Cinnamon rolls made from scratch and in your belly within the hour? As crazy as that may sound, these fluffy and quick cinnamon rolls are perfect for those of us with little to no patience.

If you think the dough recipe looks a little familiar, you'd be right. This is actually a slightly modified version of my no rise pizza dough. These pizza dough cinnamon rolls are fast and easy to make thanks to this.
The differences are that I swapped milk for water and butter for oil. This makes the dough taste richer and fluffier! Other than that, it's almost exactly the same. I did add in a little more flour to handle the extra moisture, but you can even use the original recipe if you wanted to.
If you have more time on your hands and want to wait for something delicious then my Cinnabon Clone Cinnamon Rolls are a fabulous option. But my Cookies and Cream Cinnamon Rolls and Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls are great too!
Why This Recipe Works
- They're fast! These easy peasy cinnamon rolls are fun to make and require no rising time. They turn out fluffy with or without it, so if you're in a hurry (as I often am), then skip the rise and stick these rolls in the oven for a faster snack.
- They're delicious. From the soft, tender dough to the rich cinnamon filling and sweet glaze on top, these cinnamon rolls are fabulous and perfect for breakfast or dessert.
- Simple ingredients. We use a lot of very simple and basic pantry staple ingredients like flour, milk, powdered sugar, and cinnamon to create cinnamon rolls you won't soon forget. Homemade cinnamon rolls might take a little time and effort, but they're always worth it!
🥘 Ingredients
For the dough, you will need:
- Warm milk- You will want to use some warm milk that is about 110 degrees F, but warm water will work just fine too.
- Active dry yeast- Make sure that your yeast was properly stored and is not expired.
- All-purpose flour- The gluten structure in the dough is made with all purpose flour. Bread flour could be used but would require additional liquid.
- Sugar- Use some granulated sugar to help feed the yeast so that it works properly.
- Salt- This is a natural flavor enhancer.
- Melted butter- Add some melted butter to the dough for an added rich taste and for the fats needed to keep the dough from tasting dry.
For the filling, you will need:
Softened margarine- Margarine is preferred over butte because it won't melt as quickly, which means that it will hold the filling in place so that it doesn't melt all over the pan.
Salt- A natural flavor enhancer.
Brown sugar- For sweetness and a nice depth of flavor, you will want to use brown sugar.
Cinnamon- You will need ground cinnamon for that iconic cinnamon roll taste.
For the glaze, you will need:
Powdered sugar- This will make the icing smooth and sweet.
Milk- Use just enough milk to get the icing to a nice consistency.
Vanilla- For flavor enhancement.
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make 45 minute cinnamon rolls with these simple step-by-step instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a baking dish, set it aside.
Warm your milk to 110F and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast.
Let sit for 2-5 minutes or until foamy.
Add in the flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter.
Stir to combine. The dough will appear shaggy.
Lightly sprinkle a countertop or work surface with flour and then turn the dough out onto the counter and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Work in all of the dry bits that didn't originally want to stick.
Let the dough rest for 5 minutes while you prep the filling.
Add your filling ingredients to a bowl.
Mix together until combined.
Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 10x13 inches big.
Spread the filling mixture over the top of the dough.
Working from one long side of the dough to the other, roll the dough into a log.
Pinch the seam closed to help hold the dough from unrolling.
Slice the dough into 9 equal sized pieces and place into your prepared baking dish.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until finished.
Add your glaze ingredients to a bowl.
Whisk well to combine.
Spread the icing over baked cinnamon rolls.
Let rest for a minute or so to let the icing "set." Making it easier to handle.
Remove rolls and serve warm.
Enjoy!
🍴 Recipe Tips
Using bread flour may require you to add in up to ¼ cup of additional warm milk or water to hydrate the dough. All purpose flour is preferred.
The dough for the cinnamon rolls should be smooth and elastic without being too dry or sticky to the touch. After kneading the dough, you should be able to touch it without it trying to stick to you. If needed add more flour (1 Tablespoon at a time) until the dough is dry enough that it doesn't stick.
This recipe uses a wet cinnamon filling instead of the traditional butter slavered on dough then topped with dry cinnamon sugar thing you may be used to.
This is because I find that it holds better and reduces effort. Two things I like when it comes to baking. The cinnamon mixture doesn't end up drying out or losing most of its flavor to the bottom of the baking dish, giving us perfect cinnamon rolls every time!
💭 FAQs
If after your cinnamon rolls have cooled down, you find that they are hard or dry there's a simple answer that could be the culprit. They're overbaked. Try the recipe again and reduce the cooking time by a few minutes and see if there's a difference.
Ovens, locations, and weather often play a slight role in changing baked goods, but overbaked cinnamon rolls are a completely avoidable thing with a little trial and effort.
While you could store your baked cinnamon rolls in the fridge, there is no need to. If we had used homemade cream cheese frosting, it'd be another story but these are counter-friendly. Keep them stored in an airtight container for 2-3 days or freeze for longer storage.
Yes, there's no harm in letting the dough rise once or twice. You can choose to let it rise until doubled during the minute rest period mentioned in the recipe card. You can also let them rise for 30 minutes to an hour before baking after they've been cut and placed in the baking dish. Either option (or both) is fine but will add to the time used to make them.
More cinnamon roll recipes to try soon
- Air Fryer Canned Cinnamon Rolls
- Cinnamon Roll Waffles
- Cinnamon Roll Apple Cobbler
- Clone of a Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll Recipe
📖 Recipe
Easy 45 Minute Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup Warm milk (about 110 degrees F) ($0.14)
- 1 teaspoon Active dry yeast ($0.54)
- 2 ½ cups All purpose flour ($0.20)
- 1 teaspoon Granulated sugar ($0.01)
- ¾ teaspoon Salt ($0.08)
- 2 Tablespoons Butter, melted ($0.16)
Filling
- ¼ cup Butter, softened ($0.40)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt ($0.02)
- ½ cup Brown sugar ($0.17)
- 2 Tablespoons Ground cinnamon ($0.40)
Glaze
- 1 cup Powdered sugar ($0.23)
- 1 Tablespoon Milk ($0.01)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract ($0.02)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and grease a baking dish, set it aside.
- Warm your milk to 110F and pour into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast. Let sit for 2-5 minutes or until foamy.
- Add in the flour, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Stir to combine. The dough will appear shaggy.
- Lightly sprinkle a countertop or work surface with flour and then turn the dough out onto the counter and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth and elastic. Work in all of the dry bits that didn't originally want to stick.
- Let the dough rest for 5 minutes while you prep the filling.
- Add your filling ingredients to a bowl. Mix together until combined.
- Roll the dough out into a rectangle about 10x13 inches big.
- Spread the filling mixture over the top of the dough.
- Working from one long side of the dough to the other, roll the dough into a log.
- Pinch the seam closed to help hold the dough from unrolling.
- Slice the dough into 9 equal sized pieces and place into your prepared baking dish.
- Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until finished.
- Add your glaze ingredients to a bowl. Whisk well to combine.
- Spread the icing over baked cinnamon rolls.
- Let rest for a minute or so to let the icing "set." Making it easier to handle.
- Remove rolls and serve warm. Enjoy!
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