These Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls have all the flavor of traditional rolls, without the yeast - or the wait. This shortcut recipe takes just 20 minutes of hands on time and another 20 minutes to bake!
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My family loves cinnamon rolls. But, as much as we love them, we don't always love the wait. Sometimes we randomly crave a warm, gooey cinnamon roll on a Tuesday. These No Yeast Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls are for those unexpected cravings.
Instead of making a yeast based dough that has a long rising time, like my Overnight CInnamon Rolls, these rolls are made with a large batch of my regular buttermilk biscuit dough. The dough is then rolled out, spread with delicious cinnamon sugar, rolled and baked, and topped with a cream cheese glaze! Best of all, they can be assembled, baked, and in your mouth in an hour!
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Ingredients
There are no surprise, fancy or rare ingredients needed here. I'll bet you have everything you need in your pantry and fridge right now, so you should probably go gather them immediately!
See recipe card for quantities.
For more soft, buttery rolls, try these jam-filled strawberry rolls—they’re made with a simple brioche dough and perfect for a cozy brunch.
Substitutions
Simple swaps can be made and you can still enjoy delicious CInnamon Rolls!
- Butter - If you don't use butter in your diet, you can use margarine or vegan butter to make these rolls.
- Cream cheese - If you don't have block-style cream cheese, you can substitute with whipped cream cheese. I have tried both and they both work great. I haven't personally tried vegan cream cheese, but I'm told it is a delicious substitute.
Vegan butter and vegan cream cheese will also make these into vegan rolls. Bonus!
Variations
Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls are just the beginning! Try these great variations.
- Pecan - I grew up in the South and chopped pecans added to the filling make me feel right at home!
- Blueberry - In my Blueberry-Orange Cinnamon Rolls, I add a thin layer of blueberry preserves and orange zest before sprinkling on the cinnamon sugar mixture. That would work great here.
- Lemon - I love my Lemon Sweet Rolls, so instead of a cinnamon sugar filling, try rubbing the zest of a lemon into ¾ cup of granulated sugar instead! Sprinkle over the melted butter before rolling up and proceed with the rest of the recipe.
Looking for another no-yeast roll? Try my Quick CInnamon Rolls made with my 2 ingredient yogurt dough. They taste like sourdough cinnamon rolls and come out fluffy and gooey, in under an hour!
Quick Recipe Video
Step-by-Step Instructions
Unlike my regular Buttermilk Biscuit recipe, there is no need to fold or do a cut and stack technique with your dough. We aren't looking for distinct biscuit layers here. We want the fluffiness that comes from just mixing the ingredients and rolling out the dough.
If you take it one step at a time, you're well on your way to making amazing No-Yeast Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls. I've given you simple instructions, and plenty of pictures, to ensure biscuit success!
Make biscuit dough
Step 1: Combine mixed dry ingredients and very cold butter in food processor and pulse until the butter is like coarse sand with small butter bits, 5 to 6 pulses of one second each.
Step 2: Pour cold buttermilk over the surface of the mixture and pulse 5 or 6 more times, until it just starts to form a ball.
Step 3: Dump the dough out onto a well floured surface. Using your hands, gently bring it all together into a rough square. Gently knead it 4 or 5 times to get a smooth surface.
Step 4: Place dough on a lightly floured piece of parchment paper and roll out to about a 9 by 12 inch rectangle, using your bench scraper, or other straight edge, to square the edges as much as possible.
Assembly
Step 5: Spread melted butter over the entire surface of the dough. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Sprinkle filling evenly over the butter. Pat down with your hands to help it adhere.
Step 6: Slice into eight even strips and roll each strip up into a cinnamon roll coil.
Step 7: Tuck the end of the roll under and place on a parchment paper lined large sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining rolls. Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up while you preheat your oven to 425°F.
Step 8: Alternatively, you can go traditional and roll your dough up into a log. Use a serrated knife to slice into eight equal pieces. Lay each piece in a buttered or parchment paper lined cake pan.
Bake either version at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.
Glaze
Step 1: Add cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to a medium bowl and use a hand mixer to blend together.
Step 2: Continue mixing until you have a smooth glaze.
Step 3: Allow the rolls to cool for at least 10 minutes before glazing.
Step 4: Use a spoon, or a small spatula, to spread the glaze on still warm cinnamon rolls.
If you chose to make your cinnamon rolls in the traditional pan style, simply frost the whole thing and serve directly from the pan. They are delicious either way!
Take it easy Don't feel like making cinnamon rolls? Combine the best parts of fluffy pancakes and gooey cinnamon rolls with my Cinnamon Roll Pancakes. The cream cheese glaze is literally the icing on top!
Expert tip
Customize your cream cheese glaze: You can make your cream cheese glaze any consistency that you prefer.
- Adding 3 tablespoons of milk will give you a glaze you can spread with a spatula,
- 4 tablespoons of milk will give you one that is easy to drizzle on with a spoon.
- If you like a more frosting-like consistency, add 2 tablespoons of softened butter and use 2 tablespoons of milk, then frost the rolls when fully cool.
Recipe FAQ's
Absolutely! The process is the same as when making my biscuits:
In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Toss cold butter cubes into the dry ingredients and, using a pastry cutter or your fingers, mix in the cold butter until you have a mixture of flat pieces and crumbly, pea sized bits of butter mixed into the flour.
Add the cold buttermilk. Gently bring the wet and dry together with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until you have a fairly uniform, loose dough. The flour won't look all mixed in and that's okay. It will come together. Proceed with the recipe as written.
Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls taste best the day they are made but will last at room temperature for up to 2 days. Rewarm gently in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.
Place assembled and sliced rolls on a parchment lined baking sheet and place in freezer until solid. Place in a zip top bag and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to bake, place rolls on pan and allow to thaw a bit while the oven preheats. Bake as directed, adding a few minutes more if needed.
Love cinnamon? Try these recipes!
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-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
No Yeast Biscuit Cinnamon Roll
Ingredients
Biscuit Dough
- 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoon (112 g) unsalted butter very cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 cup (240 g) buttermilk very cold
Filling
- 6 tablespoons (84 g) unsalted butter
- ⅔ cup (140 g) brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Cream cheese glaze
- 4 ounces (113 g) cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or spray a 9 inch cake pan with nonstick spray.
Filling
- In a small bowl, whisk together brown sugar, cinnamon, and kosher salt. Set aside.
Biscuit Dough
- Combine mixed dry ingredients and very cold butter in food processor and pulse until the butter is like wet sand and smaller butter bits, 5 to 6 pulses of one second each.
- Pour cold buttermilk over the surface of the mixture and pulse 5 or 6 more times, until it just starts to form a ball.
- Dump the dough out onto a well floured surface. Using your hands, gently bring it all together into a rough square. Gently knead it 4 or 5 times to get a smooth surface.
- Roll out to about a 9 by 12 inch rectangle, using your bench scraper, or other straight edge, to square the edges as much as possible.
Assembly
- Spread melted butter over the entire surface of the dough. Sprinkle filling evenly over the butter. Pat down with your hands to help it adhere.
- Slice into eight even strips and roll each strip up into a cinnamon roll.
- Tuck the end of the roll under and place on a parchment paper lined large sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
- Transfer the pan to the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up while you preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Bake at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before glazing.
Glaze
- In a small bowl, whip cream cheese until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar until fully incorporated. Add vanilla and 3 tablespoons of milk. Whisk until smooth.
- Use a spoon or small spatula to spread over the surface of your rolls. Enjoy!
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later, plus you'll get great new recipes from me every week!
Video
Notes
- No food processor instructions: In a mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients. Toss cold butter cubes into the dry ingredients and, using a pastry cutter or your fingers, mix in the cold butter until you have a mixture of flat pieces and crumbly, pea sized bits of butter mixed into the flour. Add the cold buttermilk. Gently bring the wet and dry together with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until you have a fairly uniform, loose dough. The flour won't look all mixed in and that's okay. It will come together. Continue the recipe as written.
- Traditional pan rolls: Alternatively, you can go traditional and roll your dough up into a log. Use a serrated knife to slice into eight equal pieces. Lay each piece in a buttered or parchment paper lined cake pan.
- Glaze: You can customize your glaze to the consistency you prefer. Adding 3 tablespoons will give you a glaze you can spread with a spatula, and 4 tablespoons will give you one that is easy to drizzle on with a spoon. If you like a more frosting-like consistency, add 2 tablespoons of softened butter and use 2 tablespoons of milk, then frost the rolls when fully cool.
- Storage instructions: Biscuit Cinnamon Rolls taste best the day they are made but will last covered at room temperature for up to 2 days. Rewarm gently in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds.
- Freezing instructions: Unbaked rolls can be frozen for up to 2 months. Place sliced rolls on parchment lined baking sheet and place in freezer until solid. When ready to bake, place on pan and allow to thaw a bit while the oven preheats. Bake as directed, adding a few minutes extra as needed.
Heather says
So yummy and easy! Love cinnamon rolls, but I don’t like the “project” nature of them. These were a great fix to that and are just as delicious.
Soft, not overly sweet, full of warm spice. Adding to the recipe box!
Cynthia Christensen says
I’m so glad you loved them! I love traditional cinnamon rolls, but you’re right! These are perfect for those days when you don’t want a project!
Kylie says
These are better than regular cinnamon rolls! Thank you for another amazing recipe 🙂 I baked half in a 6 inch pan, and froze the other half for another time.
Cynthia says
I’m so glad you like them! One of our new favorites!!