❤️ My Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe results in sweet, fluffy rolls that are ultra-fluffy, thanks to the buttermilk in the dough. Topped with homemade cream cheese frosting, they’re one of my favorite make-ahead breakfasts or brunches for Easter, holidays, and special occasions!
Soft & Fluffy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade cinnamon rolls always sound great in theory… until you realize you’d need to wake up at 5 am just to have one with your 10 am coffee. No, thanks!
Luckily, I was able to fix that with this overnight cinnamon buns recipe. These rolls are some of the best I’ve ever made, which is saying a lot, because I’ve tested countless cinnamon roll variations. My chocolate cinnamon rolls, carrot cake cinnamon rolls, and pumpkin cinnamon rolls are all delicious.
But you just can’t beat the classic flavor, especially when these rolls are made with an ultra-soft, fluffy dough that’s light without being overly dense and a brown sugar-cinnamon filling that melts into a caramel-like sauce. Topped with a dreamy cream cheese frosting, they taste like they came from a bakery but are simple to make at home.
My overnight prep process ensures there are no shortcuts while keeping the process simple and eliminating stress in the morning. It’s the best of both worlds, which is why these rolls have a nearly 5 -star rating with over 100 reviews! Take a look at what readers are saying:
I’ve been making these cinnamon rolls for over a decade (12+ years, I think, as of 2025) and they are everyone’s favorite! I’ve made them dozens of times at this point and the recipes comes out perfectly every time, which is not an easy feat for *any* bread recipe.
Annie
I’ve made this recipe MANY times now over several years. It’s my go-to Christmas morning recipe. Being able to make the dough the night before is a lifesaver. And everyone who’s ever had one of these has raved!!
Jana
Ingredients and Notes
To make the best cinnamon roll recipe ever, you’ll need:
- All-purpose flour: You can also use bread flour, but the rolls will be chewier. I prefer all-purpose flour for a soft, fluffy consistency. I haven’t tested this recipe with gluten-free flour
- Instant dry yeast: I used Red Star Platinum instant yeast, which is my gold standard. It’s an instant dry yeast, so you don’t have to proof it first with water and wait for it to get bubbly and foamy. Just sprinkle it right into the bowl with the other ingredients and then pour the liquids over the top of everything. When I deviate from Platinum and use other yeast, my dough doesn’t rise as well and doesn’t bake up as puffy and fluffy. Do not substitute active dry yeast. It’s not the same
- Baking staples: Granulated sugar, salt, unsalted butter, large eggs
- Buttermilk: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can make your own with milk and white vinegar. Or, use powdered buttermilk. (See the recipe card below)
- Cinnamon sugar filling: Unsalted butter, light brown sugar, and cinnamon
- Cream cheese frosting: Unsalted butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, confectioners’ sugar, and salt
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Homemade Cinnamon Rolls
This overnight cinnamon rolls recipe is simple, but there are quite a few steps. I highly recommend reading over the reicpe card a few times before starting and planning accordingly. Here’s an overview of the process:
Make the dough: Prep the wet and dry ingredients. Then, beat the wet ingredients in with the dry ingredients using a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Switch the paddle attachment with a dough hook, and knead the dough, adding more flour as needed. Note that the dough is very sticky and tacky and is supposed to be that way!
Proof the dough: Transfer the dough to a large bowl that has been greased with cooking spray, cover, and let it rise in a warm, dry place until it doubles in size.
Shape the cinnamon rolls: Punch the dough down, transfer it to a floured work surface, and knead until smooth. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, and butter the dough, leaving a border around the edges. Sprinkle brown sugar over the dough, and roll it into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed, and stretch the log out evenly. Slice the dough into equal-sized rolls.
Bake the rolls: Arrange the rolls, cut side down, in a prepared baking pan, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the rolls rise and double in size before baking. Then, bake until they’re lightly golden brown on top and cooked through.
Prep the frosting: While the rolls cool, beat the frosting ingredients in a stand mixer or medium bowl. Then, spread the frosting over the semi-cooled rolls in the baking dish, and enjoy!
My Top Tips for Success
- Don’t over-flour the dough. This dough is supposed to be soft, sticky, and slightly messy. That’s what gives you that ultra-fluffy, tender texture. Adding too much flour will result in dense, bready rolls. Trust the process.
- Temperature matters more than you think. Warm (not hot) buttermilk is key to activating the yeast properly. If it’s too hot, you’ll kill the yeast. If it’s too cold, your dough won’t rise well. Aim for “warm bath water” vibes if you’re not using a thermometer.
- Create a warm rising environment. If your kitchen runs cold, use the oven trick: briefly warm it, turn it off, and let your dough rise inside. This makes a huge difference in getting that soft, pillowy texture.
- Use unflavored dental floss to cut the rolls. It sounds weird, but it’s the best way to get clean slices without squishing the dough (way better than a knife).
- Adjust the frosting. I prefer a simple cream cheese icing, but you can add milk, cream, buttermilk, orange zest, almond extract, or whatever you like to make the flavor your own.
Overnight Soft and Fluffy Cinnamon Rolls
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer Fitted with a Paddle Attachment
- 2 Mixing Bowls
- 1 (15x10x1-inch) Jelly Roll Pan
Ingredients
Dough
- up to 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast, one 1/4-ounce packet, I use Red Star Platinum
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (3/4 of one stick)
- 3 large eggs, lightly whisked
- ¾ cup buttermilk*, See Notes
Filling
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, very soft – let it sit out while dough rises
- 1 to 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, packed (granulated sugar or a half-and-half combo of white and brown sugars may be substituted)
- 3 to 4 teaspoons cinnamon, or to taste (I use 5 teaspoons)
Cream Cheese Frosting
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 6 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pound confectioners’ sugar, 4 cups
- ½ teaspoon salt, optional and to taste
Instructions
Make the Dough
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 4 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, yeast, salt to taste; set aside.
- Place 6 tablespoons butter in a small microwave-safe bowl, and heat to melt, about 45 seconds; set aside.
- Crack eggs in another bowl and whisk; set aside.
- Add buttermilk to a glass measuring cup and warm to temperature, about 45 seconds on high power in the microwave. Tips – Based on the type of yeast used, milk temperatures will vary. Red Star Platinum yeast calls for warmer temperatures than most, 120 to 130F; other brands and yeast call for much lower temperatures, about 95 to 105F. Warm milk according to manufacturer’s recommendations on the packaging. Taking the temperature with a digital thermometer is highly recommended, but if you’re not, make sure the milk is warm, not hot. Err on the cooler rather than hotter side so you don’t kill the yeast. If the milk separates or gets a little funny looking after being warmed, whisk it to smooth it out.
- To the dry ingredients in the stand mixer, add the melted butter, eggs, buttermilk, and beat on medium-low speed for about 1 minute, or until combined.
- Switch to the dough hook (the dough will have stuck to the paddle and just pick off what you can and put it into the bowl) and knead for 10 to 12 minutes (15 to 18 minutes by hand).
- If after 5 minutes more flour is needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough clears the side of the bowl but sticks to the bottom. Tips – This is a very sticky, tacky, moist, and borderline sloppy dough; don’t be tempted to over-flour it. It’s supposed to be that way. The more flour you add now, the less fluffy and more dense the rolls will be. Dough should clear the sides of the mixer while kneading but sticking to the bottom is fine. However, if the dough is simply too sloppy to work with, you can't move it from mixing bowl to rising bowl, it does need more flour so add some, as little as you can get away with, until you can work with the dough more easily.
- Remove the dough from the mixing bowl, spray a large mixing bowl with cooking spray, and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place it in a warm, draft-free place to rise for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or doubled in size. I keep my bowl inside a powered-off oven. Every 45 minutes or so, I power on the oven for 1 minute to 400F, as if I am preheating it, then I power it off. Do not, repeat not, keep the oven on. These short bursts of 1 minute of heat create a stable 85F-ish warm environment, ideal for the yeast. If your rising spot is cold, it will take longer than 2 1/2 hours.
- Prepare a 11-by-17-inch or similar sized jellyroll pan or sheetcake pan with a raised edge, or use a 9-by-13-inch pan. I prefer a jellyroll pan because it’s slightly larger so the rolls are less squished, have more room to rise, and bake more evenly. Line pan with aluminum foil, spray with cooking spray; set aside.
Shape the Cinnamon Rolls
- After dough has doubled in size, punch it down. Turn dough out onto a floured Silpat or floured countertop. Knead it lightly for about 2 minutes.
- With a rolling pin, roll it out to a 16-by-12-inch rectangle; just slightly larger than a standard Silpat.
- With a knife, butter the dough with 1/2 cup soft butter, leaving a 3/4-inch border around the edges.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over it. Sprinkle the cinnamon over the brown sugar; I was very generous with the cinnamon and used almost 5 teaspoons and recommend at least 3; just eyeball it and shake it on.
- Loosen the dough from the counter using a bench scraper (or metal spatula), and starting with a long edge, roll the dough into a tight log. Pinch the seam closed and turn log so seam side is down.
- Gently stretch the log to be 18 inches in length with an even diameter all the way around and pat the ends to even them up. Don’t fret if your log isn’t perfect; it’s okay.
- Slice the cylinder into 12 evenly sized rolls (about 1 1/2 inches wide) using a bench scraper, serrated knife, or plain unwaxed dental floss (works great to not squish and compact the log).
- Arrange the rolls cut side down in the prepared baking pan. Cover with plastic wrap.
- If making the rolls straight through: Let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the rolls have nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- If making the rolls overnight: Don’t let rolls rise after they’ve been sliced and placed in covered pan. Place pan in refrigerator for up to 16 hours. Before baking, let the rolls sit at room temperature until they have nearly doubled in size, about 1 hour.
Bake the Rolls
- For either version, bake at 350ºF for 22 to 25 minutes, or until lightly golden on top and cooked through but not overly browned.
- While the rolls cool, make the frosting.
Make the Cream Cheese Frosting
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine 1/2 cup butter, cream cheese, and beat on medium speed to combine, about 1 minute.
- Add the vanilla, 3 cups confectioners’ sugar (I don’t bother sifting), and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Add remaining 1 cup of sugar (or more, or none) as necessary, to taste, based on desired frosting consistency and flavor.
- Spread the frosting over the tops of the semi-cooled rolls and serve. Tips – Make sure they're not too warm or the frosting will melt. You may not use all the frosting if you don't like a lot of frosting on your rolls. That's fine, you don't need to use it all. Extra frosting will keep airtight in the fridge for many weeks or you can freeze it.
Notes
- Make your own buttermilk with whole milk and vinegar. Add 3/4 cup of 2% or whole milk to a large measuring cup. Stir in 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Let that mixture sit for 2 minutes before using in the recipe.
- You can use powdered buttermilk. You’ll mix how many ever tablespoons the package calls for, with 3/4 cup of water, to yield 3/4 cup of buttermilk. For those who bake with or use buttermilk semi-frequently, but not so frequently to keep in in your fridge, keeping a tub of powdered buttermilk in your pantry is very handy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Cinnamon Roll Recipes:
Nutella Cinnamon Rolls with Vanilla Glaze — A can of crescent rolls never tasted so good as when they’re stuffed with Nutella and rolled up. Ready from start to finish in 15 minutes, no joke
The Best Glazed Orange Sweet Rolls — These homemade orange rolls are filled with a buttery orange filling and are topped with a simple orange glaze. They can be prepped the night before, if needed.
Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Bake — The recipe is easy, ready in 40 minutes, and you don’t even have to make scratch cinnamon roll dough.
The BEST Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls — The glaze soaks into the nooks and crannies and adds even more moisture and softness. Total gooey, cinnamon-and-sugary, juicy perfection.
1-Hour Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting — The dough is made, rolled out, sliced, and immediately baked, which eliminates many hours and steps compared to most cinnamon roll recipes.
Caramel Apple Cinnamon Roll Bake — This cinnamon roll recipe with apples and caramel sauce is easy, ready in 30 minutes, and you don’t even have to make scratch cinnamon roll dough.
Hi Averie, thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe. I just made it today and it turned out great. The texture that I am looking for. Soft and fluffy. So far this is the best compared with the rest that I have tried.
The only issue for me was the dough is still sticky after the 10 to 12 mins hook knead plus 5 mins hand knead. The dough kept on sticking to my hand but as advice by you on above, I do it patiently although it is still sticky. Is this normal or the dough texture should be shiny and smooth ? Mine is not smooth and it is sticky. I even have to roll it slowly by scraping the dough. Did I do something wrong here ?
Once again thank you.
The stickier and wetter the dough is, the softer and fluffier the rolls tend to turn out. Adding flour is going to vary greatly based on climate, humidity, brand of flour, etc. but since you loved the texture, I say just deal with the stickiness. If you add more flour, the dough will be easier to work with but the finished rolls will be denser and more heavy from the extra flour. Glad you love the recipe!
I just made these and they were so amazing! Took me longer than the prep time said but I think each time I’ll get the hang of it more. I didn’t have buttermilk on hand so I used 2% and they were still lovely. I think the buttermilk will def make them fluffier but these were still the best i ever had. I also only used three cups of powdered sugar and that was plenty.. I’ll prob use 2.5 next time. I loved that you could taste the tanginess of the cream cheese still. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you even without using buttermilk! That will DEFINITELY make them even softer and fluffier next time, so you’re in for a treat. And yes, the more you make rolls, the faster you get!
Btw today is my b.day and I made the cinnamon rolls this morning.
Is there a best way to celebrate my breakfast B-DAY ?!
Happy birthday and thanks for trying the recipe and glad the rolls worked out great for you and that you’re able to enjoy them on your special day!!! I hope the rolls were just the beginning :)
Averie,
I am so thrilled I gave your recipe a try!
Since I live in Switzerland I wasn’t sure about the whole ingredient list and was a bit curious to see how the dough will turn out.
Eventually I’ve noticed that my dough was way too sticky and had to add extra flour to it.
Then I’ve left it the whole night for the 1st rise. Then rolled the dough and 2nd rise for about 45 minutes.
Then in the oven.
Well I have to say that since I had a bunch of cinnabons when I was in NJ,…I am so THRILLED about these cinnamon rolls. The dough is PERFECT and I love its fluffiness and just perfect moist.
I have now MY perfect recipe and for that I am so thankful.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR SHARING YOUR TREASURE WITH US ALL :)
Celina.
Hi Avery!
I congratulate you for your site and your recipes. I am a fan of cinnamon rolls, and now one of your fan. After revising a lot or recipes, I decided to make your recipe for the detailed instruction of the recipe and the lot of comments you have. Definitively this recipe ROCKS!!!! What a amazing results!. Prepared two batches this weekend. In the first one, I warm the oven at 170°F, shut off and wait 10 minutes before introduce the bowl with the dough. The dough rised more than doubled its volume in less than 1 hour. Even though I dislike the texture of the dough because it was little dry externally. The results were great, but I considered the taste was low in cinnamon. So I repeat the recipe with these changes:
Dough: 492 grams of all purpose flour (4 cups + 1 tbsp), more sugar (up to 90 g vs 65 g original) to balance the salt in butter and buttermilk. Rise on the countertop – no oven. 1st rise: 1 hour 2nd rise: 1 hour + 15 minutes
Filling: less butter (used brush instead of knife), white sugar (I didn’t have brown sugar), 2 tablespoons of cinnamon. Raisins and pine nuts added over cinnamon
Topping: Butter brushed on top of every roll and some granulated sugar added over butter
The results were AWESOME!!!! What delicious!!!! THE PERFECT CINNAMON ROLL. I am very excited with the results. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And thank you for your enthusiastic support and sharing what you did!
Just wanted to say these are the best cinnamon rolls, and whenever I need homemade cinnamon rolls, this is my go to recipe. I’m only seventeen, and I only just started working with yeast in my baking, and these were easy and amazingly delicious. The only thing I changed when I made them a second time was rolling out the dough into a 26 by 13 inch rectangle like the glazed orange rolls, so I could make 20 rolls instead of 12 and have a little better portion control. The glaze is also amazing and addictive.
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it’s your favorite recipe! Good call on making the rolls a little smaller (like my recipe for the orange ones) and I am so impressed that you’re 17 and making scratch cinnamon rolls! I was making poptarts at your age…LOL :)
I just pulled the rolls out of the oven. The filling appears to be a lake in the bottom of the pan. I made the overnight version. What happened??
I think that you probably didn’t roll them tightly enough and upon baking, the buttery mixture slid toward the bottom as it warmed up. Next time really concentrate on making a tight log when you’re rolling. Also, some leakage is normal but sounds like you have more than that. But I’m sure they still taste great. Just scoop up the saucy goodness and scoop it over the top of the rolls with a spoon and enjoy!
These were truly the best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had, and they were surprisingly easy to make! Can’t wait to make them again!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad they were truly the best cinnamon rolls you’ve ever had, and that they were so easy for you to make! Wonderful to hear!
Averie, thank you so much!! I made these for Easter brunch yesterday and they were incredible. Way better recipe than other cinnamon rolls I’ve made. And thank you for the DETAILED instructions!
Thanks for trying the recipe, glad they came out better than other rolls you’ve tried, and that all my details really help!
Averie-
Okay so the first time around I messed up on the oven 1 min trick.. Yes I had a Rock of bread by the time I realized :(:( I cried for about twenty min. but I just made them again today with much more patience And attention and they are amazing!!! Thank you for sharing! First timE (well I guess second time ;) ) making cinnamon rolls from scratch!
Thanks for trying the recipe and glad the 2nd time was a charm! Cinn rolls aren’t the easiest first-ever yeasted bread to make so I commend you for making these and so glad they came out amazing for you!
Averie, these were amazing!! Always great to start with an America’s Test Kitchen base. I let the dough rise longer than 2 hours the first time, so it was really quick to rise again once they were rolled up. Also, I can’t imagine someone halving the frosting recipe. I thought it was just enough (though I have a bit of a sweet tooth…). Will definitely be making these again!
Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you! And I like to do a long first rise with any bread recipe if I have the time and planned well for it…glad you had great luck with that, and then yes the 2nd rise is much quicker. And glad you’re a full-batch frosting person just like me :) Can’t go wrong with ATK recipes, plus some tweaks to make them more user-friendly!
So, I am working on my 2nd batch of this dough because I thought I had messed up the first batch. Neither of my batches were “wet” as you describe. I was wondering if anyone else had this “problem”? My dough didn’t ever stick to the sides of my bowl or the bottom. It was very nice and pliable, but never wet or sticky to the touch. Any insights? Thanks.
Neither of my batches were “wet” as you describe <--- you probably added more flour than I did. Easy fix: add less flour. It's not 'bad' that it's not a wetter dough; but the wetter you can deal with the dough (to a point!) the softer and lighter the rolls will be b/c they're not weighed down with heavy flour. Newer bread-makers tend to overflour and people tend to over-measure their flour in general so this is common, but easily fixed :)