Make these Overnight Cinnamon Rolls recipe ahead of time to enjoy on Sunday morning with your family! They are perfectly soft and buttery inside and covered with silky cream cheese icing on top.
If you love cinnamon rolls but don’t want to spend hours of making them in the morning, you definitely need to try this recipe! You can easily prepare it a day before, refrigerate overnight, and enjoy in the morning with your family.
Why you will love them
- Easy to make a night before. Since it takes about 3 hours to make the dough, proof, and assemble the rolls, it’s better to do it a day before to save time. So, in the morning you can just take them out of the fridge, do a second proof, and bake.
- Soft and Buttery inside. It’s all about the light and fluffy texture inside the buns that melts in your mouth!
- Rich and silky icing. Cream cheese frosting makes a huge difference! It doesn’t matter if you make it thinner or thicker, it’s all about the flavor!
How to make it
1. Make the Dough.
In a bowl, mix together all-purpose 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp salt, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 ½ tsp instant yeast. Set aside.
In a stand mixer bowl, add ¾ cup warm milk (about 110°F), ¼ cup melted butter, and 1 egg. Give it a stir and add dry ingredients.
Using a dough attachment, mix everything until combined on a low speed, then increase the speed to medium/low and continue kneading for 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
2. First Proof.
When done, add a tablespoon of olive oil and roll the dough into it until covered on all sides. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 1 ½-2 hours or until doubled in size.
3. Make Cinnamon Rolls.
Mix ⅔ cup light brown sugar and 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon in a small ball and set aside.
When ready, punch the dough to deflate and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll it in a rectangular shape.
Brush with softened butter, then sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.
Tightly roll it into a log and cut into 9 even rolls.
4. Refrigerate.
Transfer them to a greased baking pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
5. Bake.
In the morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and let them sit covered on the counter for 1 ½-2 hours or until they get to the room temperature and double in size. Then brush the top with softened butter.
Bake at 350° for about 20-25 minutes or until a beautiful golden color.
6. Glaze.
While the rolls are baking, we can prepare the glaze.
In a mixing bowl, put room temperature cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Using a mixer, beat for a couple of minutes until light. Gradually add milk until desired consistency.
When the rolls are baked, take them out of the oven and pour the glaze over.
Tips for best results
- I make 9 large buns out of this recipe. If you have a bigger party, you can make 12 smaller ones and bake in 9×13-inch baking pan.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer with a dough attachment, you can knead the dough with your hands for about 10 minutes.
- Make sure you use WHOLE milk and not skim or plant-based variety.
- Make sure you grease the baking pan before adding the rolls into it.
- Before refrigerating overnight, TIGHTLY cover the rolls with plastic wrap. If you leave any openings, the fridge air will dry out the dough.
- If the rolls are browning too fast, you can cover them with a piece of foil half way through baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! If you can easily bake them the same day. Just skip the refrigeration part and go directly to the second proof.
Yes. If you decide to use active dry yeast, the results will be the same but the first steps a bit different.
You will need to mix the active dry yeast with warm milk and sugar and wait for 5 minutes until the yeast is activated. Add egg, melted butter and whisk. Then add dry ingredients. The rest of the instructions will be the same.
Want more Breakfast Ideas?
- Apple Pie Cinnamon Rolls
- Baked Oatmeal Cups
- Instant Pot Oatmeal Recipe
- Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
- Healthy Morning Glory Muffins
- Blueberry Hand Pies
- Perfect Buttermilk Pancakes
- French Crepes Recipe
Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Ingredients
Dough:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons instant yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup whole milk warm
- ¼ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter softened, for brushing
Filling:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- â…” cup light brown sugar
- 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
Icing:
- 4 oz cream cheese room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup whole milk room temperature
Instructions
Make the Dough.
- In a bowl, mix together all-purpose 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ tsp salt, ¼ cup sugar, and 2 ½ tsp instant yeast. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer bowl, add ¾ cup warm milk (about 110°F), ¼ cup melted butter, and 1 egg. Give it a stir and add dry ingredients.
- Using a dough attachment, mix everything until combined on a low speed, then increase the speed to medium/low and continue kneading for 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little bit more flour, one tablespoon at a time.
First Proof.
- When done, add a tablespoon of olive oil and roll the dough into it until covered on all sides. Cover with a towel and let rise for about 1 ½-2 hours or until doubled in size.
Make Cinnamon Rolls.
- Mix ⅔ cup light brown sugar and 1 ½ tbsp cinnamon in a small ball and set aside.
- When ready, punch the dough to deflate and transfer it to a lightly floured surface. Roll it in a rectangular shape.
- Brush with softened butter, then sprinkle the sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.
- Tightly roll it into a log and cut into 9 even rolls.
Refrigerate.
- Transfer them to a greased baking pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
Bake.
- In the morning, take the rolls out of the fridge and let them sit covered on the counter for 1 ½-2 hours or until they get to the room temperature and double in size. Then brush the top with softened butter.
- Bake at 350° for about 20-25 minutes or until a beautiful golden color.
Glaze.
- While the rolls are baking, we can prepare the glaze.
- In a mixing bowl, put room temperature cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Using a mixer, beat for a couple of minutes until light. Gradually add milk until desired consistency.
- When the rolls are baked, take them out of the oven and pour the glaze over.
Video
Notes
- I make 9 large buns out of this recipe. If you have a bigger party, you can make 12 smaller ones and bake in 9×13-inch baking pan.
- If you don’t have a stand mixer with a dough attachment, you can knead the dough with your hands for about 10 minutes.
- Make sure you use WHOLE milk and not skim or plant-based variety.
- Make sure you grease the baking pan before adding the rolls into it.
- Before refrigerating overnight, TIGHTLY cover the rolls with plastic wrap. If you leave any openings, the fridge air will dry out the dough.
- If the rolls are browning too fast, you can cover them with a piece of foil half way through baking.
- If you decide to use active dry yeast, the results will be the same but the first steps a bit different. You will need to mix the active dry yeast with warm milk and sugar and wait for 5 minutes until the yeast is activated. Add egg, melted butter and whisk. Then add dry ingredients. The rest of the instructions will be the same.
No salt?
We always make cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning and the fact I can me these the night before is so great! I’ll be making these this Christmas!
I’m so excited that I managed to make these cinnamon rolls and they turned out amazing. I prepared them yesterday and baked them this morning! To be repeated very soon!
Ooh can’t wait to make these for
The holidays! Love cinnamon rolls and love that we can make them the night before!
These cinnamon rolls are so good! They have the perfect soft, tender texture, and I love that I can make them ahead of time. I’ll definitely make these again with the holidays in the near future.
Just the recipe I needed. The possibility of make-ahead cinnamon rolls is genius! I love your photos too, wonderfully tempting. Thanks for sharing Veronika!
Oh my goodness, what a treat it will be for my family to wake up to the smell of cinnamon tomorrow morning! I love how easy they are to make, can’t wait to surprise my family in the morning!
OMG, those were amazing cinnamon rolls! My family loved them!
Oh wow! Your Cinnamon Rolls look incredible! With your step by step instructions, I have confidence I can make these!
Cinnamon rolls are one of my favorite breakfasts and with this recipe, I can have them anytime I want at home!
The step by step pictures and tips for greatest results are so useful to have a successful bake and delicious cinnamon rolls. Can’t wait to make them!