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There’s nothing better than waking up to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls—and with these Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, you can do just that! This make-ahead recipe lets you do all the work the night before, so all you have to do in the morning is pop them in the oven. Soft, fluffy, and swirled with buttery cinnamon sugar
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Make-ahead magic: Prep the dough the night before so your morning is stress-free.
Soft and fluffy texture: These rolls bake up tender, pillowy, and perfectly gooey in the center.
Perfect for holidays or weekends: Ideal for Christmas morning, brunch, or any special occasion.
Delicious aroma: Wake up to the sweet smell of cinnamon and fresh bread baking—pure comfort!
Ingredients Needed
- All purpose flour
- Active Dry Yeast
- Sugar, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and powdered sugar
- Butter
- Eggs
- Milk
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Vanilla Extract
- Cinnamon
- Salt
How To Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
- Heat the milk in a pan until it begins to bubble.
- Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until butter melts.
- Allow warm milk to cool until it is luke warm, then add yeast and allow to proof for 10 minutes.
- Add sugar, flour, salt, eggs, and yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer and stir to combine. Use the dough hook attachment.
- Add additional flour until dough is no longer sticky.
- Knead until dough is smooth and soft, about 5 minute.
- Oil a large bowl and place dough in bowl, turn to coat dough with oil.
- Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until double in size, about 1 hour.
- Deflate the dough and put onto the counter.
- Roll out into a 12×14 inch rectangle with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface.
- Spread with softened butter.
- Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together. Sprinkle over dough.
- Roll up dough into log and cut into 12 pieces.
- Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with parchment paper or grease it. Place sliced cinnamon rolls into pan.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator over night.
- Remove from refrigerator and allow to set in a warm place for an hour.
- Bake at 350 degrees F until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes.
- Mix together butter, vanilla, powdered sugar and whipping cream until a nice smooth consistency. Spread over warm rolls.
Tips from leigh Anne
- If you need some tips on working with yeast, I have a post all about how to proof yeast.
- To help rolls to rise, preheat your oven to 150 degrees F. Then and turn off the oven and place the rolls in the oven to rise.
- Use thread or unflavored dental floss to slice rolls for a nice clean cut. You can also use a serrated knife.
- Use room temperature ingredients: This helps the dough rise evenly and creates a softer texture.
- Don’t overfill with cinnamon sugar. Too much filling can cause the rolls to unravel while baking.
- If you prefer, use a cream cheese frosting. Find a recipe here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bake these same day instead of overnight?
Yes! If you’d like to enjoy them the same day, simply let the dough rise until doubled, shape the rolls, let them rise again, and bake as directed—no overnight rest needed.
How long can I keep the dough in the fridge?
You can refrigerate the shaped rolls for up to 24 hours before baking. Any longer and the yeast may lose some of its strength.
Can I freeze overnight cinnamon rolls?
Absolutely! After shaping the rolls, place them on a baking sheet to flash freeze, then store them in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, let rise, and bake as usual.
What is the best to reheat cinnamon rolls?
Warm them in the microwave for 15–20 seconds or in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes.
Why didn’t my rolls rise properly?
Make sure your yeast is fresh and your milk isn’t too hot—it should be warm to the touch but not steaming (105-110 degrees F). Also, allow enough time for the dough to rise both before and after refrigerating.
There’s nothing quite like starting your morning with the smell of warm cinnamon rolls baking in the oven—and with these Overnight Cinnamon Rolls, it’s easier than ever. By doing the prep the night before, you can enjoy the flavor of soft, fluffy, homemade rolls fresh from the oven without the early-morning hassle. Whether it’s a special holiday breakfast or a cozy weekend treat, these cinnamon rolls are sure to become a family favorite you’ll make again and again.
Check out more of my favorite recipes:
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Overnight Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 1/4 tsp of dry active yeast
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 4 1/2 – 5 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
Filling
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
- 1/4 cup butter salted
Glaze
- 3 Tbsp butter softened
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
- 2 -3 Tbsp whipping cream or milk
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a pan until it begins to bubble. Remove from heat and add butter. Stir until butter melts.
- When milk is lukewarm add yeast and allow to proof for 10 minutes.
- Put sugar, 3 cups of flour, salt and eggs into a mixer. Add in yeast mixture. Mix.
- Add in remaining flour until dough is no longer sticky. Knead for 5 minutes until smooth and soft.
- Oil a large bowl and place dough in bowl, turn to coat dough with oil. Cover with a cloth and let rise in a warm place until double in size. About 1 hour.
- Deflate the dough and put onto a floured surface and roll out into a 12×14 rectangle.
- Spread with softened butter.
- Mix together brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over dough.
- Roll up dough into log and cut into 12 pieces.
- Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper or grease it. Place dough into pan and cover with pastic wrap and place in refrigerator over night.
- In the morning remove from refrigerator and allow to set in a warm place for an hour. I like to turn my oven to 150 degrees F and then turn off the oven and place the rolls in the oven to rise.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
- Mix together butter, vanilla, powdered sugar and whipping cream until a nice smooth consistency. Spread over warm rolls.
Tips & Notes:
- If you need some tips on working with yeast, I have a post all about how to proof yeast.
- To help rolls to rise, preheat your oven to 150 degrees F. Then and turn off the oven and place the rolls in the oven to rise.
- Use thread or dental floss to slice rolls for a nice clean cut.
- Use room-temperature ingredients: This helps the dough rise evenly and creates a softer texture.
- Don’t overfill with cinnamon sugar. Too much filling can cause the rolls to unravel while baking.
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SK says
These look delicious! Could I make these all the way through until step 9, then freeze the uncooked rolls? When it’s time to bake them, would you recommend letting thaw/rise overnight in the fridge or overnight on the counter?
Thanks for your help!
Leigh Anne says
I think either the fridge or overnight on the counter would work, will just take longer in the fridge
LM says
I am just curious if you ended up freezing and thawing these. Did it work for you? Did you thaw in the fridge or on the counter?
Leigh Anne Wilkes says
I have not frozen these rolls but you definitely could. I would thaw in the fridge and then allow them to rise for several hours before baking.
Nicole says
Thank you for the recipe just made these the day after Christmas here in Japan! I didn’t put in the fridge cook immediately after it rose about an hour.
At first due to dough being dense thought they wouldn’t turn out properly but they were amazing!
They didn’t rise as much when baking but they were delicious! Gave the kids a cinnamon roll right before bed they were very pleased!
Thanks for sharing
Michelle says
how long do you you let these rise in the turned off oven? An hour like you would if you left them on your counter?
Leigh Anne says
Michelle, They rise for an hour in the turned off oven. You must have just missed that party in the recipe, it is in the directions.
Jean Wright says
Made these last night/this morning and they were fantastic. With the dough being denser, my Kitchen Aid groaned a bit but still did the job. The family felt the rivaled Cinna Bon. A little effort, but the whole pan full coat maybe $2 at the moSt.
Leigh Anne says
I LOVE hearing this!!! So glad you and your family enjoyed them!!
silvia says
Would you be able to leave them in the fridge for 16-18 hours? I want to make them for breakfast but I won’t have any time in the evening, so I was thinking of making them in the afternoon.
Leigh Anne says
They should be fine – just keep them covered well.