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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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Deborah Luke says
Best cinnamon rolls I have ate, this recipe was not only easy but delicious. I did swap the icing out for cream cheese icing mmmm
Leigh Anne says
So glad you loved them too!! They are the best
Amy Oclander says
I am curious about your decision to start the yeast in milk and butter. I usually start yeast in warm water with a little sugar. I thought I would try it but I have no action in my bowl after 10 min. Tested another couple of tsp of yeast in warm sugar water and bam, bubbles. I am going to add that along with milk butter mixture and then add more flour and hope for the best…
Leigh Anne says
Sounds like your way works too- enjoy!
Marci says
I had never made cinnamon rolls as they seemed daunting and I have little experience with yeast. I tried this recipe for my first attempt but for some reason I couldn’t get the yeast to proof with the milk- definitely user error! So I used water with a little sugar and the yeast proofed perfectly and most importantly the rolls turned out amazing!! I’ve since made these cinnamon rolls almost 10 times !! I get rave reviews whenever I serve them. I still use water with sugar instead of the milk only because it’s what has worked and doesn’t seem to affect the taste or texture. I found the tip of turning the oven to 100 degrees and then turning it off and allowing the rolls to rise in there for a good hour extremely helpful. I have switched to a cream cheese frosting instead of the glaze. Thanks for sharing the recipe and helping a newbie like me become a cinnamon roll master!
Kelli says
I have noticed that not all brands of yeast will bloom in milk as they do in water. So perhaps it is the brand of yeast you used. The latest brand I’m using is red star and it blooms beautifully in both milk and water. I hope this helps.
Hillary says
Just made these and currently letting them rise for the 1st time and 30 minutes later they haven’t risen one bit. I did add the full 5 cups of flour because they were still sticky but now wondering if that was too much. My yeast didn’t proof the first time either when I mixed it with the butter and milk. I had to throw it out and proof it alone with water and sugar like normal. I’m really frustrated because I’ve wasted ingredients twice now.
Leigh Anne says
The problem is most likely your yeast. Did you check the expiration date? If its’ not proofing it is either expired or water is too hot and you are killing the yeast or the water is not warm enough and it’s not activating. The flour won’t effect the yeast working.
Denise says
I see you have A GF flour you say is fabulous.. can I make the rolls using that flour? I am GF and need help with this new style of baking etc 😉
Leigh Anne says
I haven’t used it in the recipe so I’m not sure how it would work but I’d give it a try!