Here are 4 cinnamon roll recipes that you need to try! But maybe you already have the world’s best cinnamon roll recipe in your back pocket. Or maybe you swear by your great-grandmother’s heirloom recipe.
Hey, we’re not here to mess with perfection. But when it comes to cinnamon roll recipes, we’ve never met a new idea we didn’t like.
The great thing about cinnamon rolls is that there are endless variations to try — and they’re all delicious. So why box yourself in with one recipe when you can try so many sweet experiments?
We’ve gathered our favorite cinnamon roll recipes, complete with tips, tricks, and hacks. From classic and elevated to unabashedly down-home, you’ll find something to tickle your taste buds. Get your apron out and dive in!
1. Cinnamon Rolls with Bread Flour
One of the best parts about biting into a fresh cinnamon roll is that chewy, pillowy texture.
Cinnamon rolls get their chewiness from the gluten content in the flour you use. When you knead the dough and let it rest, the gluten molecules form long strands. As with bread, pizza dough, pasta, and other gluten-based baked goods, the result is a soft but chewy texture.
Different types of flour have different amounts of gluten. The higher the gluten content you use, the chewier your final product will be.
Try swapping out all-purpose flour for bread flour. Also known as strong flour, it has an extra-high gluten content.
You can substitute bread flour in any cinnamon roll recipe, so why not try it with one of the best cinnamon roll flavors you’ve never tried?
2. Cinnamon Rolls with High-Quality Cinnamon
Cinnamon is the star ingredient of your cinnamon roll recipe, so choosing a high-quality version of this ingredient will instantly improve your outcome.
There are different kinds of cinnamon to choose from:
- Cinnamon Cassia
- Ceylon Cinnamon
Cinnamon cassia is the “regular” cinnamon that we’re all used to. It’s strong, spicy, and sweet. It’s the type you’ll find in virtually every grocery store.
Ceylon cinnamon comes from a different type of cinnamon tree. It has a lighter color and a more delicate, complex flavor. It’s higher quality, but far less common.
Cinnamon cassia is the best cinnamon to use if you want a completely standard cinnamon roll. If you want to try a more nuanced flavor, though, try adding some Ceylon cinnamon. It will give your cinnamon rolls a mature and exotic twist.
And, if you’re wondering what type of cinnamon Cinnabon uses in their world-famous cinnamon rolls you can read about it here! Cinnabon uses proprietary cinnamon from Sri Lanka called Makara Cinnamon.
3. Viral Tiktok Cinnamon Rolls
When a recipe takes off on social media, you know it has to be good.
Like all social media trends, no one’s really sure where this recipe hack originated. Regardless of who did it first, tons of bakers on Tiktok have tried this trick. The results are in: bakers are claiming that they’ve made the world’s best cinnamon rolls using this one simple trick.
The best part: you can use this trick with any cinnamon roll recipe you have on hand. You can even use canned or store-bought cinnamon rolls to try it out. (We won’t tell!)
Does this trick really yield the best cinnamon rolls you’ve ever made? There’s only one way to find out. Here’s how to make your own viral Tiktok cinnamon rolls.
First, make your cinnamon rolls as usual according to whatever recipe you prefer. Preheat your oven and place your cinnamon rolls in the prepared baking dish, with room between them to expand as they bake.
Then, take heavy cream (about 1/2 cup per pan of cinnamon rolls) and pour it straight over the uncooked cinnamon rolls. Make sure you pour it onto each roll. The heavy cream will pool in the bottom of the baking dish.
Bake your cinnamon rolls as usual. When you remove them from the oven, they will have absorbed the heavy cream, making them light, fluffy, and incredibly moist.
Top your viral cinnamon rolls with icing and serve right away!
4. Skillet Cinnamon Roll
Nothing says “rustic farmhouse chic” like serving food straight from a cast-iron pan. Not only does it look smashing on your Sunday brunch table, but the cast-iron skillet gives your cinnamon rolls that elusive crispy crust.
Plus, these skillet cinnamon rolls have a secret ingredient that screams Southern comfort food. Half super-chic and half comfort food, these might just be the most mind-blowing cinnamon rolls you’ve ever tasted.
Here’s how to make skillet cinnamon rolls:
- Prepare your cinnamon roll dough as normal, including kneading and proofing
- In a large cast-iron skillet, cook 8 strips of bacon until crisp
- Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, reserving bacon grease
- Roll out your dough into a large rectangle
- Combine bacon grease with 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp maple syrup, and cinnamon to taste
- Spread the cinnamon mixture onto the dough
- Crumble the bacon strips into bits and sprinkle evenly across the dough
- Roll the dough and cut it into 12 rolls
- Place the rolls in the skillet; let rise until doubled
- Bake at 400 degrees, checking often, until golden brown (about 15-20 minutes)
Let your bacon-infused skillet cinnamon rolls cool. Then, serve them with a generous slathering of icing (and don’t forget to add some maple syrup to your icing recipe!).
The savory bacon makes this salty-sweet recipe irresistible. These skillet cinnamon rolls aren’t a light snack — with the heartiness of bacon, they belong on the brunch table every Christmas morning.
Cinnamon Roll Recipes You Never Knew You Needed
When it comes to cinnamon rolls, there are very few rules. If you have cinnamon, butter, and a rolled-up pastry, the rest is up to you!
That’s why you should never be afraid to try new cinnamon roll recipes. You never know when you’re going to discover a new trick that will take your cinnamon roll game to the next level or create a new family favorite.
Are you tired of googling “the best cinnamon rolls near me” and relying on chain stores to deliver your pastry cravings? Check out our blog for more cinnamon roll goodness. We post all the hacks, ideas, and recipes you need to make your cinnamon roll dreams come true.
