Perfect Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls
When you don’t want 4 dozen cinnamon rolls staring you in the face, what do you do? You make this amazing small batch cinnamon roll recipe and then gaze lovingly at 12 of the most perfect cinnamon rolls ever!
There is certainly a time and a place for a huge batch of cinnamon rolls.
But if you don’t need 20+ cinnamon rolls staring you in the face, this recipe for a small batch of cinnamon rolls is the perfect solution!
12 Cinnamon Rolls
This recipe makes twelve perfect cinnamon rolls nestled together in a basic 9X13-inch pan.
They’re amazing. And I’m going to show you just how easy they are to make.
How to make small batch cinnamon rolls
Mix the dough ingredients in a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook.
The dough should be soft and smooth after mixing, not over floured (dry rolls!) or under floured (sticky, doughy rolls!).
If you focus on the feel of the dough rather than the exact flour amount in the recipe, you’ll achieve the perfect dough.
Ultimately, when the dough goes from lumpy and shaggy and forms a ball that doesn’t leave a lot of sticky residue on your fingers, you’re good to go.
Perfect Texture for the Dough
You can see that this beautiful lump of cinnamon roll dough holds it’s shape and isn’t sticky, but it is still stretchy and soft.
Holding it up like this, if it starts pulling and sagging without sticking to your fingers, you have yourself a really good cinnamon roll dough.
Plop the dough in a lightly greased bowl and let it rise until noticeably puffy and pretty much doubled in size. The exact time will depend on the temperature of your kitchen, but it should be right around 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Rolling out Cinnamon Rolls
Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a lightly greased countertop (I prefer using nonstick cooking spray over using flour so the rolls stay soft and not over floured).
This dough is so malleable and easy to work with that I never mess with a rolling pin. I just pat it into a rectangle, about 14X10-inches, and call it good.
Spread about 6 tablespoons of softened butter on top. Combine the brown sugar and cinnamon together (and the little bit of flour, if using – more details on that in the recipe below) and sprinkle that lovely concoction over the butter.
Starting with one long end, roll up the cinnamon rolls. The key to this rolling action is to roll them up as tightly as possible without stretching the dough.
Stretching and pulling on the dough while rolling them up will cause the rolls to shrink weirdly in the oven and can cause some of those dreaded gaps in the rolls after they bake and cool.
Once rolled, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces. I find it’s easiest to use a serrated knife (I have this inexpensive one and love it; it’s amazing – aff. link) or a piece of thread or unflavored dental floss.
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch pan with cooking spray and place those cute rolls evenly in the pan. I like to tuck the ends of the rolls underneath. Habit, I guess.
Let the rolls rise until puffy. I know they’re ready when they are starting to get in each others’ personal space. Sides touching and they’re ready to go!
Bake the rolls in a 350 degree F oven for about 18-20 minutes. A tiny bit of browning on top is ok, but don’t let them bake too long or they might be dry.
While they are cooling, I like to whip up the icing and slather it on when they are just warm. Not too hot, not too cold. It’s the perfect frosting situation.
I’ve made these several times over the last few months just for our family. The recipe is the perfect size without too many dangerous leftovers.
So easy, you’ll be asking yourself why you aren’t making cinnamon rolls every day! Haha. Ok, that was a stretch. But maybe cinnamon rolls every couple weeks/months is a very, very good idea. 🙂
How to make these cinnamon rolls ahead of time
It’s really easy to make cinnamon rolls ahead of time!
This post on making cinnamon rolls ahead of time can be used for any variety of sweet roll.
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Four Years Ago: Pumpkin White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake {Egg-Free, Easily Gluten Free}
Five Years Ago: Apple Crumb Pie
Perfect Small Batch Cinnamon Rolls
Ingredients
Dough:
- 1 cup milk (see note)
- ¼ cup (57 g) butter (I use salted butter)
- ¼ cup (53 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ teaspoons instant yeast (see note)
- 1 large egg
- 3 to 4 cups (426-568 g) all-purpose flour (see note)
Filling:
- 6 to 7 tablespoons (85-99 g) butter
- ⅔ cup (141 g) packed brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons flour , optional (see note)
Frosting:
- 3 tablespoons (43 g) cream cheese, softened
- 6 tablespoons (85 g) butter, softened (I use salted butter)
- 1 tablespoon milk or heavy cream
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (143 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- For the dough, heat the milk in a medium saucepan until the milk is scalded (which is basically heating it until right before it simmers – it will start steaming and little bubbles will form around the edge of the pan; you can also do this in the microwave). Pour the milk into the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the dough hook (or you can do this by hand with a large bowl and wooden spoon).
- Add the butter, sugar and salt. Mix until the butter is melted and let the mixture cool until warm but not hot. Add the yeast and egg and mix until combined.
- Gradually add the flour until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. The exact amount will depend on the temperature, humidity and how you measure flour. I usually end up with right around 3 1/2 cups of flour. The dough should be soft and just slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled, about an hour. Roll or pat the dough into about a 14X10-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter evenly across the top.
- Stir together the brown sugar and cinnamon (and flour if using) and sprinkle it evenly over the butter. Pat it in slightly with the palms of your hands. Starting with one long end, roll up the cinnamon rolls as tightly as possible without stretching the dough, pinching the seam lightly to seal.
- Using a serrated knife, cut the large roll in half. Then cut each half in half again (forming four equal portions). Cut each of the four portions into three rolls for twelve cinnamon rolls total.
- Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish. Place the rolls in the pan (3 across, 4 down), tucking the loose end of the cinnamon roll underneath, if desired. Cover the pan with lightly greased plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and let the rolls rise until double, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake the rolls for about 18-22 minutes until only very slightly golden on top.
- While they cool (or before), prepare the icing by adding the cream cheese and butter to a medium bowl. Whip with a handheld (or stand) mixer until creamy. Add the milk or cream and vanilla. Mix again. Add the powdered sugar and whip until light and creamy. Spread the slightly warm rolls evenly with the icing. Serve immediately or let cool completely and serve at room temperature (or warm lightly before serving).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe (adapted from this favorite recipe)
Finally! A recipe for the perfect amount! I have tried many and this one also resulted in perfect cinnamon rolls! Thank you! I’ll be saving and sharing this one!
How much salt do you put in the frosting?
Just a pinch.
These are so yummy! I used my bread maker. Added the ingredients in the order my bread maker suggests. I did use 4 cups of flour. I baked them in a 9×13 pan. They were perfect.
Very yummy! Tastes nearly as good as Cinnabon . Would recommend using a bit bigger of a baking tray as mine were a little too tightly packed
I made these tonight! They were so perfect that I almost cried! Yumm:)
Can these be made by using the “Dough” function in a bread machine to prepare the dough if one doesn’t have a stand mixer with dough hook? I’ve done other recipes that way, but wonder if you have tried it.
I haven’t tried that but as long as the quantity of dough ingredients fits in your bread machine, it should be ok.
Just made these today! Loved the smaller batch and they taste wonderful! My hubby is going to be so happy when he gets home! Thanks for the recipe.
Can this be baked on a sheet pan or do they need a deep pan ?
Yes, they can bake on a sheet pan – they may not rise quite as high unless you place them fairly close together.
These we’re perfect for conference. Thank you!! My four year old declared “ Mom, this is my best breakfast ever!”
Haha, that is adorable!!
I only have active dry yeast and I’m curious if there is a reason you can’t proof the yeast in the warm milk before adding the other ingredients? If I let the milk cool a bit after scalding and add a little of the sugar would that work fine?
Yes you can…but sometimes in milk, it’s harder to tell when the yeast has fully proofed (bubbled) in milk than it is in water.
Such an easy recipe to follow and they came out delicious–nice and soft. I wasn’t able to get them all the same size like your pictures show (but practice makes perfect and it didn’t hurt the taste). The icing takes them to another level. This is my new favorite cinnamon roll recipe!
These are so easy and so amazing! Thanks!
This is the third recipe I tried and they came out almost perfect. Most of my mistakes were User Error LOL. But these were by far the best. And even though this is a small batch, because these are only for my sister and myself, I halved this recipe and made 6 delightful little rolls. It was also the least complex and best explained one. This one is going in my recipe book. <3
Made these as my first attempt ever at cinnamon rolls. They were simple and turned out pretty well. I will add more cinnamon to the filling in the future because there wasn’t much cinnamon flavor to them.
Can you use bread flour??
Yes!
I love this cinnamon roll recipe. The size is perfect and easy to make. One suggestion I would make is add 1 tsp of vanilla extract to the dough.
These were absolutely PERFECT! Great recipe!
This was a great recipe. My husband and kids loved it! I did 3/4Tbs of cinnamon and 1/4Tbs nutmeg/cardamom mix in the filling and it was tasty!
One question… is it really 3/4 Tablespoon of yeast? Or should it be 3/4 ounce(aka 1 packet)? (I used 2 packets of fast yeast but it just seemed like a lot!)
Yes, I use 3/4 tablespoon of yeast which is 2 1/4 teaspoons (I edited the recipe). 🙂
The easiest batch of cinnamon rolls I’ve ever made and so yummy even the next day.
I made these for Christmas morning, and they were amazing! After I cut them and put them in the pan, I put them in the refrigerator overnight, took them out in the morning to let them rise, and they turned out SO good!!
I made these today, and they are delightful. Two slight modifications: I used dry active yeast (followed notes), and I also cut back a little on the sugar for the filling and frosting. Your tips on how the dough should look were super helpful! These cinnamon rolls ended up light, fluffy, and perfect. Thanks for a great recipe!
Glad they worked out, Karen – thank you!
Hello Mel,
I tried so many recipes of cinnamon rolls till now to search for the best one. To be honest your recipe wins the heart. I am the person who seeks for balanced sweetness in my bakery. My family loves it. Even my father is diabetic but he couldn’t resist. Everyone in my family after eating these babies is like mmmmmmm 🙂
I altered toping. I usually use condensed milk, cream cheese and tinch of salt and butter scotch essence. It goes perfect with these rolls.
Thank you so much for the recipe and this recipe is all time fav for life time. 🙂
Can’t wait to try these. Look amazing!
Do you use salted or unsalted butter I your recipe?
I use salted butter
I am wondering if you can freeze these after they rise I n the pan?
I’d actually suggest freezing them before they rise in the pan and then take them out of the freezer to thaw and rise before baking.
Can you put them in the fridge before rising? Or does it have to be the freezer? Will they still rise in the fridge?
Yes, you can put them in the fridge for upto 24 hours before you take them out to ride. I think she said that in her notes, or her post she linked to!
Yes, you can refrigerate the rolls before rising!
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now. I’m a newbie with cinnamon rolls and had just made your big guys a couple of weeks before this recipe came out. I still have some in the freezer! It’s easy and delicious! The only thing I would say is that I always have a lot of the cinnamon/sugar left on the counter after cutting and transferring to the pan. There’s still plenty in the rolls though! Thanks again for your wonderful recipes!
Glad this recipe is working out for you, Heather! Thanks for letting me know!
Mel,
These are seriously the best! I made these this past weekend, letting them sit in the fridge overnight and bake the next morning. They were so easy and full of yeasty goodness! Cinnabon has some serious competition! I’m planning on freezing the half that I didn’t eat, and pulling those out for Christmas morning. I’ve already shared this recipe several times (and tagged you on IG), and will be making these again and again! Thank you!
Lisa
Thank you so much, Lisa!!
This recipe was so easy and turned out way better than what I expected! The portion is just right for some fresh homemade cinnamon rolls and the frosting was PERFECTION!! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Thanks, Cassie!
The cinnamon rolls are in the oven right now. The smell of the house is incredible. Thanks for the awesome recipes Mel!
One thing I like to do is make a cinnamon roll Christmas tree- arrange in the shape of a C-tree on a large sheet pan, one cut in half and placed vertical for the trunk. When baked forst them and decocrate w/ sprinkle, or red and green cherries to look like ornaments. I have given these as gifts, on a rectangular cake board.
Coming in late here, but want to say Happy Thanksgiving, and many thanks for all the truly delicious recipes you share! This recipe is one of oh, about 7 or 8 recipes I just printed off to try. 🙂 God bless you & your family this holiday season!
Thank you so much, JoAnn! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!
I just pulled these rolls out of the oven and they are perfect. The dough was very easy to work with. The only change I made is that I used 1/3 cup white sugar with the butter and cinnamon in the center of the rolls. I did this as I wanted them less sweet with the frosting. They are delicious!
Can’t wait to try this. My son is lactose intolerant so I’m wondering if you have any substitute suggestions for the milk and butter. I enjoy unsweetened cashew milk as it doesn’t change the taste of most things. I can use “futter” (aka fake butter) for the spread but am wondering about the dough milk and butter ingredients in the dough itself. Thanks for any help!
Hey Kate – I haven’t tried these butter or dairy free but you might try those same dairy free subs in the dough, too.
I’ve made cinnamon rolls with soy milk and vegan butter. It works.
These are in my oven right this minute. I’m sooooooo excited. They look gorgeous. Thank you!
Hi there, sorry if I’ve overlooked if my question has already been asked/answered in other comments, but if you use active dry yeast would it change anything in the steps/recipe?
If you don’t have instant yeast and want to use active dry yeast, use the same amount and dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup water with a pinch of sugar. If doing this, you may need to add a bit more flour due to the extra water.
My family of 4 ate the whole pan in (less than) one day. So, so good. I did not read all of the instructions beforehand and had to do an overnight fridge raise, and they still turned out perfectly. Definitely Christmas-breakfast worthy. Thanks for a great recipe!
So happy to hear that, Marisa!
Hi Mel!
I want to make these sooooo badly, but I don’t have a stand mixer! Would they still turn out with a hand mixer, or just mixing manually?
Yes, I’d just mix by hand in a bowl with a spoon (just make sure not to add too much flour which can easily happen when making yeast dough by hand). You can do it!
I made this recipe. Everything looked good. Baked them for 22 minutes,. Took them out of the oven to cool and they collapsed. What can I do different next try???? They taste good, just flat and doughy. If they hadn’t collapsed, I’d rate it a five.
It sounds like they just needed more time in the oven. It’s possible my oven cooks hotter than yours – so my cinnamon rolls will bake quicker. Do you happen to live at high elevation? That can make a difference, too.
I used white whole wheat flour (fresh ground)–I love the heartiness of whole wheat cinnamon rolls. And we had some buttercream frosting left over from cookies earlier in the week, so we used that instead of making fresh frosting. They were absolutely delicious. Try them with whole wheat–they’re SOOOO good!
Thanks, Anna!
Is there salt missing for the frosting? Or am I misreading?
No, you aren’t misreading. I don’t add salt to the frosting for this small of a batch because I use salted butter and that’s enough.
You might want to add “salted butter” to your recipe if it’s all salted butter you’re using. My first attempt I found them bland. Second attempt I added more salt and then they were good. I was using unsalted butter which seems to be the general standard for baking unless otherwise stated.
I agree. My dear Mel, please add ‘salted’ butter to your recipes. I have also been taught to use unsalted as the standard for baking, and it would be super helpful to know what you use in each recipe. Thank you!
Have you ever made this ahead of time? I was thinking of making and assembling the night before thanksgiving and then the morning of, just popping in the oven?
Here’s a post I did about making cinnamon rolls ahead of time (it would work great for this recipe): https://www.melskitchencafe.com/how-to-make-cinnamon-rolls-ahead-of-time/
You folks that need a small batch are not as greedy as some folks I know.
HAHAHA! Good one!
Really great timing! I made a batch of (dairy-free) “cream cheese” icing for another recipe that flopped (not from you! Ha!) and luckily I didn’t waste it, because once I saw this post I knew it’s true destiny. The little buns are rising now! Can’t wait. Thanks!
Hope you love them!
would love a recipe for 3 buns . to me, that’s a small batch. I have made cinnamon buns, usually 12 vat a time. would prefer a smaller batch
Freeze the extras!
Yeah, I know what you mean. Twelve rolls is small batch to me but it may not be for others. I don’t have a recipe for quite that small of a batch – but these baked, cooled and frosted cinnamon rolls freeze really well so keep that in mind!
So all I have is a Bosch mixer how can I do it without a Kitchenaid mixer???
I want to make these so badly,
Kathy
Use the dough hook on the Bosch!
Oh, sorry for the confusion – you can definitely make this dough in a Bosch mixer!
Hi Mel,
Which cinnamon roll recipe would you say is your favorite? You have a lot in the “best of” category, so want to make sure I know which one is really the best of the best 🙂
I really can’t choose a favorite. I honestly love each one for different reasons. This is definitely my favorite for a small batch. The Yukon cinnamon rolls are my favorite for a cinnamon roll that’s just a little over the top, extra special. And Gloria’s recipe is my favorite all-purpose big batch cinnamon roll. 🙂
I will definitely be trying these during the upcoming holiday season! I cook for two adults and a toddler so even this is a big batch for my family. :). Would I be best to freeze some of the rolls once prepared or do you think it would be possible to freeze some before baking? Any tips would be much appreciated as your blog is a staple in my house, especially for holiday recipes!
Hey Holly – I think you could freeze prior to baking, but my preference is to make the rolls, bake them, frost them, let them cool and then slide each one into a smaller ziploc bag and freeze that way. They heat up so easily and quickly! However, cinnamon rolls really do freeze pretty well prebaked…just take them out of the freezer in time to thaw and rise a bit before baking.
I am so excited for this recipe! I am a cinnamon roll soul mate.
Haha, love it! Cinnamon roll soulmates unite!
Could this recipe (ingredients amounts) be use with the instructions of the overnight cinnamon rolls?
Yes!
Love this adaptation! I have both those recipes printed to do exactly what you did in this post (reduce Gloria’s recipe and then use the Yukon gold icing). Now I can replace them with this beautiful recipe. Thanks!
Yay! Glad we were on the same page!
How weird is it that just yesterday I googled small batch cinnamon rolls?! I’m definitely going to be trying this week! I have a family of 4 so giant recipes usually make too much and I end up giving away half or so. Which I love to do but there are times when small batch is the way to go! Thank you so much for all your amazing recipes! I’m actually wanting to try your pumpkin cinnamon rolls too this week. Thanks again!
Haha! You and I were on the same wavelength! Thanks, Rose!