Making homemade cinnamon rolls can seem like a daunting task, but these delicious bread machine cinnamon rolls are fun and easy to make because your bread maker does all the hard work!
These Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing are simply to die for! They’re so much better than store-bought cinnamon rolls, and making them is really fun and easy. Promise! The reason they’re so easy is because you’re going to use the dough setting on your bread machine to do a lot of the work for you.
I’m not an expert at making dough the old fashioned way so I use my bread machine to make my dough whenever I can. It’s so much easier than making it by hand. The bread machine takes care of all the mixing, kneading, and the first rise for you.
This cinnamon roll recipe is simple but you will need to set aside a couple of hours to make your cinnamon rolls because of the rising and resting times. And while the process may look a little intimidating, fear not, making these ooey-gooey, heavenly treats is a lot of fun, and oh my goodness… SO worth your time and effort.
You may also like our cinnamon sugar tortilla shapes and edible dessert bowls.
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Before we begin, let me sing the praises of the humble bread machine. I’ve had mine for about 15 years now. I use it most often in the winter, to make these homemade dinner rolls and this honey oat bread.
I’ve had my machine so long that the model isn’t even available anymore, but you can check out these bread machines on Amazon to find a wide variety of current makes and models.
You may also like our 2-ingredient pretzels and our quick and easy pizza dough.
Ingredients:
For the dough:
- 1 c milk, heated 1 min in microwave
- 1/4 c water (110 degrees)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 c butter (room temp)
- 2 eggs (room temp, beaten)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c sugar
- 5 c flour (pref bread flour, but I use all purpose)
- 3 tsp instant, active yeast (also known as Quick Rise)
For the Filling:
- 1/2 c soft butter (you want it to be totally spreadable)
- 1 c. brown sugar
- 5 tbsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cups chopped nuts (optional)
*Mix cinnamon/sugar/nuts together, but keep softened butter in a separate bowl. Set all of it aside until you’re ready for the filling step. (step 7, below)
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 oz cream cheese at room temp (that’s a 1/4 of a brick)
- 1/4 c butter
- 1 c icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/8 tsp lemon extract or oil (optional)
* in med bowl, combine butter, cream cheese and beat until creamy. Add sugar, lemon, vanilla, and mix until creamy. You can refrigerate if you make this far enough in advance, but you want it at room temp when it’s time to use it.
Now… let’s get down to making them!
Instructions:
- Add all dough ingredients to your bread machine (look in your bread machine manual to see what order they recommend adding basic dough ingredients).
- Select “DOUGH” setting.
- When done, turn out onto a PAM-sprayed counter and form an oval.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 10 mins.
- Meanwhile, butter a 9x13x2 glass pan & set aside.
- After it’s rested, working on your sprayed counter, stretch and roll dough into a rectangle that’s roughly 15×24 inches.
(I put some tiny marks on my counter with a pencil so I know when I’ve got it right. A tape measure also comes in handy here).
- Now it’s time to use the filling ingredients. Using a spatula/spreader, smear the entire rectangle, almost to the edges, with your butter.
- Sprinkle with the cinnamon/sugar/nut mixture.
- Starting with long edge, closest to you, roll up dough (not too tight or centers will pop up when baking). Once you have it rolled up, pinch the seam closed with your fingers.
- Mark 1.5 inch sections along roll with a knife.
- Now the fun begins: grab a foot-long strand of unflavoured dental floss and slide it under the roll until it’s even with one of your knife marks. Bring the ends of the floss up and cross them past each other above the roll.
This will slice off a neat chunk. This makes your cuts neat and clean and doesn’t squish the roll, like cutting it with a knife would. Make your way down the roll until it’s all sliced up.
- Put the rolls into the buttered pan. (there should be some room between the rolls – they’ll expand and fill the pan as they bake).
At this point, you have a few options: You can refrigerate overnight and bake your rolls tomorrow. You can freeze your rolls for a later date, or you can bake them today. Follow one of these applicable instructions:
To refrigerate overnight: Cover pan with plastic wrap and place in fridge. When you’re ready to bake, you can either pop them straight into the oven, or bring to room temperature first. (They do a slow rise overnight, so it’s not necessary to bring them to room temp first). Proceed to Baking Instructions.
To freeze: Cover with plastic wrap and place pan in freezer. Before baking, allow to thaw on counter for 10-12 hours to ensure adequate rising. Proceed to Baking Instructions.
To bake them today: Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 45-60 mins. Proceed to Baking Instructions.
BAKING INSTRUCTIONS:
Remove plastic wrap and bake in 350ºF degree oven for 20-25 mins.
NOTE: If you’re wondering why our cinnamon rolls look like something straight out of Dr. Suess, it’s because we crammed them into a slightly smaller baking dish than called for this time. This resulted in our bread machine cinnamon rolls expanding UP when they ran out of space to expand OUT.
For the record, I asked my Facebook followers what they thought of the finished photo, and they said “Post it!”. They felt the cinnamon rolls looked “real” and not “Pinterest perfect”, and nicely reflected that they’d been made by my young assistant. I’ll have to shoot another finished shot when I make them with the right dish again. On the upside, they tasted as amazing as always.
Cool slightly, and slather with frosting (recipe above).
I know it’s a lot of steps, but if you’re up to it, try these amazing bread machine cinnamon rolls!
If you have a little helper like I did, he or she will LOVE the process.
You’ll be so glad you made them. And trust me, your family will be too!
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
- Dough:
- 1 c milk heated 1 min in microwave
- 1/4 c water 110 degrees
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 c butter room temp
- 2 eggs room temp, beaten
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 c sugar
- 5 c flour preferably bread flour, but I use all purpose
- 3 tsp instant also known as Quick Rise, active yeast
- Filling:
- 1/2 c softened butter
- 1 c . brown sugar
- 5 tbsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cups chopped nuts optional
- Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 2 oz cream cheese 1/4 of a brick, at room temp
- 1/4 c butter
- 1 c icing sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1/8 tsp lemon extract/oil optional
Instructions
- For the filling:
- Mix cinnamon/sugar/nuts together. Set aside.
- Keep softened butter in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- For the Frosting:
- in med bowl, combine butter, cream cheese and beat until creamy.
- Add sugar, lemon, vanilla, and mix until creamy. If making ahead, refrigerate, but bring to room temperature to use it.
- For the rolls:
- Add all dough ingredients to your bread machine (consult your bread machine manual to see the order they should be added in).
- Select “DOUGH” setting.
- When done, turn out onto a PAM-sprayed counter and form an oval.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 10 mins.
- Meanwhile, butter a 9x13x2 glass pan & set aside.
- After dough has rested, working on your sprayed counter, stretch and roll dough into a 15x24 inch rectangle.
- Using a spatula/spreader, spread with butter, almost to the edges.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar/nut mixture.
- Starting with long edge, closest to you, roll up dough (not too tight or centers will pop up when baking).
- Pinch the seam closed.
- Mark 1.5 inch sections along roll with a knife.
- Grab a foot-long strand of unflavoured dental floss and slide it under the roll until it’s even with one of your knife marks. Bring the ends of the floss up and cross them past each other above the roll. This will cut the roll into neat disks.
- Put the rolls into the buttered pan. (there should be some room between the rolls – they’ll expand and fill the pan as they bake).
- TO freeze or refrigerate for later, see post for instructions.
- TO cook now:
- Cover with plastic wrap and let rise 45-60 mins.
- Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350ºF for 20-25 mins.
- Remove from oven, cool slightly, and frost.
Nutrition
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Jackie is a mom, wife, home daycare provider, and the creative spirit behind Happy Hooligans. She specializes in kids’ crafts and activities, easy recipes, and parenting. She began blogging in 2011, and today, Happy Hooligans inspires more than 2 million parents, caregivers and Early Years Professionals all over the globe.
Just A Smidgen
These look just like the ones my gran used to make! Yummy!
frugalfeeding
Wow, these just look amazing. I shall have to try them… seemingly everyone has except me! Thanks for sharing. I’ll add it to my to do list.
Mark
Easy to make cinnamon rolls! Made them with my granddaughter tonight for breakfast tomorrow. For years we have made them the old fashioned way. These were so much easier! While we haven’t baked them yet, they look and smell wonderful!
Ligoakoma
Mmmmm! It seems yummy! But, 350 degrees aren’t a bit hot for 25 minutes. My oven is very old and it has only two marks: light and strong, and when I use this one it burnts nearly everything in 10 minutes. I’ll try with a few ones, at first…
Many thanks for sharing!
happyhooligans
The recipe definitely calls for 350 degrees for 25 minutes, and I’ve never had a problem with mine, but it sounds like you may have to keep an eye on yours and take them out sooner so they don’t burn. I hope they turn out for you! They are so good!
Charla
Thanks for sharing! I came accross this recipe on Pinterest and it is now my go to recipe for cinnamon rolls!
happyhooligans
Yay! Glad you love it, Charla!
Joanne
I have wanted to try this recipe but I don’t have a bread machine. Do I really need one ?
Robin Fiala
You can make the dough the old fashioned way, just have to knead it and let it rise instead of having the bread machine do the work for you.
Claudia
Love these so much! Making them as teacher gifts this year
laura
how many does one batch make? what is icing sugar?
Candance
It’s powdered sugar
HomebakerNS
one batch makes 16 if you roll the dough 15×24 and cut at 1.5 ” intervals. I baked them in a 9×13 foil pan
with 8 in each pan. You have to stagger them so there is room to spread.
emily
Your reply says the recipe makes 16, and you mention baking in a (singular) 9×13 pan. But then you say that you put 8 in each pan (implying more than one pan). Can you clarify? I haven’t made them yet and don’t want to get to the end of the recipe and not have enough pans on hand or possibly have prepared too many. Thanks! 🙂
happyhooligans
Hi Emily! I can’t figure out where you saw “8 in each pan” in the recipe. I’ve only ever made them in my 9×13 pan with all 16 baked right in that pan. Can you let me know where you’ve spotted the bit about 8 in each?
Elizabeth Cotten
Thanks so much for this recipe! It’s Christmas eve right now, I’m going to bake them tomorrow morning while I watch my kids open presents! Thanks again!
God Bless.
laura
I have my dough in the bread machine, have the filling made, but what is icing sugar?
happyhooligans
It’s also known as confectioners sugar or powdered sugar, Laura.
Cynthia
Tried this just now. Baked half of it immediately and half is in the refrigerator right now ready to bake tomorrow.
I got a lot of hugs, kisses and thank yous for this recipe.My family can’t stop finishing them even though we were still full with dinner. Sending you hugs and kisses too for sharing your recipes.
Thank you!
happyhooligans
Yay! SO glad everyone loved them, Cynthia! Hugs and kisses right back atcha!
HomebakerNS
Searched for a bread machine cinnamon roll. Tried one cinnabon knock-off I found on pinterest.Not to my liking.Kept searching and found this one .Made them up last night and baked them before work this morning . Took them in to work and they were a hit /just the right amount of cinnamon and cream cheese icing .Definitely will keep this in my collection of favorites. Dec.31 2015
happyhooligans
Yay. Glad you liked them!
Krista
Just wondering what size loaf your bread machine makes? Mine is a 1.5-2 lb loaf but they use less flour … wondering if my cinnamon bun dough will overflow the machine ?
Thanks
happyhooligans
My Machine is a 1-2 lb loaf maker, Krista. You should be fine.
Dora
The Best Cinnamon Buns !! Have been using this recipe for awhile and always will ! Thank u !
Angela W Broyles
These were fantastic! A lovely soft dough and easy to work with!! The dental floss tip is the best!!!
happyhooligans
Glad you loved them, Angela!
Kylie McNamara
These turned out perfectly! Thank you 🙂
Ann
What bread machine do you use? or recommend?
Jackie Currie
I love my Regal, Ann. I’ve had 2 and only had to replace the first one because I accidentally threw away the paddle, and the machine was so old I couldn’t get a replacement paddle. Sunbeam is another brand that’s been associated with bread machines for year. I would google reviews for them as well as Cuisinart and Hamilton Beach. Good luck!
Michelle
Made these tonight and they are so good. I had them sitting out when my husband got home. He asked if I spent a lot on the gourmet cinnamon rolls I bought!
Jackie Currie
Woot woot! Well, that’s testimony to their success for sure! I’m so glad you both loved them.
Harvey Tattersall
Nailed it on the first try! I followed the directions using a bread machine to make the dough. What an amazing breakfast treat!
Jackie Currie
Wonderful! Glad you loved them, Harvey!
Susan
These cinnamon rolls are the bomb! My family and friends love them! I’ve made them a few times already and everyone keeps asking me to make them again. Thanks for the recipes! This is definitely a keeper
Jackie Currie
I’m glad you guys love them too, Susan!
Katie
My family asks me to make these cinnamon rolls every holiday!
Jackie Currie
Yay! Glad they’re popular at your house, Katie!
Sarah B.
I made these on Christmas Eve afternoon, refrigerated them, and baked them on Christmas morning. For the flour, I used 3 cups white flour and 2 cups white whole wheat flour. My breadmaker is 25 years old and small, so I did open it a few times to make sure all the dough was getting stirred. I helped it out a couple of times in the mixing process by sticking a spoon in the top. Dough mixed, kneaded, and rose beautifully. The dough was super easy to work with. Very important to let it rest after you shape it into an oval. These were a hit. We have a new Christmas morning tradition!
Tishbelza@rogers.com
The easiest and tastiest buns my family has eaten yet. Love them.. i put less topping than recommended and they still tastegreat.
Jackie Currie
I’m so glad they were a hit with your family!
Lisa
Amazing. Excellent, clear, easy recipe. Very reliable, delicious, cinnamon buns. I don’t know how anyone could eat store-bought cinnamon buns when these can be made so easily. I grew up with homemade bread, pastries etc. and these are easily up to my very high standards! I also appreciate non-fuss recipes as, in my experience, they taste and turn out better than ones with unnecessarily complicated steps. Thank you, Jackie for a lovely recipe.
Jackie Currie
You are so welcome, Lisa! Aren’t they fun to make? And SO yummy!
Katie
This recipe is dangerously delicious. I prefer a more subtle cinnamon flavour so I added 4 tbsp instead of 5, 2 in with the flour and 2 with the brown sugar. I find if you put some of the cinnamon in the flour you get a more uniform flavour in the buns. I added raisins instead of pecans and I added 1/4 cup of maple syrup to the butter for the butter, brown sugar and raisins part of the recipe.
My batch ended up huge, too big for one pan. Next time I will use one large and one smaller baking dish. I also didn’t put the icing on top., this recipe is so good it doesn’t need the extra icing.
YYCGRANDMA
This is my family’s favorite cinnamon bun recipe for sure! I’m a very favorite wife and grandmother when I make these! The only modification I make is cut the cinnamon back to three tablespoons otherwise it’s a winner for sure
Joanna Gasser
Best recipe out there for bread machine cinnamon rolls
Katie
Just wanted to say thank you for this recipe. I make this every year around the holidays to give to my family and friends to bake on Christmas morning. Everyone raves about these home made cinnamon rolls and they bring such joy to everyone around me!!!
Regina Sam
The first time that I mafe the cinnamon rolld. The revipe was great. They tasted heavenly. Will continue to make them.