These one hour cinnamon rolls are soft, delicious and slathered with a melt-in-your-mouth frosting. Just like a classic cinnamon roll recipe, but done in half the time!
Easy One Hour Cinnamon Rolls
One of my all-time favorite things to make around the holidays is overnight cinnamon rolls (and my sweet orange rolls). They are so fun to make with my kids and are such a yummy treat.
Let’s be honest though they just take way too long unless your making this cinnamon roll casserole or cinnamon roll pancakes. But I have finally come up with a homemade quick 1 hour cinnamon roll recipe that tastes just as yummy and is done in HALF the time!
They are perfect for my family of 6. We really don’t need more than 1 cinnamon roll each…so 8 is the perfect amount for us! Feel free to double the recipe though if you have a bigger family or want leftovers.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe
- Fast: That’s right, no need to prep the night before, these quick cinnamon rolls are ready in an hour (plus a few minutes)!
- Flavorful texture: They have a soft, chewy and buttery texture with the best cinnamon sugar flavor that would rival any bakery.
- Perfect for the holidays: The best comfort food for a Christmas breakfast or Easter brunch!
How to Make 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls
- Proof the yeast: Add warm water (bath temperature), yeast and 1 Tablespoon of sugar to a small bowl (I like to use a large measuring cup) and stir. Cover with paper towel and let sit until bubbly (about 5 minutes).
- Make the dough: Stir together the butter, milk, sugar and salt in a separate bowl. When the yeast mixture has bubbled, add to the bowl with the butter mixture and stir. Add one cup of flour and mix until smooth. Then add remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments.
- Knead: Knead for a few minutes. Add more flour if dough is still sticky. You want the dough to be slightly sticky, but not to the point where it covers your hands in dough. When the dough is soft, cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in warm spot. Let dough rise for about 20 minutes.
Rising tip: If you don’t have a warm spot in your house, turn on the oven to 200°F and then turn it off. Then place the dough inside to allow to rise.
- Making filling: Combine the melted butter, sugars and cinnamon to a bowl and mix.
- Roll and cut: When dough has risen, punch it down and roll the dough on a floured surface into a large rectangle that’s about 10×12 inches. Using a pastry brush, spread the cinnamon-sugar mixture onto the dough (I didn’t end up using all of the filling). Then roll the cinnamon roll dough up and cut into 1″ pieces with a large knife or dental floss.
- Bake in oven: Add dough pieces to a buttered pie dish (about 1″ apart) and let rise for 20 minutes. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 350°F. You want them to be golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
Frosting
The creamy, thick and rich cream cheese cinnamon rolls frosting is what takes these rolls over the top. You could also make a thinner cream cheese glaze if you want a more subtle taste and texture. A tangy sour cream frosting is also a good alternative if you don’t have any cream cheese on hand.
FAQ’s
You’ll need highly active yeast (or rapid rise yeast). That’s what makes this recipe so quick. The rolls won’t rise as fast if you use traditional yeast.
You can make these up to 12 hours ahead of time. Simply roll them out and place on a baking sheet. Let sit for 30 minutes to rise and then cover tightly with foil that has been sprayed with non stick spray. Refrigerate overnight. Then in the morning, remove from the fridge and let rise about 1-2 hours before baking. Then bake as directed.
Yes, to freeze unbaked homemade cinnamon rolls place them in a pie dish and cover tightly with foil. Store in freezer for up to 2 months. Remove from freezer when ready to bake and let them thaw and rise on the counter for 4 to 5 hours. I like to let them rise in the oven during the last hour. Then bake according to directions.
You can also freeze baked rolls. Let cool completely, then place in a freezer container. When ready to enjoy, set out to thaw overnight.
Want more yummy breakfast recipes? Check out these chocolate cinnamon rolls, my favorite pumpkin cinnamon rolls or this simple liege waffle!
More Cinnamon Roll Recipes
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1 Hour Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Filling
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
Cinnamon Rolls
- ⅓ cup warm water
- 1 Tablespoon highly active yeast
- 5 Tablespoons granulated sugar , divided
- ¼ cup unsalted butter , melted
- ¼ cup warm milk
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , or more or less as needed
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter , at room temperature
Frosting:
- ¼ cup salted butter at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon milk
Instructions
Filling
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Cinnamon Rolls
- In a small bowl, stir together the warm water, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Cover with a paper towel. Let sit 5 minutes, or until bubbly.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a dough attachment, stir together melted butter, milk, salt, and the remaining 4 Tablespoons sugar. Stir in yeast mixture until combined. Add 1 cup flour and stir until smooth. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Knead 1 to 2 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour until smooth and soft..
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot. Let rise about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a pie dish.
- Once your dough has risen, punch it down and roll out on a floured surface. You want to form a rectangle, approximately 10×12 inches. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Spread softened butter onto the dough with a brush and then sprinkle the filling evenly over the top. Gently press the sugar down into the butter. Roll the doll, length-side, into a swirl.
- Cut the dough into 1-inch pieces with floss or a large knife. Place rolls, swirl-side up, into pie dish, about 1 inch apart. Let rolls rise about 15 minutes.
- Bake 18 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
Frosting
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk. You can add more milk or powdered sugar to reach your desired consistency. Spread over the top of the rolls.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Categorized as: American, Biscuits + Rolls, Bread, Breakfast, Christmas, Freezer-Friendly, Kid-Friendly, Nut-Free, Sweet Breakfast, Vegetarian, Yeast Bread
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
Hi,
I was wondering what you mean by highly active yeast? I have rapid rise and read machine yeast that says it is good for rapid rise recipes. Would either of these work?
Thanks!!
Yes, I believe rapid rise yeast is the same as highly active yeast! :)
Hi, I made this recipe because I just needed a small banch of these rolls and they look so yummy, at the beginning, It’s seems to me 1 TBSP yeast was a lot for the amount of flour, but I followed the recipe and the dough come out a little dense with just 1 1/2 cups of flour and with a strong smell to yeast. They rised a little bit..but when they where cooked, they were supersoft and rised very well and I felt like a professional bakery…..But I still wonder about the yeast, is it the right measure 1 TBSP? I read your orange rolls recipe and it calls for 2 TSP for 4 cups of flour…
Thank you for the recipe, We really enjoyed these rolls.
I would love to make these just don’t usually have enought time in the morning when making big breakfasts could i make them the night before?
You could definitely make them the night before. I would suggest heating them up for a few seconds in the microwave to get that right out of the oven taste! :)
Holy cow! These are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever tasted! Such an easy recipe and they are delicious even without the frosting. Thanks for sharing the recipe!!!
I’m so happy you loved them Lila! Thanks for your comment! :)
Why are there no eggs in this recipe?
Hi Debrah! I don’t use eggs in several of my quick bread recipes. They turn out great! :)
I made these last night and they were delicious! Thanks! :)
I’m so glad they turned out well for you! :)
Just made the cinnamon rolls. Everyone loved them
I’m so glad everyone loved them! Thanks for coming back to let us know! :)
Tried recipe and the dough was very dense even after adding only 1 1/2 cups of flour….
Hi Carmen! Everyone measures flour differently but the dough turned out soft for me after 2 cups. Maybe next time just add a little bit at a time until it gets a soft consistency. :) I’m sorry that you had trouble with the dough!
the holidays would not be complete without the cinnamon rolls! these look perfect
I made these this morning. It was my first attempt at homemade cinnamon rolls and they turned out perfectly! I used all of the filling, only used 1 cup of sugar in the icing and added 1/4 a brick of cream cheese to cut the sweetness a little. They melt in your mouth. Thanks for a great recipe!
This is amazing! I love cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning but never want to spend so much time making them. Problem solved! AND I love that you used the word slather for the frosting. Exactly how it should be done!
Oh my goodness those look fantastic!!! I can’t wait to try them
That’s amazing! I can’t wait to try them!!
xoxoxo
Love that these only take one hour! Yummy!
I’ve been looking for an easy cinnamon roll recipe, and these look absolutely fantastic! I may add a little cream cheese to the frosting, too :) Pinned!
These look perfect! I will definitely be trying this in the next couple of weeks!!
YUM! I’ve never made any type of roll before but have always wanted too. This looks like the perfect recipe to start with. Thanks! :)
These cinnamon rolls look so soft, sweet, and perfect! Wish I had one with my coffee right now. Quicker cinnamon rolls are a necessity during this busy time of year!