This Easy Cinnamon Rolls recipe is made without yeast and rising and is ready in less than 1 hour! If you want swirls of delicious sugar and cinnamon goodness wrapped in a soft dough without the hassle of proofing, this recipe is for you!
This is the best Cinnamon Bun recipe made without yeast! It doesn’t lack for sweetness thanks to the delicious filling made with sugar, butter, and cinnamon. The dough is soft and fluffy with a hint of cinnamon. And the thick and creamy icing is… well… the icing on some already delicious rolls!
But the best part about Quick Cinnamon Rolls is that they’re fast and easy to make. No waiting around for them to rise!
Needless to say, this is a great recipe for the brunch table. You can even whip them up on a lazy Sunday morning when you’d rather relax than spend hours cooking …
After all, isn’t that what Sundays are for? These Pecan Sticky Buns make a delicious brunch addition too!
What’s in them?
There are 3 main components in this recipe: the dough, the filling, and the icing.
- The dough is made with basic pantry staples, which include flour, sugar, eggs, butter, milk, salt, baking powder, vanilla, and cinnamon.
- The filling is also simple, consisting of brown and granulated sugar, butter, and cinnamon.
- Last is the icing, made with powdered sugar, vanilla, and a bit of heavy cream! See, easy peasy!
How To Make Them
1. Begin by whisking together the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a large bowl or stand mixer until combined.
2. Add the milk, vanilla, and egg yolk and mix just until combined.
3. While the mixer is running on low speed, pour in the melted butter and mix on medium speed until the dough begins to pull away from the edges. The dough will look flaky like in the image below when done.
4. Shape the dough into a squarish ball and allow it to rest on a floured surface for 10 minutes.
5. Use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle.
6. Prepare the filling and use a rubber spatula to gently spread it over the top of the dough, leaving about 1-inch of room along the edges.
7. Roll up the dough starting at one of the shorter ends. Use unflavored dental floss to mark and measure where your cuts will be for even buns.
8. Use the floss to make clean cuts by sliding it under the roll and wrapping and pulling until it cuts through. Repeat until all 8 rolls are sliced.
10. Arrange the rolls in a greased baking dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The tops of the rolls should be a nice golden brown.
11. While the rolls are still warm, prepare your icing and spread it over the top of them.
Why This Recipe Works:
So, what’s the magic behind making chewy, pillowy, No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls?
Baking powder!
This ingredient is a staple in most baked goods because it’s a leavening agent, meaning it makes them rise. Using baking powder instead of yeast means the dough only needs to rest for minutes instead of hours before baking.
That’s why they’re also called One Hour Cinnamon Rolls — that’s the total time it takes to make them.
The other thing that “works” in this recipe is standard all-purpose flour. As opposed to other flours (like cake flour), it gives the buns the right consistency so they’re not too light or too dense.
I tried making these with self-rising flour and while they tasted good, the texture just wasn’t up to my liking.
These rolls might not be your traditional bakery-style, but I promise they taste just as good and they’re really easy to make!
Can They Be Frozen?
Making these Easy Cinnamon Rolls doesn’t take much effort, but putting a pre-made batch in the oven is even easier!
You can freeze cinnamon rolls in a few different ways if you want to enjoy them later.
For starters, you can put them in the freezer completely cooked, either frosted or unfrosted (just allow them time to cool first). Wrap them in plastic wrap then place them in a freezer bag, or just use two layers of plastic wrap to keep the flavor fresh.
The second way is to par-bake them, which means they’ll be partially baked. Pop them in the oven for about 15 minutes, let cool, wrap, and freeze.
When it’s time to eat them, thaw in the refrigerator, cook for the remaining 15-20 minutes, then frost. This is the fastest way to have fresh-baked Sticky Buns on the table!
Can They Be Left Out?
If you have any leftover Cinnamon Rolls (and that’s a big “if”!), you don’t need to put them in the refrigerator immediately. You can store them in a covered container or a plastic bag at room temperature for two days.
After that, they should be moved to the fridge, where they’ll keep for about a week.
Variations:
These homemade Cinnamon Rolls are so yummy, you’ll be happy to know that you can switch up the flavors with some simple variations!
- Add chopped pecans: Mix them into the filling for some nutty flavor and a bit of crunch! (You can try this Easy Pecan Cinnamon Rolls recipe, too!)
- Try a cream cheese topping: It’s breakfast, after all! While I prefer vanilla icing, cream cheese icing or cream cheese frosting also tastes delicious on the buns.
- More cinnamon: Can’t get enough spice? Cinnamon Frosting is another icing alternative.
More Brunch Recipes:
For more indulgent breakfast or brunch ideas, check out the recipes below!
- Apple Pie French Toast – the breakfast version of the all-American dessert!
- Cinnamon Roll Casserole – a slow cooker recipe for cinnamon roll lovers who are truly lazy.
- Vanilla Pumpkin Coffee Cake – a breakfast favorite for pumpkin fans!
- 5-Ingredient Snicker Doodle Sweet Rolls – a couple of ingredient hacks make this recipe super simple!
1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls
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Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- 2⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup whole milk room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
Filling
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 6 tablespoons salted butter melted
Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a medium casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Add the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and cinnamon to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer bowl and mix until combined.
- Add the milk, vanilla, and egg yolk and mix just until combined.
- While the mixer is running on slow speed, pour in the melted butter. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the butter is fully incorporated and the dough is pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- Flour a large surface area and shape the dough into a squarish ball. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Roll out the dough into a large rectangle.
- Mix together the filling ingredients and gently spread the mixture over the top of the dough.
- Roll the dough tightly from the short end until fully rolled up.
- Use unflavored dental floss to mark the dough into 8 even portions and then slide the dental floss under the dough and at each portion mark, cross the floss with your hands to cut through the dough.
- Add the cut cinnamon rolls to the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. The tops of the rolls should be golden brown.
- Whisk together the icing ingredients until smooth, then spread it over the top of the rolls while they're still warm.
Notes
- To Freeze: You can put them in the freezer completely cooked, either frosted or unfrosted (just allow them time to cool first). Wrap them in plastic wrap then place them in a freezer bag, or just use two layers of plastic wrap to keep the flavor fresh.
- Shelf Life: If you have any leftover Cinnamon Rolls (and that’s a big “if”!), you don’t need to put them in the refrigerator immediately. You can store them in a covered container or a plastic bag at room temperature for two days. After that, they should be moved to the fridge, where they’ll keep for about a week.
- Recipe Variations:
- Add chopped pecans: Mix them into the filling for some nutty flavor and a bit of crunch! (You can try this Easy Pecan Cinnamon Rolls recipe, too!)
- Try a cream cheese topping: It’s breakfast, after all! While I prefer vanilla icing, cream cheese icing or cream cheese frosting also tastes delicious on the buns.
- More cinnamon: Can’t get enough spice? Cinnamon Frosting is another icing alternative.
Donna says
Is the nutritional facts per roll or for the total recipe?
Rebecca Hubbell says
It’s an estimate per roll.
Faith says
I love making sourdough cinnamon rolls (which take days to prepare.) My husband, on the eve of his birthday, requested cinnamon rolls for breakfast!! Yikes! I could not use my sourdough recipe. So, I planned to use my instant yeast recipe instead of sourdough. I woke up at 5am prepared to whip up the 3hr recipe only to find I was OUT of yeast! I frantically started checking Pinterest for hope of a recipe for cinnamon rolls without yeast, and I stumbled upon this absolute treasure of a recipe. OMG I will use this recipe EVERYTIME I make cinnamon rolls in the future. The family LOVED it!!!! And thank you for saving our breakfast!
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yay, I’m so glad you loved them, Faith! And I appreciate you coming back to leave such a sweet comment! I have a Sourdough Cinnamon Roll Recipe coming, but you’re right, you have to plan WAY in advance for those!