These fluffy cinnamon roll bites use an easy no-knead homemade dough; every bite tastes like the soft, ooey, gooey center of a cinnamon roll.

This might be the most important recipe I’ve posted this year. Maybe of my life! These cinnamon roll bites are absolutely incredible, and I cannot wait for you to make them.

Lifting fluffy cinnamon roll bite out of pan of cinnamon roll bites.

Please Make These ASAP

The idea for these easy cinnamon roll bites has been swirling around my head for a while. When they finally became a reality, they were a million times better than I could ever have imagined. Here’s why you should make them ASAP:

  1. The homemade dough is incredibly easy to make. No mixer required! You just need a bowl and spoon to mix up the no-knead dough.
  2. All of the glorious little cinnamon bites bake together in one pan. You can use a 9-inch circle cake pan, a deep 9-inch pie plate, or an 8X8-inch square pan.
  3. The pull-apart style of this recipe makes the cinnamon roll bites super easy to serve. As in, set the pan on the table and let everyone go to town. If your house is like my house, you might be shocked at how quickly they disappear.
  4. The recipe calls for simple pantry ingredients, so you can whip these up without a special trip to the store. Actually, now that I think about it, cinnamon roll bites at a moment’s notice could be considered quite dangerous…
  5. These little cinnamon roll bites look impressive (and wow, smell SO good) despite being surprisingly simple to make.

The No-Knead Easy Fluffy Dough

The dough for these cinnamon roll bites hails from this wildly popular and super fluffy roll recipe. It makes the best little cinnamon roll bites!

A few things to keep in mind:

  1. This dough is going to be wetter and less smooth than a traditional kneaded roll dough. So don’t panic.
  2. Just mix until the dough comes together in a shaggy-looking mass.
  3. Use a bit of flour on your hands and on the counter when ready to use the dough.
Glass bowl with flour and butter and hot water.
Wet roll dough mixed in glass bowl.

How to Make Cinnamon Roll Bites

There are three components to these fluffy cinnamon roll bites: the dough, the butter + cinnamon + sugar, and the icing.

  1. Make the dough and let it rise.
  2. Press it into a 7X7-inch square and cut into four strips across and four strips down for 16 equal pieces. Cut each of those pieces in half for about 32 dough pieces. It doesn’t have to be exact. More or less pieces is fine.
  3. Dip each piece of dough into melted butter and coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  4. Place the dough pieces in an even layer in a lightly greased pan.
  5. Let the dough rise until puffy and bake until golden.
  6. Drizzle with the simple icing.
  7. SERVE WARM.
34 pieces of dough on lightly floured counter.
Dipping small piece of roll dough in melted butter.
Dipping buttery dough in cinnamon and sugar.
Cinnamon and sugar coated buttery dough in circle baking pan.

Additional Notes

➡️ Perhaps the most important instruction in the recipe is: “Drizzle any remaining butter over the dough in the pan.” Don’t disregard this loving guidance. The butter is what helps give each cinnamon roll bite the look, feel, and taste like it was just pulled from the center of a glorious cinnamon roll.

➡️ These bites are delicious served fresh. Nothing beats grabbing one from the center of the pan about 8 1/2 minutes after they have exited the oven. However, they also reheat great (just a few seconds in the microwave)…and are wildly good at room temperature, too.

➡️ The recipe can be doubled for a 9X13-inch pan or doubled to bake in two round pans.

You might be wondering how this recipe is different from monkey bread. First of all, it is easier to make thanks to the simple dough, and the cinnamon roll bites are fluffier (the dough for the monkey bread recipe is a bit richer and slightly less fluffy). The cinn roll bites are also baked in a single layer rather than being piled in a bundt pan, and they aren’t turned out of the pan when serving. In summary: they are down-to-earth, simple, and absolutely irresistible.

These cinnamon roll bites are one of the best things I’ve made all year. I hope you love them as much as we do! (Next up, I think an “orange roll” version is in order…OH MY.)

White plate with five cinnamon roll bites drizzled with icing with top cinnamon roll bite in half.
Lifting fluffy cinnamon roll bite out of pan of cinnamon roll bites.

Easy Fluffy Cinnamon Roll Bites

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Rising Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
5 stars (27 ratings)
Print Pin Rate

Ingredients

Dough:

  • 2 cups (284 g) all-purpose or bread flour
  • 2 tablespoons (27 g) granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • ¾ teaspoon table salt
  • ¾ cup hot water
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large egg

Cinnamon + Sugar + Butter:

  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  • ¼ cup (53 g) lightly packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Icing:

  • ½ cup (57 g) powdered sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons cream or milk, plus more as needed

Instructions 

  • For the dough, in a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, yeast, and salt. In a blender, add hot water, butter and egg, and process until well-combined.
  • Add the blended mixture to the dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until evenly combined and no dry streaks remain. The dough will be shaggy and more wet than a traditional roll dough.
  • Cover the bowl and let rise until doubled, about an hour.
  • For the cinnamon and sugar, in a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, granulated sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
  • Lightly grease a 9-inch round cake pan (or deep pie plate).
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter. Dust the top of the dough lightly with flour (to prevent sticking when cutting into pieces).
  • Lightly pat the dough into a thick square, about 7X7 inches. Use a pizza cutter or bench scraper to cut the dough into four strips across and then four strips the other direction (for 16 equal pieces). Then cut each piece of dough in half for about 32 equal pieces.
  • Dip each piece of dough into the melted butter and roll in the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the coated dough pieces in a single layer close together in the prepared pan.
  • Drizzle any remaining butter over the dough in the pan.
  • Cover and let rise until the dough has puffed and risen (but not necessarily doubled), 30 to 45 minutes.
  • Bake for 25 to 27 minutes until golden and baked through.
  • Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes.
  • For the icing, while the cinnamon roll bites cool, whisk together the powdered sugar and cream or milk together until smooth and well-combined. Add additional milk, as needed, so the consistency is thick but pourable.
  • Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cinnamon roll bites. Serve warm.

Notes

Doubled Recipe: The recipe can be doubled for a 9X13-inch pan or doubled to bake in two round pans. 
Author: Mel Gunnell
Course: Bread
Cuisine: American
Method: Bake
Serving: 1 serving (about 5 cinnamon bites), Calories: 442kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 429mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 31g

Recommended Products

9-inch Cake Pan
Bench Knife/Scraper
Wire Whisk

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe