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.
How many does it make?
8 cinnamon rolls :)
I have used many of your recipes and have enjoyed all of them.Thank you for your hard work. I oodles of cook books, and have opened any of them since I found you.
Turned out so good! Thank you so much for sharing!
I am so happy to hear that, Ashley! :)
Delicious!! So easy to make!
So glad you enjoyed them, Mary! :)
Turned out great! I have a son with a severe dairy allergy and this was incredibly easy to adapt to make “dairy-free” or even Vegan! I switched out the regular milk for Silk unsweetened coconut milk and the standard butter for earth balance butter sticks. Adults and 4 kids devoured these 🤤 and there was plenty for everyone!
Yay! So happy to hear the substitutions worked for you. Thanks for your comment and review, Dawn!
I only have quick rise yeast, would that still be okay to use?
Yes you can use quick rise yeast. No need to let it proof in the liquid :)
Friggin AWESOME! super easy too. This recipe is now in my recipe book. ♥️😋
So delish! Doubled the recipe and put half unbaked in freezer for next time(:
Great idea! Glad to hear you enjoyed them, Abigail :)
So easy and so good!!
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them, Lisa :)
I made these and it made the best, most beautiful dough. I have a couple of questions though. When it says to let the dough rise in the oven–how much should it rise? And mine seemed to turn stale even on the same day as baked. Did I bake them too long?
And do you have a tips for technique when rolling the dough?
Otherwise they were very easy to make and came out of the oven perfectly! Thanks
They could have been over baked, or maybe not stored with a lid on? You can try storing with a marshmallow inside to keep them fresh long.
I like to pinch and roll as I go moving quickly to keep the sugar in.
Just until it has doubled. Make sure the oven isn’t too hot. I like to crack it open slightly as well.
My bread didn’t rise either time, before cinnamon or after. What did I do wrong? My yeast is in date.
I’m sorry it didn’t rise. Hmm… there could have been too much flour added. Or maybe it wasn’t in a warm enough place?
💗
My ALL TIME favorite cinnamon roll recipe!! When I want a gooey cinnamon roll I don’t want it to take all day and this is prefect for that. I love that it is a small batch since I have a small family. This recipe is also very forgiving. I am new to working with yeast bread/ dough and I swore a few times I messed it up but they still came out soft and delicious!
I’m so happy to hear you love the recipe, Heather! Thanks for your comment and review :)
I love these! I am planning on making them for Christmas morning.
Enjoy! They make the perfect holiday breakfast :)
This is our favorite Cinnamon Roll recipe, so so good! A most try and it is very easy! My husband said this is the best homemade cinnamon rolls I have ever had
Love hearing that! I’m so glad this recipe was a hit :)
I had always wanted to make cinnamon rolls but never did because they seemed like so much work. But not these! These were so easy and so delicious! I was concerned at first because my dough didn’t seem to rise at all (there was nothing to “punch down”). But it didn’t seem to matter. These still turned out great. Can’t wait to make again!
Yay! I’m so glad you loved the recipe, Amy :) Thanks for your comment and review!
What kind of milk is recommended?
Also type of salt?
Your bread was fabulous and gotten soooo many compliments on it😊😊
Kathy
I use whole milk and kosher salt :) So happy to hear the bread was a hit!
These were so simple and fast and my kids devoured them! It’s a very tender delicious dough.
Delicious!