No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls: Quick Breakfast Solution

There’s something magical about the aroma of freshly baked cinnamon rolls wafting through your kitchen on a lazy weekend morning. The warm spices, the gooey sweetness, and that perfect cream cheese frosting create a breakfast experience that feels like a special occasion. But traditional cinnamon rolls require planning, patience, and that sometimes intimidating ingredient: yeast. What if you could enjoy all the deliciousness of homemade cinnamon rolls without the waiting, kneading, and rising time?

This no yeast cinnamon roll recipe is your answer to spontaneous cravings and last-minute brunch plans. Using baking powder instead of yeast, these rolls come together in under an hour from start to finish. You’ll skip the lengthy proofing process while still achieving soft, tender rolls bursting with cinnamon sugar and topped with luscious cream cheese icing.

While these rolls won’t have the exact pillowy, fluffy texture of their yeast-raised cousins, they offer something equally valuable: incredible flavor with minimal effort. Think of them as a delightful hybrid between traditional cinnamon rolls and tender biscuits, perfect for those mornings when you want something special but don’t have hours to spare.

Understanding the Ingredients

The beauty of this recipe lies in its simplicity. You’ll need basic pantry staples that you likely already have on hand. The all-purpose flour provides structure, while baking powder acts as your quick leavening agent, creating those lovely air pockets without fermentation time. Whole milk adds richness and helps create a tender crumb, working together with butter to keep everything moist and flavorful.

The cinnamon sugar filling is where the magic happens. Light brown sugar brings both sweetness and a subtle molasses undertone that complements the warm cinnamon perfectly. The generous amount of butter brushed onto the rolled-out dough ensures every bite is rich and indulgent.

For the cream cheese icing, room temperature ingredients are crucial. When your cream cheese and butter are properly softened, they’ll blend into a silky-smooth frosting that melts beautifully over warm rolls. The touch of salt balances the sweetness, while vanilla adds depth and warmth.

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Cinnamon Rolls

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 2½ teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup whole milk
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 2½ teaspoons cinnamon

For the Cream Cheese Icing

• 2 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons whole milk
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preparing Your Kitchen

Begin by preheating your oven to 350°F. This moderate temperature ensures your rolls bake through completely without over-browning on the outside. Generously spray an 8-inch round baking pan with baker’s spray or grease it thoroughly with butter. The round pan keeps your rolls snug together, helping them stay moist and tender as they bake.

Creating the Dough Base

In a medium-sized spouted measuring cup, combine the whole milk with 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter. Microwave this mixture on high for 1 to 1½ minutes, just until the butter melts completely and the milk feels warm to the touch. You want it warm enough to help activate the baking powder but not so hot that it would cook the flour. Stir everything together and let it cool slightly while you prepare the dry ingredients.

Take your large mixing bowl and add 2 cups of all-purpose flour along with the baking powder, granulated sugar, and salt. Whisk these dry ingredients together thoroughly to ensure the baking powder distributes evenly throughout the flour. This even distribution is key to achieving uniform texture in your finished rolls.

Mixing and Resting the Dough

Now comes the satisfying part. Using a spatula, slowly pour your warm milk mixture into the flour mixture, stirring gently as you go. Watch as the flour absorbs the liquid, transforming from a shaggy mixture into a cohesive dough. Once all the milk is incorporated, lightly flour your hands and use them to gently knead the dough right in the bowl, forming it into a smooth ball.

Cover your bowl with a damp paper towel or clean tea towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes. This brief rest allows the flour to fully hydrate and the gluten to relax slightly, making your dough easier to roll out and ensuring a tender final product.

Preparing the Filling

While your dough rests, prepare your cinnamon sugar filling. In a small bowl, stir together the light brown sugar and cinnamon until well combined. The mixture should be fragrant and evenly colored. In a separate small dish, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in the microwave. Set both aside within easy reach.

Rolling and Filling

Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of flour onto a clean countertop or rolling mat, spreading it out to create your work surface. Lightly flour your rolling pin as well. Turn out your rested dough onto the floured surface and begin rolling it into a rectangle measuring approximately 10 inches by 12 inches. Don’t worry about achieving perfect dimensions—close is good enough.

Using a pastry brush, generously brush the 2 tablespoons of melted butter across the entire surface of your dough rectangle, making sure to reach all the way to the edges. Then evenly sprinkle your cinnamon sugar mixture over the buttered surface, creating a uniform layer of sweet, spiced goodness.

Rolling and Cutting

Starting from one of the 12-inch long sides, carefully roll the dough into a tight log. Work slowly and try to keep the roll even as you go. Once you’ve created your log, use a sharp knife to trim off the ragged ends, leaving you with a neat cylinder of cinnamon roll dough.

Slice your log evenly into 12 rolls, each about an inch wide. A gentle sawing motion works better than pressing straight down, which can squish your beautiful spiral. Carefully transfer each roll into your prepared baking pan, arranging them so they’re just touching but not squished together.

Baking to Perfection

Slide your pan into the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. You’re looking for rolls that are just lightly golden around the edges—they should still look fairly pale on top. Resist the urge to overbake, as this can make your rolls dry and tough rather than soft and tender.

Making the Cream Cheese Icing

While your rolls bake, prepare the cream cheese icing. In a medium mixing bowl, use a handheld mixer on medium-low speed to cream together the room-temperature cream cheese, butter, and salt. Beat for about a minute until the mixture is completely smooth with no lumps remaining.

Add the vanilla extract and milk, beating for another 30 seconds until everything is well incorporated. Finally, with your mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sifted powdered sugar. Continue mixing until your frosting is creamy and smooth. If it seems too thick to spread easily, add an additional 1 to 2 teaspoons of milk to reach your desired consistency.

The Final Touch

Once your cinnamon rolls emerge from the oven, you can frost them while they’re still warm. The heat will help the frosting melt slightly into the rolls, creating pockets of sweet, tangy goodness throughout. For a beautiful finishing touch, dust the frosted rolls with a pinch of ground cinnamon.

Storage and Serving Tips

These no yeast cinnamon rolls are absolutely best enjoyed while still warm. The texture is at its peak when they’re fresh from the oven, soft and tender with that irresistible cream cheese frosting. If you happen to have leftovers, store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that as they cool and sit, they’ll firm up slightly and won’t maintain that ultra-soft texture. You can revive them somewhat by gently warming individual rolls in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds.

Expert Tips for Success

Working with this dough is surprisingly forgiving, but a few key tips will ensure the best results. The dough may feel slightly sticky, and that’s exactly what you want. Fight the temptation to add extra flour, as this will make your rolls tough and dense, more like scones than tender cinnamon rolls. Trust the recipe and embrace the slightly tacky texture.

Feel free to get creative with your spice blend. While cinnamon is classic, you can substitute pumpkin spice blend or apple pie spice for a seasonal twist. These warm spice combinations pair beautifully with both the cream cheese icing and the tender dough.

The 8-inch round cake pan is specifically recommended because it positions the rolls close together, helping them stay moist as they bake. If you don’t have an 8-inch round pan, a 9-inch pie pan works well since its base typically measures 8 inches in diameter.

If cream cheese icing isn’t your preference, feel free to use your favorite vanilla glaze instead. However, the cream cheese icing adds a wonderful tangy richness that balances the sweetness perfectly and creates an extra indulgent treat.

What to Expect

Set your expectations appropriately for these quick cinnamon rolls. Because they use baking powder instead of yeast, they won’t have that distinctive airy, pillowy texture that comes from yeast-raised dough. They also won’t rise and spread as dramatically during baking. Instead, you’ll get soft, tender rolls with a texture somewhere between traditional cinnamon rolls and fluffy biscuits. What they lack in height, they more than make up for in flavor and convenience.

This recipe proves that you don’t need hours of rising time to enjoy homemade cinnamon rolls. From the moment you start until you’re taking that first warm, frosted bite, you’re looking at less than an hour—making weekend breakfast or spontaneous dessert completely achievable.

Nutritional Information (Per Roll)

Calories: 259 | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 141mg | Potassium: 163mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 263IU | Vitamin C: 0.02mg | Calcium: 90mg | Iron: 1mg