Simple Cinnamon Rolls With Cream Cheese Frosting

Cinnamon rolls are one of those baked treats that are always a good idea. They look like you spent a ton of time on them when, in fact, they’re incredibly simple and taste AMAZING.  These simple cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting are perfect for dessert, a special breakfast, or, if you want to get REALLY fancy, you can even shape them into fun holiday shapes — something my mom loves to do and has now basically become a tradition.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Who doesn’t love fresh cinnamon rolls? And when you swirl them with butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar, you really CAN’T go wrong. That combination is top tier.

Add cream cheese frosting and FORGETABOUTIT.

Unless you aren’t a huge fan of cream cheese frosting. I know there are people out there like that. You’re wrong — but no one is judging you. At least I’m not judging you. 😂

My daughter is actually one of those people. She likes hers without frosting or with more traditional Pillsbury-icing vibes, so sometimes I leave a few plain for her.

Ingredients

The best part about these cinnamon rolls is that they really just use your baking-cabinet basics. Besides yeast and cream cheese, you probably already have everything you need in the pantry.

Dough

• 1 cup milk, warmed to 110–115°F
• 2¼ teaspoons instant yeast (1 packet / 0.25 oz)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 cups bread flour, plus more as needed
• Cooking spray or oil for greasing
• Heavy Cream (enough to cover the bottom of your baking dish)

Cinnamon Filling

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1½ tablespoons ground cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups powdered sugar

Equipment

You can mix everything by hand, or you can use a KitchenAid like I do. You’ll also need a rolling pin, a sharp knife, a 9×13-inch baking dish, and a hand mixer for the frosting.

Ingredient Notes + Substitutions

Ingredients matter, and for some things it really does make a difference to use the best quality you can.

For these cinnamon rolls, bread flour works better than all-purpose flour because of its higher protein content. Could you use all-purpose flour and still make cinnamon rolls? Yes. Will the texture be a little different? Also yes.

Cinnamon is another ingredient where quality and freshness matter. Spices don’t suddenly become dangerous when they get old, but they do lose flavor over time.

We go through cinnamon like CRAZY in my house between cinnamon rolls, my pumpkin chocolate chip cookies that we make year-round because why not, and my honey cinnamon iced lattes. We are really using it. 🙂

How to Make Simple Cinnamon Rolls

1. Make the Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the warm milk and yeast. Add the egg, sugar, and melted butter and whisk to combine.

Stir in the salt and flour until a sticky dough forms. Add additional flour 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough begins pulling away from the bowl but is still slightly tacky.

2. Knead + Let It Rise

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 3 minutes, until smooth.

Form the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1–1½ hours, or until doubled in size.

3. Roll It Out

Roll the dough into approximately a 17×10-inch rectangle.

Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough.

4. Add the Cinnamon Filling

Mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the butter.

5. Roll + Cut

Starting from the long edge, tightly roll the dough into a log.

Trim the ends if needed, then cut the log into 12 rolls.

6. Let Them Rise Again

Place the rolls in a buttered 9×13-inch baking dish.

Cover and let rise:

• 20–30 minutes in a warm place, around 100°F, or
• 45–60 minutes at room temperature

They should look visibly puffier before baking.

7. Add the Heavy Cream

Once the rolls have finished their second rise, pour heavy cream into the bottom of the baking dish — just enough to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.

This helps keep the rolls extra soft and gives them an even richer flavor.

8. Bake

Bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes, until lightly golden and fluffy.

9. Make the Cream Cheese Frosting

Beat the softened cream cheese and butter together until smooth.

Add the vanilla, then gradually mix in the powdered sugar until the frosting is creamy and fluffy.

Spread generously over warm cinnamon rolls — or leave a few unfrosted if you have a cream-cheese-frosting hater in your house like I do. 😂

What Making Cinnamon Rolls Actually Looks Like During a Busy Day

When it comes to letting dough rise throughout the day, sometimes you need a little bit of a plan.

The last time I made these cinnamon rolls for this post, I had A LOT going on. I had a lot of moving pieces I had to work around, so I did something I had actually never done before: I gave AI my entire schedule along with the recipe steps and asked two questions:

A. Do I actually have time to make these today?

And B. How should I organize the rises and active baking time around everything else we have going on?

OMG. It saved me so much time trying to deal with the minutiae of baking around an already packed day.

Here was the plan for my Friday:

• 12:15–12:30: Make and knead the dough.
• 12:30–1:30ish: First rise. Shower and get ready while the dough rises.
• 1:30–2:20: Roll out the dough, add the butter and cinnamon sugar, roll it up, and cut into 12.
• Around 2:20: Put the rolls in the buttered 9×13-inch pan, cover, and leave them at room temperature for the second rise while I ran to pick up Selene.
• A little after 3:00: Get home and check the rolls. Mine had basically doubled in size, so I preheated the oven.
• Once the oven was hot: Bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes.
• After baking: Let them cool slightly while making the frosting.
• Then discover you forgot to thaw the cream cheese and abandon the frosting plan until 9 p.m. 😂

This ALMOST happened perfectly.

Except when I went to make the frosting, I realized I had forgotten to pull the cream cheese out of the freezer. 😂

So instead, I went to my nephew’s birthday party, let the cream cheese defrost while we were gone, and we made the frosting when we got home around 9 p.m.

Cinnamon rolls for dessert it was. 🙂

Tips for Success

Check Older Yeast Before You Start

If you are pulling yeast out of your refrigerator that you’ve had since COVID because the only yeast you could find was Costco-sized and you somehow still have TWO JARS of it… maybe check it before committing to the recipe. 😂

I skipped this step because I was just counting on mine working — and thankfully, it did.

If your yeast is older and you want to check it, add some of your warm milk (around 110°F) to a small bowl with the yeast and a small pinch of sugar. Let it sit for about 5–10 minutes.

If it becomes foamy and bubbly, your yeast is alive and ready to bake with. If absolutely nothing happens, I would grab some new yeast before sacrificing the rest of your ingredients.

Follow the Dough Measurements — But Measure the Filling With Your Heart

Follow the dough measurements pretty closely.

But the filling? That is something I think you can measure with your heart.

I made the filling exactly as written and thought the rolls came out great. My husband, however, thought I should have added a little more cinnamon sugar.

So depending on how you like your cinnamon rolls, you can absolutely add a little more buttery cinnamon-brown-sugar goodness.

It might get slightly messier when you roll them up, but they will still taste amazing.

Your Rectangle Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect

Rolling your dough into a nice rectangle is IDEAL if you want every cinnamon roll to look identical.

I was slightly rushed for time and had my little 4-year-old sous chef assisting me, so we were not going for 100% aesthetics like I normally would. 😂

If your dough is especially wonky, you can trim it into more of a rectangle before rolling. That will help give each cinnamon roll a more consistent spiral.

And use the extra pieces to make little cinnamon twists on the side. No wasted dough.

Common Mistakes

Rolling too loosely: Roll these TIGHT. The tighter the roll, the prettier those cinnamon spirals will be.

Skipping the rise: Don’t rush the rise time. The exact timing can vary depending on how warm or cold your house is, so pay attention to the dough rather than only watching the clock.

Adding too much flour: The dough should still be slightly tacky. Adding too much flour can make your finished cinnamon rolls heavier and drier.

Using milk that is too hot: Warm is good. Scalding is not. Keep it around 110–115°F so you don’t damage your yeast.

Don’t drown them: You want enough heavy cream to cover the bottom of the pan, not enough for the rolls to be swimming in it. 

Storage + Reheating

I initially stored mine right in the baking pan covered with foil because I had to run out to the birthday party.

When we got home, I moved the cinnamon rolls into a zip-top bag and kept the frosting separate because some people in my family love cream cheese frosting and some do not.

I put the frosting into a piping bag, and I tucked the piping bag into another bag since I had already cut the corner off before I stored it in the refrigerator.

When it was time to eat a cinnamon roll, I popped it into the microwave for about 20–30 seconds to warm it up, added the cream cheese frosting, and ate it.

Perfect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make cinnamon rolls ahead of time?

Yes. After shaping and placing the rolls in the baking dish, you can cover them and refrigerate them overnight. When you’re ready to bake, let them come back toward room temperature and get visibly puffy before putting them in the oven.

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

Yes, but the texture may be slightly different. Bread flour has more protein, which helps give these rolls that soft, chewy structure.

How do I know when cinnamon rolls are done rising?

Don’t rely only on the clock. The dough should noticeably increase in size during the first rise, and the shaped rolls should look puffier before baking.

Can I leave off the cream cheese frosting?

Absolutely. My daughter would actually encourage it. 😂 You can eat them plain or use a more traditional powdered-sugar glaze instead.

Can I make the cinnamon filling stronger?

Absolutely. The recipe works as written, but if your family likes a heavier cinnamon-sugar swirl, add a little extra cinnamon and brown sugar.

Don’t Be Intimidated by Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls look extravagant and definitely taste extravagant, but really — they are so simple.

Yes, they take a decent amount of time, but most of that time is just letting the dough rise while you go do something else.

They’re surprisingly easy to squeeze into a busy day and still end up with something homemade and delicious.

Give these a try. They’re a perfect baked good for fall, holiday mornings, weekends, or just making an average day of the week a little sweeter.

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