Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Soft and fluffy overnight cinnamon rolls can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning! Top with a rich cream cheese frosting for the best make ahead breakfast.

Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

After testing this cinnamon roll recipe for years, I finally feel confident sharing them with you. I used the base dough from my orange roll recipe or but you can also use these perfect potato rolls. Both are fantastic!

These overnight cinnamon rolls are soft, buttery, and tender with the perfect amount of brown sugar and cinnamon filling then topped with the best cream cheese frosting. The best part is that you can prep these the night before and bake them fresh in the morning!

A warm fresh cinnamon roll on Easter and Christmas morning served with a side of this liege waffle recipe makes the sweetest brunch! If you’re looking for an even quicker option, try my 1-hour cinnamon rolls, cinnamon swirled banana bread or this cinnamon roll casserole.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below

• Warm milk: This is tricky but using a thermometer will help get the perfect temperature without killing the yeast.
• Active dry yeast: Make sure that your yeast package is fresh and within the date before it expires.
• Egg: Use large eggs. If you only have medium add in an extra egg to help balance it out.
• Sugar: Add sweetness and texture to the cinnamon roll dough. This amount of butter will be divided.
• Butter: Melt your butter in a microwaveable dish.
• Salt: Add a pinch to help the dough rise and form.
• Flour: Thicken the cinnamon roll dough with all-purpose flour. Add more or less as needed to your dough. You don’t want the dough dry or crumbly but not too sticky either.

Filling for Cinnamon Rolls

• Butter: Barely softened at room temperature.
• Brown sugar: Always a delicious sweetness to the filling.
• Ground cinnamon: Adds a sweet and spicy taste.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• Butter: Unsalted butter is best. Slightly softened by sitting out on the countertop.
• Cream cheese: Make this into classic cream cheese frosting! Soften before adding to the bowl of a stand mixer.
• Powdered sugar and sugar: Thickens and adds sweetness to the frosting. This sugar mixture blends well with the other ingredients.
• Vanilla extract: Add in a hint of flavor with vanilla or even almond extract.

How to Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Make the Dough

Add yeast, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, and warm milk in a small bowl. Let sit until it starts to foam, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk egg and then whisk in sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and yeast mixture. Mix with a dough hook in two cups of flour until smooth, then add the remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments. Knead the dough until it’s soft, about 5 minutes. Add a Tablespoon or two more flour if the dough is still sticky, but make sure not to overdo it.

Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise.

Add the Filling

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside. When the dough has risen and doubled in size, punch it down and roll it out on a floured work surface into a 15×20 inch rectangle.

Brush the softened butter on top of the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling on top. Gently press the mixture down into the softened butter.

Roll and Cut

Starting at the shorter side, roll the dough up tightly and pinch the sides together at the end. Then use floss or a large serrated knife to cut the dough into 1-inch pieces.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place the dough rolls onto the sheet about an inch apart.

Refrigerate Overnight 

Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and store overnight cinnamon rolls in the fridge for up to 16 hours. Then pull them out onto the counter the next morning to rise until they’ve doubled in size, usually about 1 to 2 hours.

Bake in Oven 

Once they’ve doubled in size, bake the cinnamon rolls in the oven at 350°F until the tops are lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before topping with frosting.

Spread Frosting on Top 

To make the frosting, beat together the ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth (add more or less milk if needed). Then spread the frosting evenly on top of the rolls with a spatula. If you prefer a drippier consistency, you can drizzle on a cream cheese glaze instead.

Baking Tips

• Yeast. Make sure you are starting with fresh yeast. For the best cinnamon roll recipe, I used active dry yeast, not instant yeast or rapid rise yeast.
• Warm milk. Check the milk temperature to make sure it isn’t too hot. It should be at 105-110°F (bath water temp) when you proof the yeast.
• Quick rise. To help the dough rise faster, preheat oven to 175°F and then turn it off. Place the covered bowl of dough in the oven along with a small bowl of hot water.
• Baking sheet. Line baking pan with parchment paper so the bottoms don’t brown too fast.
• Slice. When cutting the cinnamon rolls into sections using a sharp knife or some people like unflavored dental floss to cut into even sections.
• Extra rolls. This recipe makes about 15 rolls, however, the baking sheet usually fits about 12. I put the larger-sized rolls on the baking sheet and then add the smaller end rolls to a smaller pan.
• Let cool. Once the fluffy cinnamon rolls are baked and out of the oven, wait about 10 minutes before frosting. You don’t want it to melt too much.

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes

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