Chewy and gooey with a distinctive spicy cinnamon filling dripping with glaze and slathered in vanilla cream cheese frosting, these are the Best Cinnamon Rolls you will ever eat.

Watch the video below for step-by-step instructions for these finger-licking buns.

Our family loves these homemade cinnamon rolls for all special occasions. This recipe is easy to make by hand or use your 7-quart Kitchen Aid Mixer. (sorry it doesn’t fit in the 5-quart). Using simple ingredients, this recipe makes 18 – 24 very large scrumptious rolls. They are the softest, fluffiest, most gooey cinnamon rolls ever. Sweet and buttery, melt in our mouth, and yes, completely Over-The-Top.

They can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight to bake the next morning, making them the perfect breakfast treat or Christmas morning brunch. There’s enough for the whole gang.

Yes – they are buttery and sweet
Yes – they are rich and cinnamony
Yes – they are dream-worthy.

Cinnamon Roll being pulled apart by two hands

What Makes These Cinnamon Rolls the BEST?

Since these are an extra special family treat, they have to be soft, fluffy, and moist. They rise nice and tall (over 4 inches) and are uniformly soft throughout. These homemade cinnamon rolls just melt in your mouth.

They’re topped with not only the Gooey Glaze, but the silky smooth Vanilla Cream Cheese icing for that tangy sweetness.

This recipe makes 18 – 24 extra-large Cinnamon rolls. They are great warm from the oven and freeze beautifully.

This is a double-proof recipe, and it is worth the small extra effort to achieve the pillowy, soft texture of these cinnamon rolls. I use the time between the first and second rises to prep my other ingredients for the filling and glaze, so I’m organized and ready. And I don’t care who you are: punching down the dough is SO MUCH FUN.

Finally, our electric mixer does all the hard work. I start by mixing with the paddle, and once the dough stiffens up slightly, I switch to the dough hook attachment to do the kneading. Don’t have a mixer? No worries. This soft dough is very easy to mix together with a wooden spoon. Then, roll it out on the counter to gently knead it.

entire tray of warm baked cinnamon rolls with gooey glaze

More Tips for Making Yeast Cinnamon Roll Dough:

This recipe is so easy, it’s foolproof. It makes the perfect cinnamon rolls every time. Trust me: I’ve made them often, haha. If you are brand new to yeast breads and/or cinnamon rolls, here are a few extra tips – and I also cover them in the video below.

Yeast: I use two envelopes of Fleischmann’s active dry yeast. At 8g each, they are a perfect size, have no measuring required and are easy to store in your pantry. The yeast is activated quickly in 1/2 cup of warm water and ready to use in 10 minutes. The yeast helps the rolls rise quickly and gives them their soft, fluffy and moist texture.

Wet Ingredients: The whole milk, butter, sugar and salt are scalded and then cooled. Scalded milk offers more than warmth to the dough. It helps break down the whey proteins, which provides an easier food for the yeast. This creates more air bubbles and, ultimately, a softer, moister, more fluffy roll. It helps butter and sugar dissolve faster, creating a more uniform dough or batter.

Mixing: As I said, I make light work of this recipe using my 7-quart Kitchen-Aid Mixer. The ingredients do not fit in a 5-quart mixer. Alternatively, because this is a very light and soft dough, it’s easy to blend the ingredients by hand in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. I can usually get about 5 cups of the flour into the bowl and mix, then roll it out onto a floured surface to add another 2.5 – 3 cups of flour. Finally, I knead it for about 10 minutes until it’s completely smooth.

Kneading: Once the dough is mixed, wash your hands to remove any sticky dough. Then, with a dry finger, poke your dough. If it sticks to your finger, you need to keep kneading. If it bounces back and your finger is clean, it’s ready to proof.

Baking Pan: Your choice of baking pan is essential with these cinnamon buns as they rise so much. I use my 17″ x 10″ x 3.6″ lasagna pan. The higher sides ensure the buns stay soft and chewy, otherwise, with a shorter pan, the edges tend to overbake and become hard on the outside.

INGREDIENTS:

Whole Milk (3%) – not the time for 1% – you want the good stuff – you can also use heavy cream.
Butter – I use unsalted butter – you need butter for the dough, frosting and glaze. If you use salted, then omit the salt in the recipe.
Granulated Sugar
Light Brown Sugar
Salt – improves the flavor and balances the sweetness of the sugars
Warm Water – activates the yeast
Active Dry Yeast – 2 envelopes – helps the rise and gives the buns their soft fluffy texture.
Eggs
All-purpose flour – or bread flour – either works.
Cinnamon – that warm spicy flavor in every bite – make sure it’s fresh for the best flavor
Cloves – help to elevate the flavor
Philadelphia Cream Cheese – the best for rich creamy frosting. You want the brick, not the spreadable.
Icing Sugar – or powdered sugar – for smooth frosting
Vanilla Extract – Use pure vanilla extract for the rick flavor.
Optional – whole or chopped pecans. My husband, Ian, loves it when I add whole pecans to the glaze.

Step-by-Step: The Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls

In a small saucepan, scald the milk. Stir in the butter, 6 tbsp. sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm
Dissolve remaining 1 tsp. sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water. Sprinkle the two envelopes of yeast over the water mixture. Let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes and then stir.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the lukewarm milk mixture with the eggs. Stir in the dissolved yeast mixture, using the paddle attachment to mix on low speed.
Next, add 4 – 5 cups of the flour and mix.
Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then knead for 10 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and hand-knead for a few minutes to ensure it is soft and elastic, adding additional flour if needed. This is a very soft dough, so add just enough flour so that it is no longer sticky.
Place the dough in a large well-greased bowl and roll it around to grease all sides of the dough.
Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, usually about 1 hour.
During that hour, make your filling and glaze, spray or grease your pan, and chop your pecans if using.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, divide it in half.
Roll the dough out to a large rectangle about 9″ x 18″.
Spread a thick layer of the softened butter over the entire surface.
Sprinkle the filling mixture heavily over the butter.
Roll the dough up like a jelly roll, starting from the long edge. Use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to cut into 2-inch slices. If you want more buns, slice them at 1 inch, or 1-1/2 inches.
Pour the glaze mixture into the bottom of the baking pan and add the pecans.
Arrange the slices in the pan, 3 wide and 4 long, leaving space between each to rise. Cover with a kitchen towel.
Let the buns rise until they double in size. this usually takes 45 – 60 minutes, depending on how warm your house is.
Preheat the oven to 350° (180C).
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately invert onto a cookie sheet or serving tray, taking care not to burn yourself with the liquid glaze.
Let cool completely before adding icing.

Make the Cinnamon, Clove and Brown Sugar Filling:

While the dough is in the first rise, mix the cinnamon, cloves and brown sugar in a small bowl. Soften the room temperature butter if necessary.

Alternatively. you can combine the butter and spice mix and spread it all on at once. I prefer to do them separately.

Make the Glaze:

Combine the butter, brown sugar (and pecans) and, when ready, pour into the bottom of the greased or sprayed baking pan.

Cinnamon bun torn open with center exposed and cream cheese icing on top

How to Store Cinnamon Buns:

Store cinnamon buns in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat the rolls in the microwave or oven to make then gooey and warm again.

How to Freeze Cinnamon Buns:

We like to wrap them individually in plastic wrap and freeze them in a zip-top freezer bag, or you can freeze the entire pan. Cover it with plastic wrap first, and then aluminum foil. Either way, they will last approximately 3 months.

Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the oven.

One Final Tip:
We are all about the Goo, so I double the recipe for the filling and the glaze. It’s overkill, but hey, go big or go home right?

Here is today’s Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls YouTube Video walking you step-by-step through the making process:

The Best Ever Cinnamon Rolls You Will Ever Eat Recipe

This is the ultimate Cinnamon Roll Recipe combining glaze and cream cheese icing. It doesn't get more decadent than this. Once you taste these, you will throw away all your other recipes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Breakfast, brunch, Snack

Prep Time: 1 35

Cook Time: 35

First Rise and Second Rise: 2

Servings: large

Author: Sandi

Equipment

7 quart Kitchen Aid Mixer
medium saucepan
Spatula
dough hook
deep lasagna pan & round baking pan 17 x 10 x 3.6
cookie sheet
Large glass bowl
plastic wrap or large clean kitchen towels
Measuring cups and spoons
Rolling Pin

Ingredients

3 Cups (375g) whole Milk – I use 3%
6 tbsp (85g) unsalted butter
6 tbsp (75g) white sugar + 1 tsp with yeast
1 tbsp (17g) salt
1/2 Cup (119g) warm water
2 envelopes (16g) active dry yeast
2 large eggs
9 Cups (1,125g) All-purpose flour or bread flour

Filling: – we like to double this

3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted butter
1 – 1/4 Cup (268g) light brown sugar
2 tbsp (30g) fresh cinnamon
1 tsp (3g) fresh cloves

Glaze:

3/4 Cup (170g) unsalted Butter
3/4 Cup (165g) Light brown sugar
1/2 Cup (65g) chopped pecans (optional)

Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz (227g) cream cheese
1/4 Cup (115g) Unsalted Butter
2 Cups (200g) Powdered Sugar
1 tsp (4g) Pure Vanilla Extract

Instructions

In a small saucepan, scald the milk. Stir in the butter, 6 tbsp. sugar and salt. Cool to lukewarm
Dissolve remaining 1 tsp. sugar in 1/2 cup of warm water. Sprinkle the two envelopes of yeast over the water mixture. Let stand in a warm place for 10 minutes and then stir.
In the bowl of your stand mixer, combine the lukewarm milk mixture with the eggs. Stir in the dissolved yeast mixture, using the paddle attachment to mix on low speed.
Next, add 4 – 5 cups of the flour and mix.
Switch to the dough hook and add the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Then knead for 10 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and hand-knead for a few minutes to ensure it is soft and elastic, adding additional flour if needed. This is a very soft dough, so add just enough flour so that it is no longer sticky.
Place the dough in a large well-greased bowl and roll it around to grease all sides of the dough.
Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm spot until the dough doubles in size, usually about 1 hour.
During that hour, make your filling and glaze, spray or grease your pan, and chop your pecans if using.
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, divide it in half.
Roll the dough out to a large rectangle about 9″ x 18″.
Spread a thick layer of the softened butter over the entire surface.
Sprinkle the filling mixture heavily over the butter.
Roll the dough up like a jelly roll, starting from the long edge. Use a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss to cut into 2-inch slices. If you want more buns, slice them at 1 inch, or 1-1/2 inches.
Pour the glaze mixture into the bottom of the baking pan and add the pecans.
Arrange the slices in the pan, 3 wide and 4 long, leaving space between each to rise. Cover with a kitchen towel.
Let the buns rise until they double in size. this usually takes 45 – 60 minutes, depending on how warm your house is.
Preheat the oven to 350° (180C).
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and immediately invert onto a cookie sheet or serving tray, taking care not to burn yourself with the liquid glaze.
Let cool completely before adding icing.