This cinnamon roll icing is perfect for anyone who's not a fan of cream cheese frosting. You'll love the drizzly consistency and cozy vanilla flavor! Pair it with my delicious Quick 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls.

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Tips & Ingredient Notes
This is just an overview, click here to jump down to the full recipe card for the recipe amounts and condensed recipe instructions.
- Unsalted Butter: You'll need to use unsalted butter for this recipe. Let it soften on the countertop a bit before you start the frosting.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners' sugar!
- Vanilla extract: Real vanilla extract tastes best, but imitation works too.
- Milk: Just a splash to get the right consistency.
- Salt: The secret ingredient to balance all the sweetness.
- Cinnamon rolls: Of course, you'll also need cinnamon rolls for pairing with this cinnamon roll icing! Use my Quick 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls or your own favorite recipe.
PS. If you like cream cheese, my cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls is even tastier than this quick glaze!

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Icing Without Cream Cheese:
Print this recipe! Click here to jump down to full recipe card for the condensed, printable recipe.
- Let ¼ cup of butter sit at room temperature until it softens (or just pop it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds until slightly softened).
- Place the butter, 2 cups of powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, and a ⅛ teaspoon of salt in a medium mixing bowl.
- Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat until the frosting is smooth and fluffy, about 30 to 60 seconds.
- Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of milk, beating in a tablespoon at a time until the cinnamon roll icing reaches your desired consistency.
- Drizzle the icing onto semi-cooled cinnamon rolls, or use it however you like!

Ingredient Substitutions & Tips
Here are some variations to try:
- Make it without milk. You can make cinnamon roll icing with water, but it just won't be quite as creamy. You can also make cinnamon roll icing without milk by using non-dairy milk like oat or almond.
- Make it without butter. For cinnamon roll icing without butter, mix 1 cup powdered sugar with 2-3 tablespoons milk or cream, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt. Note that it will be thinner and more translucent on the rolls.
- Make it with cream cheese. Looking for a traditional cream cheese cinnamon roll icing recipe? You can click over to my easy cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls to find out how to make cinnamon roll icing with cream cheese. For a thinner cinnamon roll icing with cream cheese, add milk to the recipe.
- Make less. If you want a light glaze for cinnamon rolls, make half of the recipe below.
Storing: Store this icing in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. Let it come to room temperature before you use it, then stir. You may need to add a bit of milk to reactivate it.
Freezing: You can freeze cinnamon roll icing for 2 to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions:
Powdered sugar, a drizzle of honey, whipped cream, fresh berries, chocolate drizzle, or caramel sauce are all delicious toppings for cinnamon rolls if you don't want to use frosting.
Your cinnamon rolls should still be warm when you drizzle them with this simple cinnamon roll icing, but you should let them cool for at least 10-15 minutes to keep it from melting completely.
No. Cinnamon rolls are baked first, then the icing is added.

Cinnamon Roll Icing (without cream cheese!)
Ingredients
⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.
Instructions
- Add softened ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened , 2 cups powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and a Pinch of salt to a medium-sized bowl.
- Use a hand or stand mixer to mix until combined (about 30-60 seconds). Add milk one tablespoon at a time (2-4 tablespoons milk total) until it's the consistency you desire.
- Pour over slightly cooled cinnamon rolls and enjoy!





This icing was delicious! And so easy to make, will definitely be making it again.
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Nelly!
If I had known it would be this simple I would have been using this and not shying away from cinnamon rolls. As someone who needs to use diary free options that a readily available and within a budget this recipe is amazing! I halved it to just try my first time and it was perfect for one can of cinnamon rolls. My family loved the addition of this icing over the one from the can.
That makes me so happy to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Kristina! I really appreciate it!
THANK YOU
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Destiny!
Just used this recipe and loved it! Added a little extra vanilla because it's my favorite. Thanks!
Delish!
Thank you so much for leaving a review!
Great and delicious!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Colette!
So easy !! Thank you so much ☺️ it is delicious and was perfect because I didn’t have any cream or cream cheese!!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, I really appreciate it!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. This was so easy and yummy!! Not a big icing fan...until now❤❤
I don’t even like icing and I was licking the remains off everything it touched 😂 I made a sourdough loaf with brown sugar and cinnamon and smothered it in this and OMG!!! Thanks for this recipe I love it and don’t even like the stuff 👏🏻🥰
So glad to hear you enjoy this recipe so much! Thank you so much for leaving a review, Lauren!
Great & easy. Love this. Thanks
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Judy!
So good! Made quite a bit more than I need. I added a dash of cinnamon just because. And it’s delicious:) thanks for the quick recipe!
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Sophia! I really appreciate it!
Perfect for my apple raisin cinnamon bread pudding!
We all loved it!
I made it dairy free !
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Linda!
Been looking for cinnamon roll recipes and toppings.Thanks for the free recipes. Going to try this. Sure its yummy!
perfect consistency and flavor! Thank you for this amazing recipe- have used it multiple times successfully!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Michelle!
Very quick, easy and tasty!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Kimberly!
DELICIOUS!!! THANK YOU!!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Alex!
This is a perfect addition to my Cinnamon buns recipe! Delicious and easy.
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Jo-Ann!
I wanted mine less sweet so I used 1.5 cups of powdered sugar. I put it in the warm oven after I topped the cinnamon rolls
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Carly!
Use salted butter and forget the pinch of salt!
My husband and I don’t like cream cheese frosting and this is the first time I’ve had a cinnamon roll frosting not taste strongly of powdered sugar! Love this recipe! Thank you!
3 words. Perfect Perfect Perfect! Thank you!
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Lora!