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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

4.83 from 112 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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545 Comments

  1. I have tried many recipes using instant rising yeast and have not cared for any of them until now! I followed the recipe exactly and I am in LOVE with these cinnamon rolls! They were beyond easy and turned out exactly as I was hoping! My kids loved them and my husband ate 3 with his chili! I did the 12 smaller rolls and they cooked in the 15 minutes they were not over or under done! This will definitely be my go to recipe!

  2. So yummy! I usually don’t have much luck with yeast doughs, but this one came out perfectly! I think next time, I’ll add a little less of the glaze, but these are super delicious 😛

    1. That is awesome to hear! Sometimes yeast doughs are tricky but I think this one is mastered! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO

  3. I am always looking for different roll recipes and want to try this one. Have you ever tried putting melted butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in the bottom of the pan for a gooey cinnamon roll??? I grew up always making them that way!

  4. Hi I’ve tried these before and they were amazing but I was wondering if I wanted to make more, should I double the recipe? X

    1. You can always double the recipe but you may also have to double the time on it! I haven’t doubled them yet. Let me know how it turns out! XOXO

  5. If I get to work at the new earlier time when I’m trying to get there, in future, tomorrow — it will be because I got up to eat these. So delicious, recipe and instructions worked perfectly for me. Thank you!

  6. I just made these and they came out great! Of the best cinnamon rolls I’ve tried and so easy and fast too! Love them, thank you so much!! ❤️

  7. I have made these cinnamon rolls twice in the last couple of weeks. My family loves them. Thank you for sharing!

    1. That is SO AWESOME to hear! Thank you so much for sharing! I am so glad you have loved them like my family does! XOXO

  8. My second batch is in the oven. My family absolutely loved them the first time, so we are excited for the second. These come together really easily and the dough is extremely easy to work with. I had to add a little more flour so it was so sticky, but it worked out great. Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! No more store bought cinnamon rolls for us!

    1. YES!! That is what I love to hear! Thank you so much for sharing! I am so glad they are turning out for you! XOXO

  9. Thank you for this great recipe! I bake for a private club and have wanted to make and serve freshly baked, right out of the oven cinnamon rolls for a long time, but didn’t want to have to get to work at the crack of dawn. Found your recipe last night and decided to try them this morning! I use SAF Instant Yeast which I think is just about fool-proof. I needed enough for about 30 people, so I tripled the recipe, and put my cut rolls into six 7″ round cake pans, greased and fitted with a circle of parchment. I put them in my warming unit, which helped them rise FAST. And saved even more time by baking in the convection oven. They popped right out of the pans with no problem, and they are SO very good!! Pillowy-soft and fluffy! I love the concentrated cinnamon flavor in the filling. I had guests coming into the kitchen to say how fabulous and special they were! I think I’m going to make them again in a couple days, when there are even more guests and the accolades will be even greater 😀

    1. That makes me SO happy!! I am SO glad they turned out so well for you! This is the best comment! Thank you SO much for sharing! I am so happy everyone enjoyed them and you were able to make great cinnamon rolls for so many people! XOXO

  10. I’ve never made cinnamon rolls completely from scratch before, so I was a little skeptical in the beginning, but when I took my first bite, I was completely surprised! They were tender, moist, & just amazing! They were a hit w the family, I ate 4 before I realized it, Ha! This recipe is a keeper, I would like to experiment with different glazes & frostings though….

    1. That is AWESOME!! I love this quick and easy cinnamon recipe. I can’t wait to hear all the different glazes and frostings you try!! XOXO