Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls are one of my favorite recipes of all time! I could eat a whole pan (and sometimes do)! We make these every Christmas and every special occasion for breakfast.
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CINNABON CINNAMON ROLLS
I love making these rolls for breakfast because these can be made the night before and then just thrown in the oven in the morning while you open presents.
I always serve these cinnamon rolls with this yummy savory breakfast casserole to balance the sweetness which can also be prepared the night before.
Yes, these rolls taste so much like the original that the first time I made them I was almost giddy that I actually made THE “Cinnabon” rolls! Cinnabon’s cinnamon rolls are heavy on the cinnamon which I love.
I’ve learned over the years that you can even make them the night before and let them rise while you sleep! This is what I woke up to.
The other secret is to frost them with half the frosting right when they come out of the oven and with the other half after they’ve sat a couple of minutes.
That way the frosting kind of oozes down into all of the cracks.
Pictures don’t do these cinnamon rolls justice!
MAKE AHEAD
If you want to make these the night before, shape the rolls and cut then into slices and let them rise on the counter covered overnight. Bake in the morning according to the directions.
CINNAMON LEVEL
Cinnabon is known for their intense cinnamon taste. They use 2 1/2 tablespoons of cinnamon which is a lot. If you’re not sure you can reduce it to 1 tablespoon of cinnamon.
OTHER BREAKFAST RECIPES:
- French Toast recipe
- Cream Cheese Cinnamon Casserole
- Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
- Fluffy Pancakes
- Confetti Bacon Hash Brown Casserole
- Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Bake
- Red Velvet Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls
- One-Pan Bacon, Egg, Potato Skillet
Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 cup warm milk
- 1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons), (see note for Instant yeast substitution)
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups bread flour or regular flour, (bread flour makes for a lighter cinnamon roll)
Filling:
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, (see Note)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
Icing:
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 - 3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Microwave milk for 45-60 seconds in the microwave (about 110 degrees F). Dissolve yeast with a pinch of sugar in warm milk in a large bowl and let it bubble and react for about 5 minutes. Add sugar, butter, salt, eggs, and flour. Mix well. Knead dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour or with a stand mixer for about 5 minutes. Put in a bowl sprayed with cooking spray and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place about 1 hour or until dough has doubled in size. *Our house is so cold I have a hard time getting things to rise. If I turn on the oven and then put the rolls on top of the stove, the oven generates enough heat for them to rise.
- In a small bowl, thoroughly combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Spray surface with cooking spray or sprinkle flour on it. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Spread dough with 1/3 cup softened butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough starting with the longer side and cut into 12 large rolls (or 18 smaller rolls). Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch glass baking dish (or you may need 2 dishes if you make smaller ones). Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30-60 minutes. If making the night before I let them rise covered with a dish towel on the counter overnight.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes or until center of the roll is cooked. Add more time if not cooked. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread half the frosting on them while they are still warm so that the frosting melts into the roll and the other half after they've sat for a couple of minutes. That's what the Cinnabon people do (I asked them). Makes 12-18 rolls.
Notes
Source: my friend Amanda
I am making these today but I have two questions: can I use nonfat milk and salted butter? Trying to work with what I have 😊
Yes, those will both work!
Hi,
So I’ve tried this recipe twice and haven’t gotten past the first step because my dough didn’t rise either time. Can you please tell me what I’m doing wrong? I’m using instant yeast (which I previously proofed), so the first time I added the yeast to the dry ingredients as someone in the comments below suggested, prior to adding the liquid ingredients. The second time I added the yeast to the warm milk, but I didn’t wait for the yeast to react (I waited maybe 3 mins prior to adding other ingredients). Should I have waited for the yeast to bubble before adding the other ingredients? I kept the dough in a warm area for 2h without change 😞
Thanks in advance
No. With instant yeast you don’t have to wait for it to react. It sounds like your water was either too hot and killed the yeast or too cold and didn’t activate it. Is there a possibility that your yeast is old?
What water? Maybe I’m blind but I don’t see water in the list of ingredients? 🤷♀️
Sorry. I meant the liquid (milk).
We needed something a little special here for Day 3 of our Coronavirus Lockdown…these cinnamon buns are everything! At least 3 more weekends confined to our little bubble in New Zealand and we are going to be making these again and again and again. Thank you so much for sharing x p.s. Stay safe
You too! We are on day 15 of quarantine and we are going batty!
Use your instant pot on the yogurt setting for the first dough rising. When it’s doubled it’s done! The best cooking tip in years!
Really? Great tip!
How long does it normally take on that setting? I love that idea, but wasn’t sure how long to plan to leave it in there…
Hi, I only have instant yeast. Will this still work?
Yes! For instant yeast you need the same amount.
Made these today. I am at a loss for words other than… WOW!
Followed your recipe… at first I thought that the dough was too soft not enough flour. I resisted adding more. After the first rise it was perfect, as smooth and soft as could be, also easy to handle. Made the rolls, 2nd rise was faster. Buns are amazing!
Thank you! I love them!
This recipe is even better than the last “Cinnabon” type recipe I tried and that one was pretty darn good! This one however is much easier and makes a dozen large rolls instead of 24. I made the recipe with out changing a thing, Usually I tell myself that next time I’ll change one thing or another but this recipe is perfect the way it is even with the alarming amount of cinnamon!
I did find that it made more frosting than we could use, so I ended up saving about 1/2 of it in an airtight container it is easily “revived” with a few drops of milk. I’ll put it in a baggie, snip off the corner and top off fresh baked scones.
OMG Christy! You did that! And now I did that! Thank you so much for sharing they literally taste like cinnabon! Last week I made a cinnamon roll recipe from tasty and they were tasty but they lacked cinnamon and they weren’t to die for like these. I wish I could post a pic. They are so amazing my sister almost cried from joy lol. We added caramel and chopped pecans and I just have no words.I will definitely be making these for all kinds of occasions they are perfection!
Caramel and pecans would be absolutely magical.
Hi, does the recipe call for salted or unsalted butter? Thx
Unsalted
Always unsalted butter unless specified.
These are amazing! Even though they take a few minutes to make it is virtually fail proof! Followed the directions exactly, and made the dough the night before. Rolled it and sliced the rolls the night before and left it covered on the counter. Then I cooked for 19 minutes and iced with half the icing. Left the remaining icing in the bowl since some of my crowd preferred more and some preferred just a touch. Really an easy holiday treat. Looked, smelled and tasted delicious.
Glad they worked for you!
Hi if I wanted to make the dough tonight (Wednesday), the rolls (Thursday), and bake them on Friday afternoon, why they come out just fine? I am busy with a lot of work but I really want to make these cinnamon rolls for my gathering.
I’m worried the yeast might turn after raising that long. I’ve never spread it over that long of time.
It really doesn’t take much longer to make the rolls once the dough has undergone its first rising. Just do those steps the night before or even Friday morning.
Hello Christy! I am your new follower from the Philippines. I would like to try your Cinnabon cinnamon rolls but active dry yeast is hard to find here only instant dry yeast is available in my place. Can i use that instead of active yeast? Should I follow the same procedure? Thanks in advance for replying. Warm regards!
Yes, you don’t have to proof instant yeast and can just add it into the dough.
I made these but added raisins n Wal nuts and added grated orange zest n fresh Juice to the frosting . THEY KILLED one person even made the comment ” omg they taste like a cinnabon cinnamon roll. ” I chuckled. My question is can u freeze these and then bake them ? Or unfreeze then let rise . ?
YEs, exactly. Freeze and then thaw and rise and bake.
I made the rolls for Thanksgiving morning turn out great. The only thing was i only put 1-1/2 t.spoon of cinnamon and i added 1/2cups of raisins my kids like them in the rolls.
What do you do with leftovers? Are they good the next day?
Um yes. They are fabulous.
W.O.W
Words can’t describe how amazing these turned pout to be!!!!!
TOTALLY worth the 24hrs of prep time
Would recommend to anyone, and have already recommended to my Nan and her spaghetti.
yo sweetie, aren’t you allergic to cinnamon???????????
Awesome!
These are AMAZING………..i could so totally eat the whole tray………..yummmmmm…..i will definitely be making these again 🙂 🙂 🙂
I often eat the whole tray.
Hi there i made those a few times they are awesome , should i proof the yeast first never did i just mix it all and rises fine….1 more question is when i ice them right out of the oven it seem to flatten them any idea ????
I’ve tried several cinnamon roll recipes over the years and this is the first one that i can honestly say i loved. I made them the night before and we ate them this morning and they were wonderful. Thank you for sharing
This is the second year in a row that i’ve made these cinnamon rolls for the Holidays and they are incredible!! Thank you for the recipe 🙂
I’ve been making these rolls as a yearly Christmas tradition – thank you for the recipe! Do you think making them a day ahead and leaving it out during the day and overnight would be ok? I’d bake them Christmas morning.
I’m not sure. I actually have left them out overnight to rise (of course I went to bed a 1AM) so I think it should be fine.
Love love love this recipe and your site!! I want to make these this year to hand out as gifts; can I make 3-4 days in advance and keep refrigerated? Or would need to freeze?? And, if I froze, should I instruct them to take them out the night before and sit on the counter overnight? Any suggestion would be appreciated! Thank You!!
I would probably freeze them and then yes, sit them on the counter overnight. Hope that helps!! And thank you for your kind words.
I want to make these as gifts. Can I make them on the aluminum foil throw away pans?
Oh and I love this recipe!! I’ve been making it for the past few years for Christmas morning… Both my side and husband’s side of family request it!!
You are awesome. I would love to be related to you.
Yes, totally!
Thank you!!!
Just wanted to let you know that some of us still use this awesome recipe…making 3 full batches today…total of 5 as the first two i forgot to proof the yeast and they didn’t rise. But, so love these. We have no Cinnabon’s here in New Zealand so homemade it is. Everyone Loves them.
oh my gosh! I’m coming over!!
I just found your “Soft Cinnamon Roll” recipe on Pinterest and you mentioned this recipe so I had to check it out. It is the same recipe that I have been making for years, in fact my husband begs for these frequently cause he says I only make them when we have company. He is just finishing up a pan I made this week. I have been having a consistent problem and I was wondering where I could go for help….and here you are!! My problem is that when my rolls rise, they pop up in the middle and therefore get to brown there. I use a 13 x 9 baking pan. I have to watch them and cover them with tin foil to prevent too much browning. I am wondering if I need to start putting them on a baking sheet instead or find a larger pan. I have trouble with the brown sugar and cinnamon getting too cooked also…may try the tip of refrigerating them before I bake them.
I agree these are my fave and I make them for special occasions. From what you described it sounds like they are simply being baked too long. Or are they doughy if you take them out sooner? I would try lining with parchment paper to solve the brown sugar issue. Although when brown sugar cooks too long it starts to caramelize. Are you baking them in the middle rack? I would start by baking them less. Every oven temperature varies. I’ve had friends who ovens were 50 degrees off. If that’s your case you could bake at a lower temp. Good luck Lea Anne.
I like to roll my dough out more and cut straight lines (looks nicer). I used my extra dough and made a few rolls for dinner! Wow really good rolls, kinda like Hawaii sweet rolls.
Perfect! Light , tender tasty rolls. Just like cinnabon
Thank you!
Cinnamon can make or break a roll. What brand did you use?
I agree. Cinnabon actually sells its cinnamon some places. I honestly just use my grocery store brand.
Best cinnamon roll recipe ever! I did not have confectioners sugar so I made my own and the frosting was amazing. Will never buy it again as it has an artificial taste compared with homemade. Just blended in my Nutrabullet. This was mainly for my kids to have with their breakfast but if I make it for adults I will try adding a touch of vanilla bean to the frosting or homemade caramel. Thanks for posting this recipe!!
If I am making these a day in advance, how do you recommend I go about preparing them? Should I make them and then freeze them? Or just reheat them?
I would just reheat them. Freezing is not necessary.
how do you keep the rolls from drying out overnight after baked?
I let them rise overnight and I cover them with a dish towel.
hi..would love to ask what kind of flour did u use? all purpose or bread flour? is it ok to use wheat flour?thank u 🙂
I use all-purpose. You can use wheat but it makes for a denser roll. Maybe try half white, half wheat.
So I’ve made these already…soooo good! What I’m wondering is if you can make them ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze them to bake a few days later?
I always make mine ahead of time and after I roll them refrigerate until baking. Hope this helps.
I just made these cinnamon rolls and they are soooo yummy! This will definitely be our new Christmas breakfast tradition. My family loves your recipes, I can’t wait to get your cookbook!
Oh my goodness!!! I just made these. They haven’t come out of the oven yet but if the icing (I’ve already eaten about 3 tbsp!!!) is any indication of how good these are going to be I just might eat them all! Also, I think I may have to make more icing because I keep eating it! Sooooooo gooood! WOW!
Run your dryer until it is warm. Put covered dough in and close the door. Dough rises just fine.
That’s awesome! Never thought about the dryer. I always use the microwave above the stove. The light keeps the microwave warm and makes it a nice proofing box.
Has anyone tried making these and freezing them? I wonder if they will taste okay if they have been frozen and then baked. I have made them several times and they are a hit! I would like to take them to a family gathering, but need several batches so freezing would help out a great deal!
I always sift the flour and then measure it for my recipes. I do that to standardize my recipes. That technique did not work here. The dough was too wet, and I had to add extra flour. I’m assuming that you are not sifting the flour. Please confirm that you are not sifting the flour. I also add vital wheat gluten to the all purpose flour to make bread flour. All thing considered, the buns were great, the esthetics were not, but the taste was great. The esthetics failure was due to my technique not yours.
Hello, I am made these and they came a bit dry. They rose the first time and a bit the second but they were dry. What did I do wrong?
Did you overbake them? That’s the only way I can figure out how these are dry.
Hi – I just had to let you know that I made these rolls for our Christmas morning breakfast and they were absolutely delicious! They looked so much like store brought rolls I had to photograph them! I live in New Zealand and just love your recipes. I have tried several and they have all been great. Thanks!
Thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed them.
These are wonderful! The only problem I had was the rolls not wanting to get done in the middle but were already turning brown. What am I doing wrong?
What kind of yeast do you use? I tried to make it ahead using rapid rise yeast & it didn’t rise the second time. It was ok but not as good as when I made it fresh. I would love to make this a day ahead and bake in the morning for breakfast but it didn’t taste as good that way and I’m wondering if it’s the yeast. If not, any other suggestions you have would be great!
Thanks!!
Shelly
Instant yeast will only rise one time. It should be added along with the other dry ingredients. If you proof the yeast in the milk that begins the action of the yeast and you must move fast to continue the rise of the flour. Try using Active Dry Yeast. You must proof Active Dry Yeast first, but the yeast will continue to be active well into the second rise cycle. Proofing the yeast also tells you if your yeast is still good. If it does not proof, then get some new yeast. Better to know your yeast is bad before you commit it to the other ingredients then after.
Thanks John for the insight!
I just came across your site a few weeks ago and wanted to let you know I LOVE IT!!!!! Your recipes are easy to follow and you have some delicious things, thanks for all the hard work!!!!
Thanks Yvonne!
I was searching for an easy recipe to make my first ever batch of cinnamon rolls, and these were perfect! I followed your recipe for the dough and then used The Pioneer Woman’s icing… every last one was gone within an hour of coming out of the oven! You can bet I’ll be making these again in th future!
I must say that I have been searching the web for years to find a recipe like yours….the texture of the dough its just perfect, although I did had to add some more flour to it, still they are just as I remember. I must say my perfect cinnamon roll recipe search is finally over….I will try some other of your recipes 😀
Thank you for taking time to post your recipes I imagine its a bit of work but do not stop 😀
Hi,
I really want to try this. I normally use my danish recipe, but this one seems fantastic. What is confectioner’s sugar…. Powered sugar?
Thank you , and have a great day
Jannie
Jannie,
Yes, it’s powdered sugar! Lol. Christy
Hi, just stumbled across this site. Want to ask a question: my problem is in the filling. I have experienced the cinnamon sugar mixture to melt out of the rolls during baking and then it bubbles in the bottom of the pan and burns. Is there a trick to making it stay?
I think all fillings tend to leak out a little. I notice that when I refrigerate the rolls before cooking the filling stays in better.
yes there is a trick,when your making the sugar and butter mix you need to add just a litlee flour to hold it in place
Thanks for the tip!
These rolls were incredible! With my daughter’s first bite, she proclaimed: “Oh my!” My wife simply said, “Wow! Wow!” Thank you!
Can’t wait to give these bad boys a shot! I’m drooling 🙂
When I need dough to rise and it is cool in the house (never too cold in Houston), I just turn the light on in the oven and put the dough in there. Watch carefully as sometimes it will rise too quickly – just turn the light off and leave it in the oven.
Made these for Christmas morning. they were delicious
Thanks so much for this recipe, my uber picky husband LOVED them . Thanks again and Merry Christmas from Visalia Ca.
I have made them twice already so DELISH !
I made this yesterday and had them for Sunday breakfast today – everyone LOVED them. It is also cold in my house, instead of turning on the stove to get the dough to rise, I put them on my dryer while I was doing laundry… It worked like a dream!
We loved these so much and would like to do them again, but the recipe makes too much for me and my boyfriend to eat in one day. Do you think these would freeze well if I froze them before baking?
Skye,
Yes! I absolutely think they would freeze well.
I am making these this morning for Thanksgiving breakfast 🙂 they are in the oven & smell soooo yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
@Pinky,
Yeast can be tricky. To get it to rise make sure that your yeast is fresh and not expired. Make sure that your milk is warm enough to make the yeast rise but not too hot so that it kills the yeast. Make sure when you are letting the dough rise that it’s in a warm area. We keep my house cold so I’ve found a warm spot so my dough will rise.
I found that my house is always too cool also to get a good rise, so I always let things rise in the oven just with the oven light on, not the stove itself. It works great! I am going to try your recipe, as I love making any kind of buns. Would instant yeast work as well? Then there is no need to proof it.
Instant yeast would definitely work here. And great tip!
@Kalmo,
I just knead it for a couple of minutes with my Kitchen Aid or by hand…
I’ve made this twice and it just doesn’t seem to be working for me. I’ve never made anything that requires dough to rise. Could that be my problem? Also, I just realized I was rolling it wrong, ughh. Maybe that’s why it didn’t work out for me, too thick. I’ll give them one more try.
My dough did not rise either. I’m going to try this again, but use warm water instead of milk to proof the yeasts….or whatever it is called.
Hi, thank you for sharing this recipe. How long should I knead the dough for? Thank you!
Just for a couple of minutes.
The recipe was so good that everybody in my family ate it.The icing was even terrific like the store it doesn’t need to be change.You know you said 1 c brown sugar and 2 1/2 T ground cinnamon that was too much and including the butter too.I like that the recipe needs less than what the recipe says.Good recipe!
This was very good, but the icing was very sweet. I ended up changing the icing to only include 1 cup of powdered sugar and it was perfect.
God I Love cinnamon 🙂
@Anonymous,
The servings were hidden in the directions so I added it at the end as well to make it more clear. This recipe makes 12 large cinnamon rolls or 18 smaller ones.
Inquisitive
None of the recipe indicates servings. I’d like to know in order to prepare enough for football team, Sunday School class, etc. Thanks.
@Anonymous,
Sometimes brown sugar gets balls in it but it will be fine and dissolve while baking.
@Anonymous,
You should try to roll it out to 16X21 but these are very forgiving. As long as you have some shaped rectangle they will work.
hi have one question…when you roll up the dough…the size is 16×12 oe 16×21…i tried but there was no way i can roll it up to the 16×21 size…..please help me…thank u so much
And when I mixed the brow sugar and the ground cinnamon together…there are lots of hard balls of the mix formed…is it ok to put those balls on the dough before rolling or I have throw those and add more sugar and ground cinnamon?
Made these for Easter Brunch – EXCELLENT. I hid two away so that Hubs & I could have them for tomorrow! The rest are totally wiped out, thank you for a great recipe!
I made these today and they are amazing- identical to Cinnabon. Thanks!
How many does the casserole serve and what size of casserole dish would you use?
These were GREAT! I put a little twist and diced some apples and sauteed them with cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and some maple syrup and loaded up the dough with them before I rolled… they were amazing, best cinnamon rolls I’ve made or had yet. My family and friends went crazy! Thanks!
Hilary,
So you HAVE been around a while! it does se like I just posted about these. Glad the brownies turned out for you guys! Christy
J Davis,
Sorry. It’s probably too late but I think you could get away with making them 2 days in advance.
Do you think I could make these two nights before? I want to take them to my in-laws for Christmas morning, but can only do it two nights in advance… what do you think?
Lol, Christy- this just shows how long I’ve been reading your blog! I remembered you posting about a couple recipes for Christmas morning… didn’t realize how long ago that was! I’ve loved watching your blog grow over the years. Thanks for all the great recipes and entertaining stories! Congrats on the new little one and best of luck with your sweet family. ps, I emailed you LONG ago asking for a brownie recipe- kinda like the ones “grandma’s” make with frosting all fudgy. At the time you didn’t have one, but wanted to let you know “brownies for a crowd” was PERFECT and is a staple in our home 🙂
I made the casserole on Christmas Eve and froze it. Everyone loved it and it was so nice to have it ready to throw in the oven.
Thanks for the recipe!s
@Larissa,
You do not have to let them sit at room temperature. I will let them sit out while I’m preheating the oven but I have stuck them in straight from the fridge before too and they may just take an extra minute. Good luck!
Christy
These look really good, and I have been wanting to make homemade cinnamon rolls. I have one question though:
If I refrigerate them the night before do they need to sit at room temperature before putting in the oven?
**I was the one who deleted the previous comment. I wanted to use my other account instead. Sorry! 🙂
This comment has been removed by the author.
JUST found your blog today, and you READ my MIND with your Christmas breakfast menu!!! This is our first Christmas at home (both families live FAR away!) in our 5 years of marriage and with two little kiddos… I am just giddy with anticipation of Christmas morning! This just fuels the flame!! Thanks!
Aside from the icing, this recipe is almost exactly like the one I use for my copycat cinnabon recipe. In fact, I just made some yesterday. I love how much icing you put on yours. YUM!
Should the cinnamon rolls be refrigerated if they aren’t all eaten? (I know, I know, slim chance of that!)
I made this, and it was freaking awesome! My family loved it!