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.
Thank you for this recipe — I’ve made these before and they came out terrific! Have you ever prepared the rolls the night before, refrigerated them unbaked, and then baked the next morning? I have an early morning tomorrow so wouldn’t have time to prepare in the morning.
I haven’t tried that with this recipe before, but I have made them the night before and then just head up individual portions in the microwave in the morning!
Wow, I am obsessed with cinnamon rolls, but hate how I usually have to start making them the night before. I will absolutely be trying these over the holidays!
I totally agree! It is nice to have a quick and delicious option. Hope you enjoy! :)
Oh these are my weakness!! AND I love that these are ready in only an hour.
I make traditional cinnamon rolls all the time, and I was surprised at how tasty these were. No one would guess they come together so quickly. They are so yummy!
Brilliant!! I’ll never have to wait all day for cinnamon rolls again. That glaze is amazing!!
So ooey & gooey delicious!! I love how easy & how they take no time at all & the frosting is so creamy & incredible!
My all time favorite Cinnamon Rolls! So easy!
LOVE that these cinnamon rolls are made in just 1 hour! Definitely making these on Christmas morning!
These are yummy and quick. My dough ended up a little more dense than I like, but that was my fault – I grabbed the wrong size measuring cup and then had to do some quick math to figure how much flour I had already added and how much more I needed. I’m guessing I made a mistake. ?Pitfalls of late night baking. My family still loved them. Will definitely make them again – and measure more accurately ?
I love this recipe, I make it regularly. I tried the frosting for the first time too and it was lovely! But somehow the cinnamon rolls always end up quite small – like palm-size or smaller. I hope that’s normal :)
I’m glad you enjoy these cinnamon rolls! Mine are smaller cinnamon rolls, but a little bigger than palm size. Maybe let them rise a little more next time! :)
Can’t believe these only take an hour. I’m in! I’m thinking Christmas morning. What a treat that would be! Beautiful.
I am looking forward to trying these. I have been looking for a quick recipe that I can make before church on Sunday. I am going to do a trial run tomorrow and see just how long it take and how many it makes so I can be prepared for Sunday morning. I will let you know how it goes.
Hope you enjoy these as much as I do! :)
I made these. A lot of work. The next day they were as hard as rocks. I was horrified.
Hi Karen! I’m sorry these didn’t turn out for you. Were they soft the day you made them? I would try decreasing your cooking time by a few minutes!
Add some vanilla pudding your dough mixture! I swear by it! It keeps them nice and soft for a long period of time.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Do you have a glutten free recipe or can you recommend the flour replacement
Hi Traci! I haven’t tried these with gluten free flour so I’m not sure what the result would be. This recipe looks good though: https://www.cookingclassy.com/gluten-free-cinnamon-rolls/ :)
The flavor of these rolls was very good. For me, it took just under 2 hours to get them on the table…but mine required 30 minutes of baking time in a 350 degree oven for the rolls to begin to brown. I also found that I should have plated them after no more than 5 minutes out of the oven, to allow to cool and frost. I let them cool for a full 10 minutes in the pan, and the filling had already begun to set up, making the task of getting them out of the pan harder than it needed to be. I was concerned my dough did not rise much during either of the rising periods, but it ended up just fine…the rolls puffed up nicely during the baking period. I will make these again! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much for replying!
I’ll be sure to use rapid rise / fast-acting yeast. ???
Hello!
This recipe looks amazing, I am super excited to try it!
I have a few packets of Fleischmann’s Traditional yeast packets…when you call for “highly active” yeast in the recipe, do you mean fast-acting or rapid rise yeast?
The back of the traditional yeast packets say they aren’t recommended for exiles that call for rapid rise or fast acting yeast. Please help!
Hi Liz, correct! This recipe calls for fast-acting or rapid rise yeast, not traditional yeast, which is what you have on hand.
Swapped out the milk and butter for vegan butter and almond milk. One word, perfection. I love that this only makes 8 because I can’t eat my mom’s recipe that makes 20+. Also cheated by using some canned vanilla frosting because I’m lazy. Will make again