The Best Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
These super easy homemade cinnamon rolls are supremely fluffy, extra decadent, and luscious; prepared overnight and ready to bake in the morning and then slathered in a delicious ooey gooey vanilla bean cream cheese icing! Be sure to check out the recipe how-to-make video included below.

OH. MY. GOODNESS. GRACIOUS. Y’all!
Listen, I am so excited to share this recipe with you…seriously, these overnight cinnamon rolls are just too lovely that I could burst with pride!!! And yes, lots of exclamation points are being used here because I need you to feel the excitement that I have for these cinnamon rolls over these inter-webs, ha! Oops, I did it again.
So, I do realize that homemade cinnamon rolls have the tendency to bring on unfortunate bouts of anxiety, stress, and everything in between. However, I’m *really* hoping that this recipe will bring you nothing but happiness, no headaches, and infinite amounts of audible yells of OMG, yummy, and plenty of mmmm’s. And maybe even a moment where you stop mid-bite and look up towards the heavens above? Yup, that’s the kind of energy that these rolls will bring alright.
The very scent of cinnamon rolls baking in the oven is arguably one of the best things ever! Just try and tell me that I’m wrong on that, I’ll wait. These rolls are right up there with my blueberry streusel muffins and my buttermilk biscuits in terms of epic morning baked goods that’ll wake up even the heaviest of sleepers- eye crust, foul breath and all, ha!
Now, in case you missed it, I’m calling these overnight cinnamon rolls for a reason. You see, all of the main work is done the night before and the only thing you do the next day is sit them out to reach room temp a bit and then bake ’em.
It’s extra important to note when working with yeast dough that you follow each step to a tee. This is not a time to improvise and throw caution to the wind, my friends. And for the people in the back, let me say it again, follow my recipe as it is written please. This goes for rise times, how to handle the dough, etc. Mainly because this recipe will yield to you the most beautiful, fluffy, delicious, and dreamiest homemade cinnamon rolls mmkay. Good, I’m so so glad that we had this talk, muah. Pause, let us take a brief moment to look at those naked pre-iced cinnamon rolls below, swoon!
How To Make Cinnamon Rolls (Video)
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients:
- Active Dry Yeast: the star of the show! Did you know that yeast is a living organism? Yup, it’s alive. Liquids that are too hot can destroy your yeast too, and always make sure that you’re using fresh yeast and NOT some that’s been sitting in your pantry for a few years: so check that expiration date, peeps! Most grocery stores have them in the little convenient packets that are in perfect measurements of 2-1/4 teaspoons.
- Whole Milk: for the yeast dough (needs to be warmed but not scalding hot, tip= as if you would give it to a baby) + in the vanilla bean cream cheese icing!
- Butter: unsalted, please: this goes in the yeast dough, the filling, and the vanilla bean cream cheese icing.
- Sugar: two kinds for this recipe; white granulated (for the yeast dough) and brown sugar (for the filling).
- Eggs: 3 of ’em for the yeast dough…and be sure they’re room temperature!
- Salt: I highly recommend kosher salt but any salt will do.
- Flour: unbleached all-purpose flour, please!
- Cinnamon: duh, we are making homemade overnight cinnamon rolls, right?
- Cream Cheese: used in the vanilla bean cream cheese icing that’ll top these beauties.
- Powdered Sugar: also used in the vanilla bean cream cheese icing.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: it has a more vivacious punch than vanilla extract, I’m just keeping it real with you: it gives us super robust vanilla flavor + those gorgeous vanilla bean flecks are everything, trust me!
So, How Do I Make The Best Overnight Cinnamon Rolls?:
CLASS IS NOW IN SESSION: Professor Quin has arrived, let’s make some homemade cinnamon rolls, people!
Okay, first things first, we will start by making the yeast dough. Now I highly recommend using a stand mixer for making dough but it is not entirely needed as you can knead your dough by hand. In the bowl of stand mixer (or alternatively, in a large bowl) combine the warmed milk with the yeast and sugar; then let sit unbothered for 5-7 minutes. You’ll see the warm milk activate with the yeast and get nice and bubbly!
Next, add in butter, eggs, flour, and salt. If using a stand mixer, make sure it’s fitted with the dough hook attachment. Knead the dough on medium-low speed and make sure dough does not stick to the bowl. If so, add more flour in, a tablespoon at a time.
And alternatively if not using a stand mixer, knead dough by hand to combine everything. Add more flour if needed, just until the dough is smooth but still soft, about 6-7 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and place it into a lightly greased (using butter/baking spray) large bowl. Turn dough in bowl to coat with butter/baking spray.
Lastly, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm environment until it nearly doubles in size, the time for this is about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. A friendly tip from me to you: I like to place my dough bowl on top of my home dryer machine and let it run for a good cycle to help the “warm environment” process. Whatever spot that you can find in your home just as long as it’s warm otherwise your dough will not rise. Yeast comes alive in warm cozy places!
Cool Cool, What’s Next About This Recipe?
Woot woot, once the dough has risen and doubled in size, we’re ready to work with it! Punch the dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured work surface. And if you have a large baking mat that is super helpful too. Roll dough out into a rectangle, don’t overthink this step, the dough doesn’t have to be exactly in a rectangle shape. Just aim to have all the dough rolled out with the longer side facing you.
Spread the room temperature butter all over the dough followed by a sprinkling of the brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Do this step as evenly as you can and smear all over with your hands if needed. Then, starting with the longest part of the dough furthest from you, roll up the dough into a log. Pinch the seams of the dough to seal. Phew, we’re just about done. The last step is to cut the log crosswise into 8 equal slices using a sharp knife.
Now some folks like to use the floss method to cut their rolls, if you do, I want you to make sure your floss is unscented! Otherwise, I recommend using a good ole sharp knife.
Before cutting, it also helps to kind of make light indentations in dough to make sure you end up with eight even rolls before you make the actual final cut. Once rolls are cut, arrange them cut-side up into a 9×13 baking pan and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, 8-12 hours.
The morning of…we are finally making and enjoying these homemade overnight cinnamon rolls!
Take the cinnamon rolls out of the fridge and let sit out to reach room temperature for another 1 – 2 hours. Look for them to be puffed up and expanded some. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the rolls until golden brown, about 30 minutes. And your home is going to smell so delightful that you’ll feel like you can’t wait any longer, I know.
While the rolls bake, make the icing and then immediately pour the icing over the cinnamon rolls as soon as they come out and enjoy! These rolls are beautifully thick, rich, soft, and fluffy. They are truly my favorite kind of indulgent treat and I certainly hope that they become a staple in your home as well. Shout out to my Mom in the picture above who thoroughly enjoys coming over and being a hand model when I need one. Oh, don’t worry friends, she was paid in an abundance of all-you-can-eat cinnamon rolls with extra icing, too!…Check out these sweet potato cinnamon rolls, they’re also quite heavenly!
REMEMBER TO LEAVE A ⭐️STAR RATING⭐️AND TAG ME ON THE ‘GRAM IF YOU MAKE ANY OF MY RECIPES! I ALWAYS LOVE TO SEE IT WHEN YOU DO!
Until next time…love and butter,
Q.
PrintThe Best Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Prep Time: 30m
- Cook Time: 30m
- Total Time: 1hr
- Yield: 8–12 rolls 1x
- Category: Breakfast, Baking
- Method: Overnight
- Cuisine: American
Description
These super easy homemade cinnamon rolls are supremely fluffy, extra decadent, and luscious; prepared overnight and ready to bake in the morning and then slathered in a delicious ooey gooey vanilla bean cream cheese icing!
Ingredients
Yeast Dough:
- 1 package (2 1/4 teaspoons) active-dry yeast
- 1 cup whole milk, lightly warmed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more if needed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Icing:
- 4 ounces cream cheese (brick-style), softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup whole milk
Instructions
Yeast Dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer: add yeast, milk, and sugar. Let sit for 5-7 minutes to activate. Mixture will be bubbly and somewhat fragrant. Then add in butter and eggs. Attach dough hook attachment to mixer and add in flour and salt.
- Knead/mix on medium-low speed until dough begins to come together. Add in more flour, a tablespoon at a time, only if needed to make sure dough does not stick to bowl. Knead dough until smooth but still soft, about 6-7 minutes. Alternatively, knead dough by hand if not using a stand mixer.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Then butter (or use baking spray) a large bowl. Add the dough into bowl and turn to coat dough. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size, about 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
- Once dough has risen, punch dough down and turn out onto a floured work surface. Roll out dough into a rectangle (about 14×9 inches) with the longer side facing you. Use a little extra flour if dough is sticking. Filling: spread the butter over the dough and then sprinkle brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt evenly over the dough leaving a 1 inch border at the top and bottom.
- Roll up the dough into a log starting with the longest side furthest from you. Pinch seams of dough to seal. Cut the log crosswise into 8 equal slices using a sharp knife.
- Butter/spray a 9×13 inch baking pan. Arrange the slices with the cut side up in the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to refrigerator overnight, 8-12 hours.
- Remove from refrigerator and let rolls sit out to reach room temperature for 1 – 2 hours, until puffy, before baking. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake rolls until lightly golden brown, about 30 minutes. While cinnamon rolls bake, prepare icing.
- Once rolls are done, immediately pour icing over rolls and serve. Enjoy!
Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Icing:
- Beat butter, cream cheese, and vanilla bean paste together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add powdered sugar and slowly add in milk. Mix until everything is fully incorporated.
Notes
- Cinnamon rolls can be kept covered in plastic wrap in refrigerator for up to one week.
- This recipe can also make 12 rolls if rolls are cut smaller.
- To make the rolls same-day, simply allow for a second rise after you roll/cut the cinnamon rolls.
Keywords: breakfast, baking,
49 Comments on “The Best Overnight Cinnamon Rolls”
What did you do with the two end pieces you cut off in the video? Could they be a separate batch?
Hi there! For the purpose of the video, I didn’t include them but you could totally bake them right along with the others. Also, if you don’t want the ends, you can save them and give them a fry (kind of like a funnel cake/fried dough vibe!) 🙂
Best cinnamon rolls ever. My friends and family always want me to make them for Sunday brunch.
★★★★★
Music to my ears, thank you Gwen! 🙂
Just made these for Father’s day and they are so delicious! Will definitely make again.
★★★★★
These turned out delicious! Thank you for the recipe and the video – very helpful.
★★★★★
I made this last night, as a test run before family arrives in a couple of weeks, and they were fabulous this morning! So easy too.
★★★★★
Hi Sheryl, so happy you enjoyed these cinnamon rolls! 🙂
Can you make these with all purpose gluten free flour? Everything else seems straight forward! These look delicious!!
Hi there, unfortunately cinnamon rolls need gluten to have a certain texture to them; I haven’t tried this recipe using that kind of flour but you can see 🙂
Can these be frozen after they’ve been rolled and then refrigerated the night before as the recipe suggests??
Hi Sarah- Yes, these rolls can be frozen after they’ve been filled and cut. Place them into a baking pan that is well covered and then into the freezer. When you are ready to bake them; let them thaw out in the refrigerator, and then let them sit out to reach room temp (to basically proof/rise again)- then bake as directed.
Can these be refrigerated longer then 12 hours?
Hi- I recommend refrigerating these cinnamon rolls for no longer than 24 hours.
I plan on making these very soon. Can I use the scrapings of a vanilla bean? If so, how much is equivalent to a tablespoon of vanilla paste? Thamx for ypur reply and the recipe.
Hi- I would use about 1/2-1 teaspoon of vanilla bean scrapings.
Oh my goodness, I’m salivating just looking at them!! Quin, I was wondering, I wanted to make them today, but I don’t have any all purpose flour, only bread flour at the moment. Would it be crucial to have AP flour? Also, I don’t have access at the moment, to vanilla bean paste. Would vanilla extract be ok? I know it probably will not give the extra “oh my oh my” but that’s all I have! if so, how much would you say? Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
★★★★★
Hi Claudia, I haven’t tested this specific recipe using bread flour so I can’t speak to it for certain. As for swapping paste for extract, that is totally fine! 🙂
I just made these for my co-workers and they absolutely loved them! The owner said it was the best cinnamon roll he’s ever had. I was quite impressed with the outcome as well, soooooooo delicious! They can’t wait for me to make them again. This recipe will definitely be the only cinnamon roll recipe I’ll be using!
Hey Quin, fellow Tampanian here!
I’m making this recipe for Christmas and am so excited! Question for you, what happens if the yeast, milk and sugar don’t bubble in 7 minutes? Should i let it sit longer or is something maybe not right?
Help!
Hi Jess- If your yeast hasn’t bloomed after 7 minutes just let it sit for a little longer. Sometimes the temperature of your milk could alter the time 🙂
Can I use fast acting yeast?
Yes- you can use rapid rise/fast acting yeast for this recipe 🙂
The best rolls and super easy. I got 12, which worked out perfectly. Fluffy, melt in your mouth, yet just a bit of chew. All other cinnamon roll recipes are being deleted. I will say I used our own frosting, very close to Martha Stewart’s cream cheese. Added some heavy cream. But this rolls are the bomb!
★★★★★
Hi Ken- glad you loved these cinnamon rolls 🙂
Perfect cinnamon rolls. They were a Christmas morning hit! I will be making these again.
★★★★★
We LOVED these cinnamon rolls!! My family said they were the best they’ve ever had (including the “famous” ones from a local restaurant’s brunch menu). I was also really impressed with the directions – super easy to follow for a homemade treat that has always intimidated me. My daughter said we’re never buying store bought ones in a can again LOL
★★★★★
I have made these cinnamon rolls for family and friends and they all rave on how good they are to eat. I feel the vanilla bean paste adds extra flavor to the icing.
★★★★★
So delicious! I make these almost every week and are a favorite in my family.
★★★★★
This was so delicious!!! It took some effort in getting things prepped, etc., but overall turned out great. I’d never used vanilla paste and it’s a keeper. Can’t wait to make a batch and share it with family.
★★★★★
Thank you for this recipe and video! Made these for my niece’s birthday and I think I’m the favorite aunt now.
The recipe was easy to follow and the instructions were super helpful.
★★★★★
Hi Crystal! Lol @ the fave aunt, love to hear this feedback, glad you all enjoyed 🙂
I am in heaven eating these right now!! Wow these are the perfect cinnamon rolls, I wish I could eat the whole pan 😍😩
★★★★★
Hi Rebekah! Yayyy, so glad you enjoyed one of my favorite recipes to date! 🙂
My go to recipe. These rolls are life.
★★★★★
Hi Nesha- I’m so glad you enjoyed these rolls! 🙂
Can the unbaked rolled dough be kept in the fridge for a week? Instead of overnight? Or did you mean the baked rolls?
★★★★★
Hi there- the unbaked rolls can be kept in the fridge overnight, not a week! That will dry out the rolls 🙂
Can I roll out the dough and portion it then freeze to bake later? I’ve made these a few times and absolutely love them!!
★★★★★
Hi Avery- glad you love these rolls! I have not tested this recipe with freezing the dough but if you try, let me know how it works for you.
Without a doubt these are the best cinnamon rolls I have ever made. Made them for Christmas morning and they were delicious. So easy also. I have had a favorite recipe for cinnamon rolls for many years but I will be discarding it
★★★★★
Hi Marty- thanks for leaving this review, glad you enjoyed these rolls! 🙂
Made these for Christmas morning and they were fabulous and super fluffy! Delicious and a favorite tradition. Thank you for sharing.
★★★★★
Hi Noelle- love to hear this feedback, so happy you enjoyed! 🙂
Made these for Christmas morning, my husband can jot get enough of them. These are delicious!
★★★★★
Hi Rachal- I’m so glad you and your hubby enjoyed these rolls, too! 🙂
I have made these multiple times and they never disappoint! I made them and delivered them to friends on Christmas Eve. Easy gift that made everyone so happy!
Seriously the best cinnamon roll recipe. I’ve tried a lot and this one is by far the best. They’re super fluffy, light and delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe
★★★★★
I made the cinnamon rolls for a small gathering and they disappeared in a matter of minutes. I’m having a breakfast for Valentine morning with many of my neighbors and I plan to use this recipe again. They are so easy and delicious!
★★★★★