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Once you try these strawberry cinnamon rolls, they’ll be a family staple! The secret? Freeze-dried strawberries and lemon zest in the glaze! They are seriously so good!
Why You Need These In Your Life!
- Delicious Bright Flavor: I’m telling you, the combo of sweet strawberries, warm cinnamon, and that tangy lemon glaze is a total game-changer for cinnamon rolls.
- Life Changing Glaze! The incredible glaze has the best strawberry flavor mixed with lemon and cream cheese, it is to die for!
- Strawberry Season: This is a great way to use fresh strawberries! While I use pie filling, you can swap in my homemade strawberry sauce.
A Reader’s Review
The BEST rolls I’ve ever had, much less made. This frosting belongs on EVERYTHING. About to make another batch because I can’t stop thinking about how good they are!
Erika
Ingredients Needed
- Filing Tip: If you can’t find canned pie filling, double my homemade strawberry sauce recipe and add 4 teaspoons cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water to thicken.
- Glaze Tip: Freeze-dried strawberries are the key to the incredible strawberry flavor. If you can’t find them, use strawberry jam or jelly, but reduce the half & half to keep the glaze thick.
How to Make Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
Even though this recipe uses homemade dough, these strawberry cinnamon rolls are super easy to make. The hardest part is waiting for them to come out of the oven!
Dough
- Melt Butter: In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the milk and butter. Stir until the butter has melted and remove from heat. Let stand until lukewarm temperature.
- Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 2 ¼ cups of the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt.
- Combine: Add the egg and water and use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment to mix until combined.
- Slowly Add Milk: Slowly add the milk mixture and the remaining 1 cup of flour to the dough until combined.
- Knead: Knead on medium speed for 6-7 minutes until smooth and pulling away from the bowl. If too sticky, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour and knead 2-3 more minutes. To knead by hand, mix ingredients, then knead on a floured surface for about 10 minutes. Form into a ball, place in the bowl, and let rest for 10 minutes. place it back into the bowl. Set it aside to let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- Roll Out Dough: On a lightly floured surface, roll out the strawberry cinnamon roll dough into a large 9 x 15-inch rectangle that is about ¼-½ inch thick.
Strawberry Filling
- Spread: Spread the strawberry pie filling evenly over the dough. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl, then sprinkle it evenly on top of the strawberry filling.
- Roll: Roll up the 15-inch side into a log and pinch the seams. To avoid the filling squeezing out the other side, try lifting the rolled side up and placing it down on top of the filling before pulling it back towards you to make the roll tighter. Repeat this for the entire process of rolling the dough to prevent losing all the filling.
- Slice: Use a very sharp knife to slice the rolled dough into 12 even rolls. I recommend using a clean kitchen towel or several paper towels to wipe the knife clean between each cut.
- Let Rolls Rise: Place the rolls in a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan, cover with a damp cloth, and set them aside to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- Bake: While the rolls rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 30 minutes or until just golden brown on the tops.
Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
- Mix Glaze and Frost Rolls: In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth. Add the half & half, lemon juice, lemon zest, and freeze-dried strawberry powder and mix until combined.
- Add Glaze: Spread over the warm strawberry cinnamon rolls after they cool for 10 minutes or so.
Storing Leftover Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls
- Refrigerating: Store leftover strawberry cinnamon rolls in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Warm in the microwave for 20–30 seconds before serving.
- Freeze: You can freeze the cinnamon rolls right after rolling them, before the final rise. When you’re ready to bake, just let them come to room temperature and rise until doubled in size—then pop them in the oven.
- Room Temperature: Since the glaze has cream cheese, avoid keeping these at room temp.
More Tasty Strawberry Recipes
If you loved these strawberry cinnamon rolls, then you’ve got to try a few more of my favorites!
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Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls with Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
These delicious strawberry cinnamon rolls are made with pie filling and a quick and easy dough. The flavor is out of this world amazing!
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup milk
- ⅓ cup softened unsalted butter
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour,
- 2 teaspoons instant yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup all-purpose flour +2 tablespoons if the dough is very sticky
Filling
- 1 (21-ounce) can strawberry pie filling
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
Strawberry Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze
- 4 ounce cream cheese softened
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberries crushed into powder about .5-ounces freeze-dried strawberries
- 3 tablespoons half & half
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest about 1 large lemon
Instructions
Dough
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add ¾ cup milk and ⅓ cup softened unsalted butter. Stir until the butter has melted and remove from heat. Let stand until lukewarm temperature.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons instant yeast, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Add 1 large egg and ¼ cup water and use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment to mix until combined.
- Slowly add the milk mixture and 1 cup all-purpose flour to the dough until combined.
- Knead on medium speed for 6-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. If the dough is very sticky and won’t pull away from the sides even after 6-7 minutes, add 1-2 tablespoons of flour and knead again for 2-3 minutes. You can alternatively make the dough by hand. Stir all the ingredients together in a large bowl before kneading it on a lightly floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes or so.
- Form the dough into a ball and place it back into the bowl. Set it aside to let it rest for about 10 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a large 9 x 15-inch rectangle that is about ¼-½ inch thick.
Filling
- Spread the 1 (21-ounce) can strawberry pie filling over the dough. Combine the 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and ½ teaspoon granulated sugar in a small bowl, then sprinkle it evenly on top of the strawberry filling.
- Roll up the 15-inch side into a log and pinch the seams. To avoid the filling squeezing out the other side, try lifting up the rolled side and placing it down on top of the filling before pulling it back towards you to make the roll tiger. Repeat this for the entire process of rolling the dough to prevent losing all the filling.
- Use a very sharp knife to slice the rolled dough into 12 even rolls. I recommend using a clean kitchen towel or several paper towels to wipe the knife clean between each cut.
- Place the rolls in a 9 x 13 x 2-inch baking pan, cover with a damp cloth, and set them aside to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.
- While the rolls rise, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake for 30 minutes or until just golden brown on the tops.
Glaze
- In a medium bowl, combine 4 ounce cream cheese softened, 3 Tablespoons salted butter softened, and 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Add 3 tablespoons half & half, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons freeze-dried strawberries crushed into powder and mix until combined. Spread over the warm rolls after they cool for 10 minutes or so.
Video
Notes
Originally posted April 15, 2014
Updated on August 31, 2023
Update March 18, 2025
Nutrition
Calories: 383kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 6gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 177mgPotassium: 139mgFiber: 3gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 431IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Does this dough rise?? Like is it supposed to rise at all in the 10 minutes you let it sit?? ?? or does it rise after you cut it up and put it in the pan before baking??
The rise time is between when you place the dough in a greased 9×13 inch pan and cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 30 minutes. Once it rises then you will bake it for 30 minutes. Hope that clarifies for you.
I li e in the UK what is half and half plz?
Half and Half is half milk and half cream. Hope that helps!
Can you make these ahead…bake then freeze?
Yes, that is a great idea! Enjoy!
I’ve tried this twice. Not sure what I am doing wrong. My dough never gets thick. I’ve never worked with yeast before so not sure that’s my problem. Is it just the powder or so I mix it with water first?
The yeast will activate once it is mixed with the milk in step 2. That needs to rest and then you also need to let the dough rise after step 3. If these steps are skipped then the dough won’t form how it’s supposed to! Let me know if that helps!
iliketomakethesemyhusbandloves cinnamonrollsbut thinkhave to sugar for me i am diabetic
Fantastic recipes!
Looks so good. I will try it now.
I have read the instructions 10 times and for some reason I dont understand #2. Do you add just one cup of flour or all the flour mixture to the egg water mixture?
In a large mixing bowl whisk together 2 1/4 cups flour, yeast, sugar, and salt. Add to the stand mixer with dough hook attached. (You can also make this by hand, just knead until smooth once all of the ingredients are added.) Add the egg and water and mix until just starting to combine. Slowly add in the milk mixture and 1 cup of flour until the dough starts to form and become smooth. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
You will add part of the flour 2 1/4 cups with the yeast, sugar and salt. Then add in egg and water and mix together. Then add in milk and the remainder 1 cup flour. Hope that helps! XOXO
I’ve never made breakfast rolls before, and I must be dumb as a post. Your instructions say, “Roll up the 15 inch side into a log and pinch the seams.” I don’t understand. Which direction am I rolling that 9×15 rectangle? Is the resulting log 9 inches long or 15 inches long?
You will want to roll it up so you can cut the log into sections which will look like a cinnamon roll once you place in the pan. Hope that helps clarify for you! Best of luck! You will enjoy these rolls!! XOXO
It would be 15 inches if you bigger rolls then do a 9 inches roll.
Hope that helps
Mark
Strawberry’s are my favorite fruit can’t wait to bake it for my family!
I planned on making this for my cotton harvesters but my husband’s cousin is allergic to cinnamon. I wonder if it will still taste good without the cinnamon?
These rolls are soooooooooooooo good.
AWE!! Thank you so much! I appreciate you sharing! XOXO
oh yum. love the pie filling option do much easier & options open.
Never mind. I see now where the extra cup of is used.
The list of ingredients asks for 3 1/4 cups flour. The instructions ask for 2 1/4. Which is it? Thank you.
nice change up with strawberries- my best bud loves raspberries & I bet they would be yummy
Just tried to make these…looks like some errors in the recipe like 21 oz of pie filling and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Impossible to roll up 21 oz of pie filling into a roll – it’s a complete mess. Way too much filling. This is basically strawberry cobbler. A half a teaspoon of sugar is a pinch…why bother. I’d love to see a video of someone trying to make this.