These Easy Homemade Cinnamon Buns are easy to make. They are also soft, buttery, fluffy and filled with tons of cinnamon flavour. And they are easy enough to make that you will want to make them again.
Cinnamon buns made from scratch are easy to make when you follow this recipe. These sweet buns will quickly become a family favourite.
Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to consumers. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Keep in mind that we link these products because of their quality, not because of the commission we may receive from purchases.
Ingredients For Easy Homemade Cinnamon Buns
To make these cinnamon buns, less than a dozen ingredients are used. All ingredients should be at room temperature before starting to make this recipe, except for the milk which needs to be warmed to activate the yeast.
- Cinnamon. This is the star of these sweet buns. We like to use a lot of cinnamon in the filling for full flavour. Less can be used if you’re looking for a more subtle cinnamon flavour.
- Butter. There is a lot of butter in this recipe. It is used in the dough, the filling and to brush on top of the buns before baking.
- Yeast. Dry active yeast is used in this recipe. We have tried other types of yeast and find dry active yeast works best. Make sure the yeast is fresh and still active or the dough won’t rise.
- Milk. There is milk in the dough as well as the icing. For the dough, milk needs to be lukewarm to activate the yeast.
- White Sugar. This is the sugar in the dough. It adds sweetness to the dough without being overly sweet.
- Brown Sugar. The filling for these buns is made from brown sugar, cinnamon and butter.
- All-Purpose Flour. To rise properly, all-purpose flour works best for this recipe because of the gluten content.
- Egg. Large-sized egg at room temperature.
- Salt. Very little is used in this recipe but it necessary to get the dough the right consistency. Without salt in the dough, the yeast will rise too much and the dough will have a weak structure.
- Powdered Sugar. To make the icing for the buns, powdered sugar is used. It should be sifted to make sure it is free of any lumps.
- Vanilla Extract. This is mixed into the icing only to add flavour to the sugar and milk mixture.
Tips For Making Cinnamon Buns
There are a few tips to making these cinnamon rolls.
- After melting the butter, let it sit to cool before adding it in with the other ingredients. If the butter is too hot it could kill the yeast and the dough won’t rise.
- All other ingredients should be at room temperature to get the best results.
- When measuring the flour, it is important to measure it properly. When measuring flour, I whisk the flour in the container before scooping it into the measuring cup and then swiping the top with the flat side of a butter knife.
- Find a warm place to let the dough rise. Our air fryer/convection oven has a proof setting that I sometimes use, but usually I cover the bowl with plastic wrap then place a couple of tea towels over the top of the bowl to keep any drafts away from the dough. If the room is cooler, place the bowl in a bath towel to keep it warm.
- To warm the milk quickly, I pour it into a glass measuring cup and place it in a pot of very hot water for 5-10 minutes, checking the temperature with a thermometer to get it to 99℉.
- When slicing the cinnamon buns, Make sure to cut the roll in half first. This makes it easier to cut slices evenly.
- If you don’t have a sharp knife to cut the rolls, use dental floss. The floss slices through the dough easily without pressing on the dough and misshaping the rolls.
- The buns don’t have to be brushed with butter before baking, but we find that topping them with butter before baking helps to brown the tops of the buns and adds flavour.
- To sift the powdered sugar, it is easily done with a mesh strainer. Simply pour the sugar into the strainer and shake it into a large bowl, breaking up any large chunks.
Baking Cinnamon Buns On The BBQ
These Easy Homemade Cinnamon Buns can also be baked on the BBQ. This is how we make them in the summer when it’s too hot to bake indoors.
Baking them in a BBQ is similar to baking in the oven. A BBQ can maintain heat just as well as an oven making it perfect for baking on hot summer days.
Gas BBQ
To bake these cinnamon rolls on a gas BBQ, preheat the BBQ to 375℉. Then turn off the burners on one side of the grill. That is the side the pan of cinnamon buns will bake on.
To keep the bottom of the buns from burning, place a cooling rack under the pan to elevate it above the burners, or an upside down muffin pan works as well.
The pan will need to be turned half way through baking to ensure the buns are evenly baked.
Charcoal BBQ
Baking over charcoal is similar to the gas grill. The BBQ will need to be heated to 375℉ and set to indirect heat. To do this, after lighting the charcoal, place all the coals on one side of the BBQ and bake on the opposite side.
When baking in on our Weber Kettle, I like to use an expansion ring so the pan can be placed higher away from the coals.
Turn the pan half way through cooking to allow for even cooking.
Pellet Smoker
This is one of the easiest ways to bake outdoors. Pellet smokers allow the temperature to be set and doesn’t require a lot of work to keep the temperature from fluctuating like a charcoal grill.
Set the smoker to 375℉, preheat and bake.
And with a smoker, an extra layer of flavour can be added through smoke. Apple wood is a perfect choice since it complements the flavour of the cinnamon.
Can Cinnamon Buns Be Made Ahead Of Time?
This recipe can be made the night before and reheated in the oven the next day. If making ahead, don’t add the icing until after reheating.
The icing should only be made when ready to top the cinnamon rolls if you are making these ahead of time. Otherwise, the icing may harden and become hard to spread or pour over the buns.
Storing Cinnamon Buns
Leftover cinnamon buns can be stored covered at room temperature for 24 hours. After that they start to get hard like many types for yeast breads.
To extend the life of cinnamon buns, they can be frozen for up to 2 months in an air-tight container. When freezing, I prefer not to frost them before freezing. This makes them easier to reheat.
Reheating Cinnamon Buns
Easy Homemade Cinnamon Buns can be reheated in the microwave for 20 seconds for one cinnamon bun or 30 seconds for 2.
They can also be reheated in the oven. This is the method we use if reheating a whole pan. Cover the pan with aluminum foil to reheat. This keeps the buns from drying out.
Easy Homemade Cinnamon Buns
Ingredients
Dough
- 1¼ cups warm milk, (98℉)
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp dry active yeast
- ⅓ cup butter, melted and cooled
- 1 egg
- 3⅔ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
Filling
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup melted butter
Icing
- ¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2-3 Tbsp milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Dough
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the milk, sugar, and yeast, stirring to combine.
- Allow to rest for 5 minutes to active yeast.
- Add melted butter, egg, flour and salt.
- Using the dough hook, on low speed, mix for 1 minute to combine ingredients.
- After 1 minute, turn up the speed to the next level and allow the mixer to knead the dough for 3-4 minutes. The dough will be slightly sticky and will pull away from the sides easily.
- Turn dough into a slightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and then a tea towel.
- Let rise 2-3 hours in a warm place until doubled in size.
- Once doubled in size, punch dough down and turn it onto a lightly floured surface.
- Press or roll dough into a rectangle of 12 inch wide by 18 inches long.
Filling
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together.
- Brush dough with the melted butter, reserving 2 tablespoons of the butter for brushing over rolls before baking
- Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture evenly over the dough.
Assembling the cinnamon buns
- Roll the dough on the long side to make one 12 inch long log.
- Cut the log in half.
- Cut 1 inch slices from each log.
- Lightly grease a 9-inch and 13-inch pan with butter or cooking spray. Or cover bottom of pan with parchment paper.
- Place cinnamon rolls in the pan side by side.
- Cover pan with a tea towel and let rise 20 minutes
- Preheat oven to 375℉ while the rolls rise.
- Brush rolls with the reserved melted butter.
Baking the Buns
- Bake in preheated oven for 22 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Remove from oven and cool in pan for 2-3 minutes before topping with icing.
Icing
- Whisk powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together to create a drizzle for the buns.
- Pour icing over cinnamon buns and serve.
