The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever
These are the best cinnamon rolls EVER. They’re soft and fluffy with a gooey brown sugar cinnamon filling, frosted with cream cheese frosting all while drenched in a rich, buttery brown sugar cinnamon caramel sauce on the bottom.
This really is the absolute best cinnamon roll recipe. I can’t get over these rolls and I’ve been bursting at the seams with excitement to share them with you all! I took the concept of a sticky bun and merged it with a regular cream cheese frosted cinnamon roll. These super fluffy, gooey rolls have a special touch, while they bake, the bottoms are covered in a delicious, sticky cinnamon caramel sauce, which is basically just like extra cinnamon roll filling. Regular cinnamon roll on top, party on the bottom. I can’t even handle how good these are. These are a super winner, 100/10 recipe. I hope you all enjoy; this might just be the best recipe yet!
These cinnamon buns are the perfect thing to bake for Christmas morning breakfast or for special occasions. Nothing beats the smell of fresh rolls baking in the oven!
If you’re looking for other fall recipes, check out my pumpkin cheesecake cookies, cinnamon roll cookies, brown butter caramel cake, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, pumpkin blondies, apple cider cupcakes, pumpkin muffins, gooey butter pecan cake, chai cookies or chewy pumpkin cookies!
Why These are The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
The bottoms are drenched in a sticky, buttery brown sugar cinnamon caramel sauce. Basically just like extra cinnamon roll filling all over the bottom of the rolls- YUM.
They’re full of cinnamon flavor. The rolls are filled with a delightful brown sugar cinnamon filling. As they bake, the bottoms also get covered in a cinnamon caramel sauce to make them extra gooey and delicious. Each bite is full of warm cinnamon!
They are extremely soft. Seriously like little pillows of doughy, buttery, sweet cinnamon goodness.
They are really fun to make! They do take a little time, but making them is half the fun. There’s something about working with yeast dough that makes making the dessert even more exciting. I love to see the dough rise, and transform into a delicious treat. It really makes you feel like you’ve accomplished something!
Ingredients for Perfect Cinnamon Rolls
- Active Dry Yeast– this is crucial for these rolls to rise properly, not an optional ingredient
- Cinnamon- used in the filling and caramel sauce
- Whole Milk– makes these rolls extra soft and pillowy
- Flour– all purpose flour will be used to make the dough
- Eggs– make sure they’re room temperature
- Unsalted Butter– make sure it’s very soft, will be used in the dough, filling and sticky bottom sauce
- Light Brown Sugar-used in the cinnamon filling and caramel sauce
- Granulated Sugar– used to make the dough and helps bloom the yeast
- Honey- used to make the gooey caramel sauce
- Vanilla Extract– adds a sweet note to the rolls
- Cream Cheese– used to make the amazing icing for the rolls
- Powdered Sugar– used to make the cream cheese frosting
- Heavy Cream– used for soaking the rolls while they proof and in the caramel sauce
- Rolling pin
- 9×13 baking dish
- Unflavored dental floss for cutting the rolls
Step by Step Instructions
Please see the recipe card below for complete measurements and baking time.
STEP ONE: Make your dough
To start, bloom your yeast. Mix your active dry yeast, little bit of sugar, and warm milk together and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy on top.
Next, in a large bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix flour, salt and sugar together. To the dry ingredients add the whisked eggs, vanilla, and softened butter and mix. Add in the yeast mixture and mix until everything is blended. Switch to a dough hook and knead on medium speed for 7-10 minutes until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl, forms a ball and springs back when pressed.
STEP TWO: Let it rise.
Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise, (outside or a cold oven with the light on works well for this), for 1- 1 1/2 hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
STEP THREE: Make the gooey cinnamon caramel.
While the dough rises, make the sticky caramel sauce for the bottoms of the rolls, by mixing the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, honey, vanilla, heavy cream and salt together in a medium bowl. Grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.
STEP FOUR: Make your filling.
While the dough rises, also make the filling by mixing butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a small bowl. If the filling is too firm and not spreadable, add heavy cream a tsp at a time until it’s easily spreadable.
STEP FIVE: Roll out your dough and spread filling.
Once the dough has had a chance to rise, remove from bowl, punch dough to release the air, and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into about an 18 x 12 inch rectangle. It should be about 1/4 inch thick. Next, sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling over the dough and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
STEP SIX: Roll up dough and cut rolls.
Roll up the dough tightly into a long log shape starting from the end closest to you. Cut of a bit off the ends to make the log even. Cut 12 rolls about 1 1/2 inches wide using unflavored floss, kitchen twine or a very sharp knife.
STEP SEVEN: Let the rolls proof.
Place the rolls in the prepared casserole dish with the cinnamon caramel sauce mixture and pour room temperature heavy cream in between each roll. Cover them with plastic wrap and let them proof in a warm spot for about an hour, or until they have doubled in size.
STEP EIGHT: Bake the rolls and make the cream cheese icing.
Once the rolls have completed their second rise, bake at 350 degrees F for 29-32 minutes until golden brown. Cover with aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes if they’re getting too brown. While they bake, make the cream cheese frosting by adding the softened butter to a medium bowl and mixing on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Add in the cream cheese and mix until combined on medium speed. Sift the powdered sugar into the mixture a little at a time until all is combined. Then add in the vanilla and combine on medium speed until the frosting is smooth. Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes, then cover the warm rolls with the cream cheese icing. Then serve!
FAQs
Check that your yeast is not expired. If it did not get very foamy on top and smell “yeasty” after it bloomed, the yeast is dead. I’ve found that if it is just bubbly on top, but not foamy, this is an indication that the yeast is dead. Secondly, perhaps the dough just needed more time. Some times it can take up to 1 1/2 hours for the dough to proof all the way to “doubled in size”.
Yes. To prepare ahead of time follow recipe up until you are about to proof the buns for the second time. Cover the prepared buns and place in the fridge. The next morning when ready to bake, take the buns out of the fridge, pour room temperature cream in between them and allow them to proof somewhere warm until they’ve doubled in size. Keep in mind it will take longer than an hour because the dough is cold and has to come all the way to room temperature and then proof. Once they’ve doubled in size, bake according to the recipe.
Keep left over cinnamon rolls in an airtight container for up to three days, but I have a feeling they’ll be gone before that!
Pro Tips
Lightly grease plastic wrap for covering the dough while it proofs. This will help it not to stick to the rolls.
Use unflavored dental floss to cut the dough into rolls. This will allow for really pretty, clean cuts that a knife really can’t give you.
Let your dough proof outside if it’s warm enough, or in a cold oven with the light on.
If you make these delicious gooey cinnamon rolls please leave a star review! Also, tag me on Instagram @inbloombakery_ so I can see your creation! Follow me on Pinterest for other dessert ideas!
Other Recipes to Try Next Time
The Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 1 1/4 cups (300 ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110 degrees
- 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp granulated white sugar (to bloom the yeast)
- 4 3/4 cups (593 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated white sugar
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, very softened
For the Cinnamon Caramel Sauce
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, very softened
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup (116 g) honey
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the Cinnamon Filling
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, very softened
- 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream (for pouring in between the rolls)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- 6 tbsp (84 g) unsalted butter, very softened
- 6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, cold
- 3/4 cup (97 g) powdered sugar
- 1/2 tbsp vanilla
Instructions
For the Dough
- To start, bloom your yeast. Mix your active dry yeast, sugar, and warm milk together and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy on top.1 1/4 cups (300 ml) whole milk, warmed to about 110 degrees, 2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast, 1 tsp granulated white sugar (to bloom the yeast)
- Next, in a large bowl of a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix flour, salt and sugar together.4 3/4 cups (593 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated white sugar
- To the dry ingredients add the whisked eggs, vanilla and softened butter and mix.2 eggs, whisked, 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, very softened, 1 tbsp vanilla
- Add in the yeast mixture and mix until everything is blended. Switch to a dough hook and knead on medium speed for 7-10 minutes until the dough pulls away from the edges of the bowl, forms a ball and springs back when pressed.
- Form the dough into a ball. Place the dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise, (outside or a cold oven with the light on works well for this), for 1- 1 ½ hours, or until the dough doubles in size.
For the Cinnamon Caramel Sauce
- While the dough rises, make the sticky caramel sauce for the bottoms of the rolls, by mixing the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, honey, vanilla, heavy cream and salt together in a medium bowl.1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, very softened, 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/3 cup (116 g) honey, 1/2 tbsp vanilla, 3 tbsp (45 ml) heavy cream, 1/4 tsp salt
- Grease a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan.
For the Cinnamon Filling
- While the dough rises, also make the filling by mixing the butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a small bowl. (If the filling is too firm and not spreadable, add heavy cream a tsp at a time until it's easily spreadable.)1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, very softened, 1 cup (220 g) light brown sugar, packed, 2 tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt
Assembling and Baking the Cinnamon Rolls
- Once the dough has had a chance to rise, remove from bowl, punch dough to release the air, and roll out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough into about an 18 x 12 inch rectangle. It should be about 1/4 inch thick.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling over the dough and spread it evenly with an offset spatula.
- Roll up the dough tightly into a long log shape starting from the end closest to you. Cut of a bit off the ends to make the log even. Cut 12 rolls about 1 1/2 inches wide using unflavored floss or a very sharp knife.
- Place the rolls in the prepared casserole dish with the cinnamon caramel sauce mixture and pour room temperature heavy cream in between each roll. Cover them with plastic wrap and let them proof in a warm spot for about an hour, or until they have doubled in size.1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream (for pouring in between the rolls)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees about 15 minutes before the rolls are done proofing.
- Once the rolls have completed their second rise, bake them for 29-32 minutes until golden brown. (30 minutes is usually perfect!)(Cover with aluminum foil for the last 5 minutes if they're getting too brown.)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting
- While they bake, make the cream cheese frosting by adding the softened butter to a medium bowl and mixing it on high speed with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.6 tbsp (84 g) unsalted butter, very softened
- Add in the cream cheese and mix until combined on medium speed.6 oz (170 g) cream cheese, cold
- Sift the powdered sugar into the mixture a little at a time and mix on low speed until all is combined.(You can add more powdered sugar if you want the frosting to be sweeter.)3/4 cup (97 g) powdered sugar
- Then add in the vanilla and combine on medium speed until the frosting is smooth.1/2 tbsp vanilla
- Let the rolls cool for 10 minutes, then cover the warm rolls with the cream cheese icing. Then serve!
This is my first time making cinnamon rolls and they came out perfectly!! Sooo good!
Can you make these ahead and freeze?
This is such a fantastic recipe. I’ve made 6 batches in the past week. I got quality results every time and they taste so good!
Great recipe, just commenting to say that I made this with the Chobani Extra Creamy oat milk and they turned out fantastic! Wasn’t sure if it would mess with the consistency or not. I did use normal butter and normal cream cheese though, so it wasn’t lactose free – I just happened to only have oatmilk at the time. 🙂
Best cinnamon rolls I have ever tried!! I was on the lookout for the nicest cinnamon rolls, and out of the thousands of recipes I’ve tried, this is the best by far!!!
This is the third cinnamon roll recipe I’ve tried and this is BY FAR THE BEST! Oh my gosh!!! The bottom layer of cinnamon Carmel sauce is really what did me in. Cannot wait to make them again!!
Amazing
There are so many recipes that claim they’re the best but I am saying that without a doubt, this recipe is perfect (I’ve made it at least 10-15 times). Sometimes the only way I change it is adding crushed Biscoff (speculoos) biscuits in with the filling just to change it up.
Can I kneed if I don’t have a kitchen aid
I just tried this recipe, and everything is perfect; it’s just too sweet. I barely ate one. There are 550g of sugar in the recipe. Lemon rolls are much better, in my opinion. Next time I will reduce the sugar amount by half. Do you think it will affect the quality of the recipe? The dough turned out perfectly.
Ciao, I just made the recipe the cinnamon rolls are delicious and not dry at all. I loved the conversion of the measurements from cups to grams. The only thing is that I found the whole thing too sweet. Bye bye from Italy
I forgot the stars ?
ABSOLUTELY LOVED THESE!! Results turned out SO good!! I followed the recipe to a tee and everything went perfectly
These were the best thing I have ever made!
Keep in mind that these do take A LOT of time and patience to do (i sacrificed a whole day just for baking these), but the results are so worth it!
Also, make sure you know what type of yeast you’re using, because if you are using instant yeast like I did, you need to modify the recipe by adding the yeast to the flour and then adding the wet ingredients to the dry ones, without doing any separate yeast blooming.
Be careful to not kill the yeast by using milk or butter that is too hot!
I’ve been on the hunt for a good cinnamon roll recipe, but I found an awesome one! Wasn’t sure if the recipe was going to work with German (live in Germany) ingredients and it sure does. Definitely a hit with my family.
omg i was so excited for this but the bottom layer became like a pool of butter and sugar i dont know why!! ? i followed the recipe exactly but i dont lnow what went wrong
Generally I’m skeptical of any recipe that says “best ever”, but this one isn’t lying.
I have never made cinnamon rolls completely from scratch before. I followed this recipe to a T (aside from the accidental 1/4 tsp of salt i added to the caramel, which was still great). This was a birthday gift for my dad and he loved them. They have been deemed better than a renowned bakery in our state
Here’s a comment you could use to thank the chef:
“Thank you so much for sharing this amazing cinnamon roll recipe! I tried it, and it turned out even better than the ones from the cafes outside! The flavor and texture were perfect, and my family loved it. I’ll definitely be making this again. This was the first recipe from u and i will try with other beautiful recipes
Just made this cinnamon roll recipe. WOW I can’t believe I just baked the best, softest rolls ever with my own hands. I love InBloom’s recipes because they are so approachable for someone who just started baking but the results are always top tier. Thank you!
I have made this 3 or 4 times in the last year since I’ve found this recipe and my family absolutely loves it. The directions are easy to follow and I appreciate the ingredient amount listed at each step. The caramel sauce is probably my favorite part! I can’t wait to look into more recipes from here
I don’t usually leave comments but this recipe deserves one. These are incredible, make these for anyone you would like to impress. Best cinnamon rolls recipe around.
Holy smokes! Literally the perfect name of these rolls are they are THE BEST THING EVER! They are dangerously good!! All things considered, they are fairly easy to make as well. You just need to take your time and do not rush the process. These will be our new Christmas morning staple!
The part that was cooked tasted super delicious!
The bottom of the buns in the sauce, was not well cooked, or it was cooked but tasted raw because of the sogginess. Put in oven for 30 min, let cool for 10, tasted, then put tinfoil over and another 10 minutes in oven. Still the same.
Don’t know if that’s how its supposed to be or if I did something wrong. But i expected moist, not raw after so many hours of work.
Probably dropping the sauce and trying again another day.
Awesome! Trust the process. They will grow and grow! I traded the yeast for sour dough starter and subbed some of the sugars. Thank you for this awesome recipe!
This recipe is awesome. I can bake just about everything but have always struggled with cinnamon rolls. These turned out beautiful.
I made this recipe for my granddaughters 1st birthday brunch. Everyone loved them and said they were the best they ever tasted!!! Thank you for sharing!
These were so freaking delicious!!! Everyone said they were some of the best cinnamon rolls they ever had. They are a little time consuming but so so worth it!!! That bottom caramel layer is TO DIE FOR.
They came out so perfect!!! Love this recipe and how easy it is to follow. Very beginner friendly 🙂
These cinnamon rolls literally made me the favorite aunt ever! Lol. And my husband devoured them. I didn’t follow extremely strict. I usually improvise a little on recipes. So I added a little more cinnamon and a little more vanilla etc. But overall perfect recipe. I LOVE cinnamon and vanilla. So I was like … ehhhh it needs more cinnamon. But I didn’t go crazy. Awesome recipe!
I forgot to rate the recipe. Also… I did the dough in my bread machine and it saved me a lot of work. 🙂
Really great recipe! I left out both the caramel sauce and cream cheese topping (overkill I thought!), and used quite a bit more cinnamon, then just drizzled the dubble cream just before baking! Excellent result, soft, sweet and cinnamoney, juuust right! I’ve made in again and again since.
This is the first recipe I have used to make homemade cinnamon rolls and let me tell you it did not disappoint!!! I was able to follow the directions as closely as I could, because of how clear they were and it came out so delicious! Definitely give it a go! The only thing was that I had to do that is a good tip I learned in the process is turn my pan while they the buns were in the oven, because one side was getting more cooked then the other(so just beware of your oven!)
I forgot to add the five star rating with my comment! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe:)
May the Lord bless you and show you all how much He loves you!
I made these for Thanksgiving and I’ve never made cinnamon rolls before. And Omg!They were PERFECT. There’s not one thing I would change. Everyone raved about them and made me promise to make them again.
Today was the second time I’ve made these cinnamon rolls and they turned to be one of the greatest desserts of all time once again. Great recipe and great instructions.
I made the caramel sauce your way and it really elevated my usual cinnamon rolls to another level.
The only thing I would change next time is to cut the sugar or honey a bit to be less sweet, just for my preference.
This is just the nicest dough to work with. Makes very good rolls easy to roll out. This will become a family favorite.
Hands down my favorite cinnamon roll recipe! I skip the caramel sauce because it was a little too sweet for my family – but still the absolute best cinnamon rolls ever!
They are exactly as described, best cinnamon rolls ever!!
Followed to a T. They tasted phenomenal but the presentation was lacking (my fault on not getting more uniformed looking rolls lol.)
Hoping to do better on that next time!
4 stars only because I was disappointed by what the cinnamon honey type caramel bottom glaze was… it was a huge pooled mess. Maybe I need to let them sit overnight and they would be fine, but trying to serve them 20 minutes after was a MESS. I think I will just skip it next time and double up on the cinnamon sugar filling. The ratio of sweetness is PERFECTION.
Definitely will try again !! Just gonna skip that caramel bit
Can you make the dough ahead of time?
Hi,
First off I am not a baker at all. But I have tried twice now to make your cinnamon rolls and cannot get the dough right. I have followed your instructions but the dough always looks lumpy like not a dough ball but a bunch of pieces of dough pushed together, and does not rise to double the size and look smooth like in your photos on the recipe page. It always seems like there is not enough liquid to make the dough not so lumpy. Not sure if I am doing something wrong with the yeast or what. I heat to 100-110 add sugar and yeast stir and let sit for 10 minutes. It activates but again not sure if it is fully activated. Do I mix the milk and yeast after it is activated before pouring into flour mixture? Should I scald the milk then let it cool before adding yeast? I live in Vegas not sure if that means anything? I have tried twice and both times the dough was unsuccessful.
10/10
I’ve made these 3 times. 1st time I had the pool in the bottom, 2nd time cut the sauce in 1/2 and they were perfect! Made a 3rd time and froze the dough after I made the rolls. Continued as usual on bake day. I don’t think I thawed & raised enough as the middle rolls did not get done. They tasted so good (the ones that were done) each time that I am not giving up on the freeze method and am trying for Christmas morning. Going to make today & freeze until Christmas Eve then bake Christmas morning. Oh, I also cut the frosting in 1/2. These are MY preferences and others may like all the frosting & sauce.
these are so moist I don’t even want the frosting so I agree about the cutting in half.
How can I make the dough ahead and then bake the next day?
What is the best way to heat these up after preparing? I need to make them the day before because we need them very early in the AM. Can I reheat the entire pan in the oven or microwave individually? Thank you
Hi! Do you have experience with preparing this recipe the day before and then placing it in the oven the morning of? What would you recommend? Thanks!!
The best cinnamon rolls everrrr!!!!
I’ve tried so many different cinnamon roll recipes and THIS is the only one I need from now on!! Absolutely amazing!!
I have never ever commented or reviewed a recipe before… but i must say, i love how the instructions are written with the ingredients below them! I always mess up because i scroll back and forth. But i did not mess up this time and my cinnamon rolls are incredible! Thank you
They were so yummy The best cinnamon rolls recipe I have ever tried