This easy homemade cinnamon roll recipe is made 100% from scratch (and we happen to think they're the best cinnamon rolls ever). Anyone who knew my Mom also knew her locally-famous cinnamon rolls. These buttery, fluffy-soft, ooey-gooey cinnamon-swirled sweet rolls were some of the first items to be snatched up at local bake sales and fundraisers (and often she had pre-orders). They're as tender on days two and three as they are the day that they're baked and they freeze really well, making them a great recipe for the holidays or a special brunch.

a single cinnamon roll on a dessert plate looking so soft it could be a doughnut

heart shaped cake pan filled with day old baked cinnamon rolls still as fluffy and soft as ever with 3 rolls missing from the center and bottom

One of my earliest childhood memories is helping my Mom make these cinnamon rolls. She'd let me punch down the dough after the first rise, then she'd tell me to "Pinch off a piece and taste it so you know it's good!", before letting me smear the butter all over the rolled-out dough and plaster my hands in it after she'd added the cinnamon and sugar. This recipe is a keeper.

Just sliced still raw cinnamon rolls before rising a second time

fully risen cinnamon rolls in a baking pan ready to be baked

fully risen puffy cinnamon rolls ready to be baked

just baked golden brown fluffy cinnamon rolls not yet glazed

Why We Love These Cinnamon Rolls

You only need 9 basic pantry ingredients to make them (10 if you include salt)
They're super soft and fluffy (even days after being baked)
You can freeze them for an easy weekday breakfast
They're perfectly buttery and cinnamon-sugar spiced
They taste great dipped into hot coffee
Every bite of these is as good as the last (not just the center part)

How Do I Know When Cinnamon Roll Dough (Sweet Roll Dough) Is Properly Kneaded?

When working with yeast dough, it's important to make sure it's been properly kneaded in order to form a good gluten network (structure). This is what gives bread its light, soft, and stretchy texture instead of being dense and heavy. When hand-kneading, I typically put all of my weight into each "turn" and knead for 10 to 15 minutes depending on the dough I'm making (15 minutes in this case). I've included a few tips for beginners as well as photos (below) of how the dough will look from the beginning stages of kneading until it's been kneaded properly.

The dough should be pliable and soft when it's properly kneaded.
It should look smooth and no longer have a shaggy appearance.
The dough should not be sticking to your hands.
When you press your finger gently into the dough, it should leave a slight indentation.

closeup cinnamon roll dough after about to be covered and allowed to rise

cinnamon roll ingredients on a cutting board

Mom's Famous Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients

Here are the only 9 ingredients (10 if you count salt) needed to make the best cinnamon rolls of your life.

all-purpose flour or 00 flour
instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
eggs
milk
butter
sugar
cinnamon
powdered sugar
vanilla
salt

cinnamon roll dough after about to be covered and allowed to rise

cinnamon roll dough after doubled in size

my hand print in the super soft fluffy dough

How to Make Mom's Famous Cinnamon Rolls From Scratch

As with most great family recipes, my Mom's instructions are to use 3 ½ cups of flour and then "gradually add more flour until the dough no longer sticks to your hands". And for first-timers or new bakers, instructions without exact measurements can be frustrating, and difficult to understand whether or not you're using the correct amounts. I wanted to take as much guesswork out of this for you as I could, so, I weighed and measured everything to make it easier to replicate these cinnamon rolls and get them just right. Use the following as a guide.

I added exactly 1 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons (195g) of extra flour in addition to the 3 ½ cups (490g) of flour called for in the recipe. Making the total flour I used in this recipe, 4 ¾ cups + 2 tablespoons. Please keep in mind, depending on the humidity of your environment and the absorption potential of the flour you're working work, you may need to use a little more or less than this total amount.

I recommend measuring 3 ½ cups (490g) of flour into a bowl with the yeast and the remaining 1 ¼ cups + 2 tablespoons of flour in a separate bowl (using the scoop and level method). Once you have removed the sludgy dough to a work surface, gradually add only the amount of additional flour needed until it no longer sticks to your hands. Use the photos for reference so you know what the dough should actually look like.

Measure the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 ½ cups (490g) flour, and instant yeast, and set aside. *If using active dry yeast, skip this step and add the yeast to the warm milk in step 2 below and allow it to bloom for 5 to 10 minutes before adding the remaining egg, sugar, and butter to the milk and yeast.
Warm up the milk & combine the wet ingredients. Warm the milk and add butter, sugar, and salt and whisk just until combined. *The milk should be just warm, not hot, or it will kill the yeast.
Combine the wet & dry ingredients. Add the warm milk mixture to a large mixing bowl and gradually add the flour-yeast mixture mixing to combine using a fork or your hands. Pour the mixture (which will have a sludge-like consistency at this point) onto a lightly floured countertop, Add extra flour as needed until the dough no longer sticks to your hands. *See photos for reference
Knead the dough & let it rise. Knead the dough for 12 to 15 minutes or until soft and supple and when you press your finger into it lightly the indention stays (see step-by-step recipe photos). Allow the dough to rise covered at room temperature in a lightly buttered mixing bowl until doubled in size (about 1 ½ to 2 hours).
Roll out the dough and fill it. When the dough has doubled in size, remove it to a well-floured countertop and lightly punch it down pressing it with your hands to flatten it and start shaping it into a rectangle. Make sure you have enough flour underneath the dough so that it doesn't stick when you start rolling it out. Use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll out the dough into a large rectangle approximately 25x15 inches (70cm x40cm). Using your hand, slather on one stick of butter covering all but ¼ inch around the perimeter of the dough. Sprinkle the cinnamon evenly over the dough, and add the sugar being sure to cover the entire surface. Sprinkle the dough with a tiny bit of salt.
Roll up, seal, and slice the dough into cinnamon rolls. Starting with the shorter left side (see step-by-step photos) roll the dough as tightly as you can by pulling it gently each time as you roll it over onto itself. This will help give you maximum rings in your finished cinnamon rolls. Continue rolling and gently pulling as you go and try to keep the rectangle as straight as possible after each new fold. This will help give you a more uniform final cinnamon roll "log" that can easily be cut into evenly sized rolls.
Slice the cinnamon rolls and let them rise. Using a strand of dental floss (or a very sharp knife), slice each roll as evenly as possible into 2 ½ to 3-inches pieces. Place each roll cut side down into a buttered baking pan about 2 inches (5cm) apart. Cover the rolls loosely with lightly buttered recyclable plastic wrap and allow them to rise in a warm place for about 40 minutes, or until they have risen, become puffy, and no space remains between the rolls.
Make the vanilla icing. Mix the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Set aside until ready to glaze the hot cinnamon rolls.
Bake the cinnamon rolls & add the icing. Just before the cinnamon rolls have finished their second rise, preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Remove the plastic wrap, and pop them into the oven to bake for approximately 25 to 27 minutes, or until golden brown on top and cooked through (or a digital thermometer reads 195–200°F (91–93°C). If you notice them browning too quickly, tent them loosely with aluminum foil about halfway through baking time. Remove them from the oven and drizzle the glaze all over the tops while they're still warm. For the best flavor, allow the cinnamon rolls to cool completely (or eat them hot and fresh out of the oven), Enjoy!

How To Make The Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls step-by-step recipe photos

smearing butter inside the bowl to place dough in to rise

a buttered baking pan and a bowl of sugar, cinnamon, and butter

cinnamon roll dough rolled out into a rectangle

cinnamon roll dough rolled out into a rectangle with butter smeared all over

cinnamon roll dough rolled out into a rectangle with butter and cinnamon added

cinnamon roll dough rolled out into a rectangle with butter, sugar and cinnamon added

my hand pinching the log together to seal it

cinnamon roll log being cut using dental floss

beautiful top down view of a just sliced cinnamon roll

a pan full of fluffy cinnamon rolls with some missing revealing the fluffy soft dough — Look how soft and fluffy these cinnamon rolls are and this photo was taken the day after they were baked.

Ways to Customize Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Although these cinnamon rolls don't need anything to make them better, we added some toasted pecans to the glaze which is delicious. Here are a few other ways you can customize cinnamon rolls.

- Sprinkle ½ cup of chocolate chips over the dough before rolling it up (milk, dark, or white)
- Sprinkle ½ cup of toasted nuts over the dough before rolling it up (pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts)
- Make mini cinnamon rolls to feed a larger group (or for portion control because these are so good you may need it♡)

A Few More Easy Quick Bread and Muffin Recipes

Whether you're looking for a quick bread to make for weekend brunch or muffins for your workday commute, here are a few other easy dessert bread recipes to try.

Let's get started!

📖 Recipe

Recipe Card powered by

Mom's Famous Cinnamon Rolls (Best Cinnamon Rolls Ever)