Made the night before and baked in the morning, these Small Batch Overnight Cinnamon Rolls are easy, delicious, and make just enough rolls for a few to enjoy. You’ll never go back to the tube brand again!
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When my kids were small, the Winter Holidays were usually the only time I dared think about making cinnamon rolls. We had at least 2-3 cinnamon roll worthy occasions in December alone. With two birthdays, work parties, school functions, and oh yeah, Christmas morning, I was either breaking open a tube of refrigerator rolls or shoulder deep in dough. But now, I rarely need a big batch. When it's just me and my husband, this Small Batch Overnight Cinnamon Rolls recipe is the way to go.
Everything about these cinnamon rolls says "make me now"! With pantry-friendly ingredients, an easy-to-follow method, and an overnight rest for you and the rolls, you can have the best small batch of cinnamon rolls you’ve ever eaten in the time it takes to shower and get the coffee brewing!
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❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Practical - No complicated ingredients. Everything is either in your kitchen or easy to find.
- Easy - No complex steps. Your stand mixer does all the work!
- No-fuss - The dough does most of its rising overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning you'll have delicious cinnamon rolls in no time!
- Freezer friendly - You can mix, knead, and shape these rolls and freeze them for another day!
Ingredients
This is everything you need to make your small batch cinnamon rolls, including a simple cream cheese frosting.
See recipe card below for quantities.
Substitutions
I want you to be enjoying these delicious Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls no matter what. Here are a few easy substitutions you can make and still get your hands sticky.
- Instant yeast - You can use active dry yeast instead of instant, but your cinnamon rolls may take slightly longer to rise, up to half an hour more. Active dry yeast needs to be dissolved in liquid, or “proofed” before it’s added to the rest of the ingredients. Add your active dry yeast and a teaspoon of your sugar to warm milk and stir. Let sit until it becomes foamy on the surface, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add your yeast mixture to the rest of the ingredients and continue with the recipe as written.
- Flour - The recipe calls for all-purpose flour, but you can use bread flour if you like. It will taste the same, but will have a stretchier, more bread-like texture.
- Dairy - Feel free to use your favorite dairy alternative for milk and butter in this recipe.
Pardon my French Why stop at eating your breakfast? Try my Iced French Toast Latte with all the flavors and aromas of your favorite French toast in a refreshing beverage!
Variations
You know I'm always excited to play with my food. Here are a few ways you can change up your cinnamon rolls:
- Asian inspired - Chinese five spice is a combination of cinnamon, star anise, fennel, and cloves, and Szechuan peppercorns. One teaspoon added to the filling brings a unique sweetness and warmth to your cinnamon rolls.
- Get nutty - Add your choice of nuts. Pecans, walnuts, and pistachios are great choices. ½ cup of toasted and chopped nuts is the perfect amount for a small batch of cinnamon rolls.
- Fruity - One of my favorite variations is my Blueberry-Orange Cinnamon Rolls, using orange juice and zest, and fresh blueberries and blueberry preserves.
Instructions
Although you can make these cinnamon rolls all in one go, I prefer to do all the mixing, kneading, and shaping the day before, up to 24 hours in advance. In the morning you just turn on the oven and bake.
Making cinnamon rolls is a lot easier than you might think. There are a few steps, but you'll have time to relax in-between. Go to bed. They'll do their thing overnight. Wake up and bake your cinnamon rolls.
Making the dough
Step 1: Melt butter and set aside to cool. Warm your milk to about 110-115°F, or just until it feels warm. Whisk in egg and vanilla.
Step 2: While whisking, drizzle in the melted and cooled butter.
Step 3: Mix together dry ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer (or if hand kneading, mix in a medium bowl. See kneading note below instructions)
Step 4: Add the wet ingredients and mix until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl.
Step 5: Place bowl on the stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Knead for 5-6 minutes or until a large ball is formed and it pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl. If the dough isn't coming up from the bottom, add up to 2 tablespoons of flour, one at a time, until it comes together.
Step 6: Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a tight ball.
Step 7: Place in a greased bowl and cover. Allow to rise in a non-drafty spot to rise for about an hour to an hour and a half.
Step 8: While the dough is rising, combine cinnamon and brown sugar in a bowl. Melt remaining butter and allow to cool.
Shaping the rolls
Step 9: Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and roll into 9 by 12 rectangle, using a bench scraper to square the sides.
Step 10: Brush the dough with the melted, cooled butter.
Step 11: Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar.
Step 12: Starting with the 9 inch side, carefully roll the dough towards the opposite end into a log shape, as tightly as you can without squishing out the cinnamon sugar.
Step 13: Use a small serrated knife, or other sharp knife, to cut the log into 6 equal pieces.
Step 14: Place cut rolls into buttered cast iron or cake pan and cover. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours. If you want to bake them the same day, cover and allow to rise for about an hour, then continue with the recipe.
Baking your cinnamon rolls
Step 15: After their nap they will look puffier and probably be touching each other. Let sit at room temperature about 45 minutes to an hour to rise a little more and come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 16: When your rolls have finished their second rise and the oven is preheated, pour warm heavy cream (just warm to touch, not hot) all over the top of each roll and allow it to soak in for a few minutes. Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
Don't forget the frosting!
Step 17: While rolls are baking, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together for several minutes. Mix in vanilla, and enough milk to reach a soft frosting consistency.
Step 18: Allow baked rolls to cool about 15 minutes. Spread the cream cheese frosting on the rolls while they are still warm so it gets into all the nooks and crannies.
Enjoy!
Hint: Unroll and save the gooey, sticky center of the rolls for last.
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!
How to knead dough by hand
I highly recommend using a stand mixer to make these cinnamon rolls, but not having a stand mixer is definitely not a deal breaker. Start by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl, making sure to get the flour that has stuck to the sides of the bowl. Then transfer the dough onto a floured surface to knead by hand.
To knead the dough by hand, take the far end of the dough and fold it back onto itself and then push down and out with the heel of your hand to stretch the dough. Turn the dough a quarter turn and repeat. Continue this process for 8 to 10 minutes, adding one or two tablespoons of additional flour if it sticks to the counter too much. You'll know you're done when the resulting dough is nice and smooth and just barely tacky.
Expert tip for slicing cinnamon rolls
You can use dental floss to cut your rolls. It won't compress the dough and will help your swirls stay swirly! Everyone says to use unflavored dental floss, but to tell the truth, I have used flavored floss in a pinch and couldn't tell the difference.
Start by lightly marking your dough log on the top, as a guide for the slices. Next, slide a long piece of dental floss under the log until it is below the first mark on your log. Cross the two ends of the floss over each other and pull until they slice through the log. Continue until you have your six swirly Cinnamon Rolls.
Recipe FAQs
You made Small Batch Cinnamon rolls, but in the unlikely event you have some left over, cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
As long as you are okay with the cream cheese frosting getting melty and gooey all over your warm cinnamon rolls you can! You can heat them in a 350°F oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until hot. You can also microwave it for 20 seconds or until hot.
Yes! Place the cut rolls on a parchment lined sheet pan until hard. Transfer to a zip top bag and freeze up to 2 months.
No, because they need to thaw and rise again. Remove the frozen cinnamon roll dough from the freezer the night before you would like to bake them. Leave the dough on the counter overnight. This will give them time to come to room temperature and rise until doubled in size. After the dough has risen, bake and frost according to the recipe instructions.
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I appreciate you!
-Cynthia
📖 Recipe
Small Batch Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 2 ¼ cups (270 g) all-purpose flour plus 1 to 2 tablespoons more if needed
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (120 g) warm milk
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup brown sugar light or dark
- 1 tablespoon (8 g) ground cinnamon
Before baking
- 4 tablespoons (60 g) heavy cream warm (not hot)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 oz (112 g) cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk plus 1 more, if needed
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
Making the dough
- Warm milk in the microwave for 45-60 seconds, to about 105°-115°, or until it feels just warm.
- Add the eggs, and vanilla into the milk. While whisking, drizzle in the melted and cooled butter.
- Mix together dry ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer (or if hand kneading, mix in a medium bowl. See kneading note below instructions.)
- Add the wet ingredients and mix by hand until all the dry ingredients have been incorporated. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl.
- Place bowl on the stand mixer and attach the dough hook. Knead for 5-6 minutes or until a large ball is formed and it pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl. If the dough isn't coming up from the bottom, add up to 2 tablespoons of flour, one at a time, until it comes together.
- Remove the dough from the bowl and shape into a tight ball. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise in a warm, non-drafty spot for about an hour to an hour and a half, or until the dough has almost doubled in size.
Prepare the filling
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Melt remaining butter and allow to cool.
Making the rolls
- Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and roll into 9 by 12 rectangle, using a bench scraper to square the sides.
- Brush the top of the dough with the melted, cooled butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
- Starting with the 9 inch side, carefully roll the dough towards the opposite end into a log shape, as tightly as you can without squishing out the cinnamon sugar.
- Use a small serrated knife, or other sharp knife, to cut the log into 6 equal pieces.
- Place the rolls into a buttered cast iron or cake pan and cover again with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours.
- In the morning remove the pan from the refrigerator. They will look puffier and probably be touching each other. Let sit room temp about 45 minutes to an hour to rise a little more and come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- When your rolls have finished their second rise and the oven is preheated, pour warm heavy cream (just warm to touch, not hot) all over the top of each roll and allow it to soak in for a few minutes. Bake at 350° until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
Frosting the rolls
- While rolls are baking, make the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together for several minutes. Mix in vanilla, and enough milk to reach a soft frosting consistency.
- Allow to cool about 15 minutes. Spread the cream cheese frosting on the rolls while they are still warm so it gets into all the nooks and crannies. Eat them. Eat them. Eat them. Share, I guess.
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!
Amber says
Hello! I am wanting to make 12 rolls. Do you recommend still baking in 2 9 inch pans or can I use a 9x13?
Cynthia Christensen says
You can do either one, but when I double it I use a big 9 x 13 pan
Charlie Christensen says
Love your buns!!
Cynthia Christensen says
Thank you honey for your unbiased opinion ❤️😂
Angie says
after baking these to the precise directions (as much as possible!) my partner tasted one and said "better than Cinnabon." Thank you again for this wonderful, easy to follow recipe 🙂
Cynthia says
I’m so glad it went so well!! And your partner obviously has an amazing palate! 😂🥰