 9-inch pie plate or 9 x 13-inch baking dish.  Cover the dish with a damp towel, and leave it in a warm place to rise for 25 minutes.  Heat the oven to 350°F.
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  Make the icing. While the dough is rising, whisk together either the cream cheese icing ingredients in a mixing bowl until smooth. If it seems too thick, add in an extra tablespoon of milk at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. If it is too thin, add in extra powdered sugar.
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  Bake. Once the rolls have risen, uncover the dish. Place on the center rack of the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the rolls are golden and cooked through. Remove and let cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.
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  Frost. Drizzle with the prepared icing and serve warm.

Notes

To Make The Dough By Hand: If you do not have an electric stand mixer with a dough attachment, you can simply stir the ingredients together in a mixing bowl.  Then turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead by hand for 5 minutes.

Dental Floss Dough-Cutting: Simply break off a piece of floss about 12 inches long. Then carefully slide the floss under the dough to the exact location you want to “cut”.  Pull the ends of the floss up and cross over the top of the dough. Then give the floss a gentle tug to cut all the way through the dough. (See the video above for a visual.)  This is the best method I've found to make a clean slice through the dough — although the standard knife method still works too.

Traditional Icing Ingredients: If you would like to make a traditional icing (without cream cheese), whisk together 1/4 cup melted butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, and 1-2 tablespoons milk until smooth.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!