Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Here at Delish, we believe that cinnamon rolls are the pinnacle of a cozy Sunday morning. If you're looking for a go-to, crowd-pleasing recipe to make every weekend, this is it. Our easy recipe perfects the beloved, soft, and fluffy sweet pastry—follow it to a T if you’re looking to go classic, or use it as a jumping-off point to add your favorite seasonal flavors (the flaky and buttery dough is unbeatable, and can take everything from chocolate to fruit). 

Here’s everything you need to know to make soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls for every brunch or weekend spent well:

How to make the best cinnamon rolls:
The key to soft, fluffy cinnamon rolls is a dough that's rich with dairy: Eggs, butter, and milk will all enrich the dough, leading to a soft and fluffy texture. The granulated sugar also helps to soften and moisten the dough. When making your cinnamon rolls, here are a few other things to keep in mind:
— Don’t cheat the rising times. Make sure the dough is fully doubled on the first rise and nearly doubled in the pan before baking for the best cinnamon rolls.
— Dealing with yeast. This recipe uses instant yeast, so you don't need to let it bloom in the warm milk (just stir to dissolve), but you do want to make sure that your milk is lukewarm (as opposed to hot, which will kill the yeast!).
— Watch out for overbaking. The best way to ensure your cinnamon rolls turn out the best they can be? Don’t overbake them! Overbaking will dry out a dough, no matter how much sugar and dairy it has.

The cinnamon roll filling:
This filling is different than traditional cinnamon roll filling, which usually involves spreading the dough with melted butter, then sprinkling it with the cinnamon sugar. Instead, our recipe involves creaming the butter, sugar, and spice together, resulting in a super-creamy, very even filling. Keep in mind that this filling can be hard to spread evenly if it's too cold. If you're having trouble, warm it up just slightly in the microwave to make it easier.

While we do recommend following this recipe exactly if you’re looking for a classic pan of cinnamon rolls, if this isn’t your first rodeo, there’s a few variations you can try to kick things up a notch. Adding nuts, dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, raisins), chocolate, or even citrus zest to the filling would all be delicious. Let us know what mix-in variations you love in the comments below!

Cinnamon roll variations: 
While this is our favorite classic recipe, we've experiment with cinnamon rolls in countless ways. Try our banana bread cinnamon rolls if you want the best of both words, maple bacon cinnamon rolls if you're looking for a savory twist, pumpkin cinnamon rolls for the perfect fall breakfast, or our cranberry cinnamon rolls for the ideal winter treat. 

Storage:
These cinnamon rolls will stay good once baked for up to 3 days. You can also bake them and freeze them, unglazed, for about a month. Honestly, though, cinnamon rolls are best eaten fresh, so we’d recommend eating them as soon as possible after they're baked. If you're looking for cinnamon rolls that can be prepped ahead, try Senior Food Editor Makinze Gore's overnight cinnamon roll recipe—they’re a Delish favorite.

Made these? Let us know how it went in the comments!