Clone of a Cinnabon Recipe (easy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls)

This Clone of a Cinnabon recipe is my favorite recipe to serve on weekend mornings. It is a copycat easy Cinnabon recipe that is sure to lure the family out of bed and into the kitchen!

Every time I walk into the mall, the smell of warm cinnamon rolls coming from the Cinnabon store stops me in my tracks. I wanted that same smell in my own kitchen, so I came up with a version I could make at home. Now, it's my go-to for weekend mornings and holidays like Christmas too.

Quick Summary

A dozen soft, fluffy rolls with a sticky, caramelized bottom.
No proofing, since the instant yeast goes right in.
Step-by-step photos from dough to frosting.
Dairy-free option included.

One clone of a cinnabon cinnamon roll on a white plate with the pan of rolls blurred in the background.

Jump to:

Cinnamon Roll Ingredients
How to Make a Clone of a Cinnabon
Substitutions
Variations
Tips
What I've Learned
Serving Suggestions
Storage
You May Be Wondering
Related Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Prepped ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, yeast, eggs, and milk.

Cinnamon Roll Ingredients

Milk: I use regular milk, warmed just until it's lukewarm. Warm milk wakes up the yeast and gives you a rich, tender dough.

Eggs: Room-temperature eggs add richness and help the dough hold together. Cold eggs can slow the rise.

Butter: Melted butter goes into the dough to keep it soft. Softened butter goes into the filling so it spreads easily without tearing the dough.

Bread flour: This has more protein than all-purpose, which gives these rolls their tall, fluffy, bakery-style chew.

Granulated sugar: It sweetens the dough and gives the yeast something to feed on.

Instant yeast: It goes straight in with the flour. There's no proofing step, and it rises fast.

Brown sugar: Makes the filling sticky and gives the bottoms of the rolls that caramelized finish.

Cinnamon: Don't be shy here. A generous amount is what makes these taste like the real thing.

Vanilla extract: A little vanilla in the frosting softens the sweetness.

Measured brown sugar, a stick of butter, and ground cinnamon.

How to Make a Clone of a Cinnabon

The dough comes together in a stand mixer. Warm milk, eggs, melted butter, and sugar go in first, then the flour, yeast, and salt. Knead it, let it rest a few minutes, knead again, and let it rise until it doubles.

Dough rolled out on a marble board and spread with softened butter.

Roll the dough into a big rectangle, spread it with softened butter, and sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon all over the top.

Roll dough with cinnamon sugar filling on top of the buttered dough.

Roll it up snug, slice it into 12 rolls, and let them rise one more time in the pan.

Clone of a Cinnabon unbaked cinnamon roll in baking dish.

Bake until golden, then spread the frosting on while the rolls are still warm so it melts down into every swirl.

Baked clone of a cinnabon recipe with icing in the baking dish.

Substitutions

For dairy-free rolls: Swap the milk for almond milk and the butter for plant-based butter in the dough, filling, and frosting.

Variations

Overnight cinnamon rolls: Make and assemble the cinnamon rolls as directed, but skip the second rise. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, let the rolls come to room temperature and finish rising, about 1 to 2 hours depending on how warm your kitchen is. Preheat the oven and bake as directed.
Add dried fruit and/or nuts: Sprinkle chopped pecans, walnuts, cranberries, or raisins over top of the cinnamon mixture before rolling the dough.

Tips

Be sure the butter is at room temperature for easier spreading over top of the roll dough.
Warm milk for the dough in the microwave for 15 seconds, or until the chill is just removed.
Reheat the cinnamon rolls in the microwave the next morning to soften them up a little, or slice the cinnamon rolls and make French toast with them!
Use unwaxed dental floss to slice the rolls. It cuts clean through without squishing the swirl.

Overhead shot of frosted cinnamon rolls in a blue baking dish with two rolls on plates to the upper right.

What I've Learned

Instant yeast and active dry yeast are two different things.
Instant yeast can also be called quick rise yeast and can be added to the recipe straight from the packet and is the yeast used to make these Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls.
Active yeast is yeast that needs to be activated before adding the dry ingredients. It is usually activated in a little bit of warm water with a sprinkling of sugar to feed the yeast. It should sit until the yeast begins to bubble and rise.

Serving Suggestions

These cinnamon buns are delicious warm with a hot cup of coffee or Irish Coffee for a special afternoon!

Storage

Store cinnamon rolls in an airtight container on the counter up to 4 days. Warm in the microwave for 20-30 seconds for a softer roll after the first day. These cinnamon rolls can also be stored in the freezer up to 3 months. Thaw completely, then warm in the microwave to serve.

Close up of iced Cinnabon rolls in baking dish with rolls removed.

You May Be Wondering

What temperature will kill the yeast?

Any temperature 120°F or above will kill yeast.

Can you substitute active dry yeast for the instant yeast?

For the most part you can, but if you substitute active yeast for instant yeast, be sure to activate the yeast first.

Can you replace bread flour with all purpose flour?

For the most part, yes. All-purpose flour has less protein than bread flour, so the rolls will be a little softer and less chewy.

How do you activate yeast?

If using active yeast as a substitute, be sure to activate it in water with temps between 110 to 115°F. If the yeast is active, it should become bubbly within 10 minutes. If it does not bubble, the yeast is expired.

How do you make Cinnabon rolls at home?

Start with a soft, buttery yeast dough, fill it with butter, brown sugar, and lots of cinnamon, then roll, slice, and bake. Frost them while they're warm. The full recipe is in the card below.

Is Cinnabon frosting cream cheese?

Yes, the original is a cream cheese frosting. My recipe uses a simple butter and vanilla frosting, but if you want it closer to the real thing, use my cream cheese frosting instead.

What makes these so good?

They're soft and fluffy, the filling gets sticky as it bakes, and the brown sugar caramelizes on the bottom of the pan. The dough is also easy to work with, even if you don't bake with yeast often.

If you love a good sweet roll, here are a few more cinnamon favorites from my kitchen.

If you give this recipe a try, I'd love to hear how it turned out! Please leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below to let me know how you liked it. Don't forget to tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your beautiful salad bowls!

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