Soft Cinnamon Rolls
Soft Cinnamon Rolls are an absolute no-fail easy homemade cinnamon roll recipe filled with cinnamon and covered with cream cheese frosting. Vanilla pudding in the dough keeps the whole roll soft not just the center. Although yeast is involved, I promise you can make these soft cinnamon rolls from scratch easily for breakfast!
HOMEMADE CINNAMON ROLLS
I’m not one for surprises. I remember when I was nine months pregnant with my second son I had spent the afternoon making homemade cinnamon rolls for a friend. My love for cooking and my huge belly never played well together.
If you’ve seen me pregnant you know that my babies like to lay Superman style in my abdomen. Don’t make me show you a picture. By the end of the day my belly was covered in whatever I was making that day in the kitchen.
Most of it I tried to wash off but considering I couldn’t see under my belly, the treasures of the day’s adventures hid on the underside. On this particular day I had tons of flour all over my belly. I don’t know why I didn’t have an apron on but I had tried to kind of pat the flour off my blue shirt.
Changing clothes wasn’t an option because if you’ve been 9 months pregnant you know that there are about two shirts that fit you those last couple of days.
So I headed out the door with my flour dusted belly, scarce makeup, and cinnamon rolls in hand to give to my friend. I hollered to my husband that I would be home in a half hour. He said something along the lines of aren’t you going to change?
I should have known something was up then because my husband has never, except for that instance, said anything like that regarding my appearance in our marriage (although I’m sure there were many times he wanted to).
I headed to my friend’s and walked into a house filled with people for…MY surprise baby shower. And boy was I surprised. As I excused myself to the bathroom I was horrified to see my appearance.
It was then that I realized I don’t like surprises. I don’t like all of the attention on me (which is why I struggled with my cookbook
release). I don’t like feeling like I have to react in a way everyone expects me to. I like to know what’s going on.
So now every time I make homemade cinnamon rolls I throw a little flour on my belly for good luck and think about that moment.
I know many of you love these Cinnabon cinnamon rolls and I do too! They’re fabulous but in my opinion these are the best cinnamon rolls.
But I’m a food blogger and I’m always looking for another fabulous version of everything. I found these quick cinnamon rolls recipe on Allrecipes and then noticed my friend MelsKitchenCafe had the same recipe so I knew it would be good.
You know how the middle of a cinnamon roll is the best part? Well these rolls stay so soft – the entire roll. I ate about a dozen which was fine because it made two. These are divine!
HOW TO MAKE CINNAMON ROLLS
- First, in a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.
- Next, in a large bowl, make pudding mix according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt to the pudding mixture and mix well.
- Add the yeast mixture and mix together. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Add additional flour until dough is soft but not sticky (I added 7 cups total).
- Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled.
Roll dough onto a floured surface about 34 X 21 inches in size. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly starting with the long end. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife. Place on lightly greased baking dish 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden brown. Do not overbake! Frost rolls after rolls have cooled just a couple of minutes (directions below). You still want to frost them while they’re warm just not super hot!
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING FOR CINNAMON ROLLS
The best frosting for cinnamon rolls is cream cheese frosting.
8 ounces of cream cheese, 1/2 stick of butter, 3 cups of powdered sugar, and vanilla.
CAN I MAKE CINNAMON ROLLS THE DAY BEFORE?
Yes. If making ahead of time cover and refrigerate after the rolls have been rolled and sliced instead of letting rise a second time. When ready to bake remove from the fridge and allow rolls to rise.
OTHER BREAKFAST RECIPES:
- Blueberry Croissant Puff
- Cinnamon Roll Breakfast Bake
- Red Velvet Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls
- Orange Rolls
- Pumpkin Pancakes
- French Toast Roll-ups
- Overnight French Toast Casserole
- Cheesy Baked Eggs
Soft Cinnamon Rolls
These Soft Cinnamon Rolls are an absolute no-fail easy homemade cinnamon roll recipe filled with cinnamon and covered with cream cheese frosting.
Ingredients
- ½ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons active dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding (and milk called for to prepare it)
- ½ cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups flour (plus more as needed)
- 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- ½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside.
- In large bowl, make pudding mix according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt to the pudding mixture and mix well.
- Add the yeast mixture and mix together. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Add additional flour until dough is soft but not sticky (I added 7 cups total).
- Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled.
Roll dough onto a floured surface about 34 X 21 inches in size. Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. Roll up very tightly starting with the long end. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife.
Lightly grease two 9x13 baking dishes and place rolls 1 inch apart. Cover and let rise until double again. *If making ahead of time cover and refrigerate instead of letting rise. When ready to bake remove from the fridge and allow rolls to rise.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden brown. Do not overbake! Frost rolls after rolls have cooled just a couple of minutes (directions below). You still want to frost them while they're warm just not super hot! Makes about 24 very large rolls.
- Frosting: Mix together cream cheese, butter, vanilla extract, confectioners' sugar and 2 tablespoons milk. Add more milk as needed.
Recipe Notes
Source: Allrecipes; increased the cinnamon.
Freezing Instructions: To freeze rolls, place them on a baking sheet after they have been rolled and cut. Wrap in plastic wrap and foil and freeze. Thaw rolls at room temperature and allow to rise. Bake as directed.
The best ever!! I made a different recipe before these that had called for heavy cream poured over rolls right before baking. I didn’t have cream so I whipped up some instant pudding & used it instead. My boyfriend loved them& I was amazed how soft they turned out! I was making cinnamon rolls again when I stumbled onto this recipie that had pudding added to the dough. So I used this recipe which was a bit different than the other one but not much. These rolls were amazing!! So soft & unbelievably delicious!! You can’t go wrong!! It’s got to be the instant pudding, it has to be!!!
Step 2 says follow the instructions on the pudding package. But using cold milk will retard the rise. Can I use lukewarm milk instead?
What type of flour do you use plain or self raising or cake flour it’s been a while since I’ve made cinnamon rolls thanks in advance.
Victoria,
Great question. All of my recipes use all-purposed flour unless another type of flour is specified.
HANDS DOWN the BEST cinnamon rolls EVER! I am going to throw some diced apples in the cinnamon mix next time 🤭
I am so happy to hear that!
I made these once and are so soft. My husband loved them. Making these again for his birthday breakfast. Can bread flour be used instead of regular flour?
Yes, you can substitute bread flour.
This is my second try. My first time I used Kitchen aid mixer, but this time I forgot and used my hands…boy did the dough want to stick to my fingers and you can imagine how hard it was to add extra flour. This is my favorite recipe but don’t do it by “hand”!!
Can you make the dough in the dough cycle of a bread machine? This looks so good! Thanks!
I made the rolls today. Unfortunately I took the do not overbake too seriously. I took the rolls out when tops were golden with some brown at 20 minutes. Extremely doughy in center. Please remember to use your own judgement as I would have prefered them if they were overcooked as sure they would still be soft rolls. I should have done 30 minutes.
Luckily, I split the dough in half as it still made an 8×11 glass baking dish of 12 rolls. The other half is in the refridgerator to try again tomorrow.
Oh shoot! Yes, very important to check and make sure they aren’t doughy in the middle!
omg, that is a HILARIOUS story about your surprise baby shower. That’s totally something I would do, too — but I’ve never been pregnant, so I have zero excuse for showing up covered in flour somewhere, lol. But that’s pretty much what I do at Christmas time after I spend a weekend baking cookies to deliver to friends and family. I’m so excited to deliver the cookies ASAP that I just head out the door after I clean up the kitchen, and I have little bits of dough and flour all over me. I figure putting up with my doughy appearance is a small price to pay for receiving freshly baked Christmas cookies! 🙂
I totally get ya on why you don’t like surprises. My then-boyfriend (now-husband) and two good friends threw me a surprise 30th birthday party a few years back, and I had NO idea. I loved the party and the effort my friends made to make me feel special — and feel special, I did! — but I discovered I hated the anxiety of suddenly being thrust into a situation I wasn’t expecting…and then having to put on a happy face (even though I WAS happy) and circulate and chit chat and be “on” the whole evening…when I had just thought I was going to a friend’s for an intimate dinner followed by bowling, lol. When it came for my bridal shower a few years later, I made sure I knew the date (but nothing else) so I wouldn’t be totally caught unawares, and could therefore mentally prepare for and then enjoy the party situation I knew was coming.
Okay, finally: these cinnamon rolls look AWESOME. My mouth is watering right now. I love that there’s pudding in them, too. Will have to try this recipe!
You articulated that in a way I never could! Putting on a happy face even though you were happy. So true!! Thanks for making me laugh out loud!!
Your pictures alone had me hooked but the pudding is so intriguing! Definitely will be trying my hand at these, pinned!
Hope you do! They are one of my faves.
Wow. These look delicious.
Being it makes 24, I take it that you used 2 -9×13 pans
Yes, thank you for pointing that out.
The rolls were delicious! But while I baked them until the tops were getting browned, once I took them out of the 9X13 baking dish those in the center didn’t retain their height. One of two reasons I can think of but looking for your input as well — 1) They were not quite cooked long enough (about 17 minutes) or 2) the double inverting was the problem.
I’m used to measuring my flour by weight (King Arthur flour website shows 120 grams per cup or 4.25 oz) but when following a recipe where there is no weight listed I find I need to use 5.0 -5.25 oz per cup. For this recipe I used 7 cups measured at 5.0 oz and that still wasn’t quite enough to avoid sticky dough. I added about another half cup which resulted in only slightly sticky but generally just a smooth dough.
In my experience if they fall in the middle it usually means the middles did not cook all the way. Oven temperatures can vary as well. It sounds like yours might run a little hot? A solution is to make a foil tent once the tops are browned and continue cooking the rolls for a few more minutes so that the center cooks longer.
At 60 years old, I am very new to yeast bread making. I’ve always been intimidated. My Mom and sister always did the yeast rolls for holidays, so I never bothered to pursue the art. Today it is cold and icy out and I had all the ingredients on hand, so I thought I’d give this recipe a try. The addition of the vanilla pudding intrigued me. Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel like a total cinnamon roll rock star!!!!!!! I made 3 pans and shared with those neighbors whose homes I could “skate” to. My husband and I are enjoying one each as I type, and let me tell you…I’ve deleted all the other cinnamon roll recipes from my Pinterest board! This is THE ONE!!!!!!!!!! Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?😉 My personal trainer is going to be absolutely livid that I’m destroying all our good work, but sad on him!!!🤣 Besides, once he tastes one of these bad boys, he’ll climb right down off his high horse and carb loaf with me!!!🤣🤣🤣
Wow! So much goodness in this comment. The skating, the personal trainer, the cinnamon rolls. You have me hysterical over here! So glad you loved them!
I have been trying different recipes, and I believe this one is the best! I made these for a friend, and was told they are the best cinnamon rolls EVER! Very moist and fluffy…and they stay that way! Thanks for a great recipe. 🙂
You’re welcome!
Any suggestions or tips for high altitude.
I’m so sorry that I do not know the tips for high altitude cooking.
I made these for Christmas breakfast and they were a huge hit. When I first made them this morning, I realized that I had used a 1.85 oz. box of pudding which calls for 2 cups of milk. However I realized the recipe calls for 3.4 oz. so I used 2 of the instant pudding as it was then, 3.7 oz, (thus 4 c. of milk).
It was an absolute mess. I added a lot more flour but the dough never was stiff enough to roll. I ended up scooping the batter into muffin cups to hopefully salvage a least some of the dough.
Could you please tell me what I did wrong? I am a pretty accomplished baker (have a small baking business) so I’m hoping you can solve this mystery .
My 3.4 box of pudding calls for 2 cups of pudding. I’m not sure what kind of pudding did you use? Are you sure it was instant?
I made these rolls yesterday. They were awesome. It says 1 hour, but it took me longer than that. But it had been a while since I made homemade rolls. I usually stick with the classics, but this recipe is a keeper! I’m not sure what the pudding mix does, but it does something because you end up with a super tender and delicate roll. I did half with the frosting and baked half with a sticky pecan sauce. Both were great. I definitely preferred the frosted roll, which is unusual for me. It didn’t even need butter or extra frosting. It wasn’t dry at all. I will make these again.
Yay!! I love hearing that. We love these.
These look perfect!!! How long should I leave them to rise for step 4 and how long for step 5?
That is so funny about the flour dusted belly! My mom baked cakes for many of our friends & family. It seems like she wasn’t finished until she had some icing in her hair somewhere!
These look amazing! Thanks for sharing the recipe =)
Hahaha. I probably had it in my hair too.
Baked this today and of all the cinnamon rolls recipes that I’ve tried this is the best!!! Need to stop my kids from eating it all in one seating! Love, love, love it!!!!
They’re so good.
I am anxious to make these rolls. I live in Canada can you clarify what size box of instant pudding to use. Also if I used birds eye pudding how much and how much milk do I use for each type.
It’s a 3.4 ounce box and you should use the amount of milk called for on the instructions. It should be around 2 cups.
I love cinnamon rolls with raisins. Would you add raisins to the dough or to the cinnamon/sugar mixture?
I personally would add it to the cinnamon sugar mixture. Good luck!