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This recipe yields a pan of buttery, gooey, cinnamon-sweet, and extra fluffy homemade cinnamon rolls topped with tangy cream cheese icing. It’s been a reader favorite for years, and I love it so much that I've adapted this rich dough into apple cinnamon rolls, pecan sticky buns, maple cinnamon rolls, and even a cinnamon roll wreath. You can make these cinnamon rolls within a few hours or start the night before using the overnight preparation option.
In Partnership with Red Star Yeast: This cinnamon roll recipe has been on the site since 2014. After making countless batches and answering readers’ comments and questions, I updated the post with more helpful information and success tips. Homemade cinnamon rolls are a popular breakfast choice, and I want to ensure you have all the resources you need for this classic recipe. If you love this dough, try it as raspberry sweet rolls or strawberry sweet rolls with lemon glaze next. For a sprinkle-loaded treat, my birthday cake cinnamon rolls use the same dough too!
Why You'll Love These Homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls:
Texture: This is one of my richest homemade doughs, promising a soft, springy, and fluffy texture. Using all-purpose flour is fine, but bread flour will make the rolls a bit chewier. These homemade cinnamon rolls are even fluffier than my easy 1-rise cinnamon rolls due to the additional rise.
Flavor: The aroma of warm cinnamon rolls is irresistible and inviting. Each bite reveals a fresh homemade dough swirled with sweet, gooey cinnamon, reminiscent of Cinnabon.
Ease: Making homemade dough and shaped breads requires more precision and effort than simpler baked goods like coffee cake. However, the dough is straightforward and simple to shape as long as you have enough flour for your hands, work surface, and rolling pin.
Time: This dough requires two rises. Once you understand the assembly process, the prep moves quickly. Set aside at least 4-5 hours from start to finish or divide the process over two days with the overnight option. Most of the time is hands-off as the dough rises. If you’re craving cinnamon rolls right now and can’t wait for the dough to rise, try these no yeast cinnamon rolls!
What Readers are Saying:
“I HAD to leave this rave review. I just baked and iced these cinnamon rolls at 9:05 am. It’s now 10:55 am, and in a household of only 3 people, only two rolls are left. This recipe is the best I’ve ever tried. ★★★★★” – Chelsea
“Delicious and easy to follow! This was my first time cooking with yeast and making homemade cinnamon rolls, and it was a great recipe to start with. Everyone at brunch was blown away. ★★★★★” – Hannah
“Delicious! I have tried many cinnamon roll recipes, and this is my new favorite. I prefer a roll that is large, fluffy rather than dense/gooey, and buttery without being overly sweet. This fit the bill! ★★★★★” – Brice
Are You a Yeast Beginner? This Baking with Yeast Guide is a great starting point for beginners. It answers many common yeast FAQs with easy-to-understand explanations, helping you learn the basics before you begin.
Essential Ingredients for These Homemade Cinnamon Rolls:
- Whole milk: Ideal for the richest tasting cinnamon rolls. Buttermilk works just as well. Many readers have successfully substituted nondairy milks. In a pinch, you can use 2% or 1% milk, but avoid nonfat milk.
- Sugar: You need 2/3 cup of granulated sugar in the dough. Use 2 tablespoons in the proofing step, then add the rest in step 2.
- Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast. Follow the directions exactly as written regardless of which you choose. Proof the yeast in warm milk with some sugar even if you use instant yeast. This ensures the yeast is active and not expired. If using active dry yeast, the rise times will be a bit longer. I recommend Platinum Yeast from Red Star.
- Butter: This is a rich dough, meaning it has fat to help guarantee softness. Use 1/2 cup of softened butter, cutting it into 4 pieces before adding to help it blend easier.
- Eggs: Eggs promise a softer, richer dough.
- Salt: Dough is bland without salt.
- Flour: Flour provides structure. You can use either all-purpose flour or bread flour. Bread flour will make the rolls chewier, but it’s not a huge difference, so don’t worry if you only have all-purpose flour.
Step-by-Step Photos:
After letting the warm milk, some of the sugar, and yeast sit for about 5-10 minutes, the top should be a little foamy. The dough will be a bit soft and sticky, which is normal. Knead the dough on a floured counter or in a mixer. If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, cover it lightly and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten.
Let the dough rise until doubled in size:
Punch the risen dough down and roll it out.
Baker’s Tip: If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
Roll it up:
Use a very sharp knife to cut the roll into 12 rolls, each about 1.5 inches. Arrange in your greased baking pan, cover, then let the rolls rise until doubled in size and puffy, usually about 1 hour. The left photo is before rising and the right photo is after rising:
Bake the rolls and then make the tangy cream cheese icing to smother on top. If cream cheese isn’t your favorite, you could top the rolls with vanilla icing, the brown sugar icing from these pumpkin donuts, maple icing from maple cinnamon rolls, or even the caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls. Lots of options!
Tips for Perfect Cinnamon Rolls:
- Use brown or granulated sugar in the filling: Brown sugar adds extra flavor, but either works well.
- Best pan to use: I recommend a 9×13-inch glass or metal pan. Avoid ceramic pans, as rolls may take longer to bake through.
- Evenly baked cinnamon rolls: Tent a piece of aluminum foil over the rolls after about 15 minutes in the oven to protect the tops from browning too quickly.
- Overnight option: Prep the dough the night before to save time in the morning. See the make-ahead/overnight instructions in the recipe.
- Freezing tip: Bake the rolls for only about 10 minutes, then cool completely and freeze. To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then finish baking for 15-20 minutes. This method is great for gifting cinnamon rolls or hosting holidays like Easter.
Enjoy your homemade overnight cinnamon rolls, and don’t forget to try out the variations and additional recipes mentioned!
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The above recipe draws inspiration from the renowned culinary experts, Sally and Lindsay.

Irresistible Homemade Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk, warmed to about 100°F (38°C)
- 2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons (14g) active dry or instant yeast (2 standard size packets)*
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature and cut into 4 pieces
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 and 1/2 cups (563g) all-purpose flour or bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 2 teaspoons canola, vegetable, or olive oil for bowl (or use nonstick spray)
Filling
- 1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup (135g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 and 1/2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon
Cream Cheese Icing
- 4 ounces (113g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the dough: Whisk the warm milk, 2 Tablespoons sugar, and the yeast together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook or paddle attachment. Cover and allow mixture to sit for about 5 minutes or until foamy on top. *If you do not own a mixer, you can do this in a large mixing bowl and in the next step, mix the dough together with a large wooden spoon/silicone spatula. It will take a bit of arm muscle. A hand mixer works, but the sticky dough repeatedly gets stuck in the beaters. Mixing by hand with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula is a better choice.*
- On medium speed, beat in the remaining sugar (which should be 1/2 cup/100g) and the softened butter until it is slightly broken up. Add the eggs and salt and beat on medium speed until combined. The butter won’t really be mixing into the mixture, so don’t be alarmed if it stays in pieces. Switch the mixer down to low speed and with it running, add 1 cup of flour at a time, making sure it’s fully incorporated before adding the next. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. After 4 cups have been added, add the last 1/2 cup and beat until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 3 minutes. Dough will be soft.
- Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer (and switch to the dough hook if you used the paddle) and beat for an additional 5 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise. You can also do a “windowpane test” to see if your dough has been kneaded long enough: tear off a small (roughly golfball-size) piece of dough and gently stretch it out until it’s thin enough for light to pass through it. Hold it up to a window or light. Does light pass through the stretched dough without the dough tearing first? If so, your dough has been kneaded long enough and is ready to rise. If not, keep kneading until it passes the windowpane test.
- 1st Rise: Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 2 hours or until double in size. (I always let it rise on the counter and it takes about 2 hours. For a tiny reduction in rise time, see my answer to Where Should Dough Rise? in my Baking with Yeast Guide.)
- Grease the bottom and sides of a metal or glass 9×13-inch baking dish (glass or metal) or line with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough: Punch down the dough to release the air. Place dough on a lightly floured work surface and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 12×18-inch rectangle. Make sure the dough is smooth and evenly thick. If the dough keeps shrinking as you roll it out, stop what you’re doing, cover it lightly, and let it rest for 10 minutes to relax the gluten. When you return to the dough, it should stretch out much easier.
- For the filling: Spread the softened butter all over the dough. The softer the butter is, the easier it is to spread in this step. (Microwave it for a few seconds to soften if needed.) In a small bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle evenly over the butter. Tightly roll up the dough to form an 18-inch-long log. If some filling spills out, sprinkle it on top of the roll. With an extra sharp knife, cut into 12 even rolls, about 1.5 inches each. Arrange in the prepared baking pan.
- 2nd Rise: Cover the rolls tightly and allow to rise until puffy, about 1 hour. (Or use the overnight option in the Notes below.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Bake for about 25–28 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top. After about 15 minutes, tent a piece of aluminum foil over the top of the pan to prevent the tops from browning too quickly. Remove pan from the oven and place pan on a wire rack for about 10 minutes as you make the icing.
- Make the icing: In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add the confectioners’ sugar, cream/milk, and vanilla. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 1 minute. Spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.
- Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store at room temperature for up to 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions – Overnight: To prepare the night before serving, prepare the rolls through step 7. Cover the rolls tightly and refrigerate for 8–12 hours. (16 hours max. 8–12 hours is best, but 16 hours is OK if absolutely needed. Do not exceed 16 hours.) The next morning, remove from the refrigerator and allow to rise on the counter for 1–2 hours before continuing with step 9.
- Make Ahead Instructions – Freezing: Baked rolls can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and warm up before enjoying. You can also freeze the unbaked rolls and here’s how: bake the rolls in step 9 for only about 10 minutes. Cool completely, then cover tightly and freeze. To serve, take the rolls out of the freezer and place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Once thawed, finish baking them for about 15–20 minutes.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Stand Mixer or Large Glass Mixing Bowl with Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Rolling Pin | 9×13-inch Glass Baking Pan or Metal Baking Pan | Cooling Rack
- Milk: I recommend using whole milk for the best, richest-tasting dough. You could also use buttermilk. Reduced-fat, low-fat, or nondairy milk works in a pinch. Do not use nonfat milk.
- Yeast: You can use active dry or instant yeast in this recipe. Follow all of the same instructions. If using active dry yeast, the rise times are usually slightly longer. Reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Other Icing Options: Instead of cream cheese icing, you can top the warm rolls with vanilla icing, the brown sugar icing from these pumpkin donuts, maple icing from maple cinnamon rolls, or even the caramel icing from apple cinnamon rolls.
- Gluten Free: We have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, so we are unsure of the results.