Homemade Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls with Rich Frosting

Old fashioned sour cream cinnamon rolls are soft and fluffy with a thick, gooey cinnamon filling and the creamiest, most buttery icing ever.

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These are soft and fluffy with the perfect balance of sweet and spicy. Best of all, they are faster than most sweet roll recipes because they only have to rise once.

A cinnamon roll with thick, creamy white frosting on a white plate. — Gooey cinnamon rolls for breakfast are the best part of waking up!

Table of Contents

🗝️ Key takeaways
🧾 Ingredients
📖 Variations
🔪 Instructions
🍴 Equipment
🎥 Video
🥫 Storage
💭 Things to know
👩‍🍳 FAQs
📚 Related recipes
📞 The last word
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

🗝️ Key takeaways

Sour cream makes yeast dough extra rich, moist, and tender.
Quicker recipe—you only need to let the dough rise once so it works great for making them on weekend mornings.
You can assemble these ahead of time and refrigerate up to 12 hours before baking. They'll rise in the refrigerator.

Sour cream cinnamon rolls are pillow-soft and loaded with a fragrant, buttery cinnamon sugar filling. Topped with a thick glaze, the best way to enjoy these cinnamon buns is one in each hand—they're that good.

🧾 Ingredients

This is an "at a glance" list of ingredients. You'll find the list and the measurements in the printable recipe card below.

📖 Variations

Add a half cup of chopped pecans over the cinnamon before rolling up.
Try kneading a cup of dried cranberries or raisins into the dough.
Like heat? Add a pinch of cayenne to the cinnamon sugar mixture
Smooth a thin layer of apple jelly over the dough before adding the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Try this whipped cream cheese icing on them.

🔪 Instructions

Step by step images showing how to make the dough for cinnamon rolls.

Stir the yeast into the warm water.
Combine the sour cream, 2 tablespoon melted butter, white sugar, baking soda, and beaten egg with the yeast mixture.
Add all-purpose flour...
...just until a soft dough forms. Don't add too much flour.

Step. by step images showing how to form the cinnamon rolls for baking.

Knead a little, then let the dough ball rest for five minutes.
Flatten the dough out, spread with softened butter, and sprinkle the brown sugar/cinnamon mixture on top.
Roll the dough up like a jelly roll.
Cut into twelve rolls and bake.

🍴 Equipment

A stand mixer is helpful but not necessary. You can knead by hand.
A 13x9-inch pan was used to bake the cinnamon rolls
Measuring cups and mixing bowls of various sized
Instant-read thermometer is helpful for testing for doneness

🎥 Video

🥫 Storage

Homemade cinnamon rolls last at room temperature for two or three days, but they're best enjoyed on the first or second day. To preserve their light and fluffy texture, be sure to cover them really well with plastic wrap.

However, you can extend the shelf-life of your delicious cinnamon rolls by a few days if you refrigerate them. Place the rolls in an airtight container for storage. Microwave for a few seconds at a time until warmed up to your liking and enjoy!

Here are more ways to reheat cinnamon rolls so they taste fresh!

Make ahead

You can also store the sour cream cinnamon rolls for up to 24 hours before baking them. Follow the instructions as written to roll and cut the cinnamon rolls.

Then, cover the dish or cookie sheet tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. I love to prep the rolls in the evening so all I have to do the next morning or the next day is preheat the oven and bake!

Freeze

These freeze well. Just place in an airtight container with parchment paper between the layers and freeze for up to 3 months.

A pan of cinnamon rolls that have risen and are ready to go in the oven.

💭 Things to know

⭐ Expert Tip: Wrap a piece of unscented dental floss around the cinnamon roll "log," pulling the ends in opposite directions (as if you were forming a tight knot) to more easily and quickly cut 'em!

Lukewarm water won't cut it—if you don't have a thermometer to test it, the water should feel comfortable enough to bathe in, but not scalding.
If using active dry yeast, let it sit for about ten minutes between steps three and four in the recipe card below.
If using instant yeast, you don't have to let it activate. So, just follow the recipe steps in order at a comfortable pace.
Since you'll use some of the same ingredients multiple times, pay close attention to the recipe. Generally, I list the ingredients in the order you'll use them. So, for example, white sugar is listed first, so it's used in the dough. The brown sugar is listed later, so that's for the filling.
Let the dough rise in a warm place (like near your warm oven) for the best cinnamon rolls ever!
Roll the dough up starting with one of the long sides. If you roll it from one of the short sides, the cinnamon rolls will be larger and may take longer to cook.
If you like softer dough, like a Cinnabon cinnamon roll, be sure to use a baking dish and place the rolls more closely together.
However, if you prefer for the edges of each cinnamon roll to be golden brown and a bit more firm, use a larger baking sheet so they have room to spread without touching.
Sifting the powdered sugar results in smoother icing.

💡Great Idea: You can swap the confectioner's sugar icing for a cream cheese frosting or thin vanilla glaze if you prefer. Or, sprinkle some pecans into the cinnamon filling for a nuttier flavor!

Finished sour cream cinnamon rolls being frosted with the creamy white icing.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

Can you freeze cinnamon rolls?

Yup! Wrap each cooled cinnamon roll tightly in plastic, then put them all into a freezer-safe bag. You can let the sour cream cinnamon rolls thaw at room temperature, or heat them up in the oven at around 325 degrees F until warm and soft in the middle.

Do I have to use a mixer for this recipe?

Nope! A large bowl and some good 'ol muscle power are good enough. However, you can use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment to make the process a little easier. Switch to the dough hook attachment as you add the flour so you don't burn out the mixer's motor.

I've never seen cinnamon roll recipes with sour cream; what does it do?

The sour cream works similarly to milk, but it makes the dough softer and more tender! It's a great baking tip that truly elevates these cinnamon rolls above other recipes.

Do the cinnamon rolls need to cool before we eat them?

Though some dough-based baked goods need to cool all the way before consuming, there is nothing wrong with digging into your warm rolls. Just be sure they've cooled a little, as the cinnamon filling can stay very hot!