Quick Cinnamon Rolls (Ready In 30 Minutes!)

Soft and delicious quick cinnamon rolls are the easiest cinnamon buns you’ll ever make.

These 30 minute cinnamon rolls don’t require any rise time and turn out soft, fluffy and delicious every time. These no rise cinnamon rolls are made without yeast, filled with buttery cinnamon sugar and topped with an incredible cream cheese icing.

pan of cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting on top.

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Mmmmm, cinnamon rolls! If I close my eyes, I can imagine the smell wafting through the kitchen and the taste of the sweet, doughy, cinnamon flavor on my tongue.

I keep dreaming until I remember all the work that goes into making homemade cinnamon rolls.

I love baked goods, but I not always as patient as I’d like to be. As much as I love cinnamon rolls, I don’t like sitting around waiting for the dough to rise.

I never believed quick cinnamon buns were possible, and for a long time, I would only make cinnamon rolls for special occasions and holidays.

And then, this quick cinnamon rolls recipe changed my life.

Okay, perhaps that’s a bit dramatic, but no rise cinnamon rolls are incredibly easy to make, and the taste, texture and aroma are exactly what you dream about.

Quick breads are one of my favorite things to make, so I am thrilled to have an easy homemade cinnamon rolls recipe in my back pocket.

The dough comes together in less than 10 minutes, the rolls will bake in less than 20 minutes, and you will need to spend a total of ZERO minutes letting these fluffy cinnamon rolls rise!

These are the best cinnamon rolls for any time, from a regular weekday morning to a Christmas morning breakfast!

More Quick Baked Treats You’ll Love:

fluffy homemade cinnamon roll on a white plate with a fork next to it. The pan of cinnamon rolls is in the background.

The Secrets to No Rise Cinnamon Rolls

I mentioned that I love quick bread, but it’s also true that there’s something lovely about yeast bread. It develops flavor and texture through slow rising times, and I haven’t completely written them off.

When I make yeast bread, I often proof the dough in the Instant Pot to save time, but this cinnamon roll recipe doesn’t require any rise time, and here’s why:

  • No Yeast – We’ve left out the yeast in this recipe, so we don’t have to wait hours to let the dough rise. No need to mess with warm water, instant yeast, or any of that. Instead, we use self-rising flour, which is also handy for making pancakes without baking powder.
  • Quick Mixing – The dough is a simple mixture of flour, milk, cream and butter. Mix the ingredients until just combined and it will be light and flaky. Overworking the dough will make the rolls tough.
  • High-Fat Dairy – Whole milk and cream are the secrets to a soft, tender dough that makes cinnamon rolls delightful. Yes, you can use lower fat varieties if needed, but the high fat lends a really nice tenderness you’ll appreciate.
  • Cream Cheese Icing – If I’m being truly honest, I love the cream cheese icing about as much as I do the cinnamon rolls! Let’s be honest, the easy homemade cinnamon rolls may just be an excuse to make the icing. 😉 Don’t be afraid to double the icing and really slather it on. It will seep into all of the cracks making the buns soft and delicious.

How to Make Quick Cinnamon Rolls

It’s really simple to make easy cinnamon rolls.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

For the Dough:

  • Self-rising Flour
  • Whole Milk
  • Cream (optional)
  • Butter

For the Filling:

  • Brown Sugar
  • Granulated Sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Butter

For the Icing:

  • Cream Cheese
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Whole Milk
  • Vanilla Extract
quick cinnamon rolls in the pan, topped with cream cheese frosting

How to Make It:

(Full printable recipe is available below)

Prepare the equipment. First, you’ll preheat the oven to 425F. Grease a round 8″ cake pan.

Prepare the dough. Next, you’ll prepare the dough by combining self-rising flour (there are no other dry ingredients to measure!), milk, cream (if using), and melted butter. Use a wooden spoon to mix by hand, just until combined into a soft dough.

two photos; first shows ingredients for dough, second shows ingredients mixed together into a soft dough in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.

Roll and butter the dough. Next, you’ll press the dough onto a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about the size of a sheet of printer paper (roughly 8″x10″). No need for a rolling pin–just press it out.

Drizzle melted butter over the dough rectangle, spreading it out over the entire surface with your fingers or a pastry brush.

two photos; one shows dough patted out into a rectangle. The other shows a woman's hand spreading melted butter over the dough.

Prepare the cinnamon sugar. Next, you’ll prepare filling by combining brown sugar, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon in a small bowl, mixing well. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the melted butter.

Two photos; the first shows sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon combined in a small bowl. The second shows the filling being spread over the rectangle of dough.

Roll and cut the cinnamon rolls. Next, you’ll start with the long sides of the rectangle closest to you and roll the dough into a tight roll.

Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut into eight fairly uniform pieces (I cut the roll in half, then cut those pieces in half, then cut those pieces in half).

cinnamon roll dough rolled up into a log and cut into eight pieces

Bake and serve. Last, you’ll arrange the cinnamon rolls in the prepared pan. Bake for about 18-19 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.

two photos; the first shows unbaked cinnamon rolls in a round cake pan; the second shows freshly baked cinnamon rolls.

Make the cream cheese icing. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the icing.

Use an electric mixer to combine cream cheese and powdered sugar into a thick paste. Add milk, mixing to combine, followed by vanilla extract.

Remove the rolls from the oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes, then spread frosting over the tops while still warm.

These gooey cinnamon rolls are best enjoyed warm!

cream cheese frosting spread over cinnamon rolls in the pan

Notes and Adaptations:

  • I like to use whole milk and cream in this recipe because it yields a more tender dough. However, if you only have skim or 2% milk, you can use that. You can also omit the cream if you don’t have any on hand!
  • If you only have all purpose flour in your pantry, you can use that to make your own self-rising flour.
  • Feel free to cover leftovers in the pan with plastic wrap. Technically, these shouldn’t be kept at room temperature because of the dairy in the frosting. But ours generally don’t last long enough to make it to the refrigerator!
close-up view of easy homemade cinnamon roll's interior

Recommended Equipment:

Yield: 8 Cinnamon Rolls

Quick Cinnamon Rolls

overhead view of frosted homemade quick cinnamon rolls

Yes, you can enjoy quick and easy cinnamon rolls, without waiting on dough to rise! They're way better than what you'd get from a can!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 28 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the Dough:
  • 2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 TBSP cream (optional)
  • 2 TBSP butter, melted
  • For the Filling:
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 3 TBSP granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 TBSP butter, melted
  • For the Icing:
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 TBSP whole milk
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425F. Grease a round 8" cake pan.
  2. Prepare dough by combining self-rising flour, milk, cream (if using), and melted butter. Use a wooden spoon to mix by hand, just until combined into a soft dough.
  3. Press the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, into a rectangle about the size of a sheet of printer paper (roughly 8"x10").
  4. Prepare filling by combining brown sugar, granulated sugar, and ground cinnamon in a small bowl, mixing well.
  5. Drizzle melted butter over the dough rectangle, spreading it out over the entire surface with your fingers or a pastry brush.
  6. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the melted butter.
  7. Starting with the long eged of the rectangle closest to you, roll the dough up into a tight roll. Use a sharp knife or a bench scraper to cut into 8 fairly uniform pieces (I cut the roll in half, then cut those pieces in half, then cut those pieces in half).
  8. Arrange the cinnamon rolls in the prepared pan. Bake for about 18-19 minutes, or until tops are golden-brown.
  9. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the icing. Use an electric mixer to combine cream cheese and powdered sugar into a thick paste. Add milk, mixing to combine, followed by vanilla extract.
  10. Remove the rolls from oven and let cool in the pan fora few minutes, then spread frosting over the tops while still warm.
  11. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

  • I like to use whole milk and cream in this recipe because it yields a more tender dough. However, if you only have skim or 2% milk, you can use that. You can also omit the cream if you don't have any on hand!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 310Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 540mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 1gSugar: 21gProtein: 6g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is not guaranteed for accuracy.

Want more delicious recipe ideas?

Check out even more mealtime inspiration on my Pinterest boards!

collage of two photos; the first shows the pan of quick homemade cinnamon rolls, the other shows one of the cinnamon rolls cut in half

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14 Comments

  1. One half of the sugar would be plenty. It’s going to take all day to recover from sugar fix!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Haha! We like the filling sweet, but feel free to cut it down to your taste. 🙂

  2. Hi i followed recipe to the tee except used lactose free milk but did add the cream. Mine came out kind of hard and didn’t really rise. I also made sure i greased my pan really well but they stuck really bad. what did I do wrong? My flour was brand new, could it have been the milk?
    Thanks,

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Patty! Are you sure you used self-rising flour and not all-purpose flour? They won’t rise as much as yeast rolls will, but they should puff up like biscuits would. I’ve never baked with lactose free milk, so I’m not familiar with how it might change the texture. Was it fat-free milk? I’m sorry to hear that they stuck to the bottom of your pan. Greasing the pan has been sufficient for me, but you can always add a parchment round to the bottom to help prevent that in the future!

  3. My mom always made cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning and it’s a tradition I’ve carried on with my own kids, I normally make sourdough ones that rise overnight and still take about an hour or two in the morning but I found this recipe and decided to give it a try and we loved them! Likely our new Christmas morning recipe to save time!

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Thanks so much, Taryn! I love hearing that these might be a new tradition for your family. I agree, so much easier than waiting for dough to rise! 🙂

  4. Claudia LaPorte says:

    Tried these this morning. It took a little longer but they came out so good. Upped the BP up to 4 teaspoons as I did use regular flour. Will do it again.
    Thanks CL

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Claudia! 🙂

  5. Katherine Anderson says:

    Can you make ahead and freeze before baking?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      Hi Katherine! I haven’t personally frozen this particular recipe, but I think it would work just fine. Then you can just make the icing when you’re getting ready to serve. Enjoy! 🙂

  6. I just made these my dough came out really crumbly. I did add a little more more moisture to it, but didn’t wanna add too much to be honest I don’t love them. I felt like the dough was too dry and there wasn’t enough cinnamon.

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      I’m sorry they didn’t turn out as expected for you, Rochelle! It’s possible you may need a little more milk or cream for the dough, but not so much that the dough becomes too sticky to work with. I find that higher-fat dairy helps keep them from being too crumbly, too.

  7. Hi! Would it be possible to use more cream and reduce the milk for an even more tender roll?

    1. Chrysti Benner says:

      I think that would work fine, Jas! The extra fat in the cream would help them be more tender. Enjoy! 🙂

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