Quick & Easy Cinnamon Buns
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Make delicious, soft cinnamon buns in no time with this easy, no-yeast recipe! Perfect for a last-minute breakfast treat—no rising time required.
I love traditional cinnamon rolls and sticky buns, but they require advanced planning and hours of rising time. I don’t know about your family, but when my kids request cinnamon buns for breakfast, they want them five minutes ago—not later in the day! That’s where this quick and easy cinnamon bun recipe comes in. Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, it uses a fast buttermilk biscuit dough leavened with baking powder rather than yeast, so there’s no need to wait for the dough to rise. The result? Tender, golden, caramelized cinnamon buns that are as easy as they are delicious!
What You’ll Need To Make Quick & Easy Cinnamon Buns
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the Filling
Combine the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of melted butter and mix until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set aside.
Step 2: Make the Dough
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients for the dough. Note that it’s very important to measure the flour using the spoon and level method: spoon it into a measuring cup and level it off with the back edge of a knife. If you scoop it into the measuring cup, you will have too much flour and dry cinnamon buns.
Add the buttermilk and melted butter and stir with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed and the dough looks shaggy.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Dust the dough lightly with flour and knead until the dough is almost smooth.
Step 3: Roll the Dough
Pat the dough into a small rectangle, then roll into a larger 12-inch x 9-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter, and then sprinkle the brown sugar topping evenly over top. Press the filling firmly into the dough.
Starting at the long end, roll the dough into a log and pinch the seam. Then cut the log into nine even pieces.
Lightly flatten the rolls with your hand to pack the filling in place.
Arrange the rolls in a 9-inch cake pan lined with buttered aluminum foil, then brush the rolls with the remaining melted butter.
Step 4: Bake
Bake the cinnamon buns for about 25 minutes, until the rolls are golden brown.
Use the foil overhang to transfer the rolls to a cooling rack. Let them sit about 5 minutes, then pull them apart.
Step 5: Glaze
Make the buttermilk glaze by whisking the buttermilk, cream cheese and confectioners’ sugar together in a small bowl.
Drizzle the glaze liberally over the buns and enjoy warm. (These cinnamon buns are best fresh out of the oven, but they can also be stored in an air tight container and reheated with excellent results.)
Note: As mentioned, this recipe is tweaked from Cook’s Illustrated. I found their recipe to be good but tooth-achingly sweet, so I reduced the sugar significantly. I also increased the salt to balance things out a bit. This version also calls for a bit more flour than the original, making the dough easier to work with.
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Quick & Easy Cinnamon Buns
Make delicious, soft cinnamon buns in no time with this easy, no-yeast recipe! Perfect for a last-minute breakfast treat—no rising time required.
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Buns
For the Brown Sugar Filling
- ⅔ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
For the dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with knife, plus more for dusting work surface
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups low fat buttermilk
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided
For the Glaze
- 1½ tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
- ¾ cup confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425°F. Line a 9-inch square cake pan with aluminum foil and brush with one tablespoon butter.
- Combine the brown sugar, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, cinnamon, cloves and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Add one tablespoon of the melted butter and stir with a fork or fingers until the mixture resembles wet sand. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining tablespoon granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the buttermilk and 3 tablespoons of the melted butter to the dry ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed; the dough will be sticky and shaggy. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface. Knead, lightly dusting more flour as necessary, until just smooth and no longer shaggy, about 1 minute.
- Lightly dust the surface again. Pat the dough into a small rectangle, then roll into a 12x9-inch rectangle, dusting more flour sparingly if necessary so the dough doesn't stick to the rolling pin. Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Sprinkle the dough evenly with the brown sugar filling, leaving a ½-inch border. Using your hand, press the filling firmly into the dough. Starting at the long side, roll the dough, pressing lightly, to form a tight log. (If the dough sticks to the surface, use a sharp knife or dough scraper to release it.) Pinch the seam to seal. Roll the log seam-side down and, using a sharp knife, cut it evenly into 9 pieces. Turn the pieces over on their flat sides, and slightly flatten each piece with your hand to seal the open edges and keep the filling in place. Place the rolls in the prepared pan and brush with the remaining butter. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 23 to 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together the cream cheese and buttermilk until thick and smooth (the mixture will look like cottage cheese at first). Add the confectioners' sugar and whisk until smooth glaze forms.
- When the buns are done, use the foil overhang to lift them out of the baking pan and onto a wire rack. Let cool for 5 minutes, then carefully separate the buns, using a knife if necessary. If you find the buns are sticking a bit to the foil, transfer them to a wire rack. Drizzle the glaze evenly over the buns. The buns are best served warm; leftovers may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (9 servings)
- Serving size: 1 bun
- Calories: 389
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 66 g
- Sugar: 33 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Sodium: 296 mg
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Thanks for this recipe, I’ve made it twice in the past 10 days for company with great success & rave reviews!
It is quick & easy, no rising time (yay!) and I love that it makes only 9 buns not too many — I love homemade cinnamon rolls (This recipe is my favourite flavours http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/cranberry-orange-cinnamon-rolls/) but always time consuming to make them homemade. And I tried the shortcut of Cinnabon can (for research purposes of course) and it tasted terrible – too many additives and tasted strongly of baking powder – ugh! So I’m so glad to have found this recipe!!
The second time I made it last night I adapted the recipe –
* only used 3 oz of butter melted
* I ran out of plain flour so had to sub in Self flour and omitted the salt and baking powder (and it still worked out fine!)
* 2nd time around I cut out the sugar in the dough mixture and that helped make these less sweet especially as I went with a sugar rub (see below)
* used the Two Peas and their Pod filling idea: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/cranberry-orange-cinnamon-rolls/ by mixing zest of 1 orange with 3 tablespoons of Granulated Sugar and sprinkling half on top of the Brown sugar (no granulated sugar) + ground Cinnamon + ground Cloves mixture then sprinkling a handful of Dried Cranberries on top then roll!
* cut the dough log and dipped each cut side (both cut sides) into the orange zest sugar rub then put in the pan and follow your instructions.
* Mine bakes for 28 minutes.
* I reduce the confectioners sugar to about 1/3 cup and next time maybe will mix in orange zest.
My adjustments were so tasty – I reccomend you try it out too.
When I first tasted the bun I was expecting the exactly the same as a cinnamon roll in terms of texture – it is good and about 98% similar, not as airy as yeast cinnamon buns but that’s to be expected – not too bad especially given the major time saved! I look forward to trying out different fillings like Stewed apples And a Maple Syrup glaze.
Mine didn’t last long because my company devoured then in 1 day! Yes agree best eaten warm but also good reheated in the microwave for less than a minute (obviously dependent on one’s microwave power) or in a low heat oven or toaster oven. Also my other taste testers preferred not to re-heat and still enjoyed it at room temp.
Thank you again for the helpful photos detailing the steps! Look forward to trying out some more of your recipes!
Kate, Thank you for the detailed feedback! I’m so glad you and your company enjoyed the rolls, and I love your idea of an orange cranberry filling. I will definitely try that next time 🙂
I’ve fixed these every time I’ve had company spend a few days. There are never any leftovers. Everyone loves them.
Can I substitute the buttermilk for skim milk?
Hi Mindy, Yes, that should work fine.
Could this be made Gluten Free? My daughter has Celiac Disease and we eat GF diet..
Hi Gretchen, You’d have to use a gluten-free flour.
Can you substitute the buttermilk with whole milk?
Delish! No cow milk allowed here, so I substituted a vegan-buttermilk (coconut milk+vinegar), and, while a bit crumbly, these still were fantastic. Light and sweet, flaky yet doughy, with great cinnamon flavor. For the glaze I used a butter/olive oil blend, water, vanilla and confectioners sugar.
I’m making these for thanksgiving morning! Can’t wait!
Would it be okay to prep them the night before in the pan, refrigerate overnight and bake in the morning?
Hi Lisa, Unfortunately, these cannot be prepared ahead of time; they won’t rise properly. Sorry!
Hi there…the cinnamon bun recipe is one I will attempt soon! My question is if it is fine to use regular all purpose flour for the recipe?
Hi Diana, Yes all-purpose is the flour to use.
Can I bake these the night before and reheat in the morning? If so please give me the oven temp and how long to reheat.
Thank you.
Hi Mary, They are best fresh out of the oven but it’s fine to bake to the night before. I would reheat in a 300 degree oven for about 15 minutes.
First time I’ve tried buttermilk glaze, really yummy.