The Best Cinnamon Rolls

I made the best cinnamon rolls on New Year’s Day and am so excited to finally share the recipe with you. These are espresso cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting, and they’re soft, fluffy, and ridiculously delicious. Perfect for holidays or indulgent weekend mornings!

Why You’ll Love These

• Ultra-soft, fluffy dough (even for first-time bakers)
• Bold espresso flavor without tasting bitter
• Easy to make ahead for holidays and weekends
• Freezer-friendly and reheats beautifully

It was my first time making homemade cinnamon rolls, so they weren’t the prettiest. The rolling part got messier than expected and I wish I could go back and tell myself, “Don’t panic — they’ll still turn out deliciously!” Not only was the taste knock-your-socks-off, but I also couldn’t believe how well the texture turned out. So fluffy with the perfect amount of flavor and texture!

I didn’t create this cinnamon roll recipe, but found it on Instagram back in 2024. It took over a year to finally try making them and they were totally worth the wait! I’ll definitely be making these for Christmas morning next year.

Much like my shortbread pecan bars are a Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving staple, these espresso cinnamon rolls are now must-haves over the holidays.

The cream cheese icing is TO DIE FOR! You get that classic cinnamon sugar flavor, but it’s totally elevated with buttery espresso. Truly chefs kiss.

The recipe doesn’t note this, but with all things baking, I like to bring everything to room temperature. Eggs, cream cheese, etc. If you don’t have that kind of time, just place them in a warm place (like the back vent on the oven) for ~30 minutes.

Dough Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 2 eggs
• 6 cups flour

Filling Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 oz hot espresso
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp instant espresso powder (I used Blue Bottle’s Instant Espresso)

Glaze Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp milk
• 2 oz cream cheese
• 1 oz hot espresso
• few shakes of cinnamon

How to Make Espresso Cinnamon Rolls (Step-by-Step)

I’m including my notes and tips along with the recipe card’s preparation instructions!

• For the dough, heat milk on the stove until bubbling and then pour into the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment
• Add the room temperature butter, sugar, and salt. Mix on low speed until the butter is melted. Let the mixture cool until warm, but not hot. Then add the yeast and eggs and mix until combined.
• Gradually add about half of the flour. Switch to the dough hook attachment and add the rest until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky. Knead for 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a large bowl sprayed with nonstick spray and spray a fine mist on the top of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise until doubled, about an hour.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the melted butter, sugars, cinnamon, fresh espresso, espresso powder, and salt until well combined.
  • I used the whisk attachment on my stand mixer for this.
• When the dough is ready, roll into a large, horizontal rectangle, about 18×12 inches with a rolling pin.
  • I tried to do this on parchment paper, but since I needed two separate sheets to make a large enough surface, it was kind of a cluster. Next time, I think I would do it on a clean countertop, with a little bit of flour? Or maybe tape down the parchment paper so it wasn’t moving around?
• Spread the filling evenly over the dough.
• Starting with a long end, roll up the dough as tightly as possible, pinching the seam lightly to seal.
  • This is where I started to panic. When I started to roll very tightly, the filling was oozing everywhere. I wasn’t sure what ‘the seam’ referred to, but I tried to seal off the ends so I wouldn’t keep losing filling. You can’t really start over once you’ve started rolling, so just go with it! Mine looked absolutely disastrous during this step and turned out perfectly.
• Using a serrated knife, cut a shallow slit in the roll at the half point, then cut a slit in the center of each half so you’ve got 4 equal portions, and cut slits for 3 cinnamon rolls in each of those portions, until you’ve got 12 cinnamon rolls. Place rolls evenly spaced on a large, parchment-lined, rimmed baking sheet. Cover and let rise until double.
  • This is where I stopped on New Year’s Eve. Once I had my twelve rolls on parchment-lined baking sheets (I did six on each sheet), I fully double-wrapped the sheets with plastic wrap to rise overnight in the refrigerator. Refrigerator air can dry out your dough, so it’s important to make sure you’ve them covered tightly. 
  • I want to also point out that the slicing of the rolls was an absolute mess and the filling was everywhere. Again, don’t panic. I scooped up the extra filling that I lost and put it on top of the rolls. Pictured below.
  • In the morning, you want your rolls to puff up and lose their chill, so I removed the pans from the fridge for ~60-90 minutes before baking!
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake rolls for 24-26 minutes until light golden brown. Cover with foil halfway through if they brown too fast.
  • I checked at 12 minutes and didn’t need to cover. I used ‘convection bake’ on our oven at 350 for 24 minutes.
• For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, melted butter, vanilla, milk, cream cheese, hot espresso, and cinnamon until smooth.
  • If you want to make the glaze ahead of time, I would refrigerate overnight and then bring to room temperature and whisk before using.
• Drizzle over warm rolls and sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm!

Storing Cinnamon Rolls

For storing, room temperature is ideal for short-term storage (1-2 days). Let them cool completely, cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap, or transfer to an airtight container. Refrigeration dries out enriched dough faster than room temp.

If you have leftover rolls after a day or so, refrigeration is totally fine as long as they’re protected in an air tight container. 

I actually individually stored all of our extra cinnamon rolls in Tupperware containers. From the refrigerator, removing the lid and popping in the microwave for ~20-30 seconds was perfect.

Freezing Cinnamon Rolls

I was SO IMPRESSED with how beautifully these froze! Since I had them in individual containers, I popped them into the microwave straight from the freezer for ~60 seconds (without the lid) and they were perfect!

These were such an EASY treat to have in the freezer on weekend mornings, and unfortunately, we’ve already gone through the four cinnamon buns we froze. Excuse to bake another batch sometime soon?!

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Common Cinnamon Roll Mistakes (and Why Yours Will Still Be Fine!)

Filling leaking while rolling → totally normal, scoop it back on
Messy slices → doesn’t affect rise or texture
Dough feels sticky → that’s what makes them fluffy

Substitutions & Variations

No espresso powder → increase liquid espresso slightly
No cream cheese → vanilla espresso glaze
Want stronger coffee flavor → double espresso powder

FAQs for the Best Cinnamon Rolls

Should you use bread flour for the dough?

I did not! I used regular unbleached flour from Whole Foods.

Can you make this cinnamon rolls recipe ahead of time?

Short answer, yes! For timing, I wanted to wake up and have these ready to pop in the oven on the morning of January 1st, so I did most of the prep the day before. The second rise actually took place in the refrigerator overnight.

Can you use Nespresso pods for the hot espresso?

I believe so, yes! Make sure to measure out 1 oz of espresso (not a coffee pod) for the filling and 1 oz of espresso for the frosting. We now have the Breville Express Impress (a wedding gift that we absolutely love!) and have it set as a double shot, which is at least 2 oz.

Read my Nespresso machine review here. And let me know if you’d like a review of my Breville espresso machine now that we’re coming up on two years with it!

Can you use active yeast?

To be totally honest, I wasn’t sure what the difference was between Fleischmann’s “active dry yeast” and “instant yeast” when I was at the grocery store. I ended up buying these packets and used ~2 of them.

Can you freeze cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting?

Yes! These espresso cinnamon rolls freeze beautifully with the cream cheese frosting already on them. I recommend letting the rolls cool completely, then storing them in an airtight container (I used individual containers, which worked perfectly).

When you’re ready to eat one, remove the lid and microwave straight from the freezer for about 45–60 seconds until warmed through. The rolls stay soft, the frosting melts slightly into the top, and the texture is shockingly good—almost like they’re freshly baked.

If you prefer, you can also freeze the rolls unfrosted and add freshly made frosting after reheating, but honestly, I didn’t find that necessary.

Can I make these without a stand mixer?

Yes, you can make these cinnamon rolls without a stand mixer, but it will require a little more elbow grease.

To do it by hand:

• Use a large bowl and a wooden spoon or baking spatula to mix the dough ingredients until combined. A whisk or hand mixer might be helpful for the wet ingredients, but you won’t want to use those once you start adding your flour.
• Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead by hand for about 5–8 minutes, until soft, smooth, and slightly tacky.
• Continue with the recipe as written for rising, rolling, and baking.
• A stand mixer definitely makes the process easier (especially for first-time cinnamon roll bakers!) but if you don’t have one, don’t let that stop you. The dough is forgiving and totally doable by hand.

Join the Conversation

Let me know if you have any questions! And if you have any other delicious cinnamon roll recipes that I should try, please let me know in the comments below.

Tested and baked January 2026.