Fast and Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe-Super Soft And Delicious Cinnamon Rolls Slathered With An Amazing Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cream Cheese Frosting. Just As Yummy As The Classic Cinnamon Rolls, But Done In A Quick and Easy Way!
This moist overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe is a huge time saver!
You can make and shape this cinnamon rolls dough in a very easy method and keep them in refrigerator and pop them in the oven on the special day morning
I love this easy overnight cinnamon rolls recipe because we can do all the prep work the night before and then have freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the morning.
What you will love about this overnight cinnamon rolls recipe
This overnight Cinnamon rolls recipe helps to make the best cinnamon rolls in a faster one rise method.
In this easy make ahead cinnamon rolls recipe, we proof the cinnamon rolls the night before and so in the morning, you can just take the tray out from the refrigerator and bake directly.
You don’t even need to wait for the oven to get preheated 🙂 As you can place this cinnamon rolls tray directly into the oven so that the cold cinnamon rolls will come to room temperature slowly while the oven get preheated.
The actual hands on time for making this soft and fluffy overnight cinnamon buns is less than 25 minutes.
The cinnamon rolls made with recipe are
- Soft,featherlight,airy and fluffy with that gooey filling
- Comfortingly flavored with cinnamon
- Slathered with a cream cheese frosting which is not overly sweet
- Beautiful with those amazing swirls
- and the bottom of the rolls are wonderfully caramelized with that golden brown color.
This make ahead Cinnamon Rolls Recipe is actually adapted from the Quick and Easy Cinnamon Rolls Recipe.
The proofing method is the same and the difference is that we bake this homemade cinnamon rolls on the next day morning so that it’s so easy on the baking day!
If you are a fan of easy one rise bread recipes, you might also love this Quick Dinner Rolls Recipe , one of the most favorite recipes on our blog. So it might be a good idea to hop over to the post and watch the VIDEO
Ingredients needed for moist overnight cinnamon rolls recipe
To make the bread dough
- All purpose flour/Bread flour: 3 cups (130g x 3=390g)
- Milk 1 Cup -1 tbsp(225 g)If you don’t want to add milk, you can use plain water instead.
- Unsalted Butter (softened)1/4 Cup /57g
- Sugar 2 and 1/2 tbsp /32g
- Salt 1and 1/4 tsp
- Yeast (instant ) 1tsp or 1 1/4 tsp (Active dried yeast)
For the filling
- Soft Brown sugar (packed cup)1/2 cup /90g
- Unsalted Butter(softened) 1/4 cup /57g
- Cinnamon powder 2 tsp
For the Frosting
- Cream cheese 3 ounce /80g/ 2/3 cup
- Unsalted butter 3 tbsp/ 43 g
- Powdered Sugar 1 cup / 125g
- Vanilla powder 1/2 tsp or vanilla extract 1 tsp
- If you want more thinner frosting, you can add 1-2 tbsp milk into it
How to make easy overnight cinnamon rolls
Making this moist overnight cinnamon rolls is so easy.
We can make them in FOUR SIMPLE STEPS
1.Prepare the cinnamon rolls bread dough
Into a bowl add the milk, softened butter, sugar, salt, yeast and combine everything together.
Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature and the milk should be preferably warm(not hot ideally around 95 F).
Then add in the flour into this mixture and combine them together to form a shaggy mass of dough.
If you are kneading the dough in a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough.
If you are kneading the dough by hands, transfer the dough on to a clean work surface and knead the dough for a few minutes(5-6 minutes)until it form a smooth dough.
This cinnamon roll dough is an easy to knead dough.It is not a very sticky dough.In the beginning we may feel slightly sticky, thats ok; at this point you may be tempted to add more flour but don’t do that.The dough will come together in about 4 minutes of kneading.
Shape it into a ball ; then flatten it a little and then cover it with a bowl or kitchen towel and let the dough rest on the counter for five minutes.This is not for proofing the dough, but this is to let the dough sit for a few minutes so that the gluten stands will relax.
This resting will prevent our dough from enormous rebounding back of the dough while rolling it into a thin rectangular sheet.
2.Shape the rolls
So for the next step of shaping the rolls, first we need to roll the dough into thin sheet (5-6 mm thickness).
Pat, stretch and roll out the dough to form 18X15-inch rectangle with long edge nearest you.
Then spread very soft butter all over the surface.
Then sprinkle on the filling mixture as evenly as possible.
Starting with long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder.
While rolling, keep in your mind not to roll them tightly as they need some room for them to expand while proofing and while baking.
If they are rolled tightly, the rolls will have pointed center as the center will rise up as it doesn’t have enough space to expand side ways.The pointed center may also happen when the cinnamon rolls are taller and not wider.
Mark gently with a knife/scraper to create 12 equal portions. For the cleanest cut, slice by holding a thread or strand of dental floss underneath the cylinder, and cross ends of the floss over each other and pull. Slice cylinder into 12 portions (about 4-5 cm each).
Transfer to a baking pan(I have used 11.5X7.5-inch baking pan), that’s been greased with butter or cooking spray.Slight variation in size of baking pan is not an issue.
3.Proof the Cinnamon Rolls
Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise until puffy and the rolls are touching one another; 50 to 60 minutes.
If your place is warm, 50 minutes and if your place is cold, then proof for 60 minutes.
Once the rolls have puffed up well, take the baking tray into the refrigerator.
Next Day morning, just take the baking tray out from the fridge.
Take out the plastic wrap from the baking tray and then cover it with an aluminum foil.
4.Bake the Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Place the baking tray in the cold oven in the middle rack.
Start preheating the oven to 375F or 190C.
Covering the baking tray with aluminum foil will lock the moistness inside the tray and thus prevent any chance of drying.This will help to make our overnight cinnamon rolls soft and moist.
After 20 minutes,take out the foil and then bake them @ 375 F or 190 C for another 22-24 minutes.
When properly baked, the cinnamon rolls will turn golden brown on top.
Take them out of the oven.
Let the cinnamon rolls cool down for 2-3 minutes.Slather on that cream cheese frosting while the rolls are still warm.
The cream cheese and butter will melt and get filled in those swirly layers of soft and moist bread and caramelized sugar.
These make ahead cinnamon rolls are soft, moist and they taste absolutely delicious.
Can You Make this refrigerator cinnamon rolls in a Metal Baking pan
Yes you can.As my pan is a ceramic one, I have tested this recipe using a metal baking pan as well.
The cinnamon rolls turned out equally good.
The size of this metal pan is 9 x 13 inch ;and so the bottom of the rolls spread a bit more when baked.
How to make the best cream cheese frosting for cinnamon rolls
Cinnamon rolls are not the same without that cream cheese frosting on top.
It is so easy to make this cream cheese icing.
Keep the butter and sugar at room temperature as it will help us to combine them easily.
Into a bowl add the Softened butter, cream cheese, vanilla sugar/vanilla extract and a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness.
Thoroughly beat until they are light in texture and pale yellow in color.
Then add the powdered sugar little by little beat everything together until you get a silky smooth, light cream cheese frosting.
You can add some milk/heavy cream if you want your cream cheese frosting a little more thin.
How to store homemade cinnamon rolls
These homemade overnight cinnamon rolls can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.Cover the tray with foil or store them in an airtight container.
Will the cinnamon rolls stay soft and fluffy when kept at room temperature
These cinnamon rolls remain soft the next 2-3 days when kept at room temperature in an airtight container.
I recommend you to rewarm the rolls for a few seconds in the microwave or for 7-10 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven(just before serving) to get that “fresh out of the oven” taste and softness to rolls.
Just before placing them in to the preheated oven, spray it with some water ;so that the warmth of steam can make them even softer.
Watch The Video :Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Do this easy overnight cinnamon rolls have to be refrigerated?
If you plan to keep the cinnamon rolls for more than three days, then it is better to store them in an airtight container and keep in refrigerator.If stored in the fridge, the rolls will last a few days longer.
Can I store the baked cinnamon rolls in refrigerator
Yes you can store the baked cinnamon rolls in fridge for upto 5 days.I have done this several times and i love this method.
Take them out of the fridge, and rewarm the rolls for a few seconds in the microwave or for 7-10 minutes in a 350 F preheated oven(just before serving) to get that “fresh out of the oven” taste and softness to rolls, just before serving.
How to freeze baked cinnamon rolls
Wrap the rolls tightly in plastic freezer wrap or aluminum foil and store in the freezer. If you prefer, place the cinnamon buns inside of a heavy-duty freezer bag and squeeze out the excess air before sealing. The freezer will preserve the cinnamon rolls indefinitely if kept at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. For best quality, however, keep the cinnamon rolls in the freezer for no longer than 2 to 3 months.
This is the most convenient and easiest method of freezing cinnamon rolls. Everything is taken care of already and you just rewarm the rolls in the microwave or the oven as you are ready to eat them.
How to reheat cinnamon rolls
We can reheat the cinnamon rolls using oven which takes more time than reheating the cinnamon rolls microwave oven which is faster.
How to reheat cinnamon rolls in a convection oven
Rewarming the cinnamon rolls in an overtakes more time.But this is the ideal way to reheat your cinnamon rolls and have them all ready for consumption in minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees
- Place cinnamon rolls on a baking sheet.
- Place in oven and have them reheat for 7-10 minutes (depending on the size of the rolls and also how cold they are)
- If you are taking them out of the freezer, you might have to keep them in the oven a bit longer.
- Take out, allow to cool and then enjoy.
How to reheat cinnamon rolls in a microwave oven
The microwave is another good option to reheat the cinnamon rolls. In under a minute, you can enjoy your sweet treat, all nice and warm.
Note: While the microwave is still a recommended option;We need to keep in our mind that reheating the rolls in microwave oven, can make the rolls soggy, so don’t over do them.
- Place rolls on a microwave safe plate.
- Zap the rolls for about 15-20 seconds or until fully warmed up.
- Make sure you do not microwave them too long as they can get soggy.
- Take out and enjoy.
What type of yeast can be used for making cinnamon rolls?
You can use both active dried yeast or instant yeast to make this quick homemade cinnamon rolls.
1 teaspoon instant (bread machine) yeast = 1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast.
If you are using active dried yeast, add the active dried yeast into the liquid mixture, just as we added instant yeast in the video.Then wait for the yeast to get dissolved into the liquid mixture and to get activated, before adding the flour.The liquid mixture will become slightly foamy in about 10 minutes of adding yeast; then proceed with the recipe by adding flour.
Can I add egg in this overnight cinnamon rolls recipe
Yes ,you can add egg in this quick cinnamon roll recipe.
How can I add egg in this easy overnight cinnamon rolls recipe
I have made cinnamon rolls using this same recipe by adding 1 egg.Just reduce the amount of milk, by the volume of 1 egg (40-45 ml) and use 1 egg instead.You can reduce 40-45 ml milk/water in this cinnamon roll recipe if you are using one egg.
Can I freeze the shaped unbaked cinnamon rolls
Yes,you can.I tried this method and here are my insights
After dividing the rolls into 12 equal pieces and placing them on a baking dish; I covered the pan with a plastic film and then took directly to the freezer (before proofing).
When I wanted to bake the cinnamon rolls, took the pan out of the freezer.I let the rolls come to room temperature and then puff up or rise.It took me around 2 hours 15 minutes for the rolls to rise(but I should say ,I was not satisfied by the amount of rise)
There was a considerable amount of leakage from the rolls too 🙁
Then I baked the cinnamon rolls in a 350F preheated oven for 20 minutes.But the rolls were not done.So I baked for another 4 more minutes and they came out well baked.There was pooling of butter and sugar in side the pan when I took it out of the oven.But then I noticed that the butter got absorbed by the cinnamon rolls when it is cooled.
Anyway,the rolls tasted absolutely delicious; though they were not as light and airy as the freshly baked ones.
Freezing the cinnamon rolls and then baking is also a great option.
“Freezing the unbaked rolls may result in a poor rise, and the filling is likely to leak out and pool in the bottom of the pan as the sugar melts. Instead, freeze the baked cinnamon rolls after they’re fully cooled, without any icing. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for up to one month.” -King Arthur Flour
My overnight cinnamon buns came out drier and denser than expected…Where have I gone wrong
The 4 main reasons that may cause the cinnamon rolls to come out dry and/or dense, is
- Adding too much flour while preparing the dough,
- Over-baking / baking for longer
- Under-proofing the dough
- If we forget to cover the tray with aluminum foil, the rolls will turn out dry.
So make sure the consistency of the final dough is very soft and smooth, be sure to check the expiry date of your yeast ,bake until the rolls are perfectly baked and make sure the dough got doubled in size during proofing before proceeding.
In this make ahead cinnamon rolls recipe ,if we don’t tent the baking tray with aluminum foil during the initial 20 minutes of baking, it will loose the moisture and will turn dry.
You might also like this Easy Cinnamon Rolls Recipes
Easy Cinnamon Rolls In Muffin Pan
Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Roll Dough
- 390 g All purpose flour/Bread flour 3 cups(loosely packed)
- 225 ml Milk 1 Cup -1 tbsp. If you don’t want to add milk, you can use plain water instead.
- 57 g Unsalted Butter (softened) 1/4 Cup
- 32 g Sugar 2 and 1/2 tbsp
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Yeast (instant ) or 1 and 1/4 tsp (Active dried yeast)
For the Filling
- 90 g Soft Brown sugar (packed cup)1/2 cup
- 57 g Unsalted Butter(softened) 1/4 cup
- 2 tsp Cinnamon powder
For Cream Cheese Frosting
- 80 g Cream cheese 3 ounce / 2/3 cup
- 43 g Unsalted butter 3 tbsp
- 125 g Powdered Sugar 1 cup
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla sugar or vanilla extract 1 tsp
- If you want more thinner frosting, you can add 1-2 tbsp milk into it
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- Into a bowl add the milk,softened butter, sugar,salt,yeast and egg and combine everything together.Make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature and the milk should be preferably warm(not hot ideally around 95 F).Then add in the flour into this mixture and combine them together to form a shaggy mass of dough.If you are kneading the dough in a stand mixer, use the dough hook attachment to knead the dough.If you are kneading the dough by hands, transfer the dough on to a clean work surface and knead the dough for a few minutes(5-6 minutes)until it form a smooth dough.This cinnamon roll dough is an easy to knead dough.It is not a very sticky dough.In the beginning we may feel slightly sticky, thats ok; at this point you may be tempted to add more flour but don’t do that.The dough will come together in about 4 minutes of kneading.Shape it into a ball ; then flatten it a little and then cover it with a bowl or kitchen towel and let the dough rest on the counter for five minutes.This is not for proofing the dough, but this is to let the dough sit for a few minutes so that the gluten stands will relax.This resting will prevent our dough from enormous rebounding back of the dough while rolling it into a thin rectangular sheet.
Shape the cinnamon rolls
- So for the next step of shaping the rolls, first we need to roll the dough into thin sheet (1/ 4th inch thickness).Pat, stretch and roll out the dough to form 18X15-inch rectangle with long edge nearest you.Then spread very soft butter all over the surface.Then sprinkle on the filling mixture as evenly as possible.Starting with long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a cylinder. While rolling, keep in your mind not to roll them tightly as they need some room for them to expand while proofing and while baking.If they are rolled tightly, the rolls will have pointed center as the center will rise up as it doesn’t have enough space to expand side ways.The pointed center may also happen when the cinnamon rolls are taller and not wider.Mark gently with a knife/scraper to create 12 equal portions. For the cleanest cut, slice by holding a thread or strand of dental floss underneath the cylinder, and cross ends of the floss over each other and pull. Slice cylinder into 12 portions (about 4-5 cm each).Transfer to a baking pan(I have used 11.5X7.5-inch baking pan), that’s been greased with butter or cooking spray.Slight variation in size of baking pan is not an issue.
Proof the Cinnamon Rolls
- Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise until puffy and the rolls are touching one another; 50 to 60 minutes. If your place is warm, 50 minutes and if your place is cold, then proof for 60 minutes.Once the rolls have puffed up well, take the baking tray into the refrigerator.You can keep it in fridge for upto 24 hours.Next Day morning, just take the baking tray out from the fridge.Take out the plastic wrap from the baking tray and then cover it with an aluminum foil.
Bake the Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Place the baking tray in the cold oven in the middle rack.Start preheating the oven to 375F or 190C.Covering the baking tray with aluminum foil will lock the moistness inside the tray and thus prevent any chance of drying.This will help to make our overnight cinnamon rolls soft and moist.After 20 minutes,take out the foil and then bake them @ 375 F or 190 C for another 22-24 minutes.When properly baked, the cinnamon rolls will turn golden brown on top.Take them out of the oven.Let the cinnamon rolls cool down for 2-3 minutes.Slather on that cream cheese frosting while the rolls are still warm.The cream cheese and butter will melt and get filled in those swirly layers of soft and moist bread and caramelized sugar.These make ahead cinnamon rolls are soft, moist and they taste absolutely delicious.
- Enjoy!
Jennelle
Wednesday 1st of December 2021
Wonderful! Made them today for a church ministry. Thanks Bincy!
Bincy Chris
Thursday 2nd of December 2021
HI Jennelle,I am so happy to hear you made this cinnamon rolls and they turned out really well.Thank you so much for taking your time to write back me and for rating this recipe.