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Quick 45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls are made with homemade dough filled with ground cinnamon, and a brown sugar mixture rolled and baked in less than an hour. Drizzle a sweet glaze over the top, making this the VERY BEST breakfast!

Fluffy and soft cinnamon rolls taste even better than Cinnabon and are ready in just 45 minutes! Try these strawberry cinnamon rolls, these delicious overnight cinnamon rolls, and of course, these tasty caramel apple cinnamon rolls. There are so many delicious ones to try!

Baked cinnamon rolls in a 9x12 glass baking dish with one being served.

A Reader’s Review

Thank you for sharing this recipe. Just tried it. First time I’ve ever made cinnamon rolls from scratch. Very easy and quick to make. These rolls taste sooo goood!

-Tim

Quick 45-Minute Cinnamon Rolls Recipe

I love cinnamon rolls but sometimes I want them NOW and not in a few hours. Waiting for the dough to rise, then for them to bake… I don’t have time for that! Which is where this recipe comes in handy! This recipe was inspired by my friend Layla at Gimme Delicious!

These delicious cinnamon rolls only take 20 minutes to rise. Then you can put them together and be eating them before you know it! My kiddos love helping me make these in the kitchen! If you are looking for more quick and easy recipes to make for breakfast check out this The Best Breakfast Casserole or these yummy Perfect Crepes!

What you need to make Quick 45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

Don’t let the ingredient list scare you! Most of the ingredients are right in your refrigerator and pantry. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of the post for all of the exact ingredient measurements.

Dough

  • Flour: This adds thickness and combines it all together.
  • Sugar: You need sugar for a sweet taste.
  • Salt: The salt adds just enough to help the yeast rise.
  • Instant Yeast: This makes it so that your dough can rise at a quicker pace.
  • Water: Water softens the dough and creates a sticky, gooey texture.
  • Milk: You can use whatever milk you have on hand. I used one percent milk, which gave these a creamy and smooth texture with a hint of flavor.
  • Butter: I used unsalted butter in this recipe.
  • Large Egg: The egg will combine it all together.

Filling

  • Butter: The butter is melted and used to combine the cinnamon and brown sugar tougher.
  • Cinnamon: You can’t have a cinnamon roll without cinnamon!
  • Brown Sugar: I love how this brings a little sweetness to the cinnamon rolls.
  • Heavy Cream: This keeps the cinnamon rolls rich and moist.

Glaze

  • Powdered Sugar: It dissolves quickly and makes this icing glaze come together.
  • Vanilla Extract: A splash of vanilla makes the perfect blend of icing and tastes SO good!
  • Milk: This combines with powdered sugar to form the glaze.
  • Cream Cheese: The cream cheese gives a delicious flavor to them.

How to Make Quick 45-Minute Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls are SO good and melt in your mouth. Trust me! These cinnamon rolls will not last long and are always a huge hit! Watch the glaze fall into the cracks and in-between the cinnamon rolls getting ooey-gooey.

Dough

  1. Whisk: In a large bowl whisk the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast together. Set aside.
  2. Combine: In a small bowl combine the water, milk, and butter together and heat in the microwave until the butter is melted, about 30-45 seconds.
  3. Knead into Ball: Use a fork to stir the liquid into the dry ingredients. Add the egg and knead by hand or with a stand mixer for 5-6 minutes, until the dough is no longer sticky. Form the dough into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
  4. Preheat Oven: Turn on the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×9 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Filling

  1. Combine: In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  2. Roll the Dough: Once the dough has rested, dust a clean surface lightly with flour and roll out the dough into a 15×9 inch rectangle.
  3. Cut: Spread the softened butter over the dough and dust evenly with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the dough up tightly and cut into 9 even pieces.
  4. Cover: Place the rolls into the prepared pan and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
  5. Drizzle: Turn off the warmed oven and place the pan of rolls inside. Let them rise for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes have passed, remove the foil or plastic and drizzle the ¼ cup of cream evenly over the top of the buns.
  6. Bake: Return the buns to the oven and turn the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops of the buns are golden brown

Glaze

  1. Beat and Combine: Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, 2 tablespoons milk together until smooth. Add more milk as needed. Let the rolls cool for 20 minutes or so before spreading the glaze over the top.
6 process pictures showing how to make 45-minute cinnamon rolls. They show how to make the dough, spread it out,, roll them up and place them in a pan with parchment paper.

Tips for Making Quick 45-Minute Cinnamon Rolls

There are several tips for making quick 45-minute cinnamon rolls, but simply following the recipe is straightforward and will help make the best of the best cinnamon rolls! Watch how easily these cinnamon rolls come together. 

Dough:

  • Liquids: Any liquid, like water or milk, should all be warm to keep the yeast active.
  • Rising the dough: For a quicker rise, turn the oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Once it reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit then turn the oven off and let the dough rise in the oven.
  • Yeast: It is best to use active dry yeast. You will want to make sure it is fresh too. If it is old, it doesn’t work as well, and your cinnamon rolls may turn out flat.
  • Proof the yeast: You can proof the yeast by simply adding water, yeast, and sugar to it. You can tell good yeast by it being foamy after dissolving in the mixture. If it is not foaming, discard that yeast mixture. Your cinnamon rolls will not rise.

Rolls:

  • Rolling out the Dough: The thinner you roll out your dough, the more layers and rings it will have rolled up.
  • Rolled Dough: After the dough is rolled into a log shape, use non-flavored dental floss to help you cut the cinnamon rolls. The dental floss is a clean cut and helps the rolled dough from flattening and squishing.
  • Spray your wrap: When letting your cinnamon rolls raise or anytime they are covered, spray the aluminum foil or plastic wrap before covering your cinnamon rolls. This will avoid the covering from sticking to the cinnamon rolls.
  • Filling Variations: Try pumpkin pie spice to the mixture or use fruit fillings to add a little more flavoring.
  • Using a Bread Machine: This will work in a bread machine too! Simply add all dough ingredients into the bread machine. Set the bread machine on the dough cycle. Once it is done, let the dough rise for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Glaze:

  • Storing the Icing: go ahead and make the icing ahead of time if you need to. Just keep it covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  • Icing Variations: Change the flavoring on the icing by adding either almond extract or cinnamon to add a little different flavor to your cinnamon rolls.
  • Frosting: Let your cinnamon rolls cool for a couple of minutes, but it is best to frost while they are hot, and the frosting can melt on them into each of the layers.
The top view of 45-minute cinnamon rolls, baked and in a pan with a glaze on top.

45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls FAQs

Here are a few questions that you may have when making cinnamon rolls. Hopefully, these frequently asked questions and answers can help make these cinnamon rolls easier for you. 

  • What type of yeast should I use? It is best to use high active yeast when making cinnamon rolls. Traditional yeast does not rise quickly enough compared to the high active yeast.
  • What flour is best? All-Purpose flour is best for baking. If you need to use bread flour or gluten-free flour, that will work as well. The texture and taste may be altered a bit using anything besides All-Purpose flour.
  • Why didn’t my cinnamon rolls rise? There are a lot of variables on this question. To start, it could simply be your yeast. It may be old and expired and not functioning properly for yeast. If your liquids were not hot when combining could also dilute and kill the yeast. There may not have been enough time for them to rise. If you are baking in the wintertime, you may need a little more time to rise the dough since it is colder than normal. To help, place them in the oven, by a window with sunlight, or simply give them a little more time than an hour.
  • Sticky Dough: Add a tablespoon of flour until it is no longer sticky on your fingers.
  • Why do my cinnamon rolls seem to fall after baking? Kneading too much can cause the cinnamon rolls to fall apart after baking. I like to use a mixer to do most of the work and prevent me from over-kneading the dough.
A pan with cinnamon rolls with one roll that is taken out.

How to Store Leftover Cinnamon Rolls

Quick 45-minute cinnamon rolls don’t last long! I haven’t had a chance to even freeze these or store more than 24 hours. They are that good and always a family favorite. 

  • Bake Ahead of Time: This is always a great idea when making the next day for breakfast. Simply follow the instructions before baking your cinnamon rolls. Once sliced and in a pan to rise. After they have risen, make sure they are covered and placed in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. Before baking your cinnamon rolls, remove them from the refrigerator and let rise once again for about one hour. Then follow the instructions and bake accordingly.
  • To Freeze: These are great for freezing. The glaze can either be left off until warming up or leave it on while it is in the freezer. Following the cinnamon roll instructions, bake, frost, or freeze your glaze separately. Then let cool, cover, and place as a pan or individually wrapped cinnamon rolls in the freezer for up to 1 month. When ready to eat, let your cinnamon rolls thaw overnight on the countertop or refrigerator.
  • To Reheat: When ready to warm up, place in the oven for best results and warm up on low until the frosting has melted through, or use a microwave to warm up in 15 to 30-second intervals. Try not to overheat in the microwave, leaving these overcooked and dry.

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Quick 45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls

4.80 from 114 votes
By: Alyssa Rivers
Quick 45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls is made with homemade dough, filled with ground cinnamon and a brown sugar mixture rolled and baked in less than an hour. Drizzle a sweet glaze over top making this the VERY BEST holiday breakfast!
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 9 Rolls

Ingredients 

Filling:

Glaze:

Instructions 

Dough

  • In a large bowl whisk the flour, the sugar, salt, and yeast together. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl combine the water, milk, and butter together and heat in the microwave until the butter is melted, about 30-45 seconds.
  • Use a fork to stir the liquid into the dry ingredients. Add the egg and knead by hand or with a stand mixer for 5-6 minutes, until the dough is no longer sticky. Form the dough into a ball and return to the bowl. Cover and let rest for 5 minutes.
  • Turn on the oven to 200 degrees fahrenheit. Spray a 9×9 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Filling

  • In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • Once the dough has rested, dust a clean surface lightly with flour and roll out the dough into a 15×9 inch rectangle.
  • Spread the softened butter over the dough and dust evenly with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Roll the dough up tightly and cut into 9 even pieces.
  • Place the rolls into the prepared pan and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
  • Turn off the warmed oven and place the pan of rolls inside. Let them rise for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes have passed, remove the foil or plastic and drizzle the ¼ cup of cream evenly over the top of the buns.
  • Return the buns to the oven and turn the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops of the buns are golden brown.

Cream Cheese Glaze

  • Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, 2 tablespoons milk together until smooth. Add more milk as needed. Let the rolls cool for 20 minutes or so before spreading the glaze over the top.

Video

Notes

Updated on July 22, 2022
Original Posted on May 25, 2016

Nutrition

Calories: 319kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 5gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 275mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 2gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 286IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

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About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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547 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. I read the recipe wrong and put more butter in the middle but it was so good. Thanks, these seems as good as ones that rise for a long time. A real keeper.

    1. Hey Di!
      I am so glad that you liked it! This is one of my favorites as well. They are so good! Thanks for the comment and for following along with me!

  2. I was shocked how quickly these rose! They were super quick to make and oh so delicious!! Thanks for the recipe, Alyssa!

  3. 4 stars
    I left the rolls in the oven while the temp rose to 375 and they cooked too quick. Thankfully I checked in them and the browned tops were covered by the glaze. My family still loved them!

    1. Yes, that will also work; however, you will want to watch it and make sure it does not rise too fast.

  4. We loved the cinnamon rolls! We each had seconds! We made a cream cheese frosting instead of the listed glaze recipe though.

  5. Made these Christmas morning for the first time, and they were amazing! Easy, fluffy and delicious! Well definitely make again.

  6. These were the best ever cinnamon rolls. Going to try and double the recipe, nine buns are just not enough. LOL Thanks for the recipe.

  7. 5 stars
    My first time making homemade cinnamon rolls and this recipe was perfect!! Everyone loved them. Will definitely be my go-to. Thanks so much.

    1. Nice recipe, I left off the glaze and instead sprinkled a little sugar on top after brushing with a little melted butter. Very tasty as I don’t like really sweet breakfasts.

    2. Nice recipe, I left off the glaze and instead sprinkled a little sugar on top after brushing with a little melted butter. Very tasty as I don’t like really sweet breakfasts. Oh I also added chopped pecans to filling.

      1. After rising in the 200 degree oven, do you take them out while the oven preheats to baking temperature?

  8. The dough was GREAT! However, 2TBSP of cinnamon was WAY too much for me! I plan to half the amount of cinnamon, otherwise great recipe!

  9. How would the taste or consistency change if I used nut milk instead of regular milk? Thinking specifically of regular almond milk. I’m new to baking and with nut milks and looking for advice. Thanks!

    1. I am not sure if it will raise as well but that is something you can try. Let us know how they turn out.

    2. I used almond milk with no problem at all. Almond milk is usually a fine substitution for milk in baking.

  10. Definitely a recipe worth having–easy and delicious. I was worried the butter would melt and leak into the pan, but just enough seeped out to make a perfect little crust on the bottom of each roll. When I make again I’ll let it rest a bit longer than five minutes–mine was still a bit too elastic to roll out easily, but that could be the result of either my flour or my kneading. I will never spend more time making cinnamon rolls!

  11. I made these today- easy directions! I was so nervous about yeast, kneading and rolling. They turned out delicious. I will scale back a tiny bit on the cinnamon next time, my young boys may like them sweeter. I over measured a bit. I thought they were perfect though.