Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls are warm and gooey and addicting! You’re going to love the cream cheese frosting too.

Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
There are few smells better in the world than fresh baked cinnamon rolls. The smell alone is enough to get my mouth watering. Just walking past a Cinnabon in the airport makes me hungry! You can get that awesome smell in your own house and better yet that awesome taste in your own belly. But I do have to warn you…these are addicting! This recipe makes 12 rolls but I’m guessing if you’re like me you may want about 6 rolls for yourself.
Ingredients for cinnamon rolls
- Milk
- Butter
- Sugar
- Salt
- Instant yeast*
- Egg
- Flour
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon
- Cream cheese
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
Steps to making cinnamon rolls
- Heat the milk.
- Let butter melt in hot milk.
- Mix ingredients in a stand mixer.
- Let the dough rise (I did this step in the Instant Pot).
- Pat dough into a rectangle.
- Spread the filling on the dough.
- Roll the dough up.
- Slice the dough into individual rolls.
- Let the rolls rise.
- Bake the rolls.
- Prepare the frosting.
- Spread the frosting.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- If you don’t have a stand mixer than use a large mixing bowl and a wooden spoon to mix and knead the dough.
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot with a yogurt button then you can let the dough rise in a bowl on the counter (I like to cover it with a dish towel) for about twice as much time (60-90 minutes).
- The amount of flour you need depends on many factors such as elevation, humidity, temperature of the milk, how flour is measured, etc. Go by feel of the dough to make sure you get it right. It should be soft and smooth after you mix it and a tiny bit sticky.
- This recipe makes one 9×13 inch pan of rolls. These rolls freeze very nicely. But I doubt you’ll have leftovers to freeze.
- Recipe adapted from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

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Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls
- Yield: 12 cinnamon rolls 1x
Description
Copycat Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls are warm and gooey and addicting! You’re going to love the cream cheese frosting too.
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup milk
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 1 large egg
- 3 to 4 cups all-purpose flour
For the cinnamon filling:
- 6 Tbsp softened butter
- 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup milk
- 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat the milk until it reaches between 180° and 185° F (I use a instant read thermometer*). I like to heat the milk in the microwave but you can also do this on the stove. Pour the milk into the bowl of your stand mixer with a dough hook.
- Add the butter, sugar and salt and mix until the butter is melted. Let the mixture cool until warm. Add the yeast and the egg and mix.
- Add the flour, a cup at a time until the sides of the bowl are clean. Add as much flour as you need to achieve the perfect dough: soft and just slightly sticky without leaving a lot of residue on your fingers. Mix/knead the dough for 2-3 minutes.
- Spray your Instant Pot liner with non-stick cooking spray or swirl oil in the bottom of it. Place the dough into the Instant Pot liner. Set Instant Pot to yogurt function LESS (use adjust button to get it to less, it should say 24 hours). Cover Instant Pot with a glass lid or a plate and let it raise for 30-45 minutes, or until doubled. (If you don’t have a yogurt button then just raise the bread in a plastic wrap covered bowl on the counter for about 60-90 minutes).
- Pat the dough into about a 14×10-inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter evenly across the top with a butter knife or spatula.
- Stir the brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle it evenly over the butter and then pat it with the palms of your hands.
- Starting with a long side, roll the dough as tightly as possible without stretching the dough. Lightly pinch the seam to seal.
- Using a serrated knife, carefully saw back and forth to create 12 individual cinnamon rolls.
- Place the cinnamon rolls into a greased 9×13 inch baking dish. Cover with a dish towel and let the rolls rise until doubled in size, about 1 to 1 ½ hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Bake the rolls for about 18-22 minutes until slightly golden. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the frosting while the cinnamon rolls are baking. Add the softened butter and cream cheese into a mixing bowl. Whip until soft and creamy with a hand mixer. Add the vanilla and milk and 1 cup of the powdered sugar. Mix on low speed until incorporated. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix on high speed for 1-2 minutes until frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Spread the slightly warm rolls with the frosting. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
If you don’t have a stand mixer you can stir by hand with a large bowl and wooden spoon.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Instant Pot and Oven

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
Tried this recipe and turned out excellent . I just used 3 cups of flour and oat milk instead of dairy .
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for the review and the 5 stars. I have never tried oak milk before.
Can this be made one day and cooked the next morning? What would be the steps?
I would do the second rise in the refrigerator overnight. Just cover them with plastic wrap and stick in the fridge. they will very slowly rise overnight and then let them come to room temperature the next day and bake as directed
It’s just me so I’m very grateful you have the option to half the recipe. They were wonderful. I used to make cinnamon rolls for my late husband. He bragged on them all the time.. These were very good and only 6 was perfect.
★★★★★
Oh that’s so nice! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed them.
Can you substitute Almond milk for regular milk?
Yes