Quick 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls

Easy no-rise soft, buttery quick cinnamon rolls made in UNDER ONE HOUR! Yes, you read that. No overnight rise! Made in a 9x13 pan and yielding 12 cinnamon rolls, these make for the perfect weekend treat, special birthday mornings, or neighbor thank you gifts! 

I’ve been on a mission to develop the perfect EASY & QUICK cinnamon roll recipe that didn’t require overnight rising (in fact, basically no rising at all) and after 8 batches & 2 weeks of me swimming in recipe development, I have finally concocted the perfect, easy and quick cinnamon rolls. If you ever wanted to know how to make yeast cinnamon rolls from scratch, I’ve got the full, step-by-step tutorial here for you below! I mean, just look at that texture and tell me you don't want to devour the entire pan right this second...

What makes these 1 hour cinnamon rolls so perfect?

1. You can make these quick cinnamon rolls in under an hour, start to finish. Yes that’s right; wake up at 9am and be devouring warm cinnamon rolls by 10am! No need to prep ahead of time or make the night before!
2. They have a super soft, buttery, yet perfectly-stretchy bread texture that rivals the bakery or cinnabon. The texture (aside from flavor of course!) was my top priority and these are spot on, if I say so myself.
3. Although this recipe does require active dry yeast, all the rest of the ingredients are likely ones you have on hand! (Trust me, you’ll start keeping yeast on hand after this!)

What You Need to Make One Hour Quick Cinnamon Rolls:

This is just an overview, click here to jump down to full recipe card for the recipe amounts and condensed, printable recipe instructions.

• Unsalted butter
• Milk (1%, 2%, Whole)
• 2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast *(0.25oz packet, see photo below)
• Granulated sugar
• Light brown sugar
• Egg
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Vanilla Extract
• All-Purpose Flour
• + Cream Cheese Frosting: Cream cheese, powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and pinch of salt

How to Make One Hour Quick Cinnamon Rolls:

This is just an overview, click here to jump down to full recipe card for the recipe amounts and condensed printable recipe instructions.

Step 1: Start Dough Mixture & Let Sit for 10 Minutes

In a small microwave safe bowl, melt ¼ cup unsalted butter for 45 seconds. Pour into a larger, medium-sized bowl. Using that same bowl you just microwaved the butter in, pour in 1 cup milk and microwave that for 45 seconds. Once done, pour that in with the melted butter. Add in 2 ¼ teaspoons dry active yeast and ¼ cup granulated sugar and stir with a whisk until combined. Cover with a clean dish towel or plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes, or until foamy.

Tip: If your yeast mixture doesn't foam after about 20 minutes, your yeast was likely dead and you need to restart with fresh yeast.

Step 2: Add Flour Mixture

Once your dough starter has been sitting for 10 minutes and has a layer of foam on top (see image 1) remove cover and mix in 1 egg, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.

Once combined, start adding in 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour, one cup at a time. You should be able to mix this with a spatula until you get to the end of adding the flour. At that point, you will need to use your hands. Keeping the dough in the bowl, gently form it into a ball. If dough is sticky, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of flour to the outside. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Mix Cinnamon Roll Filling

While the dough is proofing for 10 minutes, go ahead and mix up the cinnamon filling so it's ready! To do so, mix together ½ cup softened butter (if straight from fridge, microwave for 30 seconds), ½ cup light brown sugar, ½ cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. As long as your butter is soft enough, this can easily be mixed by hand with a spatula. If your butter isn’t mixing well, you can use a mixer to whip it all together. Set aside.

Tip: You don't want your butter to be super  melted (just a little is okay!) or the filling will be more likely to seep through the bottom of the pan and crystallize.

Step 4: Roll Out Dough

After 10 minutes, remove cover and place dough on a flour-covered surface (about ½ - 1 tablespoon flour). I prefer taping down a piece of parchment to my counter, but you can also roll directly on a clean countertop. Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and on the rolling pin, then roll the dough until it is approximately a 14x18” rectangle that is ¼” thick.

Step 5: Spread on Filling

Once rolled, spread on cinnamon sugar mixture making sure to spread to the outside edges.

Tip: I like using a mixture of both white & brown sugar as I feel it has the best flavor and doesn’t get too sticky. I tested this with only brown sugar and felt it was too gritty & sticky, while the all-white sugar was too sweet and didn’t have the depth of flavor that brown sugar provides. So I use both!

Step 6: Roll Dough into Log

Now it’s time to roll! It’s important to roll vertically (i.e. start rolling at a SHORT side) so that your cinnamon rolls are nice & thick and so you can yield 12. If you roll it the other way, they’ll be smaller and a bit dinky. You want to roll relatively tight, but not too tight.

Step 7: Cut Dough into 12 Rolls

Once rolled, use a serrated edge knife to slightly “score” the tops so you know where to cut. Start in the center, then add slits in the center of those and then divide each of those sections into two parts. I know that sounds confusing, so just look at the picture below!

Tip: Using a serrated edge knife and cutting slowly in a sawing motion is important, as a normal knife will likely squish the dough.

Step 8: Bake

Place cut cinnamon rolls in a greased 9x13 baking pan and bake for 24-26 minutes until the tops are slightly golden brown. Allow to cool for a bit (10-15 minutes) before adding frosting to prevent the frosting from totally melting. If you plan to eat them later, wait to frost until they're cooled for a prettier frosting presentation.

Tip: You can technically split this into two 9-inch round pans, but I prefer 9x13 because you'll get more soft rolls (as the round pan exposes more edges and the edges will be a little harder). I don't know about you, but the center rolls are the best ones!

Step 9: Top with Cream Cheese Frosting

To make cinnamon roll icing: add softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt to a medium-sized bowl and use a hand or stand mixer to mix until combined and smooth (about 30-60 seconds). Slather on warm cinnamon rolls and enjoy!

For birthday cinnamon rolls or any celebratory event, add on a few sprinkles because WHY NOT?!

Frequently Asked Questions:

What if I don’t have yeast? Can I substitute something else? Is there a way to make these "no yeast cinnamon rolls'?

I tested these with 1 tablespoon of baking powder instead of the yeast and while they did puff up a bit, the texture wasn’t great. So I wouldn’t recommend it unless you’re OK with the texture being more dense, less “bread-like” and a little gummier. But if it was me, I’d just wait to make these until you pick up a packet of yeast - it’s worth it! (If you do add this, skip the first 10 minute proof and add baking powder at the same time as the flour.)

Can I use water instead of milk?

The milk definitely gives the rolls a more moist, stretchy, and perfect bread texture. Water will work, the texture will just be a little different. So I definitely recommend using milk when you can! Using 1%, 2% or whole milk is best (or even buttermilk!), as we want a little fat in there that skim milk doesn't offer.

Can I make these the night before?

You can, although they will end up being much puffier than what these photos show (which can sometimes mean they bake faster & are more airy & therefore crunchy). To make the night before: prep the recipe up until baking, cover the pan with a clean cloth or plastic wrap, and let sit out overnight until ready to bake (no refrigeration needed).

Can I freeze cinnamon rolls?

Yes! These freeze beautifully. You can freeze them using any of these methods:

1. Freeze Unfrosted, Baked Cinnamon Rolls: Bake, allow to completely cool, thoroughly wrap with plastic wrap, then freeze the entire pan (unfrosted). When ready to serve, allow to thaw to room temperature then place pan in oven (covered with foil) at 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes to warm up. Allow to slightly cool before adding frosting.
2. Freeze Frosted, Baked Cinnamon Rolls: You can also freeze after frosting, just be aware that the frosting is going to melt down when you warm them back up. Not a bad thing if you don’t care about presentation! * If using this method, I recommend removing the rolls from the pan and using the defrost function on your microwave. Defrost in 30 second increments until thawed, then switch to the normal microwave mode to heat for 20-30 seconds until warm.
3. Freeze Cinnamon Rolls Before Baking: After slicing dough and placing in pan, wrap the entire pan thoroughly in plastic wrap. When ready to bake, thaw completely to room temperature (1-2 hours), then bake. Since the rolls will likely raise a bit when thawing, you will likely need to cut baking time down to about 18-22 minutes. If you don't want to freeze them in the pan, you can just freeze the rolls in the pan for 2-3 hours until they're frozen & hard then transfer the frozen rolls in a freezer ziploc bag.
4. Freeze Baked Individual Cinnamon Rolls: After baking, cooling and frosting, wrap each cinnamon roll individually (in plastic wrap or a freezer ziplock bag). When ready to eat, reheat cinnamon rolls in microwave for 20-30 seconds until warm. Again, frosting is going to get messy here but this is a great thing to send back with college kids for a quick treat!

How to keep homemade cinnamon rolls fresh?

For the freshest rolls, cover pan with plastic wrap or place in plastic bag for 1-2 days. If the rolls are frosted and you don't enjoy them immediately (like within 2-3 hours), cover and place in fridge. But really, do cinnamon rolls ever last that long?

Do you have a cinnamon roll frosting without cream cheese?

Yes! See the notes section below for an alternative cinnamon roll icing without cream cheese. I personally prefer the cream cheese one, but this one is good if you like a sweeter, sugary icing.