Soft and fluffy overnight cinnamon rolls can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning! Top with a rich cream cheese frosting for the best make ahead breakfast.

Overnight cinnamon rolls.

This post may contain affiliate links. Read disclosure policy.

Easy Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

After testing this cinnamon roll recipe for years, I finally feel confident sharing them with you. I used the base dough from my orange roll recipe or but you can also use these perfect potato rolls. Both are fantastic!

These overnight cinnamon rolls are soft, buttery, and tender with the perfect amount of brown sugar and cinnamon filling then topped with the best cream cheese frosting. The best part is that you can prep these the night before and bake them fresh in the morning!

A warm fresh cinnamon roll on Easter and Christmas morning served with a side of this liege waffle recipe makes the sweetest brunch! If you’re looking for an even quicker option, try my 1-hour cinnamon rolls, cinnamon swirled banana bread or this cinnamon roll casserole.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls Ingredients

Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below

  • Warm milk: This is tricky but using a thermometer will help get the perfect temperature without killing the yeast.
  • Active dry yeast: Make sure that your yeast package is fresh and within the date before it expires.
  • Egg: Use large eggs. If you only have medium add in an extra egg to help balance it out.
  • Sugar: Add sweetness and texture to the cinnamon roll dough. This amount of butter will be divided.
  • Butter: Melt your butter in a microwaveable dish.
  • Salt: Add a pinch to help the dough rise and form.
  • Flour: Thicken the cinnamon roll dough with all-purpose flour. Add more or less as needed to your dough. You don’t want the dough dry or crumbly but not too sticky either.

Filling for Cinnamon Rolls

  • Butter: Barely softened at room temperature.
  • Brown sugar: Always a delicious sweetness to the filling.
  • Ground cinnamon: Adds a sweet and spicy taste.

Cream Cheese Frosting

  • Butter: Unsalted butter is best. Slightly softened by sitting out on the countertop.
  • Cream cheese: Make this into classic cream cheese frosting! Soften before adding to the bowl of a stand mixer.
  • Powdered sugar and sugar: Thickens and adds sweetness to the frosting. This sugar mixture blends well with the other ingredients.
  • Vanilla extract: Add in a hint of flavor with vanilla or even almond extract.

How to Make Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

Make the Dough

Add yeast, 1 Tablespoon of sugar, and warm milk in a small bowl. Let sit until it starts to foam, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk egg and then whisk in sugar and salt. Add the melted butter and yeast mixture. Mix with a dough hook in two cups of flour until smooth, then add the remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments. Knead the dough until it’s soft, about 5 minutes. Add a Tablespoon or two more flour if the dough is still sticky, but make sure not to overdo it.

Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in a warm spot to rise.

Making cinnamon roll dough.

Add the Filling

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside. When the dough has risen and doubled in size, punch it down and roll it out on a floured work surface into a 15×20 inch rectangle.

Brush the softened butter on top of the dough, then sprinkle the cinnamon sugar filling on top. Gently press the mixture down into the softened butter.

Cinnamon sugar on cinnamon roll dough.

Roll and Cut

Starting at the shorter side, roll the dough up tightly and pinch the sides together at the end. Then use floss or a large serrated knife to cut the dough into 1-inch pieces.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, then place the dough rolls onto the sheet about an inch apart.

Refrigerate Overnight 

Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and store overnight cinnamon rolls in the fridge for up to 16 hours. Then pull them out onto the counter the next morning to rise until they’ve doubled in size, usually about 1 to 2 hours.

Rolling cinnamon rolls.

Bake in Oven 

Once they’ve doubled in size, bake the cinnamon rolls in the oven at 350°F until the tops are lightly golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before topping with frosting.

Spread Frosting on Top 

To make the frosting, beat together the ingredients with an electric mixer until smooth (add more or less milk if needed). Then spread the frosting evenly on top of the rolls with a spatula. If you prefer a drippier consistency, you can drizzle on a cream cheese glaze instead.

Cinnamon roll frosting.

Baking Tips

  • Yeast. Make sure you are starting with fresh yeast. For the best cinnamon roll recipe, I used active dry yeast, not instant yeast or rapid rise yeast.
  • Warm milk. Check the milk temperature to make sure it isn’t too hot. It should be at 105-110°F (bath water temp) when you proof the yeast.
  • Quick rise. To help the dough rise faster, preheat oven to 175°F and then turn it off. Place the covered bowl of dough in the oven along with a small bowl of hot water.
  • Baking sheet. Line baking pan with parchment paper so the bottoms don’t brown too fast.
  • Slice. When cutting the cinnamon rolls into sections using a sharp knife or some people like unflavored dental floss to cut into even sections.
  • Extra rolls. This recipe makes about 15 rolls, however, the baking sheet usually fits about 12. I put the larger-sized rolls on the baking sheet and then add the smaller end rolls to a smaller pan.
  • Let cool. Once the fluffy cinnamon rolls are baked and out of the oven, wait about 10 minutes before frosting. You don’t want it to melt too much.
Overhead photo shot of cinnamon rolls with frosting.

More recipes with cinnamon include this cinnamon breakfast smoothie, cinnamon roll cookies, or these dessert cinnamon crescent rolls.

More Sweet Breakfast Recipes

overnight cinnamon rolls on parchment paper

Overnight Cinnamon Roll Recipe

5 from 41 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Rise Time: 12 hours
Total Time: 12 hours 50 minutes
Servings: 16 cinnamon rolls
Soft and fluffy overnight cinnamon rolls can be prepped the night before and baked in the morning! Top with a rich cream cheese frosting for the best breakfast.
Print Pin This! Rate

Ingredients 

Dough

  • 1 ¼ cups warm milk , 105-110°F
  • 1 (1/4-ounce) package active dry yeast , about 2 1/4 teaspoons
  • 8 Tabelspoons granulated sugar , divided
  • 1 large egg , at room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • ½ cup unsalted butter , melted
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour , plus more or less as needed

Filling

  • ¾ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons ground cinnamon
  • 6 Tablespoons salted butter , softened (do NOT melt)

Frosting

  • 6 Tablespoons salted butter , softened
  • 3 ounces cream cheese , softened
  • 1 1/2- 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Milk or heavy cream , as needed

Instructions

Dough

  • In a small bowl, stir together the warm milk, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon sugar. Let sit 5 minutes, or until bubbly.
  • In a large bowl, whisk the egg. Whisk in the remaining 7 Tablespoon sugar and salt. Whisk in the melted butter and yeast mixture. Add two cups flour and stir until smooth. Add the remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time. Knead 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add 1 to 2 Tablespoons flour, but the dough should be soft. Don't overdo it with flour.
  • Once dough is smooth and soft, cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot. I like to turn my oven to 175°F and then turn it off. Place the bowl in the oven with a small bowl of hot water to help it rise faster.

Filling:

  • In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar and cinnamon.
  • Once your dough has doubled in size, punch it down. On a lightly-floured surface, roll the dough out into a rectangle approximately 15×20 inches. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Spread softened butter onto the dough with a brush.
  • Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top. You don't need to use it all. Gently press the sugar down into the butter. Roll the dough up tightly starting at the shorter side. Pinch the sides together at the end.
  • Using a large, serrated knife or a long piece of floss, cut the dough in half and then in half again, making 4 pieces. Cut each piece into 3 or 4 1-inch pieces, making either 12 big cinnamon rolls or 16 medium rolls. Place dough rolls, swirl-side up, 1 inch apart onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I like to put the 12 big ones on a baking sheet and the ends in a small pan. At this point if you wanted to bake, you can let the rolls sit for 1 hour, or until rolls have doubled in size.
  • Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator up to 16 hours. In the morning, pull them out onto the counter and let them rise 1 to 2 hours, or until doubled. It is normal for there to be a little liquid, but if there's too much, get a paper towel and dab it out.
  • Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes, or until lightly golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before frosting.

Frosting

  • In a large bowl, beat together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer. You can add milk to thin it out or powdered sugar to thicken it until you reach your desired consistency. I like to place a dollop on each roll and let sit a minute and then spread over the warm cinnamon rolls.

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Yeast. Make sure you are starting with fresh yeast. I used active dry yeast, not instant yeast or rapid rise yeast.
Warm milk. Check the milk temperature to make sure it isn’t too hot. It should be at 105-110°F (bath water temp) when you proof the yeast.
Flour. I like to replace 1-2 cups of flour with bread flour or kamut if I have on hand. 
Quick rise. To help the dough rise faster, preheat the oven to 175°F and then turn it off. Then place the covered bowl of dough in the oven along with a small bowl of hot water.
Slice. When cutting the cinnamon rolls into sections using a sharp knife or some people like unflavored dental floss to cut into even sections.
Extra rolls. This recipe makes about 16 medium rolls, however, I usually end up doing about 12 larger ones. 
Freezing the cinnamon rolls: You can freeze the rolls after they have been baked and cooled. Simply place in a freezer container or zip top bag, then set out to thaw overnight. Warm individual rolls in microwave for 10 to 20 seconds or in the oven at 175°F for 5 minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 495kcal, Carbohydrates: 73g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 55mg, Sodium: 253mg, Potassium: 330mg, Fiber: 8g, Sugar: 37g, Vitamin A: 537IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 61mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.

Recipe FAQs

Can you let cinnamon roll dough sit overnight?

Yes! You can cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap. You do not want to use aluminum foil until after they are baked to cover. They will last overnight for about 18 to 20 hours.

Why did my cinnamon rolls not rise?

When making the yeast proof, the milk needs to be at the proper temperature to help the yeast grow. If the liquid is too hot then it will kill the yeast and won’t allow it to rise.

How long do unbaked cinnamon rolls last?

If you have unbaked cinnamon rolls left over that you would like to store, simply place them in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 weeks long.

Can I freeze these cinnamon rolls?

Yes, after they’ve been baked and cooled. Simply add them to a freezer bag or container and store them in the freezer. Let thaw overnight, then warm back up in the microwave or oven the next morning.

Cinnamon roll on a white plate with a fork taking a bite out of it.