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.
Table of Contents
🗝️ 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
- 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.
- 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!
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.
💭 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!
👩🍳 FAQs
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.
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.
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.
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!
📚 Related recipes
- Big, Texas sized pecan cinnamon rolls with extra pecans. These rise overnight so they're great for the holidays.
- Soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls that are better than Cinnabon!
- Cinnamon roll cheesecake is SO good.
- Crescent Roll Cream Cheese Danish
- Air Fryer Dinner Rolls
- Khachapuri (Georgian Cheese Bread)
- Easy 30 Minute Dinner Rolls
📞 The last word
As far as I'm concerned there's nothing more indulgent than a warm cinnamon roll and a cup of good coffee!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Sour Cream Cinnamon Rolls
Print Pin Recipe SaveIngredients
Rolls
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 tablespoons butter , divided use
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 package yeast
- ¼ cup water, 110F
- 1 egg
- 3 cups flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
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Instructions
Rolls
- Heat the sour cream to lukewarm.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons butter, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir yeast into warm water.
- Add yeast and beaten egg to sour cream mixture.
- Mix in enough flour to create a soft dough.
- Turn out on a floured counter and knead lightly for a minute.
- Form into a ball and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the counter with flour and roll into a 13x9-inch rectangle.
- Spread the dough with softened butter.
- Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the butter, pressing in lightly.
- Roll up like a jelly roll and cut in 12 pieces.
- Place in a 13x9-inch baking pan that's been greased with butter or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
- Let rise until doubled - about 1-½ hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove from oven.
- Cover with icing while still warm.
Icing
- Melt the butter.
- Add the vanilla.
- Stir in the powdered sugar until you have a thick icing.
- Spoon onto the warm rolls.
Notes
Store, tightly covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days. After that they get stale. You can also store the unbaked cinnamon rolls for up to 24 hours before baking them. Follow the instructions as written to roll and cut the cinnamon rolls.
Cover the dish or cookie sheet tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate until you're ready to bake. Baked cinnamon rolls freeze well but I'd leave the icing off until you plan on serving them. Tips:
- 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. - If using instant yeast, you don't have to let it activate. So, just follow the recipe steps in order.
- 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.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.First published November 3, 2023. Last updated November 30, 2023 to add video and fix editorial issues.
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