World’s Best Homemade Cinnamon Roll Recipe!

Apr 26, 2021 | Favorite Food Tips, Food, Recipes

Holy CINNAMON ROLLS, Batman!! The most delicious cinnamon roll recipe that you can make in a bread machine!! That's right… the bread machine will do most of the work for you.

Bread machine cinnamon roll recipe, on a platter, from Fun Cheap or Free

The world's best homemade cinnamon roll recipe… from a bread machine?! You bet your buckets, pal! We love homemade cinnamon rolls in our house, and we have the easiest, most delicious cinnamon roll recipe… made mostly in the bread machine!

*Note: When you click the links in this post, we may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Yes, the $4 bread machine from a thrift store. That one. But don't worry, you can still make these suckers without a machine — it just makes your life easier if you have one. If you don't have a bread machine, you can still easily knead this dough by hand and make these fabulous cinnamon rolls by yourself!

So now, we introduce you to…



HOW TO MAKE OUR DELICIOUS CINNAMON ROLL RECIPE

As with anything you bake, there are a few notes that will take your treat from so-so to absolutely divine! So, let's chat cinnamon rolls!

LET CINNAMON ROLLS RISE

Cinnamon rolls are all about the rising time. Most cinnamon roll recipes require you to allow the dough to rise TWICE. The first rise is before rolling the cinnamon rolls out — you might be tempted to roll it out sooner rather than later, but be sure to give it enough time to double!


MAKING CINNAMON ROLL FILLING

When making the filling, you've got two options. Combine all the ingredients and mix well until it forms a paste of sorts. Spread onto the dough with your hands or a greased spatula… OR soften the butter and smoosh it onto the dough, then just sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar over the top evenly. BAM! Super easy!

It's totally up to you. Second option is definitely easier, but some may tell you the first option makes your rolls taste better because the cinnamon roll filling doesn't leak as much!


ROLLING & CUTTING CINNAMON ROLLS

Hands rolling up dough on a counter, from Fun Cheap or Free

After your rolls have risen, you'll want to roll them out into a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch thick. The more rectangular, the better, as this gives you more evenly-sized rolls. To prevent the dough from sticking to the countertop, add a little flour.

Once you've accomplished that, you can roll the dough right on up! Make sure you roll it up long ways. You'll want to get a pretty tight roll, then pinch it tight when you finish rolling. Don't let any filling escape!

Now it's time to cut evenly-sized rolls. You can totally eyeball this! But if you put a little dash mark in the dough for each roll, it makes it easier to keep the rolls evenly sized. About 2 inches is what you're going for here.

Pro Tip: Use unscented dental floss or fishing string to make your job cutting the rolls a little easier! This prevents squishy rolls.


SECOND CINNAMON ROLL RISE

Your rolls will need to rise again after you've rolled 'em out and filled 'em up! Add them to a 9×13 pan or multiple pans, if needed. Cover with a towel and let rise.

Pro Tip: Turn your oven on for one minute, turn it off, then cover and let rise in the warm oven — this decreases rising time. Once risen, pull them out. If not, you'll have some funky, potentially burnt rolls on your hands. Now that would just be sad!


WORLD'S BEST BREAD MACHINE CINNAMON ROLL RECIPE

Cut cinnamon roll recipe on a plate, from Fun Cheap or Free

Mmmmmm. You ready for this recipe!?

Bread machine cinnamon roll recipe, on a platter, from Fun Cheap or Free

Bread Machine Cinnamon Roll Recipe

Holy CINNAMON ROLLS, Batman!! And from a BREAD MACHINE! You won't believe how easy they are, and so stinking good!
5 from 10 votes
Prep Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 12 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup warm milk
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • cup margarine, melted
  • 4 ½ cups bread flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ cup white sugar
  • 2 ½ tsp bread machine yeast

Sugar Mixture

  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 2 ½ Tbsp cinnamon
  • cup butter, softened

Frosting

  • 3 oz package cream cheese
  • ¼ cup butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • tsp salt

Instructions
 

For Bread Machine

  • Place dough ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer (for me, it’s wet ingredients first). Select dough cycle; press Start.

No Bread Machine

  • No bread machine? No problem… Add warm milk to a standard mixer using the dough hook and sprinkle yeast in. Add eggs, butter, salt and sugar. Add the flour slowly and allow to soak up the liquid. Beat the dough on medium speed for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is elastic and smooth. Sticky is okay!! If your mixer doesn't have a dough hook, combine the ingredients and then knead by hand.
  • Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • After the dough has doubled in size, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll dough into a 24×12 rectangle.
  • Spread dough with ⅓ cup softened butter (I just smush it around with my fingers). Sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Make sure to get it to the very edges!! I like to save a little mixture to sprinkle on top of the rolls once they are rolled up. Roll up dough from the LONG side of the rectangle – you'll get more rolls that way! Cut into 12-16 rolls.
  • Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan (or a bigger pan if you have it). Be sure to space the rolls out in your pan so they don't touch. You may have to bake them in 2 or even 3 separate pans, depending on how thick you cut them. I like to let them rise for at least 30 minutes (longer = bigger). Sprinkle them with the extra cinnamon sugar mixture if you have any. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes.
  • Bake at 375°F until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Don’t over-bake!
  • While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, ¼ cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

Notes

To freeze, get to the point where you add them to your pan, then cover with foil and freeze before the second rise. Thaw in the refrigerator the night before and place in a warm spot to rise the morning you're baking them. Then bake as normal and enjoy how delicious they are!
Keyword easy, make-ahead

That's it!


Are you drooling yet? Hope you enjoy this cinnamon roll recipe as much as we do! If you try it and love it, please leave a comment and let us know below!

Cinnamon rolls on a platter, with text that reads "world's best cinnamon roll recipe ever," from Fun Cheap or Free

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Looking for more great breakfast ideas?!

Now, let's roll!

56 Comments

  1. Laura

    I am OBSESSED with cinnamon rolls! Going to make this super soon!

    Like you I got my bread maker on the REAL cheap, as in – FREE.99 (my favorite price – wink) since it was given to me. Those things are seriously worth the extra cupboard space they take up. I love making homemade garlic breadsticks in mine, too. SO good!

    Reply
    • FunCheapOrFree

      Wow FREE?! That’s even better than $4! Nice work!

      Reply
  2. Vanessa

    Do you think I could make them today and cook them tomorrow?

    Reply
    • FunCheapOrFree

      You could sure try! I don’t see why it would hurt!

      Reply
    • Norma

      I freeze mine then pull them out the night before (Saturday) and bake then on Sunday morning. We love our cinnamon rolls!

      Reply
      • FunCheapOrFree

        Such a great idea, thanks for sharing!

        Reply
      • Debbie

        I what point do you freeze them , and do you thaw before baking ?

        Reply
        • Norma

          I freeze before they raise. After I get them in the pan, I cover with foil & freeze. They will raise as they are thawing during the night. It makes it easy to have them ready for Sunday breakfast.

          Reply
    • Jessica

      So can I make these the night before. Get them into the pan. Cover and put in the fridge. Then in the morning take them out to rise and bake? If so, how long do I need to wait for them to rise?

      Reply
      • Fun Cheap or Free

        We usually recommend letting them rise until they’ve doubled in size, about 30-60 minutes depending on the temperature of the room.

        Reply
  3. Carrie

    Quick question: do you allow the dough to go through the whole dough cycle in the bread machine?

    Reply
    • FunCheapOrFree

      Yes – just the whole “dough” cycle 🙂

      Reply
  4. Linda

    What if you don’t have a bread machine.

    Reply
    • FunCheapOrFree

      You can make it without! Just mix the dough and let it rise, like you would in any other cinnamon roll recipe.

      Reply
  5. Arlene

    Hi, just made your cinnamon rolls and they are very good I made 16 I Love my bread machine for my bread on dough cycle then I put into a long bread pan and get a nice loaf of bread. I do not bake anything in the bread machine anymore I only use the dough cycle. Thanks for the nice recipe

    Reply
  6. Amanda

    This is by far the easiest and best cinnamon rolls I’ve had! I shared with neighbors and friends and got great compliments.

    Reply
  7. Kim

    My rolls didn’t rise again after cutting them. What did I do wrong?

    Reply
    • Michelle

      Did you cover them with a dishtowel and put them in a warm place – be sure it’s not a hot place though. I live in Colorado so mine take a long time to rise – like hours-

      Reply
  8. Jennifer

    Made these today! Delicious!

    Reply
    • FunCheapOrFree

      Glad you liked them!

      Reply
    • Salli Jeppson

      Can I use regular flour and regular yeast?

      Reply
      • Fun Cheap or Free

        You can, but you’ll have to add your yeast to water before adding it to the mixture if you’re still using a bread machine.

        Reply
  9. Marsha Barnes

    Ok – I’ll admit I had my doubts when the dough texture was so difficult to work with, but that may have been my yeast. End result is delicious – I used Muscovado sugar, Mexican cinnamon and added pecans. I saved out part of the filling and used it to create a topping with a little butter instead of icing – these came out incredible! Thank you!

    Reply
  10. Hermann

    Ok, so I started making the dough in my bread mixer! That amount of flour is too much for my regular size bread maker, it actually came to a stop! So I dumped it all and kneaded by hand, it’s rising to go in the oven, so we will se3 what happens!
    I might try 1/2 a recipe next. This made 16 buns and eight would be enough for us.

    Reply
  11. Lois

    Love this!

    Reply
  12. Correne

    I have these baking in the oven right now!! I will be glazing some with white icing and some with caramel!!!! Some for home and some for work, my coworkers love me!!

    Reply
  13. Tamara

    These are my FAVOURITE cinnamon buns! Perfect cinnamon to bread ratio and the icing is delish! ??

    Reply
  14. Donnah Mandigo

    can I use all purpose flour?

    Reply
  15. Teri Hibbert

    You were right, will not buy rolls in a can again. Making second batch and adding perserves instead if cinnamon mixture

    Reply
  16. Dennis

    I am a novice baker in every way. I just retired and started baking to keep out of my wifes way. I just made this recipe for the first time. The glass man repairing our windshield was y first victim. He ate one and took 2 with him. This is a fantastic recipe and if a novice like me can make them turn out great anyone can

    Reply
  17. Fran Pierce

    Made this today n omgosh. My hisband about ate them all lol. They were awesome n take like I girl them at a bakery store. This is the best recipe I have ever used for cinnamon rolls.

    Reply
  18. Kassy

    Do you mean an 8 ounce package of cream cheese? Or are there really 3 ounce packages?

    Reply
  19. Laura Gutowski

    I too got my bread machine at a discount,(in a free pile at the end of a driveway on a Monday evening, apparently an unsuccessful yard sale.) No book or recipes with it so I am so glad I found this recipe. I followed the recipe with the exception of adding a little bit of orange extract and the zest of one little mandarine orange to the dough. I did the same with the icing. Also, I found out a little late that I only had 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. So I grated
    another 1/2 tsp from a cinn stick & grated in a bit of fresh nutmeg & a pinch of ground cloveto go into the filling. They are literally the best cinnamon rolls I have ever had!! Thank you for the inspiration. Sweet wishes and memories made from an Oregon girl.

    Reply
  20. Sharon

    Great rec. Smells so so good

    Reply
    • Jordan Page

      Oh good, I hope they turned out great for you! 🙂

      Reply
  21. Sara

    Anyone have any more info or tips on freezing these so I can make lots of them and freeze them?

    Reply
    • Fun Cheap or Free

      One reader had this to say about freezing them: “I freeze before they raise. After I get them in the pan, I cover with foil & freeze. They will raise as they are thawing during the night. It makes it easy to have them ready for Sunday breakfast.” You could get some foil baking dishes like these and they would freeze great! You would just have to make the frosting while they’re baking. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  22. Patricia

    After making can
    you not bake them for a few days

    Reply
    • Fun Cheap or Free

      I don’t see why not! But if it’s going to be too long in between then you may want to freeze the dough, then pull it out the day before making them to thaw.

      Reply
  23. Betty

    Loved these but they weren’t done on the inside 😬 will plan to reheat them in oven maybe they will cook the rest of the way.

    Reply
    • Fun Cheap or Free

      Oh no! We’ve never had that happen. However, all ovens cook differently, so you should definitely try cooking them longer next time and hopefully they’ll come out perfect!

      Reply
  24. Michelle Ott

    5 stars
    My first try at cinnamon rolls and they turned out fantastic. I used a powdered sugar glaze instead because I did not have cream cheese and it was great! Thanks for the recipe. I will try freezing some next time.

    Reply
  25. Monique MacDonald

    5 stars
    I have made these for Christmas morning 2 years ago, now I make a batch more regularly because family love them so muc. I use butter instead of margarine for the dough and learned to be patient, and let the dough rise in the bread machine after the dough cycle has ended. I also added pecans to the filling, per my hubby’s insistence. I usually freeze them and take a couple out at a time.

    Reply
  26. Nadine Flowers

    5 stars
    These cinnamon rolls are the best. I have made them several times and they come out great. I have even made a batch and put an uncooked tray in the freezer and left them for a few weeks – cooked them and came out just as good. My family is always asking for these rolls.

    Reply
  27. PT

    5 stars
    Super Easy to make, able to get the ingredients in the bread machine in about 10 minutes. The dough comes out perfect (not too sticky), easy to roll out. I make about 24-26 rolls (cut 1 ” thick). I don’t use the glaze, I make my own vanilla powdered sugar glaze. Everyone LOVEs this. I also make it at night, roll and cut it out and place in pan and cover with plastic wrap and leave in the frig. In the morning, I warm up my oven to 100 degrees, turn off the oven and then let it rise in a warm oven for 45 minutes or so, then I remove to pre heat the oven for baking at the 375°F. So I can bake these even on a work day and bring it to the office warm on a Monday morning.

    Reply
  28. KT

    5 stars
    These are THE best cinnamon rolls I have ever had. I don’t have a bread machine. I used regular flour, regular active yeast, and substituted applesauce for the eggs for our egg allergy. My family thinks I’m a total boss. These are amazing.

    Reply
  29. Alice

    5 stars
    Cinnamon rolls was one recipe I was unsure if I could pull off and I reluctantly bought the cans of them when the kids asked for these treats. No longer! I made this recipe and it was fantastic! I did make a few small alterations to suit my tastes. I subbed butter for margarine in the dough and I added a small splash of milk to the icing as mine was dry. I cut 12 big rolls and stuffed them all in a 13 by 9 as it makes them rise really tall. Also, I really wanted to prep at night and have for the next morning, so I set up the pain with the cut rolls (pre-final rise). I wrapped in cling wrap and refrigerated overnight. The next morning, I put the tray on the radiator for an hour to rise. The heat from the radiator made them HUGE, but not over-proofed. Finally, I baked for 17 min at 350 degrees. (I did the lower temperature and for a tiny bit longer, since the rolls were packed together.) The rolls were ready in time for the kids to eat before school and I felt very proud at having finally pulled off this recipe. Never going back to the cans. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Fun Cheap or Free

      Wow wow wow!!! It sounds like you made some AMAZING cinnamon rolls, way to go! So glad you loved them!! 🙂

      Reply
  30. Darlene

    5 stars
    Wow, thank you for this recipe, I love it so much!!!
    I had pretty much given up on making cinnamon rolls because they never turned out very well and were a lot of work and mess. Since discovering these, I make them all the time, and they are awesome every single time! And easy and actually fun to make! 🙂

    Reply
    • Fun Cheap or Free

      Yay! SO glad you loved them!

      Reply
  31. Mary Dove

    5 stars
    When you are freezing them and then thawing overnight, you say they rise while thawing overnight, are you just leaving them on the counter overnight or in fridge?

    Reply
    • Fun Cheap or Free

      Thaw in the refrigerator the night before and place in a warm spot to rise the morning you’re baking them.

      Reply
  32. Kelley Mathews

    5 stars
    We love raisins, so I added some after the dough rose the first time. These were fantastic. Thanks for the recipe

    Reply
    • Fun Cheap or Free

      Yum! So glad you enjoyed the recipe.

      Reply
  33. m00se The Conqueror

    5 stars
    Just a thought – this recipe looks delicious! However, I have a 1 lb bread machine and I can tell just by looking at the ingredients that this will make at least a 2 lb loaf. It would do people a favor if you mention that in your recipe.
    I will scale this one down to use in my machine though – thanks!

    Reply

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