Cinnamon rolls are fluffy bites of sweet, gooey cinnamony heaven. And overnight cinnamon rolls complete the second rise in the refrigerator, so they are super easy to bake up and frost in the morning.
Seriously, overnight cinnamon rolls are the best because who wants to wake up at 3 am to start cinnamon rolls for breakfast? Not me! I love my family and friends, but I love my sleep too. And, often, I am making cinnamon rolls for a special occasion where there's a lot of other stuff that needs to get done, so I love, love, love special recipes that I can start the day before.
With this recipe, we make the cinnamon roll dough the day before, roll out the dough, cut them, put them in the baking pan, cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator. In the morning, just take them out of the refrigerator, let them come to room temperature, bake, frost and eat! The work is split into two days, so it's super easy and the slow rise in the refrigerator makes them extra delicious!
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Dough and Filling Ingredients
- All purpose flour
- White sugar
- Brown sugar
- Whole milk
- Salted butter
- Eggs
- Cinnamon
- Active dry yeast
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Frosting Ingredients
- Cream Cheese
- Salted Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Cream
- Vanilla (optional)
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Types of Cinnamon
I feel like that sometimes cinnamon is an underrated spice. One that people just kind of take for granted. But, fun fact: did you know there are a different types of cinnamon? Namely, there are three main different types:
- Ceylon cinnamon (higher quality, bolder flavor)
- Cassia cinnamon(typical grocery store cinnamon)
- Saigon cinnamon (very intense)
There are also some subtypes and differences based on where the cinnamon is grown. I was looking for organic cinnamon about 10 years ago and tried Ceylon cinnamon from Amazon after a bunch of research. I instantly feel in love and have never gone back. All cinnamon is good, but Ceylon cinnamon is just amazing. Soft, sweet and intense!
I know, I know. You might be thinking that organic cinnamon is expensive. However, the thing to keep in mind is that organic cinnamon is typically sold in 16 ounce pouches, whereas a large family size hard plastic container of regular cinnamon is typically sold in 6-8 ounces sizes in the grocery store. So if you compare the per ounce price, it's actually not that different. You might have to initially buy more organic cinnamon, but then you get a higher quality of organic cinnamon often for the same per ounce price as regular grocery store cinnamon. If you compare the bulk organic cinnamon to small jars of grocery store cinnamon, the bulk organic is often cheaper per ounce. I go through a lot of cinnamon, and you just can't beat a great tasting cinnamon. If good cinnamon is a splurge purchase, then it's definitely worth the splurge!
Substitutions
- Vegan- I have made vegan versions of these overnight cinnamon rolls, and it's pretty easy to make the substitutions. For the eggs, you can make flax eggs or use an egg replacer like Bob Mill's. [For three flax eggs, mix three tablespoon of flaxseed meal and nine tablespoons of water and let sit for 10 minutes]. For the butter, use your favorite plant based butter. My current favorite is Miyoko's Plant Milk Butter, but it's not always easy to find. Most grocery stores now carry some version of plant based butter like Earth Balance or Country Crock. For the milk, substitute your favorite plant based milk. I recommend oat milk for a neutral milk when baking. For the heavy cream, you can substitute plant based heavy cream (Trader Joe's is the best I've tried so far), or use a little less of a plant based milk. And, of course, use vegan sugar.
Storage
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days or in the refrigerator for 5-7 days. To warm up cinnamon rolls on day 2 or thereafter, just microwave them for 15-20 seconds. Not long, just enough to warm them up!
Next Level Tips
- Everyone loves cinnamon rolls, but the kind of cinnamon you use can take your sweet rolls to a whole other level! Try a single source organic brand. I'm currently in love with Ceylon cinnamon from Indonesia. Think of cinnamon like coffee and chocolate. Where it's made and how it made matters!
- Add these overnight cinnamon rolls to your next brunch menu because if you're planning a large brunch, anything you can do before the big day helps!
- Weigh your flour. I definitely recommend buying a kitchen scale if you don't already have one. They are fairly cheap now on Amazon, and it will save you a lot of headaches. Different brands of flour have different weights, and not everyone measures flour the same. If you don't have a kitchen scale, the next best way to measure flour is the fluff and scoop method. Fluff the flour in its container and then lightly scoop the flour into the measuring cup with a spoon. Lightly level the measuring cup with a knife. I use Kirkland's organic all-purpose flour from Costco, and I always weigh flour even if I don't weigh any other of the ingredients.
FAQ
Please see my post on Salted vs. Unsalted Butter.
There are three popular methods for cutting the log into cinnamon rolls: the serrated (or very sharp knife) method, the dental floss method and the pizza cutter method.
The serrated knife or very sharp knife method. Use a serrated knife or a very sharp knife to cut the log into rolls.
The dental floss method. Break off a long string of (non-flavored!) dental floss and slide the floss underneath the log roll where you want to make a cut. Make sure the log is in the center of the string of floss and bring the two sides of floss together to meet each other. Then put the floss pieces into the opposite hands, cross the floss over each other across the top of the roll and pull each side until it cuts through the log. Repeat for each roll.
The pizza cutter method. Use a pizza cutter and make 9-12 individual cuts. Roll each strip up separately. This method can be messy, so you'll need to make an extra effort to roll the rolls tightly. 
These cinnamon rolls were inspired by and adapted from Vanilla Bean Blog's Pillowy Soft Cinnamon Rolls. I found that recipe when I read this bake off blog post by The Kitchn where it was the winner. It was the first cinnamon roll recipe that made me stop looking for a great cinnamon roll recipe, because I had finally found one.
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Stand up mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
Dough
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 2 ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 8 tablespoon salted butter room temperature
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 4 ½ cups all purpose flour (540 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt add extra ⅛ teaspoon if using unsalted butter
Filling
- 2 tablespoon butter very soft
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
Frosting
- 4 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 2 tablespoon salted butter room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar (8 ounces)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla optional
Instructions
Dough
- Take out butter and egg to bring to room temperature.
- Heat milk in microwave until warm 105℉ - 110℉. [It's best to use a kitchen thermometer if you have one.] Add the warm milk, yeast and a little of the white sugar to the mixer bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Add flour and salt to a small bowl and set aside.
- Add rest of the sugar, the softened butter and the eggs to the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until the eggs are incorporated. The butter will not incorporate at this stage, which is normal.
- Add the flour and salt mixture to the mixing bowl in three to four different stages. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl after each addition and then mix on a low speed until the flour has been incorporated. Repeat until all flour has been added.
- After the flour has been incorporated, switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed for 5 minutes.
- Spray a large bowl (or reuse the mixing bowl) with cooking spray. The dough is sticky and that's normal. Let the dough rise in a covered bowl for a total of two hours. After one hour, knead the dough using the stretch and fold method. If you're familiar with this method, do it in the bowl. If this is your first time, take the dough out of the bowl and set on a floured surface. Take a hold of a large piece of dough at the 12 position, stretch it away from your body, and then fold it back toward the middle of the dough ball. Rotate the ball ⅛ to ¼ of a turn and repeat the stretch out and fold back motions. Keep repeating until you have gone around 2 times and the dough becomes less stretchy. You DO NOT have to do this, BUT it does make the rolls more fluffy and soft. Put the dough back in the bowl to rise for another hour. So, the total rise time is two hours with the optional stretch and fold after one hour.
Filling
- Spray the 9x11 pan (or large round pan) with cooking spray and set aside.
- After the dough has risen for the two hours, put it on a floured surface and roll it out into a 12 x 18 inch rectangle. [If the dough is ever resistant, let it rest for 10 minutes. Don't overwork the dough trying to roll it out. It should roll out easily.]
- Brush 2 tablespoons of very soft butter on to the dough with a pastry or silicone brush. You want to use very soft but not melted butter. Think of the butter as the glue that will hold the brown sugar and cinnamon to the dough. You can also use your fingers or a knife to spread the butter.
- Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl until the cinnamon is incorporated into the sugar.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough and lightly press it in.
- Starting with the long side, roll the dough into a tight log.
- Cut the dough into 9-12 pieces. I use 9 pieces for a large round pan or 12 pieces for a 9x11 pan. Use your favorite cutting method. If you aren't sure how to cut the roll, see my FAQ section for different cutting methods.
- Add the cut sweet rolls into your sprayed pan of choice, cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day
- Take the sweet rolls from the refrigerator and let them come to room temperature on the counter which takes approximately 30-60 minutes. Take the cream cheese and salted butter for the frosting out of the refrigerator to start softening now as well.
- After 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 350℉. Once the oven is preheated, the rolls should be about room temperature. Bake them for 27-32 minutes. Check them at 27 minutes. They could take longer if they were colder to start with. They will be lightly golden brown on top.
- When you remove the cinnamon rolls from the oven, start making the frosting.
The frosting
- Put the softened cream cheese and softened butter in to a mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined and fluffy.
- Add the powdered sugar, heavy whipping cream, salt and vanilla and mix until light and fluffy. It takes less than two minutes. The vanilla is optional. It adds a nice touch of flavor but it also tints the frosting, so keep that in mind. The salt cuts some of the sweetness of the sugar.
- When the cinnamon rolls are still hot, spread a very thin layer of frosting on every part of the outer layer of the cinnamon rolls. It will melt, and that's perfect. It softens the outer layer of the lightly browned rolls.
- Once the rolls have cooled for at least 20 minutes, spread the rest of the frosting on the rolls. If you are not serving them warm, wait until they have completely cooked to frost them.
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