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Cinnamon Roll Muffins are a must-try cinnamon roll recipe – no yeast needed & no rise time – and they’re made in a muffin tin for the perfect handheld sweet treat. No yeast cinnamon roll muffins start with a basic dough that includes buttermilk for extra moisture and a generous brown sugar filling. Each muffin has that perfect gooey cinnamon roll center, and a simple vanilla glaze that melts into the warm cinnamon roll.
Want more short-cut gooey cinnamon rolls recipes? Try these Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls that are overnight and use frozen bread rolls. Or my Viral TikTok Cinnamon Rolls that use frozen cinnamon rolls that bake in a luscious heavy cream mixture.
Cinnamon Roll Muffin Recipe (No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls)
Homemade traditional cinnamon rolls have always been my scary-i-never-want-to-make-it recipe. There are so many things that can go wrong with proofing the yeast correctly, water temperature, rise times, and then for all the work and calories….. you end up with dry, tough, dense cinnamon rolls.
However, that all changes with these easy cinnamon roll muffins. No yeast, no rise time homemade cinnamon rolls in muffin form. A simple dough gets rolls up, slathered in butter and brown sugar, and then cut just like classic cinnamon rolls.
They are everything you love about the taste of a cinnamon roll – soft dough, cinnamon & sugar, gooey centers – but in an easy, no yeast, no rise time recipe that bakes up the cinnamon rolls in muffin form.
No need – ever again – for a can of cinnamon rolls when you have this delicious recipe that’s ready to devour warm in just under 45 minutes ❤︎
Simple Baking Ingredients Needed
No Yeast Cinnamon Roll Muffin Ingredients
- Light Brown Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Sea Salt
- Vanilla Extract
- Large Egg
- Buttermilk
- All-Purpose Flour : I use unbleached all-purpose flour.
Cinnamon Sugar Filling
- Butter
- Light Brown Sugar
- Cinnamon
Simple Glaze Ingredients
- Powdered Sugar
- Heavy Cream
How To Make No Yeast Cinnamon Roll Muffins (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, add the egg, light brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Stir together using a whisk until well combined.
Whisk in the buttermilk.
Add 2 cups of the flour into the bowl of wet ingredients. Stir together with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball on it’s own, and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Add additional flour, in 1/4 cup increments, as need until this is achieved.
Lightly spray a clean countertop with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle a little bit of flour over it. Dump the dough on top of the lightly floured surface, and knead it for 1-2 minutes, just until it is a smooth dough ball and easier to handle. If the dough is still really sticky and unmanageable while kneading, add additional flour in 1 tablespoon increments.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle (about the size of a cookie sheet- 12″x18″).
Spread the softened butter over the dough.
In a small bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the butter in a thick layer.
Starting at the longer side of the dough, roll it up tightly ‘cinnamon roll style” into a log. Cut the log in half, and then cut each half into 6 equal pieces. Place one cinnamon roll per muffin cup in the prepared muffin pan.
Bake for 13-15 minutes. You don’t want the muffins to be browned, they should be pale and not have much color to them at all. You do want to make sure the dough (especially in the center) is cooked and not raw.
Remove the cinnamon roll muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, or until you can safely handle them and lift them out. Place the muffins on a cooling rack.
Whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle it over the top of the muffins. Enjoy the muffins warm.
How To Store Leftovers
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container, or Ziploc bag, at room temperatyre for up to 2 days. For longer storage, keep them stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. These are best eaten warmed, so I suggest warming it up in the microwave before eating.
Pro Tips From The Test Kitchen
- Depending on elevation, where you live, kitchen temperature, etc – you may use closer to 3 cups or more of flour, or less flour (such as me, I end up using 2 3/4 cup flour when I make this recipe, that includes sprinkling a little bit on the counter top). When you’re mixing the dough and adding the flour, just add a little bit at a time, until the dough forms itself into a ball. It’s ok if it’s slightly sticky still because when you knead it you can add more flour just as needed. But the dough should forms itself into a ball, be pulled away from the edges, and might still be slightly sticky. Once you knead the dough and add a bit more flour, while kneading, it will be the perfect consistency.
- Watch the muffins carefully in the oven. You don’t want them to be too browned when you take them out. They should be somewhat pale in color still, and the centers should be cooked thoroughly (meaning no raw muffin batter). But you don’t want the muffins to be overly browned when you take them out.
- Spraying the countertop with cooking spray and then a sprinkle flour, ensures that the dough will not stick and it helps out when you’re kneading the dough, making the dough more manageable and workable.
- If you are using anything other than heavy cream in the glaze; then you will need less of it. Heavy cream has more fat which means you need more of it to get a drizzable glaze. Lower fat milks will require less milk to get the correct consistency.
- These muffins are best eaten warm after they have cooled slightly in the warm muffin pan for about 10 minutes. While they’re cooling, I prepare the glaze, and then remove the muffins from the pan onto a cooling rack. I then use a fork or spoon to drizzle the glaze over top the slightly warm muffins. The glaze melts into it and it’s so good!
- I recommend using a mixing bowl, whisk, and wooden spoon to make this recipe (as directed in the recipe). I don’t recommend using a stand mixer because when you mix the dry ingredients into the dough, it tends to stick to the sides of the stand mixer bowl because of how the paddle attachment works. Hopefully that makes sense. For best results, use a mixing bowl and wooden spoon, when stirring in the flour. It’s also easier to not overmix the dough when you’re doing it by hand.
More Delicious Muffin Recipes
- Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins
- Coconut Lemon Poppyseed Muffins
- The BEST One Bowl Applesauce Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Muffins
- Banana Crunch Muffins
- Nutella Banana Muffins
- Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins
- Double Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
Cinnamon Roll Muffins
Equipment
Ingredients
Cinnamon Rolls
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt (I use sea salt)
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2-3 cups all-purpose flour (see notes for tips)
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- 2 tablespoons butter softened/slightly melted is fine
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4-6 tablespoons heavy cream (less if you use regular milk)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls
- In a large mixing bowl, add the egg, light brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and vanilla extract. Stir together using a whisk until well combined.1 large egg, 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whisk in the buttermilk.1 cup buttermilk
- Add 2 cups of the flour into the bowl of wet ingredients. Stir together with a wooden spoon until the dough forms a ball on its own, and is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Add additional flour, in 1/4 cup increments, as needed until this is achieved.2-3 cups all-purpose flour
- Lightly spray a clean countertop with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle a little bit of flour over it. Dump the dough on top of the lightly floured surface, and knead it for 1-2 minutes, just until it is a smooth dough ball and easier to handle. If the dough is still really sticky and unmanageable while kneading, add additional flour in 1 tablespoon increments.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large rectangle (about the size of a cookie sheet- 12"x18").
Cinnamon Roll Filling
- Spread the butter over the dough.2 tablespoons butter
- In a small bowl, whisk together the light brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over the butter in a thick layer.2/3 cup brown sugar, ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Bake & Glaze
- Starting at the longer side of the dough, roll it up tightly 'cinnamon roll style" into a log. Cut the log in half, and then cut each half into 6 equal pieces. Place one cinnamon roll per muffin cup in the prepared muffin pan.
- Bake for 13-15 minutes. You don't want the muffins to be browned, they should be pale and not have much color to them at all. You do want to make sure the dough (especially in the center) is cooked and not raw.
- Remove the cinnamon roll muffins from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, or until you can safely handle them and lift them out. Place the muffins on a cooling rack.
- Whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl and drizzle it over the top of the warm muffins. Enjoy the muffins warm or at room temperature once the glaze has set.1 cup powdered sugar, 4-6 tablespoons heavy cream
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love to see it! You can share it with me on @togetherasfamilyblog and follow on Pinterest @together-as-family-blog-recipes or Facebook @togetherasfamilyblog for more!
These look absolutely delicious! I have a cinnamon bun recipe I love, but it would be nice to have a quick version too!
Thanks Carlee! I love quick, simpler recipes of traditional ones like cinnamon rolls. Nothing beats the real deal but these come pretty darn close 🙂
Thank you for your wonderful recipes, I look forward to trying this!
This recipe was an absolute disaster. The dough never came together, it was unbelievably sticky. I added about six cups of flour before just throwing the whole thing out. Complete waste of time and ingredients.
how many calories?
Hi Sue. I am not sure how many calories. Probably a lot, lol 🙂 I know there are several sites that you can put your ingredients in and they give you a calorie count. I am in the process of sharing my recipes to http://www.myrecipemagic.com where they give you calorie count for each recipe.
What are the dimensions of the dough rectangles you roll out ?
Hi Nancy. Sorry for my late reply. You’ll want to roll it out into about a 12″ x 24″ rectangle. So a large rectangle 🙂 I will update the recipe as I forgot to add it in the directions.
Have you ever made these as minis using a mini muffin pan? Can they be made a day before needed? Would love to make them for after church so I would need to make them the night before.
Mini ones would be so cute! I have never done that. I think it would work just be sure to cut the pieces very small (instead of the 12 larger cinnamon rolls) so that they will cook all the way through in the mini muffin pan. Also, the cooking time would be quite a bit less. I would maybe half the cooking time and then go from there. As far as making them before hand I’m fairly positive that it would be fine. Because it’s not like there is yeast to worry about rising and what not (yay! 🙂 ). I would make the dough and cut the pieces and place them in the muffin pan and then put the pan in the fridge. Before cooking I would leave them out on the counter for a bit so that they’re not so cold when you cook them. Let me know if you try it and how it works. I’m curious now.
Well I tried making them minis today! They turned out pretty cute! I divided the dough in half and rolled into a 6X12 rectangle. I cut into each half into 12 rolls. Baked for about 12ish minutes. They puffed up quite a bit so maybe could have cut into smaller rolls but they were really good!! My kids loved them!!
That’s good to know they work as minis. They do puff up while baking, probably more so as minis cause there is less space for them to “grow”, so slicing thinner may eliminate some of that puffiness. Thanks for letting me know they worked. Anything mini is cuter so I may just have to try it.
Is buttermilk a necessity? What happens if you use regular milk?
Buttermilk makes the dough soft and tender especially when combined with the baking soda in the dough. You could use regular milk but I would suggest a high fat content regular milk. Like 2% or whole milk. If you don’t have buttermilk you can also place 1 tablespoon white vinegar into a 1 cup measurer and then fill the remainder of the 1 cup with milk. Let it sit for about 3-4 minutes and use it in the recipe. I’ve only made these with buttermilk so I can’t say if it will be the same with regular milk. But I can say that regular milk won’t ruin these. Hope that helps 🙂
What kind of flour did you use? I used all purpose and my dough came out super sticky and started to tear when I was trying to roll it.
I use unbleached, all-purpose flour. The dough is a somewhat sticky and softer dough. I end up adding about 1/2 cup of flour on the counter top and on top of the dough ball as I am kneading it for the 2 minutes. Plus, I sprinkle some additional flour on top of the dough as I am rolling it out. You just want to add flour until it rolls out nicely and does not stick to the rolling pin or counter. You may need closer to 3/4 cup flour. I hope that helps. I will clarify better in the recipe. Not sure if altitude has anything to do with it (I live in Maryland) but you could also try adding an additional 1/2 cup flour while you’re mixing the dough in the bowl.
These were so good! Made them on a whim this morning and they came together quickly. I wanted mini-muffin sized rolls, so I divided the dough in half to make two 6X12 rectangles. I got a total of 37 minis out of this. I weigh my flour and ended up using quite a bit more to make the dough manageable, but I know this is super variable with humidity and whatnot! Great recipe! Thanks!!!
Yay! So glad you loved these. They are one of my favorites. I seem to make them almost every weekend because my kids love them so much. I’ll have to try minis next time. I usually end up adding about 3/4 cup more flour. It does vary for location and climate and what not. Thanks so much for coming back to let me know 🙂
Do you have to put them in a muffin pan? Can I cook them in like an 9×13 dish like other cinnamon rolls or do you think they won’t turn out the same.
I am sure you could just use a baking dish. The recipe makes 12 and they do expand, so maybe use a 9×13 baking dish. Now I am curious too and want to try them in a dish instead.
Can these wonderful cinnamon rolls be frozen?
I’ve never tried. I would imagine they could once cooked, but I don’t think it would work if you freeze them before cooking. But you could always test it out!
I admit I’m not the best baker but these sounded easy enough. They turned out awful. I was trying to be very careful not to over-bake them but I did. I kept watching them, opening the door, looking, shutting the door. It was just way too hard to determine if they would be done or not. As it turns out, they were WAY overdone. Not good at all. For me, I’ll probably have to try these many, many more times to get them to turn out like the pictures show. Took them out early too. Not a good recipe for me.
I cannot wait to try this. Looks so yummy and easy
Question for you please, after you roll dough and slice, how exactly do you place in muffin pan?
Place one slice into each muffin cup just like you would regular cinnamon rolls. As they bake they will rise up and start looking like a muffin. I hope that helps 🙂
These look so divine! How do they hold up the next day? I need to bake about 50 + of something tonight to take to the women in my church. I don’t think I could pull it all off in the morning but don’t know if they’ll present as well if I make them a day before? Either way I’ll have to try these soon.
I prefer eating these cinnamon rolls right away as I think they test best. But, I have microwaved one and it was really good warmed up like that. Maybe if you make them ahead of time, I would warm them up in the oven or something before serving them the next day. I would also wait to drizzle them with the glaze before serving. The muffins themselves hold up well a couple days after making them so I think it would be fine with those changes. Good luck 🙂
They turned out PERFECT! Thanks for sharing your delicious recipe! (I just had to take them out of my oven at 12mins)
This was AMAZING!! I made sticky bun glaze instead (1/2 cup melted butter 3/4 cup brown sugar 1tsp cinnamon) of the icing and they were phenomenal! Definitely heat them up, not as good cold. Baked in my convection oven for 11 minutes
I found your recipe on Pinterest and would like to make the cinnamon rolls very soon. Is it possible that I can add cream cheese to the frosting? If so, how much? Thank you, Jessica!! 🙂
Hi!
I couldnt get the dough to unstick. Had to add 2-3 more cups of flour. They turned out alright. They were still delish and got eaten. But the dough on yours looks way more divine. Any tips for next time?
My only tip would be to make sure the dough is soft, somewhat sticky/tacky but NOT like stick all over your hands type of dough. If that makes sense 🙂 You want the dough semi-sticky but not all the way sticky. When you roll the dough out on the counter top, add some flour until you can handle it to press it into a square. I would keep the flour the same as the recipe calls for, scrape it onto the counter top on top of flour and then work it and add more flour as needed. The 2-3 cups of flour you added seems like quite a bit and almost to the point that the dough may have been not sticky or pliable at all. That’s not really what you want. I hope this helps and I hope next time they’re even better for you.
I just made these this morning and the kids loved them! I put 12 in a 9×13 pan and baked for about 18 minutes…..only because I didn’t want to clean up a muffin tin. ? They came out perfect!
Do you think you can make them with almond flour or perhaps half regular flour and half almond flour?
You could always test it out. I have never tried using anything other than all-purpose flour so I can’t say for sure.
These turned out so moist and were absolutely scrumptious. The best cinnamon rolls I’ve ever had!
Thank you for your feedback Mary. Sorry to hear they did not work for you.
Was looking for something quick & easy for my daughter who loves cinnamon buns/rolls. This was exactly that!! They taste amazing too. Thank you so much. Now I’ll be making these often and the recipe is one that she too can make one I share it with her
Thank you
Oh my goodness, these are delicious.!! Thank for the recipe Sweetie ???
You’re very welcome! Thanks for your comment and for being here.
First time cooking this type of dough and it totally KILLED IT!! Easy and so quick!
Awesome! So happy to hear this. It’s one of my favorites.
This recipe similar to what others said is a mess .
Dough stays forever too sticky to work with .
As mentioned in the recipe and post it is supposed to be a stickier dough. It’s not like a bread dough or a roll dough where it’s not sticky at all. I think for those it has not worked out for, it’s because you’re expecting the dough to be like bread or roll dough. It’s a softer dough that is sticky but if you add like 1/4 cup of flour while working it and rolling it out then it should be manageable. I give lots of tips on the post and recipe so hopefully those are being followed. Thanks so much for your review. Have a good day 🙂
Do you have the nutritional break down?
I will soon. I am slowly working my way through all the recipes and adding it. I am about halfway done so this one should be done soon.
These were so easy and so delicious! Used milk with vinegar and that worked fine. Needed 2 and ¾c of flour plus extra for rolling out. Made them the night before and baked on Easter morning. Better to undertake, I put mine in for 14 minutes. Rave reviews 🙂
Thank you! We love these muffins so all the other bad reviews make me sad. Flour is always so different (especially in bread recipes) depending on where you live. It sounds like you did it perfect, by adding just a little but of flour at a time. Thanks so much for leaving your review.
just got done making these and they are really good. When I went to roll them, the dough was a sticky yet. Next time I will add more flour. They didn’t roll well because of that, but I though I’m not going to waste them. I used a big spoon and spooned them in and they turned out fine. Still had the cinnamon roll flavor and all, they just didn’t have the “roll” appearance. Overall, great recipe and will make again.
When I roll the dough, I always add about 1/4 cup or 1/3 cup of additional flour to roll it out with. I add it once I dump the dough onto the counter to roll. Plus I spray the countertop with cooking spray and sprinkle lightly with flour. I believe I mention that in the recipe but I will go double check. Because hopefully that’s helpful to some.
Looooved it!!! I halved the whole recipe, just to give it a try. And ooooow my….. delicious!!! I did need lots more flour to get it workable. So even after halving the ingredients, i added 2 whole cups of flour. I did use the full filling recipe hahahahaha which made it delicious of course!!!!
It didn’t get the time to cool down or get dry, cause we finished it all right when it came out of the oven !!! Definitely will make this again and again!!!
How do you store these? Do they need to be refrigerated? What if you left off the frosting? Would they still need to be refrigerated?
Mine never last long but I just keep them out at room temperature. You can also store them in the fridge, if you’re worried about the small amount of dairy in the frosting, and then just microwave it when you want to eat it. They are better warm or at room temperature.
The only change I made was I used whole milk because I had no buttermilk, that being said nothing turned out my dough was so sticky no matter how much flour I used, I dont feel like that would make it change that much. Would it?
Made these today and they were a hit!! The next time I’m going to try with a cream cheese frosting instead of a glaze.
These turned out PERFECT! We topped ours with biscoff spread and wow.. they were a family favourite! So easy to make.
Great flavor and very moist. I baked them in a 9 inch pan instead of a muffin pan. Requires more baking time. Rolls in center of pan were not done when edge rolls were done. Will try the muffin pan next time.
Sooooo good!!!!
Yay! Thank you!
Any suggestions of making this recipe dairy free?
These were sooo delicious! So easy to make to. I’m pregnant and my biggest craving is cinnamon rolls. To be able to make them in 30 mins is a win in my book!! They are light and fluffy and exactly what I was looking for.
made these!!! were wonderful.will make again
These were wonderful! So easy, quick bake, and already planning for these in our Christmas breakfast menu!
Very Delicious! My 10-year-old made this, and it was a hit