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Easy No-Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon rolls in under an hour — no yeast, no proofing, no stand mixer. Topped with cream cheese frosting.

30 min prep · 30 min cook · 60 min total · 9 rolls

Adapted from Just a Taste (Kelly Senyei)

Ingredients

rolls
  • 2 cup all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)
  • 2.25 tsp baking powder
  • 3 tbsp white sugar
  • 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp kosher salt
  • 0.75 cup whole milk
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter (plus more for greasing the dish)
  • 0.5 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
  • 115 g cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.75 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Steps

  1. Mix the dry dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar, dough cinnamon, and salt.
  2. Warm the milk and butter together. In a small saucepan over low heat (or in the microwave), melt the dough butter into the milk. They have to combine warm — cold milk causes the butter to re-solidify and the dough goes uneven.
  3. Combine. Pour the warm milk-butter into the dry mix and stir with a spatula just until it comes together.
  4. Knead briefly. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for about 1 minute until it forms a smooth ball. Add a little more flour if it feels sticky, but don't over-knead.
  5. Rest the dough under a damp towel for 15 minutes.
  6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8- or 9-inch baking dish with butter.
  7. Roll it out. On a floured surface, roll the rested dough into a 10×14-inch rectangle.
  8. Fill. Whisk the brown sugar and filling cinnamon together. Brush the dough all over with the melted filling butter, then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar evenly on top.
  9. Roll and slice. Starting from a long edge, roll the dough tightly into a log. Trim the ends, then slice into 9 rolls.
  10. Bake. Arrange the rolls in the greased baking dish. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until pale golden and baked through.
  11. Make the frosting while the rolls bake. Beat the cream cheese and butter with a handheld mixer until smooth, then add the vanilla and beat to combine. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat just until smooth.
  12. Cool and frost. Let the rolls cool completely before frosting — frosting on warm rolls slides off.

Notes

  • Texture is denser than yeasted rolls. They won't rise and puff to fill the pan the way classic rolls do — that's the trade-off for skipping yeast and proofing. Still light and buttery, just chewier.
  • The warm milk + butter step matters. Cold milk re-solidifies the butter and you'll get an uneven dough. Microwaving them together for 30–45 seconds is the easy way.
  • Frosting variation: a simple vanilla-milk glaze works if you'd rather skip cream cheese.

My Notes

(your own tweaks go here)

dessertbreakfastbrunchbakingno-yeast